The Grave-yard shift.

Some times, it so happens that, a momentous occasion goes by unnoticed.

A particular 2-part processing work started in the morning and was expected to  finish in the evening. This was a case in point that , good intention and planning alone will not be sufficient to end the day on a high note.

Being a first time operation, unplanned glitches, snags and stoppages prolonged the main operation (part-1) into late evening. It is often said that an army marches on its stomach but in our work culture, it has been taken for granted that a horse on empty stomach runs faster and far.

Dinner time came to greet the growling stomachs. Due to our over confidence we missed the dead-line to book dinner. With frantic effort and string-pulling, dinner was brought and consumed – thanks to the presence of senior officers over-seeing the maiden attempt.

Part 2 of the operation is a difficult even during normal working hours. A solvent at 60ºC is to be sprayed for cleaning the job. Since we were in catch-22 situation, arrangements were made to complete this operation also.

A late dinner took the toll on the senior stalwarts and they retired to the cooler climes (just outside the process arena to enjoy fresh breeze). Not used to the grave-yard shift, eye-lids becoming heavy with sleep they started lolling in their chairs”

Unaware of this development, the Team was busy pumping the hot solvent and spraying it inside the job. The job was rotating and so also the eye-balls of the Team. Such was the vapour concentration it had an anaesthetic effect and the Team started wobbling on its feet.

As the operation was nearing the end, the Team started looking for the stalwarts. They were oblivious and lost in their own worlds of slumber- leaving the decision making in the hands of juniors.

[The narrative though set in a specific environment , could have taken place in a rubber lining industry. This setting helps the reader spin their own yarn :) ]