Elevator Phobia

By Anthony Richburg

Elevators are a mixed blessing. We ride them out of necessity. They carry us up and down, most times without our giving them a second thought. They lift the young, the elderly, the disabled, animals, furniture, and almost everything that needs a lift. There are individuals who build their lives around avoiding the use of elevators. The fear of riding them is just too overwhelming. Take a ride on this elevator, and you'll take the most exciting, humorous and horror-filled ride of your life!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jan 31, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645360117

Anthony Richburg

Anthony Richburg was born in Baltimore, Md. He possesses a B.S. degree, as well as an M.Ed. degree. He spent a number of years in show business, touring in stage productions, as well as backup singing for a well-known recording artist. This is his first novel. He currently resides in New York City.

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About the Author

Anthony Richburg was born in Baltimore, Md. He possesses a B.S. degree, as well as an M.Ed. degree. He spent a number of years in show business, touring in stage productions, as well as backup singing for a well-known recording artist. This is his first novel. He currently resides in New York City.

Dedication

This novel is dedicated to my family and very close longtime friends who love me unconditionally.

Copyright Information

Copyright © Anthony Richburg (2019)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Ordering Information:

Quantity sales: special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Richburg, Anthony

Elevator Phobia

ISBN 9781641824941 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781641824958 (Hardback)

ISBN 9781645360117 (E-Book)

The main category of the book — FICTION / Horror

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published (2019)

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 28th Floor

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Acknowledgments

I want to thank Felicia Chapman-Jenkins, Beverly Bragg, Jerome Jordan, and Dr. Marshall Lee, who supported and encouraged me to complete this exciting project.

The Lobby

What a beautiful morning for the opening of this new state of the art office building in New York City. All the local weather forecasters predicted a temperature of 72 degrees. The sun was already shining brightly by 7:00 a.m. I was excited about all the anticipated hoopla surrounding the official opening of this building. I own a small messenger service and I was able to rent a tiny office on the second floor of this magnificent building. It was 7:30 a.m. now and I decided to come to the building opening early just so I could get a good view of the ceremonies and ribbon cutting. Several guests were expected today at the ceremony. Along with me, whom I always consider a special guest, invited or not, the Mayor, the Governor, the Borough President, and various other dignitaries were expected.

I stopped to get a cup of coffee and a corn muffin from the street vendor.

Good morning, I said.

He said, You’re a little early today.

I replied, Yes, the opening of the building is today and a lot of dignitaries and others will be here.

He said, Yes, I know. Hopefully with the opening and subsequent days, I’ll be able to do better business here. You know I was about two blocks down Broadway and, when I realized that this building was opening soon, I made arrangements to move to this location. If today is any indication, things are looking up.

Well, good luck! I said. As I chomped down on the muffin and coffee, I told him, I’ll be back, kind of like Schwarzenegger would say.

He got the joke, laughed, and told me to Have a nice day.

As I moved away from the vendor, I started to see some of the new tenants arriving and gathering for the ceremonies. Most of them stopped at the vendor for coffee and various pastries and breads to get their morning started. The vendor seemed to be doing good business, and I was glad.

Having checked on some of the new tenants, I found out that Disney had an office there, as did the Housing Authority, a couple of employment agencies, insurance agencies, and private firms. There were also several small businesses. Judging by the crowd that was steadily building, I was sure that this would be a great day. Most of the businesses there had set their work day to begin at 10:00 a.m. on that day. Everyone had staff already in their offices, but all the action and excitement was down on the street.

Of course, at a major event like this, especially in an election year, not only were the politicians coming out in full force but the protesters were there as well. Most of the protesters were there to confront the mayor. The Borough President, Ms. Angela Blackstone, was the first to arrive. It was just about 8:45 a.m. and the streets were cordoned off. When she stepped out of her car, there were cheers. She just sort of smiled and waved with that kind of plastic, painted-on smile that those beauty pageant girls do so well. She went up to the little stand that was erected and stood there. She shook a few hands and engaged in a little small talk with some of the protesters.

Now, this building is located just across the street from City Hall. City Hall has a public park, though not a large one. People were in the park waiting for things to heat up. Next to show up was Governor Steven Washington and his entourage, and just behind him was Mayor Richard Avery. When they stepped out of their vehicles, they were met with resounding boos from several people in the crowd. Neither seem fazed by the boos because this type of reception is basically the norm for them. Of course, they have their supporters who cheered them, but the protesters get the prize for shouting the loudest. I think the two of them came directly from City Hall but refused to walk across the street, so they had their staff drive them. How lazy is that?

It’s exactly 9:00 a.m. and the festivities are starting on time. As Mayor Avery approached the microphone, a strong breeze uprooted his comb-over. The hair on the top of his head flew over to the left side and exposed his bald head. The crowd roared with laughter. He was just a tad embarrassed; however, he proceeded to speak. I’d like to, first of all, take this opportunity to thank all of New York for coming out this morning for this great occasion. I want to acknowledge the presence of some of our special guests. To my right, is Governor Washington. Next to him is the Borough President, Ms. Angela Blackstone. Also on the stand are representatives from the owners of this magnificent building, most notably the Chairman of Lakewood Properties, Mr. Mark Goldberg. The Mayor continued, At this time, we would like to have a word from Governor Washington.

Good morning everyone, said the Governor. I’m very glad to be here and be a part of this glorious occasion. I had an opportunity to look at the designs of this great structure, and I’m sure everyone who works here, and gets the opportunity to conduct business here, will be overwhelmed by the design, the security, and the sheer magnificence of this wonderful building. The crowd booed him just a little as he was speaking.

A little old lady protesting the possibility of rent deregulation yelled, Take your sorry ass back to Albany and save rent control! The crowd roared with laughter again.

The Governor just continued, I look forward to taking a tour of the inside of the building. Again, I’m happy to be here for this occasion and I look forward to many more developments such as this one that promises to enrich the lives of New Yorkers. Thank you.

The Mayor returned to the microphone and said, Thanks again to Governor Washington for taking time out of his busy schedule to be with us here in the city today. I know that some of you have issues and concerns, but this is not the time to express them. We are here for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and the opening of this grand building and nothing else.

This statement, of course, displayed the arrogance with which this Mayor had run this city. The crowd has completely ignored his plea and begun to chant, Save rent control, save rent control, save rent control!

The Mayor ignored them and continued, And now I’d like to bring to you the Borough President, Ms. Blackstone.

She immediately thanked the Mayor for the introduction. I’d like to thank the Mayor and Governor and various guests for coming out this morning. She turned to the Mayor and said, What a grand building! She turned back to the people and said, I hear your concerns and wouldn’t it be nice to subsidize your rents with what this building costs?

The crowd cheered and cheered. She always had a knack for saying what the people wanted to hear. They loved it. The Mayor was not pleased nor were any of the guests. She said, I can’t wait to go inside this opulent building and see what makes it a state of the art. We’ll see how much this building benefit you, the people. Thank you! As you might gather, she and the Mayor had been at odds for quite some time. As she takes her seat the crowd roars, Blackstone! over and over again.

The Mayor returned to the podium and politely thanked the Borough President. "I wish to thank each and every one of you who came to this ceremony. Governor Washington and Ms. Blackstone, would you