Lord

A tall man stands at a window, staring out at the city spread below.  He is well proportioned, and muscular.  His clothes are of only the finest cut, an expensively priced Saville Row suit, an exorbitantly priced shirt, and an obscenely priced silk tie.  His handmade shoes gleam in the dim light from the lamp on the desk behind him.  His face is classically handsome, echoing a multitude of Renaissance sculpture.  Indeed, were it not for the steady rise and fall of his chest, he could be mistaken for a statue that has for unknown reasons been dressed in the best clothes of the day.

He unclasps his hands, and runs a finely manicured hand through his luxuriant raven hair.  His piercing blue eyes take in the scene below him, but thankfully this office, at the summit of the tallest building in the city, is too far from street level for the squalor beneath to sully these perfect orbs.

The city is criss-crossed with streams of red and white light, as the denizens below return from their labours back to their lairs.  The man's chiselled features betray no emotion as he gazes on the gleams of light in the multitude of dark buildings, the lights a stark contrast against the grimy walls.

A slow drizzle begins to fall, and the floor length window speckles with moisture.  The droplets blur the view below, giving even this dreary city a measure of beauty, as if the gods themselves rush to ensure this man is not forced to endure anything less than perfection in his environment.

The man turns from his study of the city, and strides towards the desk.  His shoes click smartly on the polished marble floor, and he soon arrives at the architect's dream of a desk, all sleek, clean lines cut from rare woods.  The man pulls the simple looking, but exceedingly expensive, chair out from under the desk, and sits down to continue his task.

He picks up the exquisite fountain pen he had lain aside earlier, its unique design crafted only for him.  He draws a sheet of crisp, white paper with a stylish letterhead from the pile to his left, and glances at the computer screen artfully embedded within the desk.  He reads a short piece of information, before bending his head to concentrate on his writing.

The small, elegant lamp on his desk is arched quite high, and throws a pool of light around the man and the desk, turning the scene into a vignette in the darkened office.  There is silence, except for the gentle sound of pen on paper.

The man comes to the end of his task, and signs his name at the bottom of the paper with a small flourish.  He places the finished sheet on a smaller pile to his right.  Looking at the two piles, it is obvious that the man has been at this task for many hours, and cannot expect to finish for many hours more.

The man draws another sheet from his left, glances again at the computer screen, and again begins writing.  The words flow smoothly from his pen, his handwriting clear and crisp.  It is a letter, and the information he draws from the computer screen is an address, which he neatly fills in just below the other address which is part of the letterhead.

He is again approaching the end of the letter, and again signs with a flourish, strangely restrained.  The signature is bold, and clear, and clearly represents an intelligent, resourceful man.

Finally, the man's face betrays some emotion.  The man permits himself a small sigh, and leans his lean torso back in his chair, its elegant form gratefully receiving him.  He raises both hands to his head, running them again through his hair, before wiping his face.  He was tired.

What, then, was the task this man was engaged in?  What kept this Adonis, this Newton, this god amongst men, at his desk late into the night?  What pressing need can keep him from the tasks he is so obviously capable of - ending hunger, bringing about world peace?

But there is no clue in his face, no hint as to the gravity of the task, and he returns to it.

"Bloody hell," thought Ed Hulver (for it is he), "this is the last time I offer to write letters for the users."

He sighs.

"Oh well, anything to keep the little people happy."

~~~FIN~~~