The Institution (1 of 3) - The Official

Days and weeks passed, and sometimes I doubt they were months and years, me roaming the corridors of that age-old governmental institution, with its walls looking dirty and their green-tinged wallpaper bloated and falling apart.
And that smell, faint and insignificant at first, but the more you stay inside that place the more prominent the smell becomes, but you pretend it's not there and go on trying to conclude your business in this place, if you can still remember what it is.

I walk into yet another room, pale fluorescent light reflecting on the piles of paper on an old man's desk. I approach him with my queries but not without a hint of hesitation, he looks kind, but he looks at my ID first like they all do. Instructions from higher up, no doubt. Afterwards he begins to look at the forms I've filled, looks up to me, and gives me the same answer all the other officials gave me.

I patiently nod and then tell him that I'm afraid that's not good enough, I understand that you have your rules and your laws be they written or otherwise but to me they fail to make sense and to be completely honest with you I don't know how they make sense to you and I don't know how you can think they work while your own desk littered with paperwork and denied requests and unanswered queries proves they don't and why don't you care about that?

He looks slightly annoyed and shakes his head, I'm afraid I can't help you, feel free to take your queries to somebody else. Then he hands me back my forms and papers and tells me not to forget my ID.

I walk out thinking that he didn't seem about to call his colleagues to warn them that a "troublemaker" is on his way to them like others have, he looked kind.

I see some dirty steps leading to the next floor of this labyrinth, I sigh as I walk up the steps.
I arrive at another small hall with corridors lined with more offices, but I turn around and decide to keep going up the steps.
And so I do until there are no more steps to walk up, and I find a slightly bigger hall in front of me.
I think this is it, if I don't get everything sorted out here, I never will.

(to be continued)