Shaping Shadow: Anthologies

Derecho opened the door to the roof. He closed it behind him, slipping a folded piece of paper in between the door and the frame so it didn’t lock him out. He looked around and trotted over to his spot. He set his lunch box down and pulled the chair out from hiding. It was simple folding chair. He sat down to enjoy lunch.

He had found this place several years ago, soon after he began working. He had first started after school to help out financially. His Aunt Rainbow Jade, and Uncle Arcing Gale had taken care of Derecho and his little sister, Sun Shower, since they were little. They also had their own foals, Golden Front and Winter Low.

Their parents had died in a Sky Chariot accident. Derecho only remembered bits and pieces of them. Sun Shower was a barely weened foal. They were welcomed gladly into their Aunt and Uncle’s home. There never was any thought of it happening any other way. But they already had Golden Front and Winter Low, who were twins and in the same age as Sun Shower.

Derecho couldn’t sit by. He was so very thankful for their charity. But he also knew the strain it was on their finances, despite both working. As soon as he was old enough, he picked up work. The local recycling plant always needed workers, especially for second shift. Many families had one parent work the first shift while the foals were in school.

Derecho came home after his first day and declared he had a job. There was no arguing about it. He had it and he wasn’t quitting. And everything he earned was going to the family as a whole. He hadn’t taken a single bit from any paycheck. Not even the bonuses he got for being the employee of the month. It was a fight that was repeated every so often after the others went to bed.

He did it all for his little sister. She didn’t fully understand in the beginning. Sun Shower missed him. But he was always home on the weekend. He always found time for her. He slept easier at night working, knowing she was being taken care of.

But now she was older. She was about to graduate primary school and be out on her own. Derecho had been working full time for a while now. He wasn’t stupid. He spent the extra time in primary school and skipped a grade before he was old enough to work after school. He had a full year graduated working before most of the others.

He knew how to get what he wanted. He knew how to plan to get to each step. He was calculated. It also made him popular. The mares in the city loved a driven stallion who worked for his family. That was all Derecho personally got out of working.

Derecho opened his lunch box and leaned back against an AC unit. He ate lunch, watching the clouds move by. He loved watching the Weather Factory produce it’s quota. By now, he knew all the weather clouds and patterns by heart.

He probably could have gotten a job there, but he was perfectly happy with his now. It was a solid job that made good money. It was a messy, unappreciated job, but Derecho didn’t give a shit. His family was safe and cared for. That was the satisfaction he needed.

It left him without excitement. Excitement of any real worth. He was a sorter on the floor. Things were already presorted before they came in, or were supposed to be. It was his job to make sure the recyclable trash that came in on his conveyor belt passed inspection for cleanliness and purity.

He worked on a glass line. He had to make sure it was sufficiently washed and wasn’t sticky, grimy or had labels on it. Metal, wood, paper and pure trash was always getting in the same bin, and that is why they needed sorters.

A good sorter wasn’t afraid to shut the conveyor belt down if they got overwhelmed. Derecho was constantly shutting his down. Sometimes they dumped the wrong bin onto his belt. Something extra stuff fell onto his line. He was anal about what passed his screening, but he was fast. He was exactly what they needed and every time he was employee of the month was because of it.

Derecho finished his lunch and put the chair back in it’s hiding spot. He pocketed his door stop and quickly descended the stares to get back to his spot.

“Derecho!”

Derecho stopped and looked to where he had been called. It was Featherlight, the boss for the sorting floor.

“Yes Sir?” Derecho asked coming over to him.

“Come on into my office,” Featherlight Smiled.

Derecho came in and sat down on a plastic chair. It was easier to clean them.

“You have been working here for a while,” Featherlight said.

“Yes Sir,” Derecho nodded. “I was working evening shift after school. I graduated early and came on full time.”

“You are one of the most devoted pegasi we have ever had in this facility.”

“I just do my job,” Derecho said. “For family.”

“Yes, your sister, and your aunt and uncle’s family. Still, this is the last month of the year.”

“And?”

“And, I am pleased to say that you are once again, the Employee of the Month.”

“Thank you Sir.”

