*ahem* I apologize that this weeks installment of GtL is not up yet. Unfortnately I've been a little swamped with other things lately and have not had time to finish this week (although it is plotted and started).
I will make an attempt to have something up this weekend or Monday at the latest if I can. If I can't manage this deadline than you WILL have the next installment on the regular Thursday schedule.
Once again. I apologize for the delay!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Grounds to Leaves: The Best Joe in Town - Part 1
The first person to answer their help wanted ad was an interesting young lady by the name of Chloë. Chelsie couldn’t help but stare at her as she came through the door at 6:15pm on the dot. The fact that she was punctual was a plus, but Chelsie had a feeling Aiden would want to say no based on her looks alone.
Chloë could only best be described as a gothic hippie. Her long hair had been died a deep black and her dark eye makeup reminded Chelsie of Cleopatra. She wore a patchwork skirt that brushed the floor as she walked and a black peasant shirt. Her footsteps made almost no sound on the tiled floor.
Aiden gave Chelsie a sideways glance that she had expected from him. He didn’t like her already, but Chelsie felt that they should give her a fair chance. After all, she had shown up on time and that was more important than how she looked.
“Hi Chloë, I’m Chelsie, this is Aiden. Please have a seat.” She smiled kindly to try and make up for the scowl on Aiden’s face.
“So, I’m going to keep this interview short and simple. We just have a few questions for you really.” Chloë nodded to show that she understood.
“Okay then, so why do you want to work here?”
“Well,” Chloë’s voice was soft, but Chelsie noticed that it carried well. “I love coffee. I’ve often been told I make the best cup of coffee that anyone has ever tasted. Grounds to Leaves is supposed to be one of the best places in town and I would like to be a part of a coffee house that believes in the quality of what it offers.”
“Seriously, you’ve been told you make the best coffee?” Aiden interrupted before Chelsie had a chance to ask her next question.
“Yes, would you like me to prove it?” Chloë seemed to hear the unspoken challenge in Aiden’s voice and she responded confidently. She seemed to really believe what she said.
Aiden gave her a good look over as he thought about and then nodded. “Yes, prove it.”
Without a word Chloë walked behind the counter with Chelsie and Aiden close behind her. She looked over the equipment that they had before beginning. She picked up a bag of beans with an approving look. “Intelligensia, nice choice.”
She went to work making the cup of coffee as Chelsie and Aiden looked on. Aiden seemed skeptical as he watched, what she was doing was no different than what they did everyday, all day. It was obvious that she knew what she was doing. Quicker than either of them could, she provided Aiden with his proof.
Aiden took a tentative sip of the coffee, frowned and then sipped it again. With the same frown on his face he held the cup away from him to just look at it for a bit. Chloë grinned like the Cheshire Cat, apparently taking Aiden’s frown as approval.
“Well?” Chelsie finally asked when she got tired of the silence and Aiden’s odd frown.
“I don’t know how she did it, but this is seriously the best coffee I have ever tasted.” Aiden proffered the cup to Chelsie who took a sip of it and smiled. He wasn’t kidding, it really was the best cup of coffee she had ever tasted.
“So, one last question before we hire you. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?” Chelsie had to ask just out of pure curiosity more than anything.
“I’m a classically trained musician. I play the cello and write my own songs. Other than that, I’ve only been here for a short while, I used to live in Toronto, but I needed a change of pace. I like this city, it’s quite pretty and the people are interesting.”
“You’re a musician?” Aiden asked and Chelsie knew exactly what he was thinking about.
“Yes. I am.”
“Would you be interested in playing here every now and again?”
Chelsie had to bite her lip to keep herself from saying or doing something to Aiden that she might regret later. This was his way of pushing the issue, which was just going around the only real obstacle in his way – her.
“I would enjoy that very much. Are you thinking of adding live music as a regular attraction? I used to work at a coffee house that had live bands almost every night. They were a very popular place and one of the nicest night spots in town.”
“It was something we were discussing, but we hadn’t decided on anything yet.” Chelsie glared at Aiden as she said that, but he either ignored her or just plain didn’t notice.
“Well it’s a very good idea. You’d probably need a bit more staff to manage with the later hours, but you have a good spot right over there.” Chloë also hadn’t seemed to notice the glare that Chelsie had directed at Aiden. She seemed almost excited by the idea of having live music in the shop.
“And that is exactly what I was thinking too. Well, I think that’s enough for one night. If you like, be here tomorrow at 6am and we’ll get you started and talk about your hours.”
