Inspired by true events, the story opens with a description of a building that burned down. Some believed it was deliberately set on fire by its owner, while others believed it to have been intentionally lit by someone else. The narrator tells us that he worked at a theater for a while, and that there was one additional room in the building, which was not allowed to be used by the owner. He asks the pager to exchange his ticket for a new one. The pager tells him that he has been working at the theater for three months, yet he still makes the same mistake. He tells him to lock his ticket in the ninth-floor room and return it when he's done.