These aren't the stories your mother told you.

No, these are the other stories.

Today's episode of the other stories is Fair, written by Kaylin Mackan Aysin, narrated by Georgia Cook.

Now, the manager said, I've always been fair to you all, haven't I?

Lily's thoughts on this particular piece of verbal ledger domain were unprintable.

I had hoped, he continued, hiking up his trousers over his pot belly,

that it would not be necessary to continue this conversation forthwith.

Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that the disciplinary problems

we were having have increased to outer control proportions. This situation cannot continue. Lily thought

she glimpsed, far off in the hills, the glimmer of a purpose to this lecture. I know some of you, and he glanced at Lily as he said this,

think you are too good to work here.

Well, the Empire Cinema is a fine place to work.

I thought, after I was forced to let Gary go last month,

that an end would come to proceedings.

If the situation doesn't abate

force with, I will have no choice but to escalate proceedings. Perhaps to the next level of

management, do I make myself clear? Lily was sure he had a name, but he would never be anything

but the manager to her. He was short, balding and overweight, and his insecurity about this

explained his character in every particular. As if that wasn't bad enough, Lily knew for a

fact that he still lived with his mother, that she ironed his hideous ties for him and she in her 80s.

In the Empire Cinema, however, the manager was king. It was the only place where

people treated him, within earshot, as the strong-jawed, quaffed hero of retail in which vein

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