Snitches Get Twitches

For every sip, a fit of twitches.
A lesson to learn that snitches get stitches.

I didn’t know what to make of Martha’s delusional theatrics. That’s what I chose to call them. Theatrics. Not a curse. Those who believed in curses were superstitious hippies and a logical and intellectual career woman like myself couldn’t for the very life of me, indulge in superstitions.

Yet, I couldn’t fight the tremor of fear coursing down my spine as I walked into the company that morning. I mean she did laugh quite coldly when I hurried out of the break room with her. But it could have all just been drama. As the elevator lifted me to my office floor, I took calming breaths and muttered to myself. I did the right thing.

It didn’t matter what anyone thought, not even Martha. Spell be damned. Confident in my sense of sound judgement, I said a warm hello to my secretary and dearest friend, Georgia and headed to my office. Fully seated, I whipped up my PC and began finishing my reports that had to be presented to the Manager later that day.

Five minutes later, Georgia came in, coffee tray in hand. As she settled on the chair and started pouring, I began to calm down. The automatic flavour of caffeine had its way of calming my worked-up nerves even without taking a sip. As soon as Georgia handed it to me, I took a hasty sip and groaned in caffeine-induced bliss.

Georgia chuckled. “Long weekend?”

“You wouldn’t believe it.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Oh well, nothing much. I went out with...” I paused when I noticed that Georgia was looking at me weirdly. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

“More like something in your eye.”

“What?”

Georgia tapped my hand and chuckled. “Oh my God, Trace. Stop that. You’re so weird.”

I was confused. “What am I doing?”

“Your eyes. They keep twitching incessantly. It’s distracting. Can’t you feel it?”

I leapt from my chair like I’d been stung by bees to my private bathroom. Looking into the mirror above the sink, I could see it. My eyes were twitching like someone with a weird case of ADHD.

“What the-”

I dashed back to the office and sat back down to the amused face of Georgia.

“So,” she began. “You care to tell me what all of this is about?”

I brushed the flying strands of hair from my face. I hated being disoriented on a Monday morning. Heck, I hated not being in control at all. “It’s nothing. Maybe effects of sleepless nights or something.”

Georgia didn’t look convinced. “Yeah, or something.”

I looked warily at the coffee pot that she’d left at the side of my table. Maybe I could have another cup. At the last second, I decided against it. I’d been fired up enough to complete my task. I’d use the next cup as self-gratification before the meeting with the manager.

With that happy thought, I whistled as I finished my reports. At precisely 1pm, Georgia came in to alert me of the meeting. I sipped at the last dregs of coffee from my mug and checking the mirror quickly to ensure that nothing was out of place(eye especially), I dashed out for the meeting.

“So, what is it about your department based on this report, that requires you to have more incentives.”
The Manager’s intimidating voice didn’t unnerve me a bit. I knew what to say.

“Well, I’d be most delighted to work you through it, Sir. Actually-” I paused, noticing that the other members of the board were snickering. “Is there a problem, Mr. Maximilian?”

“Not at all, Miss Martins.”

Fixing a smile back on the Manager, I attempted to continue when I noticed more people snickering.

What the heck was so funny?

I turned around to look at Georgia who I didn’t know had been signalling me for a while. She pointed at her eye and made a gesture with her hand to imitate something that was blinking.

Oh my God. Not again

I placed a finger gently on my eye and was in time to feel the violent twitches that ensued from it.
“Seems you have quite the problem there, Miss Martins,” the Manager remarked with a bemused grin. “Maybe you should have that fixed now.”

I couldn’t miss my chance. “Not at all, Sir. I’m perfectly fine.” Turning back to the projector, I began. “So, I developed an analysis for-”

“For goodness sake, Miss Martins,” the manager burst into a laugh. “You look like a more erratic form of twinkling lights. Get that fixed.”

“But-”

“Now, if you don’t mind.”

“So you’re saying that Martha cursed you because you snitched on her?” Georgia was slackjawed. We were sitting in a cafe but no coffee for me. Obviously.

“I didn’t snitch. I was acting in the interests of the company.”

“By reporting the mere $50 she needed to treat her ailing child in the ER? And getting her suspended? That’s low, Trace.”

“I mean it wasn’t-”

“You need to go apologize, Trace. And maybe mean it. Not just cause she cursed you with twitches anytime you have your favourite drink.”

I thought of it as I walked to Martha’s apartment. Retrospectively, I found what I did quite hideous and felt even worse that someone had to point out my wrongdoing before I could realize it. I’d already made a call to the Manager taking the blame for the entire incident and hoped that whatever befell me was enough to get Martha to forgive me.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door and waited. I was going to try to fix it. And hopefully, a snitch like me would stop twitching.

Jhymi🖤

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Source I II III