(by Daniel R. Jones)
Rick Townsend shifted uneasily in an office chair as his supervisor eyed a stack of papers.
“Generally speaking, Rick, this is a good report. You’ve got a knack for logistics. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Warehouse Manager with such an intuitive grasp on efficiency and decision-making.”
He tossed his stack of papers down and removed his bifocals. Rick’s jaw clenched.
“Of course, there was that stack of pallets knocked over by your forklift driver last month.”
A pause.
“But hey, we’re all human.”
Rick swallowed hard. He inhaled deeply and let the algorithm work it out for him.
If (sentence proceeded by laughter) then (joke)
Else (not joke)
End If
If (intonation on last syllable is raised) then (question)
Else (not question)
End If
If (English Idiom detected) then (not literal.)
End If
Searching Language>English>Idioms and Colloquialisms>North American…
Rick nodded.
“We are,” he said. “That we are.”
****************
(As a reminder, I’m currently on the lookout for short stories and flash fiction variety done well. Literary Fiction, SciFi, Fantasy; you name it. If you think your story might fit the bill, check out the submission guidelines and send it my way)
Bez&Co 
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