Quilt

It was Carl from the Project Management Office who was making everyone's life a living hell (that was the common consensus). Some went to their leadership with general causes for concern; some went to HR, citing pages from the Employee Handbook. Beth went home, claiming illness, and picked up her sewing. She had lifted a couple of hairs from the collar of Carl's suitcoat - the one he always had hanging on the hook in his cubicle. Beth handled the fabric carefully (with special gloves) and tucked the hair into one of the cloth squares with a tiny scroll. Working quickly, she finished that seam and embroidered Carl's full name at the edge. "Itch," she whispered as she took the last stitch. "Itch all over." The closure complete and the thread knotted, Beth folded the Quilt of Curses and returned it to the leather case and zipped it shut. Beth treated herself to a cup of tea with milk and lemon sugar, settling in for a relaxing evening of watching true crime documentaries.