The Pillars: Fantasy

Passing through the pillars was never his favorite part of the job. He put it off for a couple of minutes by stopping at a coffee shop and getting a mocha latte to go. He justified it to himself by saying that the coffee inside was non-existent, the tea was some weird herbal crap, and coffee (and chocolate) *were* on the approved list, so it would be okay. And he deserved a treat, or as many treats as he could get today, because by the end of the workday he'd be...well, he'd deserve another treat. He remembered the tree nymphs that he'd had to deal with on his last "Out Day" as they called them at the agency and shuddered. Then he remembered the dyspeptic--


Inspiration: Photo of suited man holding coffee, walking through a series of stainless steel pillars. http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonnevillekid/11801952233/
Story potential: Medium.
Notes: I'd like this to be more of a "practical approach is good" story instead of a "stuffed-shirt mundane gets rumpled" story. And it would be tricky to get this right so it doesn't descend into the cliched and cutesy.