The museum, it was very quiet place that day. I like the quiet. I like to walk slow and look at the old things, the art, the pieces of stone that someone made so long ago. My mind, it can wander, it can think about history. There was one room, it had these very old pots, many different shapes and colors, some broken and fixed back together, others still whole like new. I was standing near a tall display case, looking at a pot that was maybe blue and brown, with some pattern on it that I could not quite understand. It made me feel calm, a deep calm that is good for the soul. I was wearing my comfortable shoes, good for walking many hours, and a jacket that was soft.
Then, a voice, it came from behind me. A woman, she said, “Finally, someone. I have been looking for ages for help.” Her voice, it was sharp, like a sudden sound in the quiet room. My moment of peace, it was broken. I turned slowly, not wanting to leave the pot too soon. She stood there, her arm crossed. Her face was like she was waiting for something, very impatiently. I did not know her. Why she speak to me? My thoughts, they were still on the pot, so it took a moment for me to fully switch.
She then spoke again, very fast. “Can you tell me where is the gift shop? I have been walking in circles. This place is too big. And I need a specific item. My niece, she told me about a special pendant, it is a small bird, made from metal. She said it is only sold here, in the museum shop. You must know where it is, yes?”
I felt a confusion, a small cloud of it in my head. I looked at her. Her words, they were for an employee. But I was not. I was just like her, a visitor, a person looking at the pots. My mouth, it felt a little dry. I said, “Oh, I am sorry. I do not work here. I am also just visiting, like you.” My voice, it was soft, not wanting to make a big noise in the quiet museum.
Her face, it did not change. Her arms stayed crossed. She blinked, like she did not hear me right. “What do you mean, you do not work here?” she asked. Her voice, it was not sharp anymore, but it was now heavy with disbelief. “You are standing here, looking at these things, like you are guarding them. And you have that, that badge.” She pointed to my jacket, where I had a small pin. It was a pin from another museum, a place I visited last year. It was a souvenir. I like to collect them.
My confusion grew. “No,” I said, a little firmer this time, trying to make her understand. “This is not a badge from here. It is just a pin. A souvenir from another place. I bought a ticket. I am a guest. I do not work for this museum.” I thought, maybe she just made a mistake, a simple mistake. It happens.
But she did not understand. Or she did not want to. “Do not be silly,” she said. Now, her voice had an edge to it, like a knife. “Of course, you work here. Everyone knows employees try to avoid helping sometimes. But I need that pendant. My niece, she will be very upset if I do not get it. It is a very important gift. It is for her birthday, tomorrow. So, where is it? The bird pendant. Small, metal. Point me to the gift shop, please. Or better, just get it for me. I can describe it to you.”
My head, it started to ache a little, just behind my eyes. I felt a pressure building. Why she not believe me? I am telling her the truth. I just want to look at the pots. “Ma’am,” I tried again, using a polite word. “I truly do not work here. I cannot help you. I do not know where the gift shop is. I have not even been there myself yet.” My hand, it went up to gesture, like to show my emptiness of knowledge.
She took a step closer. Her eyes, they got narrow. “This is ridiculous,” she declared, and her voice, it was now louder, echoing a little in the high-ceilinged room. “You are being completely unhelpful. Is this how you treat visitors? No wonder this museum is never as busy as the one downtown. You staff are so rude. I will report you, you know. I will tell your manager.”
My muscles, they began to tense. I felt a tightening in my chest. Report me? For what? For not working here? The absurdity of it made my jaw clench. I wanted to just walk away, but she was standing very close to me, almost blocking the path to the next part of the exhibit. My polite patience, it was starting to fray like old cloth. I took a deep breath, trying to push down the rising heat in my face. “I am not an employee,” I repeated, slower this time, each word like a stone dropped. “There is no manager for me here. I do not work for them. I am a visitor.”
She just laughed, a short, sharp sound that was not kind. “Oh, a visitor, are you? Then why are you just standing here, pretending to be busy? You think I do not see through your little game? You want me to find it myself, then complain that I asked for help. No, young lady. That is not how it works. You are paid to help people like me. So, help me. Where is the bird pendant? Is it by the ancient pottery? Or perhaps by the modern art? Tell me.”
I felt incredibly angry now, a hot wave washing over me. My hands, they wanted to ball into fists, but I kept them loose at my sides. This woman, she was not listening to a single word. She was just seeing what she wanted to see. I felt a strong urge to escape, to just leave her there talking to the air. I took a small step back, angling my body slightly away from her, towards the exit of the room. I thought, if I just keep moving, she will let me go.
But she did not. As I took another step, she moved too, mirroring my movement, staying right in front of me. “Where do you think you are going?” she demanded, her voice rising in pitch. “You are not just walking away from a customer! This is terrible service! I insist you help me now! I am in a hurry. My niece’s birthday is tomorrow. What kind of person would deny a little girl her special gift?”
My head was pounding. I could feel the blood rushing in my ears. The quiet museum was now filled with this woman’s insistent voice, and the sound of my own quickening heartbeat. I felt a desperate need to get away from her, to find my peace again. I tried to walk around her, heading towards the door, hoping a clear path would make her stop.
She moved quickly, surprisingly fast for someone her age, and completely blocked my way. “Do not ignore me!” she practically shouted, her face now very close to mine. I could feel her breath. “You are supposed to be professional! This is beyond rude! I will not stand for this! I will get you fired! I will make sure you lose your job! You will regret not helping me find that stupid bird trinket!”
The word “stupid” for the pendant, it sounded so strange after she insisted it was so important. The inconsistency, it added to my frustration. My vision, it felt like it was starting to narrow, the edges of the room becoming fuzzy. I could not believe this was happening. I, a simple visitor, being yelled at and threatened by a stranger who refused to accept reality. I needed to leave. Now. I decided to make a break for it, to just push past her, to find a real employee, or maybe even just the exit.
I took a firm step forward, trying to move past her left side. I did not want to touch her, but I needed to get around her. She saw my intention. Her hand, it shot out very fast, catching my arm. Her grip, it was surprisingly strong, like a vise. She pulled me back, hard. “You are not going anywhere!” she shrieked, her voice a harsh, grating sound. “You will help me! You will learn to respect customers!”
The sudden pull, it unbalanced me. My anger, it flared into something wild, something I rarely felt. My head snapped back, and then I turned to face her directly, my eyes probably wide with shock and fury. “Let go of me!” I demanded, my own voice now loud, a raw sound I did not recognize. The physical touch, it was too much. It was over the line. I felt a terrible burning sensation spreading through my shoulders.
She did not release me. Instead, she tightened her grip. Her eyes, they were filled with a strange, fierce triumph. “No! I will not let go! Not until you do your job!” she hissed. Her other hand, it came up, and I saw it, a blur of motion. Then, a sharp, searing pain exploded on the side of my face. My head snapped to the side, and the world spun. A loud ringing filled my ears, pushing out all other sound. My knees felt weak, like rubber. I felt myself falling, the floor rushing up to meet me. Then, darkness, absolute and total. All thought, all feeling, all consciousness, it just vanished.
