A dead tree trunk

It is autumn. I am in a forest with my manager and some of my colleagues. During the past months it has been my task to report on a dead tree trunk that has been lying on the ground where we are standing. The forest is part of the office, but situated a few kilometers away at the same time. Would the trunk deteriorate? Would it be visited by animals? Would it be eaten by insects? Would people come to take bits of the trunk for firewood?

I have not done a good job, because the tree trunk is gone and I don't have a clue what happened. My manager and my colleagues are unhappy with the results. Months have passed, why haven't I provided any information on the situation of the trunk? I suggest to put down a new trunk and start all over again, but the proposal meets with indifference. And rightly so, because where would I find another trunk, and if I did, how would I transport it to this location?

Everybody starts walking back to their cars. Nobody talks. There is an atmosphere of disappointment.

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