A Special Meal

A Special Meal

They say Resturana Olivia is the best restaurant in town.

Everybody has been there, friends, cousins. I have begged my parents to bring me there, but they have always refused, saying it sounds too expensive. But after showing them some really rave reviews, they finally relent.

We have booked an appointment for 12pm, but when we come, it is darker than midnight inside. A halo of light comes floating towards us, accompanied by an angelic, musical voice. A dainty hand snakes out and grabs my father by the arm, leaving the rest of us to trail after him.

There’s no menu—too dark to read one anyway— but the hostess says food will be here soon. I ask why it is so dark.

“Oh,” she replies casually. “We want everyone to enjoy the food here. People these days are always looking at their phone. They cannot enjoy their food properly, yes?”

I must admit, she has a point.

***

Something clatters in front of us a few minutes later. Food is here. My stomach grumbles like a monster that hasn’t been fed. It is time.

I pick up the food. It feels long and stringy. Spaghetti. Lovely. I love pasta.

The spaghetti strand squirms. It hisses.

Spaghetti isn’t supposed to do that, right?

Right?

I suck it up and bite down. First comes the sweetness of the sauce, made of ripe sweet tomatoes and sweet basil. Mm.

Then something cold, hard, bitter, metallic.

What the__

I choke, spitting it out, hearing it land splat on to my food. But the next thing I know, my plate starts hissing.

It slithers up my arm, crawls on my face. Hiss hiss hiss. Some even get into my mouth and cuddles around my tongue, between my teeth. I feel them sliding smoothly into my eye sockets and down my throat.

Then all of a sudden I feel my body jerk forward and I lie down on my floor and start to crawl forward without using my limbs.

They got in my brain. Oh— hiss. Hiss hiss hiss.## TLDR Summary:

Then all of a sudden I feel my body jerk forward and I lie down on my floor and start to crawl forward without using my limbs. Hiss hiss hiss. Hiss hiss hiss. A dainty hand snakes out and grabs my father by the arm, leaving the rest of us to trail after him. A halo of light comes floating towards us, accompanied by an angelic, musical voice. There’s no menu—too dark to read one anyway— but the hostess says food will be here soon. They cannot enjoy their food properly, yes?”

I must admit, she has a point.