Story 274: Time-Travelling Error

(In an office)

Manager: How’s the year-end project going?  Need any help?

Employee: Nope!  Actually almost done early this year, thank goodness – so happy, you cannot believe.

Manager: I bet.  You also prep the filter for this for next year?

Employee: On it now!  I’m so excited this’ll be done, completely done, for once something at work is entirely and absolutely done, I could cry.

Manager: OK.  Maybe take some days off next week then, yeah?  You’re accruing too many hours and H.R.’s been on my case about it.

Employee: All righty!  And I can take them with a clear conscience, knowing this project’s not hanging over my head waiting for me when I come back!

Manager: Right.  We just have the year-opening project to work on after that.

Employee: Oh.  No matter: my spirits will not be dampened.  (Proceeds with final data entry)

Error: Oh, hello.  Can you see me?

Employee: <La-la-la…>

Error: Wow, you really didn’t catch what you did just now.

Employee: <Do-re-mi-fa->

Error: Completely oblivious.  You realize when you run that filter next year, it’ll miss these items you just updated `cause you entered the wrong date on them, yes?

Employee: <Mmmm-mmm-mmm->

Manager: If you’re going to hum, please do it to an actual tune and not some random notes in your throat.

Employee: Right-ho!  <Mmmm-mmm-mmm->

Manager: [Sigh]

Error: I’ll just wait right here, minding my own business, until you finally notice me.  See you on the other side.

SIX MONTHS LATER

            Employee: Oh boy, I can’t believe this!

            Manager: What?

            Employee: Did you see the memo they just e-mailed us?  They put the wrong start date for the program!

            Manager: Huh.  Oh yeah, they have it listed for a month later than what we were told – this probably is an older version of the notice or something.

          Employee: They’ll issue a retraction in five minutes – can you imagine being the person who sent it?  What a mistake to make!  Company-wide!  Glad I’m not them right now.

            Error: You poor child.

SIX MONTHS LATER

            Manager: So, it’s that time of the year again – how’s the project going?

            Employee: Perfectly!  I’m finishing up my last checks and it’ll be all done!

            Error: Really has no idea.

SIX HOURS LATER

            Manager: You got a minute?

         Employee: (Leaning back in chair with feet propped up on the desk) I have all the minutes.  What’s up?

            Manager: I ran a report to reconcile the database and I saw a few inconsistencies.

            Employee: (Lowers feet) A few what in the what?

            Manager: Specifically, these.  (Hands over paper)

            Error: Hi there.

            Employee: (Frantically speed-reads) Oh no….

            Manager: “Oh no”?  Those are two words I never want to hear.

            Employee: (Accelerates speed-reading) No-no-no-no-no-no-no-

            Manager: Removing the “Oh” doesn’t make it better.

          Employee: But I checked – I got them all – how could I have missed – (Gasps in horror) I entered the wrong date for them last year so the filter never picked them up!

            Error: Bingo.

          Manager: How could you have entered the wrong date?!  (Grabs back the paper and reads)  Ah.  December always does have 31 days in it, you know.

          Employee: (Sinks head onto desk) I know!  I have no idea what came over me when I was updating those!  I must have lost my mind in the glee of project completion!

            Manager: All right, calm down – can’t go back in time and undo it, so you’ll just have to get these done now and hope we don’t get audited any time soon.

            Employee: (Lifts head) I can’t believe I messed this up a whole year ago and never even knew it!

             Error: And therein lies my power.