House of Conchita

Entrée

 As I prepare to serve the entrée, Penny rushes into the kitchen.

"Have you seen Ana?"

I shrug indifferently. "Who's that?"

"Anatola. The other maid," she explains, seemingly struggling for breath.

"Oh, her." Penny and the chefs are the only people here I care enough about to talk to. I'm so busy, I don't have the time to spare for friends. Even if I did, I wouldn't really care enough. One shouldn't let their work and personal life become intertwined.

Penny continues, "She was supposed to help me prepare the table for the lady today, but I looked all over the place and I couldn't find her. It took me fivever to clean the dining room as a result. You should have seen the look the lady was giving me."

Penny shivers at the thought of keeping her waiting. She does not like to be kept waiting.

"Eh, maybe she just took a sick day or something?" I suggest. "Don't worry about it."

She then changes the topic, presumably to avoid thinking about the disappearance. "What's next on the mouth-watering menu?"

"Ah, this is a new delectable delight, never seen before." I dramatically lift the lid of the platter, much to Penny's amusement. "A long pasta, really long..."

Penny squints. "That doesn't look like pasta. What is that?"

We both look upon the strange long foodstuffs.

"The world may never know," I tell her. "But look! It's garnished with shrimp antennae!"

"Wow," she says, sighing with expression. "I wish there was some for me. Looks like I'll have to stick with an apple or something."

"No luck there, either," I tell her. "You wouldn't like the fruits around here. We're fermenting them."

She grimaces before looking at the clock on the wall. "You'd better get going, Roy," she advises with a playful smile.

I nod and carry the dish to the Lady Conchita, down the same familiar hallway... just like every other day. At least I can go home to rest at the end of the meal; it's not like I'm trapped here forever. If I didn't know I'd be able to go home tonight, I would most certainly lose the will to continue in this life.

When I arrive at the table, I am surprised to notice that Conchita is absent. Where could she be? I silently place the "pasta" in her place at the table and begin walking back to the kitchen, glad I don't have to stand with her for this course of the meal.

The lady is acting rather strangely today. First, she purposely touches me, and now she fails to be present for her entrée? Both of these things are entirely unheard of.

Out the corner of my eye, I notice an open window swaying slightly in the wind on the other side of the dining table. A window that is never open. I cautiously approach it, wondering what's going on tonight; I thought I was finally accustomed to the strange happenings in this nightmarish place, but this night is an entirely new and unsettling experience.

As I continue to walk towards the window, I start to hear a whimpering noise coming from outside. My eyes widen as I genuinely start to shake. I am both intrigued and terrified. I prepare myself for a horrific sight as I am about to peer down.

"Roy," says a calm voice. I pivot quickly and see the Lady Conchita standing tall and graceful by her chair.

She knows my name. But she doesn't know anyone's name.

I rush over and pull out her chair so she can sit down, and once she is prepared to dine, I show her the meal. As always, I stand by her as she eats, but I notice that she doesn't shovel the food into her mouth with her usual speed. In fact, she almost appears to really be taking her time. The long wait allows me to focus on the faint cries in the background. How desperately I need to know what it is. I try to retain a calm composure, or at least look like I am doing so.

Eventually the entrée is finished and I gather the crockery and cutlery together to take away. I swiftly move out of the room, but just before leaving through the grand doors, I turn around to look upon her once more. The last thing I see before retreating to the kitchen is a brief glimpse of a smile.

Walking back whence I came, images of what was out of that window flash through my mind. Surely no one would notice if I disappeared for a few minutes or so...