Imagine: tracking

Imagine: tracking

Sara listened intently to the sounds of her prey. She had come to the right place. The first few weeks she had been bewildered trying to keep up with the herd. But after following them around for some time, she began to see the pattern. 

She had guessed where they would go to next. It was hard to keep still. She'd wanted to do a little jig when she realised her guess had been right. But it wouldn't do to let them get away now.

The herd was not complete yet. A few stragglers were still passing Sara's hiding place. She had to stay hidden. She couldn't see the one she would be aiming for. It made her nervous. She'd tried to make the butterflies in her stomach go away, this wasn't helping.

Finally the last of them passed. She allowed the sound of footfalls to recede. Sara popped her head round the corner to see how the herd had spread. She marked her target's location and retreated into her hiding place. She closed her eyes to imagine the scene.

What route should she take to surprise her prey? Sara mapped it out inside her head. Then she sneaked a peek to check her visualisations. She nodded to herself and set off. Sara emerged from her hiding place at a leisurely pace. It was imperative to stay calm or the herd would be alerted.

Sara avoided looking straight at them. She kept her eyes focused on the route she needed to take. It took longer than she had imagined. Movement in the herd. Her prey appeared right before her. She had her hand on the dart. It was flying through the air before she knew it.

'Ouch! Bloody h... Never mind. I'm all right, should've seen that coming.' Sara stared at him. From the corners of her eyes she could see the security guards closing in. The man in a casual suit with a dart sticking out the front waved them away. 'It's all right, I'm all right, she caught me fair and square.' The guards saw the dart and nodded.

They started checking I.D.'s of the surrounding people. A few hunters were uncovered and escorted off the premises. The man she had caught was staring at her. 'You've got one minute before the guards come back for you. Talk fast.'

And she did. She delivered the pitch she had prepared without wavering or looking away. Sara was just telling him to contact her through the details on the card attached to the dart when she felt the touch on her elbow. The man in the casual suit plucked the dart out of his chest and called after her: 'Next Monday at nine thirty. Bring your resume.'

The guard walked her to the door. 'You did good. Next time, I'll be on the lookout for you.', he said. He sounded like a man simply doing his job. Sara felt she had to say something in return: 'That's nice of you to say. I've been trying to land my dart for weeks. I was beginning to think I'd never get the hang of this job-hunting.'

And then she was out on the pavement. Sara stood and looked around at all the cafés and hotel bars. They were packed with business men and hiring managers getting a drink at the end of their day. Networking. Amongst them she knew there would be hunters trying to get a hold of the right person. But for today, Sara was free to go home.