Facing Death

I am not sure what it is, but as I age (sigh) I seem to become more fearful about meeting my demise in a horrific way. For example, despite my desire for adventure, air travel makes me very uneasy. Take off's, landing and turbulence make my heart race and my stomach flip. It's a strange new development and I only hope that I don't develop agoraphobia in the coming decade.

The newest paranoia I have developed is a fear of elevators, which is problematic considering I work on the 25th floor.  In all fairness, before you are ready to commit me, lots of people in my office are fearful of the lift's in this building. They have a tendency to open their doors before they are fully level with the floor they are letting you out on. Plus the bank I have to travel are express elevators so you shoot up and it makes your ears pop...always slightly unnerving.

Well a few days ago I received a message in my inbox that I had mail on the 24th floor. Normally I would take the stairs to travel such a short distance between floors, however you can't do that in my building for reasons I am unclear of.  So I step into the carrier of death, press the button (side note: I am always embarrassed when I take any elevator only one floor, it makes me feel lazy and like people are judging me), and it's doors shut. There is another guy in the elevator who I do not know (surly he must be judging me) and I fixate my eyes on the green numbers that change with each floor. I see it tick over from 25 to 24 as the carrier starts to slow down and stop. However instead on the doors opening to let me out safely, the door remain shut and then the entire thing drops. How far I am not sure, it was likely only a foot or more but it was enough to make your stomach turn thus causing me to grab the side rail in terror. I turned to look at my fellow passenger and he huffs

"What just happened?"
I squeak back "It didn't stop on the 24th floor."
"That was terrifying" he exhales, "The elevators in this building make me hate all elevators."

I nod in agreement, but my heart is still trembling in fear because I have no choice but to get right back in and travel up another 24 floors.

That night I did the StairMaster at the gym and climbed almost 80 floors.