Top Dog

My legs bounced as I slouched further into the uncomfortable chair. I could feel my hands start to clam up as the clock’s hands grew closer and closer to five o’clock. The occasional office worker would pass by carrying stacks of papers or classified folders. Observing my surroundings, I noticed little dog treats lined the bottom of each wall and the floor had an occasional paw print dispersed throughout the tiles. The office door adjacent to me opened, causing me to shoot back up into my chair. A secretary with long brown hair tied up into a tight bun and large amounts of makeup applied to her face walked out. Her sharp, scrutinizing eyes sent shivers down my spine.

“Mr. Toshi will see you now,” she spat before going back inside the office. 

She doesn’t like me very much.

Approaching the front of the door, I took a deep breath before turning the knob. Walking through, I was greeted with a large room with bookcases lining the side walls. On the wall closest to the door, a cuckoo sprung to life. A tiny wooden dog spun around as the gears moved within the wooden clock.

“Woof, woof. It’s five o’clock!” the clock sang as it reset for the next hour to come.

  In the back of the room was an enormous glass-paned window that looked down upon the city below. A large mahogany desk sat in the middle of the room with a tall swivel chair facing the window. In the corner of the room stood the secretary from earlier with her hands together.

“Welcome to my dog toy company, Ultimutt. I heard from Ms. Janet that you’re looking to apply for a job in marketing?” questioned a deep voice from behind the chair.

“Yes sir, it would be an absolute honor to be apart of your-”

Before I could finish my sentence, the chair swiveled to face me, causing my jaw to drop at the sight in front of me. Sitting in the chair was a man with a golden retriever head. He adorned spectacles upon his nose and wore a fancy black suit. Finding my words again, I tried to compose myself.

“-your company, Mr.Toshi.” 

The dog nodded his head in approval as he opened up a yellow folder and read through my resume.

“Daniel M. Finch: age twenty-two. It says here you graduated top of your class during college and have work experience through different internships.” Mr. Toshi’s tail started to wag before he closed the folder.

“I’ll cut you a deal, Mr. Finch. I like to have my employees quick-witted, knowledgeable, and efficient when solving problems.”

 The secretary walked over and handed a timer to Mr. Toshi before returning back to her spot.

“So, if you can answer all of my questions in under four minutes; I will hire you on the spot!” he barked.

What did he just say?

Without even getting a word in the matter, Mr.Toshi started the timer, causing me to internally panic. Clearing his throat, he began his first question.

“What was the first word spoken within this room today?”

How am I supposed to know the answer?

Taking a deep breath to help clear my mind, I look around the room to try and find any type of clue. As my eyes traveled towards the door, they lit up when I realized the answer to the question.

“Woof,” I responded, “that was the first word spoken in here when the cuckoo clock went off at twelve this morning.”

Mr. Toshi’s mouth opened as if he were smiling at me.

“That’s correct Mr. Finch, not many people can get that right on their first try.

Ms. Janet seemed to glare at Mr. Toshi, causing him to nervously laugh.

“You’re wasting Mr. Finch’s time with your unwanted comments,” she pointed to the timer that was already down to two and a half minutes.

“Sorry about that Mr. Finch, here’s your next question. Where do I hide my key to the door of my paw-ffice?”

Trying to ignore his pun, I tried to remember the details of the hallway I was in before.

All I can remember was the bone-wallpaper, paw prints on the floor, the clock, the uncomfortable chair...wait a second.

Taking a leap in the dark, I decided to go with my intuition.”

The key is underneath the cushion of the chair outside in the hallway.”

The dog boss gave a clap of approval, “Remarkable, absolutely splendid!”

My cheeks became rosy from being praised by one of the most successful businessmen in the world.

“With only a minute left on the clock, here’s your final question. How long has Ms. Janet been working under me?” Mr. Toshi held his hand out towards the secretary in the corner, who kept her eyes locked onto my form.

Okay, now this just isn’t fair!

“Forty seconds left.” Mr. Toshi called out.

Think! Were there any hints or clues he gave within his dialogue?

“Twenty”

I tried to examine Ms. Janet’s clothing, but it was just a simple white polo shirt with a black skirt. Nothing about here clothing gave anything away.

“Ten”

Giving up completely, my body slumped in defeat, waiting for the count down to the end. Looking over at Ms. Janet, I saw a small glimmer of pity in her eyes; as if she understood my pain. My whole body froze before my eyes widened at how terrible my tunnel vision had been.

“Times u-”

“She isn’t an employee here!” I yelled out before the timer hit zero,” Ms. Janet was never able to answer the cuckoo clock riddle, so she was never hired. She’s only here as an intern.”

“I’m very impressed, Mr. Finch. I expect great things from you.” Mr. Toshi held out his hand for me to shake while the intern stuck her tongue out at me. I smiled as I gave him a strong handshake. “I promise not to be a disappointment.”