The chair at the meeting

An original comic imagined account of a formal meeting.

The chair assigned to me had a strong opinion about movement. When I leaned forward, it objected in a long wooden voice. When I sat back, it reconsidered the matter at a higher pitch.

Around the table, people were discussing work on the library roof. Papers moved in careful squares. A speaker unfolded a drawing, placed a blue weight at each corner and began tracing a route between the drains. I tried to arrange my agreement without involving the furniture.

This proved impossible. A modest nod required an adjustment. The chair announced it. Several faces turned towards me, and I looked down at the papers with the expression of someone who had intended to contribute in exactly that way.

For the next ten minutes, I remained unusually still. My thoughts became increasingly concerned with the distance between my elbow and the table. Somewhere beyond this private engineering project, the discussion continued.

Then the person beside me moved her chair. It supplied a brief, equally confident reply. We looked at each other and smiled. The room recovered a little of its ordinary air.

When my turn came, I asked a question I actually wanted answered. The chair added a final comment beneath it. This time, I let the two contributions remain distinct.

Examine the methods the writer uses to make self-consciousness at the meeting comic.