The First Ever Piece Of Stage Fiction

The Shift Part One

Act One

Characters - all three work at Parling Stores in London (a small newsagents that is open 24 hours a day)

Michael Eff - a thirty year old man who takes the day shift

Peter Lopard - a twenty eight year old man who takes the night shift

Samir Aleeb - manager of the shop

Scene One -

Location: Parling Stores

Time: 06:58

Michael nodded at Peter as he did every morning: they never spoke despite seeing each other twice a day when they replaced the other for their own shift.

Peter took his coat from the back of a chair and checked that he had his wallet and keys. Within a minute, he had left the shop and Michael had seen to his first customer.

Scene Two -

Location: Samir’s Office In Parling Stores

Details of Location: A small room with a desk, two computers and three chairs

Time: 22:30

“Peter, we need to meet Samir in his office,” Michael explained before he had received the customary nod from his colleague.

“Why,” Peter replied, feeling tired even before his shift had officially started.

Michael shrugged his shoulders, but began to make his way to the shop’s back office. He knocked on the door and was signalled in by his boss. Peter followed him in and they seated themselves opposite Mr Aleeb.

“Watch this please,” Samir said without any words of introduction to his employees. He pressed the play button on his remote control and sat forward with intent in spite of the number of times that he had already watched the video.

The tape began and started with Michael entering the store. It went through the switch that had been carried out between the two till-managers and ended with the sole customer at the time leaving seconds after Peter’s own departure.

“What was that about?" Michael asked, confused by the video.

“There’s been a robbery and this is the only time at which it could have happened,” Samir explained. “I won’t go into the details of how I know that that’s the case, becuase I’ve been sifting through the CCTV footage for the whole day since finding out about the event and have no intention of wasting more time.”

“What has been taken? Money from the till?” Peter asked.

“Yes.”

“But one of us has been behind the desk for the whole day. We would have seen something,” Michael replied and he was supported by a grunt from Peter.

“Which is why I am so perplexed by this discovery,” Samir answered and, as usual, his extravagant choice of words didn’t fit in with how people expected him to speak, given his foreign origins. “I’ve closed the shop, but don’t want any involvement from the police,” he continued. “We will attempt to solve this case ourselves and only then will we re-open. We shall start by inspecting the front desk.”

They left the office together.

YOU CAN READ PART TWO HERE: https://medium.com/bullet-fiction/7e5656aaa3b5