Blessing In Disguise

The wind was howling like a wolf. Snow beat at the windows savagely. The tired old janitor, Mr. Moreno, was sweeping the grand ballroom slowly and methodically. Even though the marble floors were shinier than the finest jewelry, the janitor had nothing better to do, and he did not wish to return to his shabby little apartment on the other side of town. Plus, it was his responsibility to lock up before leaving, but seeing as the roads were one giant Slip n’ Slide, he decided that he would stay in the building tonight. 

He texted his wife, “Can’t make it home tonight. I’ll find somewhere warm to sleep at work.” Shoving his phone back into his pocket, he headed into an elevator, swiping his keycard on the way in. “The Empire State Building,” he said to no one in particular, and leaned back against the wall. He had never been in the great glass-walled elevators for the tourists.

“Welcome, visitor to the great Empire State Building!” A black-and-white film began to play. Construction workers labored in the sun, building the grand tower. People laughed and sipped cocktails on the upper floor. Mr. Moreno smiled as he thought of all the adventures he could get up to that night. It seemed just like yesterday, when he was a young boy, skipping along the beaches of Cancun. He sighed wistfully.

Finally, Mr. Moreno stepped out onto the observation floor, with its massive windows. The skyscrapers of New York stood out like gargantuan fingers covered with sugary snow. Mr. Moreno walked around the circular floor once, twice, three times. Fastening his coat, he walked upstairs to the very top of the building. 

“Whoa,” Mr. Moreno gasped. He was staring through a pair of binoculars stationed at the top. He could see individual people, struggling against the snow. A woman lost her briefcase to the wind, and he sighed. Peering through the binoculars, he focused them on nothing in particular, trying to take in the bright sights of the Big Apple.

Suddenly, Mr. Moreno saw a black limo weave through the otherwise deserted streets. It seemed to be heading towards the Empire State Building. He narrowed in on the driver, a skinny man wearing a black trenchcoat and a black beanie. The man parked the car and fumbled around in his seat, pulling out a crowbar. Then, the doors opened, and a buff, intimidating man hopped out of the backseat. They stalked slowly towards the entrance. Mr. Moreno began to shake with fear. “Burglars!” he exclaimed. Dashing inside the observation floor as fast as his achy joints would permit, he locked the door and sat down in a dark corner.

Once his heart rate returned to normal, he started doing a security check, “I think I locked all the doors? Let’s see, front door, visitor entrance, back door. All alarms are on.” He sighed in relief. Those robbers ain’t got nothing on the steel doors. No need to call the police. He lay down and shut his tired eyes. “Hmm-mm”, he murmured, as he fell asleep.

Less than 15 minutes later, the extremely loud wail of an alarm interrupted his cozy nap. “Ayee! Who is calling my phone!” he interjected sleepily. Suddenly, he remembered what he had just witnessed. 

“Oh nooo. The burglars broke in!” Pulling out his phone, he placed his finger on the home button, preparing to dial 9-1-1. “NO BATTERY” the screen flashed. Grumbling, he headed over to a handset on the wall and punched in “9-1-1”.

“Sorry, the 9-1-1 services for Empire State Building are temporarily unavailable. Please call again.” “Time to take matters into my own hands,” he groaned, and gathered up all of his strength.

Now, we know that the criminals are most likely going to target the gift shop first. It’s on floor six. The criminals are going to take the stairs because the elevators are restricted to employees. He bustled over to an elevator in the back, swiped his card, and zoomed down to level 6. He snuck behind the shelf of Furbies wearing NYC shirts and sat there, holding his breath.

Finally, a gravelly New York accent called, “Hurry up Hank! I swear, every day you get slower.” The lanky burglar stepped into the room, followed by the big guy. 

“Where are the cash registers, Matt?” Hank grunted, one hairy hand scratching his bald head.  

“Over there, you blind dumbo,” Matt retorted, pointing to the cash registers. Hank flicked the back of his head. Mr. Moreno was six feet away from them, and he continued to peer through the rows of the fuzzy talking toys. An idea reached his brain. 

“Tell me a joke,” he breathed. In unison, three Furbies called out, “Wee-tah-kah-loo-loo! Wee-tah-kah-loo-loo! Wee-tah-kah-loo-loo!” Hank dropped the snow globe he was fondling, and Matt jumped. 

“What was that?” Matt whispered. Thinking quickly, Mr. Moreno told the Furbies to sing him a song. “Wee-tee-kah-wah-tee wee-tee-kah-wah-tee wee-tee-kah-wah-tee wee-tee-kah-wah-tee wee-tee-kah-wah-tee, hmm hmm, wee-tee-kah-wah-tee wee-tee-kah-wah-tee wee-tee-kah-wah-tee wee-tee-kah-wah-tee wee-tee-kah-wah-tee,” the toys screeched. They stamped their tiny plastic toes and created a loud click-clack. 

Matt fainted. “ISSA GHOST!” Hank yelled, and pulling Matt with him, he quickly dashed out of the room. Mr. Moreno cheered as loud as he could.

At last, around midnight, a flashlight shined through the room. Mr. Moreno groaned, stretched out, and stood up. He tiptoed out from behind the shelves and headed over to the door, where a police officer was standing, tapping her foot and drinking from a big blue mug. She smiled encouragingly when she saw Mr. Moreno walking over. 

“Hello, I am Officer Miranda Lee from the NYPD. We received a call here at around 8:37 PM. Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” Mr. Moreno answered. “Some criminals tried to break in, but I held them off with some Furbies. Smiling slightly at Officer Lee’s incredulous look, he said, “Just check the cameras.” He looked out of the window. The snow had started to melt, and the roads were clear again. He smiled. Turns out the blizzard was a blessing in disguise. If I hadn’t been here, I would’ve let the Empire State Building open to burglars. “Goodbye, Officer Lee.”

“Goodbye, sir,” she said, still bemused.