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Workers who appeared to be frozen in time have aroused no curiosity whatsoever at Southern Rail HQ.
Customer Service Manager Simon Williams, who always seems to be available at short notice, told our reporter, “Everyone in the department was stock still, and I wandered amount them filming with my smartphone.
“I was amazed at their ability to remain totally motionless and unfocused on other stimuli. I even filmed the maintenance people outside, tools in hand, completely immobile.
“After filming for a record-breaking twenty-five minutes, I realised I’d forgotten to actually send out the email telling people to prepare for the Mannequin Challenge.
“I was the only person in the building doing any activity, even if it was just dicking around because of a YouTube craze.
“I’ve never felt so alone; it was like waiting for something I knew wasn’t going to arrive, if you can imagine such a thing.”
In the past few weeks, the Internet craze known as the Mannequin Challenge has hit offices and gyms across the UK. Participants must strike a pose in the manner of shop mannequins and then be filmed, giving the impression that a fleeting moment has somehow been captured on film.
Why this is considered a challenge or even a good thing is still under debate.
Mr Williams continued, “I’ve seen many videos of our passengers standing motionless on cold station platforms, but curiously that was before anyone had conceived of the Mannequin Challenge. Strange.”
