high-rise

I was living in a high-rise building, one level from the top. I was downstairs in the store that occupied the ground floor of the building. The cosmetic counter was giving out sample bags. I took a white plastic sample bag and went to the elevator in the foyer, ready to go up to my room. I read the floor directory, whilst waiting for the life, and noticed that ‘STAFF’ lived on the third floor from the top. Instead of travelling in a straight vertical line, the lift shot off to one side through an outlet in the wall of the building, and then up the side of the building, zigzagging at times, to the second-top level. I had to hang on to the railing around the walls of the lift to keep from rolling around. Once inside my room, I opened the bag and removed the cosmetics. There were other samples such as a box of small brushes like toothbrushes, made from real bristles and with carved wooden handles. I offered someone else their choice of brushes and they chose three. I selected two for myself and kept another couple for someone special. I also noticed that there were a couple of packets of menthol cigarettes in the bag. I went back downstairs to the foyer which had become a busy hub of activity. I was trying to find something to wear. I went to a walk-in wardrobe that was nestled at the back of the foyer; my cupboard. I looked through my clothes and tried a few things on: a green striped top that I tried to match with some stripey pants. The pants turned out to be part of an old clown costume and they looked way too big for me. I tried on other stripey pants but nothing looked fantastic. I settled on some average-looking pants and went back outside. The younger sister of a close friend was outside, looking for cigarettes. I told her that I had some upstairs that I didn’t want but I was not sure that I should be giving them to her. She said she was going to get some anyway. I noticed that everyone was smoking the new white menthol cigarettes. I made the wild journey back up the lift and found the packets of cigarettes to give to her.