He signed the ledger and pulled the thick leather cover over, letting it thump to a close for the last time. Attendance to the museum was continuing its slow, steady decline. ‘someone else’s problem now’ he thought to himself, bitterly.

He gazed around the room. Any signs that it had been his had been cleared into the large box that now sat on the desk. Books, a few pieces of art, the collection of tribal masks, the decorative letter opener, the crystal whiskey decanter with glasses and the framed photograph of his dear departed wife peeked out at him from their humble new home of cardboard, having adorned his office for the past 35 years.

Retirement. He knew it was inevitable but now that it was being thrust upon him it wasn’t any easier to take. 35 years as museum director, almost 50 working there in total and now he was deemed obsolete. Past it. Just another fossil of a bygone time to be slotted into the archives to gather dust before disappearing entirely. He’d almost let them push him out on their terms as well. Almost.

There was a knock on the door. ‘Your public awaits Lester’ Gavin beamed from the doorway. ‘All packed up I see. Leave that there, we can always pick it up after the party’ he motioned towards the box on the desk. ‘Right you are’ smiled Lester, removing his slender fingers from the handle of the box. He made his way round the desk and started across the room towards Gavin. ‘Oh! Almost forgot my notes!’ He exclaimed, a steely but decaying grin flashing across his face. He returned to the box on the desk before taking one final look around the room. ‘Memory can’t be trusted at my age’ he smiled wryly at Gavin. ‘I want to make sure I make it through to the end’ patting the chest pocket of his jacket and exiting through the door.

They made their way through the dimly lit corridors. Descending the main stairs, detouring through some of the exhibits as they went. Lester’s gaze swung from one display to another like Newton’s cradle. Display cases of stuffed birds, mammals and sea creatures long since extinct leading through to the ferocious maze of dinosaurs, frozen in their attack stances and toothy grins. Past the ancient civilisations of the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks. Civilisations that like Lester had had their time and made way for that horrible word the ‘future’.

They emerged into the atrium to the applause of the rest of the staff. ‘Happy Retirement’ hung from the enormous blue whale skeleton that suspended from the foyer ceiling. Lester smiled as he took a glass of champagne from the table and assumed the position behind the lectern to the cries of ‘Speech!’ from the crowd.

‘Thankyou all for coming, and for that warmest of receptions.’ He grinned at the crowd. The outline of the letter opener, his big finale, barely visible through his chest pocket jacket.