The number of stress balls flying around the Velsoft office far outpaces the actual level of stress.

Those balls are the orphans of a promotional idea that’s now lost in the mists of time. A coffin-shaped box that rests in a dusty corner of the dimly lit basement holds hundreds of the little white orbs.

Over time, plenty have made their way into the office and onto desks – but they don’t remain there for long. More often than not, the balls are whizzing this way and that across the office as some prankster decides a co-worker needs a wakeup call – or just for the fun of it.

At times it looks like a snowstorm.

A few throws have gone down in history as memorable ones. Like the time Marty knocked Ian’s headphones clean off without the ball touching Ian’s head at all. Or the time Marty hit Ian in the groin with a throw from across the room, or the time Marty bounced one off the back wall and hit Ian in the head, or the time Marty…

Others participate in these hijinks, believe me, but some are more guilty than others. I leave that up to you to decide who.