“Don’t thank me yet kid. You are tied at 4 for the Employee of the Month. The head administrator wants to speak to you. You are very close to becoming Employee of the Year.”

Derecho shrugged. “Okay. When is my appointment?”

“Now,” Featherlight smiled.

“I have a job to do,” Derecho said confused. “Its not break time.”

“There is a mountain outside this facility and it isn’t going anywhere. Go head up to the top floor and speak with him.”

Derecho took a deep breath in and got up. He rarely left the floor, but he knew where the elevators were. He stepped off the elevator and felt out of place. He was in heavy work boots to protect his hooves and his coveralls were dirty. This floor was nice and clean. There was too much white and light yellow for a place that deals with trash.

“Administrator Steel Feather is waiting for you,” The receptionist said. “Just head on in.”

Derecho entered the office. It was all nice and pretty.

“Come in. Take a seat,” Administrator Steel Feather gestured with a smile.

“I think I will stand,” Derecho replied. “These coveralls are not the cleanest. Working the floor is a cleaner than what most pegasi would think, but its still quite dirty. It is why we use plastic chairs on the floor. Easy to clean. And if they break, we can walk the 20 feet to begin recycling them.”

“Well,” he said, unsure how to reply. “As you wish. But I called you here to talk about your job performance. Over the past year you have stopped your conveyor belt line 465 times. Nearing twice a day. Well above any other Line Head.”

Derecho shrugged. “I do my job. If we start to get overwhelmed in sorting, it is best to stop the line. We are also the fastest line and sort the most per volume out of all four glass lines. And if quality control drops, equipment gets damaged. We can only recycle stuff so much. Little bits are always lost. And working here, I know just how important recycling is to the Enclave.”

“Each type, glass, paper, plastic, and metal are presorted. But mistakes happen. Both outside this facility and inside. And that is why we have sorters. To make sure they are clean enough and pure enough. A single piece of metal entering the glass recycling foundry will spell disaster and may even force a shut down. Metal in our glass crushers gouges them up badly, resulting in their early replacement.”

“You are at all of the equipment inspections? And inspect them as well?”

“Yes Sir.”

“You do not trust our maintenance department?”

“Quite the opposite,” Derecho replied. “I trust them fully. But I need to see how the machines are fairing to help me better sort. I can see what is gunking up a machine, where they are taking stress, and their overall wellbeing.”

“I have learned about how the whole operation works from them. Maybe I like my hooves on my line more than I should, but I do my best to not counter anything they say, or delay them. It is important for me to know exactly how it is all fairing.”

“I make better decisions and my line flows better because of it. A little care goes a very long way. Being a Line Head is fine, but if I ever want to get to Area Manager, or Floor Director, I need to know this stuff.”

“Yes, and you have been working here for a while now. You started when you were still in school? Second shift?”

“Correct,” Derecho nodded. “As soon as I graduated I moved to full time. I have always worked on the glass lines.”

“And this is to help support your family? You were orphaned after an accident and your father’s brother took you in?”

“Yes. With four foals, it puts a strain on their finances, despite both working.”

“You and your sister didn’t get aid from the government?”

“We do, or I did. Free school lunches, basic school supplies, and other necessities, but its never enough. It can be hard enough raising two foals, let alone four foals.”

Administrator Steel Feather nodded his head. “Earlier this year the feather flu came around. Most of the employees were out at one time or another over that month. Including me. Were you sick?”

“Yes sir,” Derecho nodded.

“I didn’t recall seeing any sick days on your time sheets.”

“I worked through it,” Derecho explained. A bucket by my side. There was nopegasus else to work my line, and the others were shut down. I just kept working. It wasn’t a big deal. The job had to be done.”

“I am not sure if that is reckless, or admirable.”

Derecho shrugged. “Nothing bad came from it. The mountain outside didn’t pile up as much. And I can do it all. I can balance every potion of the job equally and keep a good speed going with the same quality control you expect out of me.”

Administrator Steel Feather let that sink in for a moment. It was almost arrogant, but he was only stating fact that he had proved. A clean and clear confidence that was unnerving for somepegasus so low in the organization.

