The Chef's Kitchen.

He placed a slice of avocado on the plate next to the poached eggs and toast. He set the plate on the serving table and rang the bell. The waiter came over and picked up the plate. He closed his eyes for just a minute. Being the chef of one of the best five-star restaurants in the country was exhausting. He was working on one of his new recipes when he heard something vibrating against the counter. He thought it was his phone but didn’t see it anywhere. He focused back on the dish adding lemon zest to the mixture. It was several minutes before he heard the vibration again. What was that? He wondered as he went looking for the source of the vibrations. After a minute, he found what was vibrating. It was an electric knife. That was odd but maybe the batteries were old. He turned it off and went back to his recipe. This was going to be one of his best dishes. He added some vegetable stock to his pot. It began to boil. The whole kitchen smelled delicious. He finished the dish and sent it out.

        He was cleaning up his work station when he heard the vibrating again. He went over to the electric knife. It was turned on again. How could that be? No one else had been in the kitchen since he turned it off. He shut it off again and went back to cleaning. A little while later, he was working on a decadent dessert, when he heard that vibration again. He was starting to become uneasy. He walked back over to the knife only to find that it had moved from where it had been. This was extremely odd. He reached for the knife when it darted towards him. He jumped back. The thing was possessed; it had to be. The waiter walked through the doors at that time. “Marty, this thing is trying to attack me.” He said, keeping his distance from the counter. The waiter came over and looked at the knife. “Sir, are you feeling okay?” He put a hand to his forehead. Maybe he had been working too long or maybe he was losing his marbles. “I think I’m going to go home early.” Marty looked at him, as if maybe he were sick. “Would you call Joanna and see if she could cover the rest of my shift?” “Of course, sir. Go home and get some rest. I do hope you feel better.”

        He went home, took a hot shower, and poured a glass of wine. He sat down in his recliner. After drinking the whole bottle of wine, he fell asleep in his chair. Images filled his mind of the knife chasing him. It was definitely one of those dreams where his legs were stuck in mud, and he couldn’t run fast enough to get away. He woke up drenched in sweat. He couldn’t go back to sleep after that. He didn’t usually watch much T.V. but tonight he flipped through the channels. It seemed like the only thing that was on was SYFY shows involving robots. He finally turned the tube off and went to his library. He thought about reading but most of his collection was horror or suspense. Finally, after several hours, he went to bed. He was able to sleep a little bit without any dreams.

        His alarm went off way too quickly. He dragged himself out of bed and wasn’t sure he really felt like himself. He chalked it up to not sleeping the night before. He got dressed and headed back to the restaurant. As soon as he walked through the door, he heard the vibration of the knife, but then it stopped when another employee walked in. It was all in his imagination. It was all in his imagination. He steered clear of that part of the kitchen though. And when he was alone, he swore he heard the vibration of the knife. There were times it even sounded like it was moving across the counter. It was all in his imagination. He almost had himself convinced too, until he felt a sharp stabbing on the side of his foot. When he looked down, the knife was literally trying to saw through his shoe. He screamed and jumped up on the counter. A group of employees rushed through the doors. The knife instantly went dead. The color had drained from his face, and he noticed that he was bleeding from his foot. The other employees were shocked by his response but were even more shocked when he explained what had happened. One of them came over, picked up the knife and took the batteries out of it. They finally convinced him to come down off the counter. As he looked into each of their eyes, he saw something that scared him but also made him mad as hell. They each had the same look of unbelief and concern. They thought he was going crazy. It was when their boss came up and suggested he go to the hospital, that he lost all control. He sank to his knees and began crying. He repeatedly stated that he wasn’t crazy, that the knife was after him. Finally, Joanna came over and helped him calm down. She then helped him to his feet and out the back doors.

        She went home after several hours of hysteria. She had bandaged him up and given him some medicine to help him sleep. He was finally tucked in and sleeping when she left. She was worried about him but figured that he just needed a goodnight’s sleep. She hoped that he would be alright.

        He woke up feeling more like himself, but he hadn’t forgotten the trauma from the day before. He had regained control though and was ready to prove his point, and possibly face his fears. He went to the restaurant. It was before opening so he would be by himself. That was both good and bad because he could maybe prove that without prying eyes but if he got into trouble, he’d have no one to help him. He walked towards the knife. Someone had cleaned the blood off. With unsteady hands, he put the batteries back in. The knife instantly turned on and began moving towards him. He reached over it and turned it off, but watched it for a long time. After a minute, the button flicked on, and the knife began to move towards him. He shut it off once more only to watch it turn back on. He wasn’t crazy. The knife was chasing him. He shut it off and took the batteries out.

        Joanna came in early. She had a feeling that she needed to be there. She found him in the kitchen, the knife was laying on the counter with the batteries out. “Can you do me a favor?” He asked with a strange calmness in his voice. She felt uneasy but agreed. He put the batteries back in the knife, but it didn’t do anything. “Will you leave the room but stay where you can see in?” She sucked in a deep breath and agreed. She walked out and peered through the window. As soon as she left the room, the knife came to life. It began skittering across the counter towards him. She watched him turn it off, and watched the button move on its own to turn back on. After a few minutes, she walked back in the room. The knife went still. He took the batteries out. “I’m not crazy.” He said with the same calmness as before. She shook her head. No, he wasn’t crazy. Without another word, he gathered up the knife and the batteries and headed out the back door. He threw them in the dumpster and closed the lid.

        He was always skeptical when he was around an electrical knife, and there were times when he swore that he heard the vibration, but he wasn’t crazy.