#fridayflash: The King of the Files (in memory of Mr Mok)

It creaked.
She stared at the tall cabinets that surrounded her, unsure which one had moved.
The light flickered.
"Chuay ha mi?" The voice was loud. Strident. Annoyed.
"Ummmmmmm... Fairchild?" she squeaked, holding out the piece of paper with a list of files that her senior had requested as an offering.
"Not there la. The other side." The voice moved away, still grumbling to himself.
She headed over to the other row of filing cabinets and peered at directory that hung from one handle.
"Why you dunno how to on light?" the voice grumbled again as the fluorescent lights flooded the area.
She gulped, grabbed the files and started to leave. Then she stopped. Leaning the files against her body and the shelf, she dug in her pocket for a pen to record which files she'd taken, entering her senior's initials for safety.
Then she fled with the files back to the first first floor, feeling his glare all the way out the door.

---

In memory of Mr Mok, our beloved, ultra-scary, sometimes kaypo, always fussy Ruler of the Second Floor and All Its Files.
Do Not Take A File Without Permission.
Do Not Simply File Things In The Wrong Place.
Just Do Not Come Here Take Things Without Reason. Or Appropriate Approvals.
The Files Are Missing Because You All Simply Take.

May your heaven be filled with files that won't walk away, and everything in its place.

---

A little more...

Back when I worked in KPMG Penang, our audit office was on the first floor of Wisma Penang Garden. A quarter of the second floor was taken up by our filing cabinets, which was zealously guarded by Mr Mok. I have no idea what his official title was, but it was probably something stupid like "office boy".
He was a fixture in the office - been there for years and years and years, taking charge of all our files and the filing system, as well as mailing and dispatch. He was also the one who printed and bound your accounts. Actually, he did a lot of things. Haha. He was usually the first one in the office, and stayed back late too - though not as late as some of the auditors. When I left KPMG, he was still there.
Most of us were a little afraid of him, I think. He was tremendously sarcastic (in Hokkien at least) and liked to grumble at us. I used to dread going up to look for files, especially files that *other people* couldn't/were too lazy find (nah, you go look lah!), because then you'd have to expect a tongue-lashing for being careless. (But then later on, he'd find it for you anyway.)
I think he mellowed in later years, or maybe he became friendlier once he got to know you better - at least he didn't scold you as much and could laugh with you.

From what I hear, he was still in office last Friday, but had slipped into a coma on Sunday. Yesterday, the doctors decided to take him off life support. :(