“Why can’t we work from home?”
“It’s easier to share ideas in the office.”
They grumbled, but he was the boss. And terrified of being alone.
He’d check people’s progress, in a friendly, informal way. Some encouraging words, a little chat about weekend plans, or recent events.
His staff assumed he drank in the weekends, he was so pale and quiet on Mondays. He’d perk up once he’d had a chat by the coffee machine.
Just a reminder that he was there, that he was a person that existed. As long as someone believed, he did.
And he had, for centuries.
After the first part – which was all I had in mind – people complained it wasn’t fiction, or at least not science fiction, so I had to extend it a bit to turn it around. This is the complete four-tweet story, collected.