“I understand you think running the weekends with some extra help with be a good idea?”

“Yes,” Derecho nodded. “The plant runs at great efficiency. At least the glass lines do. But I would love to see those piles be knocked down to a more manageable size. That way in case of equipment malfunctions, sicknesses like the feather flu, and other things that halt the plant, the pile doesn’t grow to monstrous proportions.”

“Yes, I realize that it would cost money. We would have to train extra hooves and pay our current employees a hefty bonus. We will never be ‘caught up’. Our job requires a pile to pull from daily. The question comes down to acceptable build up, height, weight mass, and what the plant can handle at that time. I think it is best to take the extra effort and keep it maximized as much as possible. Cut that pile way down and then the workers won’t be as stressed or feel like its getting nowhere. At least, that is the theory.”

“And, you would like this theory tested?”

“Absolutely Sir,” Derecho grinned. “I would. I think a trial is a good idea. A company should always look to maximize its processes.”

“A company also has a budget it has to work with, especially a government service like we are.”

“And that is why it is still a theory.”

“Do you still take your lunch breaks on the roof?”

Derecho took a second to breath. “Yes, I do.”

“Why? It is off limits.”

“I enjoy the time to look at the clouds. I love to see the weather factory produce it’s clouds and weather patterns, at all times of the year. Although its not the best location, sometimes I can see the cloudships moving.”

“You like weather? And Cloudships?”

“Weather has always fascinated me. My name is Derecho. I believe my parents had a reason for the name, but I never got to find out. I never was good enough for science school, but it hasn’t stopped me from learning about it as much as possible.”

“As to the Cloudships, they are giant balls of weather and sitting at the helm of one would be amazing. I know, I am not supposed to be up there, but I can’t help it.”

“You stayed here,” Administrator Steel Feather replied. “Have you applied at the weather factory?”

“Nope,” Derecho shrugged. “I, its a job. Family matters. Making enough without having to work a ridiculous amount matters. I have a solid job here. I have been getting promotions and employee of the month. I aspire for positions above me. I am the youngest, by a good deal, Line Head. Everything I need is here. I have no reason to leave.”

“I know you must be anxious to get back to your line. Monday I will announce who is the employee of the year. But, I do have a gift. Here is a key to the roof. I know its typically off limits, but here. You have official permission to take your lunch breaks there. Now the door can be kept closed.”

“I have a small, inconsequential wedge that keeps the door open a mere fraction,” Derecho replied. “But this is a much better solution. Thank you.”

Derecho pocketed the key and headed down to the floor. When he got there, his line was shut down and the seven employee under him were running over it with a fine tooth comb.

“Problem?” Derecho asked them all.

“Plastic. Small bits. We haven’t searched through the end you keep watch at yet, but we shut it down and put the warning in.”

“Thank goodness it is only plastic,” Derecho said. “Good job. Tough catch.”

Derecho began at the end of the line, where the glass was poised to fall into the chute where it would get melted down and refined into good, clean glass. That glass would leave the facility in blocks to be shipped to other factories that made glass bottles and such. There it would be heated up and reshaped.

Derecho picked through the end, kicking glass down the chute. There was no plastic at his end. He began to work his way back to the others, every so often making a clear line to know it had been sorted.

Somepegasus had dumped plastic bits and glass together. Most of the plastic bits were small. Their line was shut down for the entire afternoon. The other glass lines were forced to shut down as they also found plastic in them. They gathered plastic bits were put into a giant box on wheels that would be taken to the correct area to be recycled.

Once Derecho’s line was cleared, he joined the Area Manager and Floor Director as the checked out the barrels that were going to be dumped into the lines for sorting. They didn’t find any glaring issues, but they kept the lines shut down.

What was cleared on the conveyor belts was send into the chutes and then the workers began to sweep, mop and tidy the whole floor up, as best as they could, for restarting Monday. Sometimes it was just best to cut it off for a fresh start.

They all lounged in the break room, waiting for their shifts to be over. It was just a half hour away. The area hadn’t been cleaned like that in a while, and most of them had headaches from the strain of sorting such fine materials.