The Will to Resist

Gremlin Risitas v13.0 — The Contraband Freeze (Day 1 of 6)

Haus Morgenrot – Day 1 of 6

Germlin had just finished serving a two-day suspension, followed immediately by his two regularly scheduled days off.

On paper...

That meant four days away from Haus Morgenrot.

In reality...

Those "four days off" never felt like four days off.

Between the constant maintenance around the house, Furniture Hydra, Soap Hydra, overflowing trash, dishes, and everything else that seemed determined to spawn while I was home, it felt less like vacation and more like I had simply traded one job for another.

Eventually, the calendar rolled over.

The four days came to an end.

Another six-day run had begun.

The morning routine was mostly normal.

I had given my last honey bun to Trouble during my suspension and kept telling myself I'd buy another box from Walmart.

Never happened.

Oh well.

I clocked in at 10:00 a.m.

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. | Welcome Back

The day wasted absolutely no time.

Not long after I clocked in, another client informed me that a newly admitted client—who had only arrived the day before—was outside in the breezeway having trouble breathing.

I immediately notified nearby techs and called it over the radio.

From there, EMS was contacted and supervisors handled the rest.

Because EMS was working in the breezeway, group movement temporarily stopped while they evaluated the client.

Before everything could settle down, another client jumped off a bed, twisted his knee, and ended up hopping on one leg toward the front lobby so EMS could examine him as well.

Later on, I noticed he never signed himself out.

That became somebody else's paperwork problem.

Quite the way to start my first day back.

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Facility Freeze

Not long afterward, the facility went on freeze.

From what everyone pieced together, a newly admitted client had somehow gotten contraband, smoked it in the large group room—or possibly tossed it into the large group room trash afterward. Nobody seemed to know the complete story, but administration wasn't taking chances.

Facility freeze meant:

People talked.

Clients guessed.

Staff adjusted.

Life went on.

1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. | Quiet Afternoon

I took my fifteen-minute break around 1:00 p.m.

Groups, assignments, and headcount all went smoothly.

With everything relatively quiet, I spent the downtime reading the Client Handbook.

I've already read the SOP three different times.

Might as well know the handbook too.

3:00 p.m. | Lunch

Lunch was peaceful.

Big Colorado was there.

She still enjoys trying to pull me into conversations despite knowing I already have a girlfriend.

I kept things friendly, wished everyone well, ate my lunch, and spent the remainder of the break reading Naruto.

Made it through Chapter Two.

Still as enjoyable as I remembered.

Afternoon

Later in the day, Mr. DW let me know that four clients would need pat searches because of everything happening with the facility freeze.

During recreation everyone suddenly needed something.

Someone wanted a bag.

Someone wanted a door opened.

Someone wanted immediate attention.

Meanwhile I already had work to do at the Box.

So I finished the task I was already assigned.

Behind me I heard:

"That's Mr. Gremlin for you."

Pretty much.

One assignment at a time.

5:00 p.m. | Dinner

Dinner itself went smoothly.

Night shift arrived shortly afterward.

There was some confusion over whether movie night would even happen because the facility was frozen.

Eventually the decision came down.

Movie? Yes.

Snacks? No.

One client immediately threatened to walk out because there wouldn't be any snacks.

I simply told him that if walking out was the decision he wanted to make, then that was his decision.

I wasn't about to negotiate over potato chips.

6:00 p.m. – 7:40 p.m.

I spent some time talking with one of the third-quarter techs about everything that had happened during the day.

The freeze.

The contraband.

Clients upset over snacks.

He commented that many of the clients still think like they're incarcerated.

I laughed and told him I was curious to see who would crash out next.

Sometimes all you can do is watch people make their own decisions.

7:40 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. | Movie Night

There were no late trays.

Movie night was ready.

Except...

Nobody was actually allowed inside until 8:00 p.m.

While everyone waited, one handicapped client sat down.

I explained that I was simply doing my job.

He could either wait outside with everyone else or risk getting written up by staying inside early.

He chose to wait outside.

At 8:00 p.m., everyone entered and movie night officially began.

Without snacks.

A few clients came and went throughout the movie because the normal snack procedures weren't happening.

The rules seemed to change every few minutes that night.

I simply followed whatever direction was being given.

Around 9:10 p.m., several clients wanted to leave early.

I asked them to wait another few minutes.

At 9:15 p.m., everyone was released for final headcount and returned to their dorms.

9:19 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

I headed toward the employee lounge for my final fifteen-minute break.

On the way, one client stopped me.

He wanted me to unlock the laundry room so he could retrieve a sock.

I told him no.

That wasn't my decision to make.

I instructed him to speak with the SOD instead.

Sure enough, he did exactly that.

The SOD directed another tech to unlock the laundry room, and the client got his sock.

Exactly the way the chain of command is supposed to work.

I returned from break at 9:34 p.m.

I put the SOP and Client Handbook back into my locker.

Then I found a random book sitting in the front lobby.

I think the title was One for the Money.

Whatever it was, it turned out to be a surprisingly good read, and it carried me quietly to 10:00 p.m.

Clocked out right on time.

Home

Uber did its usual thing and didn't stop exactly where it was supposed to.

Eventually I made it home.

Only to discover...

Furniture Hydra: Phase Two.

Just two days earlier, my nephew had completely destroyed a dresser and scattered the pieces across the front lawn.

When I came home that night to get my Uber Eats, I cleaned up the mess myself, loaded the broken furniture into the trash can, and figured the garbage truck would take care of it the next morning.

Nope.

Either it was too heavy, or they simply weren't interested in hauling furniture away.

So on Thursday I pulled the broken dresser back out, broke it down further, bagged everything I could, and stacked the bags neatly beside the house.

Problem solved.

Or so I thought.

Tonight I came home...

...and there was more furniture sitting in the trash can again.

Apparently whatever pieces had been left over had simply been thrown back into the trash, creating Round Two of the exact same cleanup.

So I emptied the overflowing smaller trash can into the larger one, broke down the remaining dresser pieces again, bagged everything separately, moved it beside the house, closed up the trash cans, finished the dishes, took the dog outside, took a shower, noticed the Soap Hydra had struck again, refilled the bottle with more soap and water, grabbed a bowl of cereal, and finally sat down.

The maintenance shift was finally over.

Day 1 Verdict

For a first day back after suspension, it honestly wasn't bad.

Two EMS incidents before lunch.

A facility freeze caused by contraband.

Extra security.

Movie night without snacks.

The Laundry Room Sock Saga.

Furniture Hydra: Phase Two.

Despite all of it...

I stayed in my lane.

Handled what was mine.

Left everyone else's problems to the people responsible for them.

Clocked out exactly at 10:00 p.m.

Survived the first day back.

Status: Day 1 of 6 complete.

Overall Rating: Busy, but controlled. Exactly the kind of boring day I can live with.