EXTRA II – The taste testing

29/12/2020…

"There is this restaurant… with everything happening: you must be bored. How about you go for a little… taste test?"

After getting those words from him, I step into the said fancy restaurant.

A silent, large room, filled with whispering people. Smiling elegantly and living their moments.

"Do you want or have a reservation, sir?" asks a waiter, after appearing on my right, while smiling at me… as a customer service.

I un-pocket a card and show it to him. He seems to recognise and signs me to follow him, while bowing slightly. This way, we reach a private corner, further away from the spotlight tables, but where I could see all of them.

"We'll give you a while to see the menu. Please let us know when you are ready to order."

I hold his hand, as he starts to leave, and he looks at me, unhinged.

I let go and open the menu, to point towards all the items I wanted to order… Schezwan Noodles, King Prawn Fry, and Cucumber Salad.

I grab a tiny notebook and pen from my pockets, and writing something down, show it to the waiter. 'Not too dry noodles, but not too pouring or drenching juicy ones; medium. Also, sizzled pepper, spicy, but not with too much black pepper, makes my throat itchy, and dangerous.'

"I apologize, I didn't know you…" I look at his name tag… Rangnath, as he bows.

I just sign that it is alright.

Rangnath writes down the order and instructions, and then walks away.

I observe the laughing and smiling, happy faces of the people in my view. Like a movie… somebody could be getting proposed, somebody could be having a birthday party, or I could even find what looks like a family gathering.

Delightful. Makes me close my eyes and concentrate on the ringing in my head, making me lay a pleasant tune upon it, to mask it. A tune… just like the calming piano tune which plays in movies, at such times, in such restaurants.

It makes me wonder… how much would be the net-worth of all the people in here? And what would happen when-

Rangnath arrives with a huge black plate, with smaller plates, containing my order. He places the plate with the prawns first, right in front of me, and then the noodles in front of them, and lastly the salad parallel to it. Then he places the cutlery on the table, and smiling again, he leaves.

My eyes don't pick away from the dishes, but hands grab the fork on the side. I gently, but determinately, pierce the sharp end of the fork into a piece of prawn.

I wonder how such, tiny breed of prawns are called as the kings… perhaps that is what a king is. A leader. Not huge, but given prominence… perhaps for the nutritional value.

Perhaps humans just are bad or lazy at naming. I needed to know but… couldn't ask.

I don't see too much pepper on it, like I had requested. The flavour enters my nose first; while I couldn't tolerate pepper, the little harsh aroma of it was quite pleasing to the nose, always. The little funny stink of meat was now reduced due to the cooking and the seasoning.

I stir the piece left and right, making it drip in the sauce well, and then bring it closer to my mouth, while taking in more of its aroma. Separating the piece from the fork, with the help of my teeth, I let the piece sit there, and bite into it.

Crunchy yet soft, spicy yet sweet with the sauce. If the pepper were too much, I'd have coughed by now. But the spice only makes my mouth water, and absorb all the texture from the piece of prawn.

Beef would be harder, chicken would depend on the way it's cooked but prawn… smooth enough to melt in one's mouth. And it did melt well in mine.

I push the plate aside and bring the bowl of noodles closer. Piercing the fork into the stack of noodles, I roll the fork to make it grab the noodles tightly.

I could smell the flour with seasoning. Yet another mesmerizing smell, but it couldn't beat the smell of the prawn. The flour's stench was a bit too much… I could only hope for it to taste well.

A piece of capsicum travels along with the grabbed stack of noodles and I grab it needy-ly, with my teeth. The flour breaks in between the might of my sharp teeth, into tiny bits they grind. The piece of capsicum breaks and garnishes the noodles with its watery flow.

Perhaps I judged too quick, perhaps this was yet another prawn case… there the prawn was little yet called the king… here the noodles smelled with the stench of flour but are mighty and delicious.

I quickly grab a piece of prawn, load it with some noodles, and eat it. Wonderful… different yet wonderful. It was surprisingly good.

Perhaps I had also judged too quickly that my instructions would be taken lightly… I had no use for the cucumber salad now.

So I peacefully finish everything on the table, shredding them into pieces within my mouth, as that was the way to enjoy food.

As I stare at the untouched cucumber salad, Rangnath arrives at the table.

"Would you like to continue ordering, sir?"

I shake my head, and Rangnath goes to get the bill.

I use the tissues which were already present on the table, to clean myself, even when I knew it'd get messy again.

As Rangnath arrives with the bill, I get up.

"Here is your bill sir."

I sign him to wait, by putting out my index finger. And with my other hand, I take something out of my inner-coat, and wear it upon my face. Rangnath just gives a confused expression, but I hear somebody else react in a shocked way, as they look at the golden mask I'm wearing.

I inhale… the mask doesn't smell like anything at all, so it was always comfortable and an honour to wear it already… and I exhale, while keeping my eyes open. The guy pushes his hand forward, as fast as he can, everything around me blasts, breaking into bits like I had crushed the food in my mouth, a while back.

I inhale, and it all stops. Rangnath screams, feeling the pain in his broken hand. But all the bits and pieces in the air, come together, and he gains more fear in his eyes, as they take forms.

Another delight... fear.

I exhale, and everything shoots forward.

Everybody left alive… scream and start running. What a wise but stupid choice.

Only one person sits and stares at me, but I ignore him, and speed towards the running people. They were more fun.

Inhale… exhale. People who I had reached at the hair's breadth, had broken parts, which break and hit towards others.

Inhale…-

Something hits me, and I look at the person near me.

"Are you… here for me?" he asks. "You are one of those masked people of that video, right? I thought it was a prank but…"

This younger kid-like guy… he punched me? Is he a king prawn too? I had to be careful, he must be a powered-individual.

"What are you people?" he asks, and runs towards me, with his fist up.

As he nears, I ready my hands, but as he closes to me and I inhale to steady myself for the fight, he jumps backwards, when I try to grab him. Exhale… his body floats further away. Inhale… it stops, and he looks confused. I make him float closer, and knock him out.

I leave him at the floor and continue towards the running people. Some hiding and crying… just die while pleading.

I reach into the kitchen.

The knives form amalgamations with other objects and pierce through the cooks, making them hit the burning pans, or other deadly objects.

I make sure an explosion doesn't occur… that wasn't my motive.

As I find no one else anywhere, as everyone either was dead or MIA, I go towards the guy I had knocked out. He had packed quite a punch, and was ready to fight. Sadly it wasn't his lucky day but… maybe he could cause quite a few causalities like this hotel.

So I pick him up, even when he was quite heavy, and walk through the trials of blood.

So it wasn't a complete boring choice of a place. Saturn would be thanking me for yet another one having been gifted to me by my side.

Hopefully this one doesn't run away with their mommy, like Psyand.

Where was she?