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Two Medium Writers In An Elevator. | by Scarlet Ibis James 🦩 | The Pub | Nov, 2024 | Medium</title><meta data-rh="true" charset="utf-8"/><meta data-rh="true" name="viewport" content="width=device-width,minimum-scale=1,initial-scale=1,maximum-scale=1"/><meta data-rh="true" name="theme-color" content="#000000"/><meta data-rh="true" name="twitter:app:name:iphone" content="Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" name="twitter:app:id:iphone" content="828256236"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:ios:app_name" content="Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:ios:app_store_id" content="828256236"/><meta data-rh="true" property="al:android:package" content="com.medium.reader"/><meta data-rh="true" property="fb:app_id" content="542599432471018"/><meta data-rh="true" property="og:site_name" content="Medium"/><meta data-rh="true" property="og:type" content="article"/><meta data-rh="true" property="article:published_time" content="2024-11-23T19:08:03.593Z"/><meta data-rh="true" name="title" content="One. 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Two Medium Writers In An Elevator.</h1></div><div><h2 id="137c" class="pw-subtitle-paragraph if hm hd bf b ig ih ii ij ik il im in io ip iq ir is it iu cq du">I tried to make this a drabble but exceeded the requisite 100-word count by eleven. <em class="iv">Cue the sinister laughter</em>.</h2><div><div class="speechify-ignore ab cp"><div class="speechify-ignore bh l"><div class="iw ix iy iz ja ab"><div><div class="ab jb"><div><div class="bm" aria-hidden="false"><a rel="noopener follow" href="/@scarletibisjames?source=post_page---byline--fcf65cbfd74c--------------------------------"><div class="l jc jd by je jf"><div class="l fj"><img alt="Scarlet Ibis James 🦩" class="l fd by dd de cx" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:88:88/1*fYXvyY6oMhrhlJk8_rIENw.jpeg" width="44" height="44" loading="lazy" data-testid="authorPhoto"/><div class="jg by l dd de fs n jh ft"></div></div></div></a></div></div><div class="ji ab fj"><div><div class="bm" aria-hidden="false"><a 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(-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 1000px"/><img alt="Two women stand in a dimly lit elevator. In the foreground, a middle-aged Black woman with short, styled hair wears oversized glasses, bold gold jewelry, and a shimmering gold blazer, her expression tense and serious. Behind her, a younger woman with long dark hair and a mustard-yellow blouse stares ahead with a neutral but focused gaze. The wood-paneled walls of the elevator add to the confined, intense atmosphere." class="bh ng ot c" width="1000" height="561" loading="eager"/></picture></div></div><figcaption class="ou ff ov of og ow ox bf b bg z du">The author created this AI image with <a class="af oy" href="https://www.midjourney.com/home?callbackUrl=%2Fexplore" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Midjourney.</a> S.I. James owns copyright and provenance, per Midjourney ToS.</figcaption></figure></div></div></div><div class="ab cb"><div class="ci bh fz ga gb gc"><p id="2358" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oz pa hd pb b ig pc pd pe ij pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr ps pt pu gw bk"><strong class="pb hn">The Medium headquarters elevator jolts to an abrupt stop. An announcement blares, <em class="pv">“Do not fear the halt; even the mightiest forces stop to reflect.”</em></strong></p><p id="1689" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oz pa hd pb b ig pc pd pe ij pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr ps pt pu gw bk"><strong class="pb hn">I glance at the other occupant. She’s giggling.</strong></p><p id="b939" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oz pa hd pb b ig pc pd pe ij pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr ps pt pu gw bk"><strong class="pb hn">My eyes close to slits under my knitted brows. Her delight is suspicious and infuriating.</strong></p><p id="a5f4" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oz pa hd pb b ig pc pd pe ij pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr ps pt pu gw bk"><strong class="pb hn">“What are you‽” I ask accusingly.</strong></p><p id="c7ed" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oz pa hd pb b ig pc pd pe ij pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr ps pt pu gw bk"><strong class="pb hn">“I’m the originator of sensational drabbles that excite and petrify you.”</strong></p><p id="2899" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oz pa hd pb b ig pc pd pe ij pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr ps pt pu gw bk"><strong class="pb hn">She tilts toward me, her head cocked at an odd angle. Instinctively, I pull back. My eyes widened, and my brows tented.</strong></p><p id="9ef2" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oz pa hd pb b ig pc pd pe ij pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr ps pt pu gw bk"><strong class="pb hn">It’s Pooja! My suspicions are confirmed when I hear what she says next.</strong></p><blockquote class="pw px py"><p id="89a5" class="oz pa pv pb b ig pc pd pe ij pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr ps pt pu gw bk"><strong class="pb hn">“Are you afraid of the elevator?” she asked, eyes menacing. “I’m not.”*</strong></p></blockquote><p id="c1cc" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oz pa hd pb b ig pc pd pe ij pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr ps pt pu gw bk"><strong class="pb hn">© Scarlet Ibis James 2024, All Rights Reserved.</strong></p><p id="b580" class="pw-post-body-paragraph oz pa hd pb b ig pc pd pe ij pf pg ph pi pj pk pl pm pn po pp pq pr ps pt pu gw bk">*This line was adopted from <span class="jw"><span class="jw" aria-hidden="false"><a class="pz jx fe" href="https://medium.com/u/58f63727e706?source=post_page---user_mention--fcf65cbfd74c--------------------------------" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pooja Vishwanathan 🦋</a></span></span>’s tale “<a class="af oy" rel="noopener" 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