The Last Gift Wrapper

Her name was Rachel. She worked for an e-commerce company & had the most important job of all(at least that's how it seemed to her.) She wrapped the items intended as gifts.

Her hands lovingly folded and taped each corner, expertly tied each bow. She gave it her best no matter how bizarre the item or how mundane.

Slowly the company became more and more automated. Robots did most of the work now and flesh & blood employees disappeared. "Not me," Rachel thought. "They can't take my job it needs a human touch. It requires a caring soul and these machines don't have that!"

That proved to be true at least for a while. Ultimately though one day she was called into to talk with the boss. He was a firm man but not unkind. It was with no trace of enthusiasm that he informed her that the soulless, mechanical, bipedal things with bland, prerecorded phrases would be taking her place now.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Rachel. I held off as long as I could but this is from the top down. Honestly I'm surprised they haven't automated me yet."

So two days before Christmas, her favorite time to wrap gifts Rachel left work as the latest casualty of futuristic innovation.

It began to snow fiercely as she walked dejected past the honey yellow shop windows with their yuletide displays. The streets were practically deserted and she felt alone. One of those new fangled police cars that looked like a oversized tent peg stopped beside her. The door raised like a dolphin waving good bye with its fine. "Ma'am," said the husky voice beneath the tactical helmet,"There’s a major winter storm coming. I must advise you to go home and stay indoors until the all clear is given."

"Yes home. That's what I shall do, go home."

The storm was as ferocious as twenty-three starving lions. The winds howled like lost souls & blotted out the scenery with snow. The next day a body was found in the park. It was a woman and in her frost bitten fist she clutched something. "That's peculiar, mused the rescue worker. It's a scrap of wrapping paper."