Earthquake Focus

Why was she thinking so much about Mona Lisa? She was just a piece of artwork - not a person.

She rubbed her head. Maybe the exhibit, all this planning and preparation leading up to the real thing, had gotten to her. She was acting as if these pieces of artwork were real.

But, there was something especially real about them tonight. She couldn't explain it. It didn't even make sense to her. She shook her head, trying to get these thoughts out of her head. It didn't work. She couldn't help thinking that these pieces of art were watching her.

It was time to go home. The place had gotten to her. After all her hours of hard work, she felt like she was alone in a place with ghosts. A chill crept down her spine, and she felt cold, even though the museum was set at a comfortable 70 degrees.

She began to hurry; closing doors and turning off unnecessary lights as fast as she could. The lights she left on would be enough for the night-time security to patrol these art-covered walls. She knew these light switches and doorknobs as well as her own house. It was time to go to her real home where she could snuggle in bed with her fat, furry cat, and put work out of her mind.

She pressed the numbers of the alarm system code, doing it as she had so many times. The employees' exit sign above the door had lost most of its paint. The only letters that could clearly be read were "m" and "e". "Me" she said out loud, looking at the old sign as she swung the door open.