After Hours

The guests came and went as the working day passed from the afternoon, through the evening.  Universal Studios was finally closed for the day.  The park took on a tranquil and silent feeling, while I walked through the recently abandoned streets of the New York area.  My supervisor stepped out from the queue entrance to Revenge of the Mummy.  I met him in the middle of the street. 

“Mike, I want you to do something for us.  We’ve had a lighting problem which the park-wide technicians are not willing to help us on.  We need to take this situation into our own hands.  This will be dangerous.”  I thought he was joking until his face took on a look of concern while he went into greater description. 

Placed on the roof top across the street from the Mummy’s main marquee sign was an additional ambient spot light, positioned to add a glow to the front of the Mummy building.  The glow was not needed, and in fact, drowned out the marquee’s independent lighting effects.  My instructions were simple, find the spot light, and disconnect the power.  I was reluctant to adhere to his request, but was reminded that I frequently participate in extra activities that are not covered in my job description anyway. 

A few moments later he led me down a nearby side street and up to an access door to the building’s facade.  The inside of the building reeked of mildew, rust and rotted wood.  We fumbled our way through the stench and darkness, up a flight of stairs, and out of the rooftop access door.

The roof sagged and sank slightly under each of my steps.  Signs of severe weathering and water marks coated the rooftop’s surface.  “Now be careful where you step. This roof is a little unstable.”  Chris’ words offered me no comfort while he led me to the far side of the building. “From here on, you’re by yourself kid.” Chris glared at me with a grin, as if saying good luck, and don’t die. 

We stood at the bottom of a three story vertical ladder.  I looked at the rust coated bolts and steps.  “Crap”, I mumbled, while I grabbed the first bar at eye level.  Rust scraped off of the rungs and on to my hands as I climbed the rickety structure.  I was two stories up when the wind began to howl and streak across my arms.

My head peaked over the top of the wall as I reached the end of the ladder.  The wind blew hard against my face, making me squint.  I was surprised to see that the very top of these facades consisted only of a three foot wide pathway.  The light I was after was anchored on the far edge.  I pulled myself up to rest on my hands and knees.  Slowly I gained my balance and repositioned into a low squat. 

I quickly became overwhelmed as I looked at the area around me.  A feeling of gratification washed over me as I realized that I was one of the very few people who got to see Universal from this point of view.  The outlines of the darkened rooftops glowed in the moon light.  The lights from the buildings and streets radiated up, spilling over the sides of the walls.  I felt at ease, as the park and all of its problems rested beneath my feet.

“Mike! Stop day dreaming and get back to work!” Chris’ voice snapped my focus back on the job.  I quickly crawled over to the light.  It was positioned right on the edge, over looking the main street.  I felt a chill creep down my spine as I realized that there were no safety rails or harnesses to protect me from a full four story drop to the pavement below. 

A long black cord extended from out the back of the light to a nearby covered electrical socket.  I got back into my low squat, and reached under the panel.  The twist lock socket was large and bulky.  I grabbed it with one hand and tugged at it.  It stayed put, stubbornly secure in the socket.  After several more attempts of pulling at it with all of my weight, it gave. 

The world went into slow motion as I lost my balance and tumbled backwards.  While my hand fell away from the box, it grazed something underneath the panel.  For a brief second I wondered what it was. It wasn’t metal, and it sure as hell didn’t belong there.  The crusty object tore off from it’s attachment point.  I could feel the object as it bounced and tumbled along the rest of my hand.  It was riddled with small holes.

My focus was pulled away from the strange item, as only half of my body landed on the narrow pathway.  I held onto the cord with all of my strength while my left side flailed around in the night wind.  Panic flooded my head until I realized I was still mostly on the ledge.  With a brief sigh of relief, I began to pull myself back onto the path.  I hadn’t gotten to pull myself back on the path, before I heard the loud, high pitched, and unnerving sound of buzzing.  The strange object from the socket box finally hit the ground, and with it, a swarm of wasps came flying out.

Immediately they attacked my arm, stinging at my outstretched hand which still held onto the light’s cord.  My grip on the cable loosened under the pain of the stings.  I yelled at the top of my lungs in pain.  Quickly I tried to regain my composure and finish pulling myself onto the ledge.  I rolled over, trying to brush them off, when one flew into my mouth.

Out of reaction, I clinched my teeth, biting into the insect.  Bits and pieces of its skin shot to the back of my throat.  I gasped for air, accidentally swallowing the chunks of insect.  Parts of its wings stuck to my throat as the rest filled my taste buds with a metallic taste, mixed with corn flakes, and battery acid.  I winced under the horrible sensation, gagging on.  Whatever was left of the bug squirmed around between my teeth and gums.  Quickly I spat it out, and rushed back over to the ladder. 

The wasps kept up their attack, going for my other arm and neck.  In a rush of adrenaline, I grabbed the sides of the ladder, and slid the full three stories down.  I hit the rooftop hard and booked it towards the door.  Chris was waiting for me there.  “Mike, what the hell happened up there?”  I didn’t answer as I shoved him in the doorway, and slammed it shut once I was through.  I flailed around, brushing off any remaining bugs.  Chris looked shocked at my actions, baffled to what was going on. He tried to ask me again, “Mike, what happened? You unplugged the wrong light.”