Once Upon a Day in May in Bloomington, MN

April showers were supposed to bring forth May flowers. But all I ended up reaping for braving the downpour was an unforeseen month of absolute… mayhem.
It all started right after I plopped down into my seat with a freshly brewed cup of coffee— my third of the day— and my desk phone rang.
Ringggg
A violent roll of my eyes instantly materialized in response to the timing because I
knew
it was no accident. So, I debated letting the call go to voicemail, as I was not much in the mood for what I knew awaited me on the other end of it.
I sighed and reached for the headset lying next to my much-needed midday cup of coffee and placed it over my head.
My finger extended toward the blaring device until it hovered over the button matching the headset, and I briefly noticed the slight tremble in it.
Must be the Java
, I surmised.
A third ring prompted a second roll of my eyes and a mumbled promise to myself to up my search for a new gig before I lowered my trembling finger down onto the button to connect the call and get what I knew awaited me on the other end of it over with: an irate client. An annoying, micromanaging supervisor. One or the other. It was always one or the other. Until…
This
26th day of May.
What awaited me upon my attempt to connect the call was not the usual. No, it was something peculiar. Something foreign. Something other fucking worldly—at least to me, it was. And it changed
everything
. And I do mean every. fucking. thing. about life—
my
life, as I'd known it to be...
forever.
Hello, my name is Hartley Evans, and
this
is my story...