I braced a hand on the rail. “Looks like we missed our escape window.”
“No kidding.”
“At least we’re still going down,” I said.
“There is that.”
“… wait for assist—” said the speaker again, weaker this time.
“I’m just grateful this one hasn’t offered any therapy tips yet,” I added.
She snorted. “Good point.”
“… wait,” the speaker replied in its dying radio voice, “for ass.”
She turned to me and grimaced. “Did it just saywait forass?”
I coughed lightly. “I believe so. Although not sure that counts as therapy.”
She nodded again. “It could be a tip, though. Technically.”
“It could?”
“To wait.”
Did she justsay—
“… for ass,” the speaker confirmed.
“Not exactly a first date sort of thing,” she said quickly. “I mean, not that I—I just saw something. Online. Once.”
Jesus Christ.
The lift hummed, the speaker giving one last dying effort.
“… ass—”
We kept our eyes on the artistic penis in front of us.
“For what it’s worth, I’m imagining a donkey,” I said.
Her head jerked toward me. “You’rewhat?”
“You know, the other sort of…”
“… ass—” croaked the lift.
“Ohright,” she said. “Ass. Like a donkey. Not an actual…”
“No.” I winced.
We both stood very still.
“Very gentlemanly of you,” she added.
“Thank you.”
Before I could say anything else, the cabin jolted under our feet and locked in place. Then the lights went out. Blackness.