“Tomorrow at 6am. I’ll see you both then.”
As soon as she was out of sight, Chelsie smacked Aiden in the chest. “You are such an asshole, you know that?”
“Yes, but as it is frequently noted, I am an asshole who gets what he wants. Besides it’s a good idea. I don’t know why you’re being so stubborn about it.”
“Because…because…Argh.” Chelsie stormed off towards the kitchen to see if there was anything she could bang around until she felt less frustrated. She really didn’t have a good reason anymore to boycott the live music idea. Her only real argument had been the cost and that didn’t look like it would a problem anymore.
It looked like Aiden was going to be the asshole who got what he wanted. Again.
Chloë could only best be described as a gothic hippie. Her long hair had been died a deep black and her dark eye makeup reminded Chelsie of Cleopatra. She wore a patchwork skirt that brushed the floor as she walked and a black peasant shirt. Her footsteps made almost no sound on the tiled floor.
Aiden gave Chelsie a sideways glance that she had expected from him. He didn’t like her already, but Chelsie felt that they should give her a fair chance. After all, she had shown up on time and that was more important than how she looked.
“Hi Chloë, I’m Chelsie, this is Aiden. Please have a seat.” She smiled kindly to try and make up for the scowl on Aiden’s face.
“So, I’m going to keep this interview short and simple. We just have a few questions for you really.” Chloë nodded to show that she understood.
“Okay then, so why do you want to work here?”
“Well,” Chloë’s voice was soft, but Chelsie noticed that it carried well. “I love coffee. I’ve often been told I make the best cup of coffee that anyone has ever tasted. Grounds to Leaves is supposed to be one of the best places in town and I would like to be a part of a coffee house that believes in the quality of what it offers.”
“Seriously, you’ve been told you make the best coffee?” Aiden interrupted before Chelsie had a chance to ask her next question.
“Yes, would you like me to prove it?” Chloë seemed to hear the unspoken challenge in Aiden’s voice and she responded confidently. She seemed to really believe what she said.
Aiden gave her a good look over as he thought about and then nodded. “Yes, prove it.”
Without a word Chloë walked behind the counter with Chelsie and Aiden close behind her. She looked over the equipment that they had before beginning. She picked up a bag of beans with an approving look. “Intelligensia, nice choice.”
She went to work making the cup of coffee as Chelsie and Aiden looked on. Aiden seemed skeptical as he watched, what she was doing was no different than what they did everyday, all day. It was obvious that she knew what she was doing. Quicker than either of them could, she provided Aiden with his proof.
Aiden took a tentative sip of the coffee, frowned and then sipped it again. With the same frown on his face he held the cup away from him to just look at it for a bit. Chloë grinned like the Cheshire Cat, apparently taking Aiden’s frown as approval.
“Well?” Chelsie finally asked when she got tired of the silence and Aiden’s odd frown.
“I don’t know how she did it, but this is seriously the best coffee I have ever tasted.” Aiden proffered the cup to Chelsie who took a sip of it and smiled. He wasn’t kidding, it really was the best cup of coffee she had ever tasted.
“So, one last question before we hire you. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself?” Chelsie had to ask just out of pure curiosity more than anything.
“I’m a classically trained musician. I play the cello and write my own songs. Other than that, I’ve only been here for a short while, I used to live in Toronto, but I needed a change of pace. I like this city, it’s quite pretty and the people are interesting.”
“You’re a musician?” Aiden asked and Chelsie knew exactly what he was thinking about.
“Yes. I am.”
“Would you be interested in playing here every now and again?”
Chelsie had to bite her lip to keep herself from saying or doing something to Aiden that she might regret later. This was his way of pushing the issue, which was just going around the only real obstacle in his way – her.
“I would enjoy that very much. Are you thinking of adding live music as a regular attraction? I used to work at a coffee house that had live bands almost every night. They were a very popular place and one of the nicest night spots in town.”
“It was something we were discussing, but we hadn’t decided on anything yet.” Chelsie glared at Aiden as she said that, but he either ignored her or just plain didn’t notice.
“Well it’s a very good idea. You’d probably need a bit more staff to manage with the later hours, but you have a good spot right over there.” Chloë also hadn’t seemed to notice the glare that Chelsie had directed at Aiden. She seemed almost excited by the idea of having live music in the shop.
“And that is exactly what I was thinking too. Well, I think that’s enough for one night. If you like, be here tomorrow at 6am and we’ll get you started and talk about your hours.”
“Tomorrow at 6am. I’ll see you both then.”
As soon as she was out of sight, Chelsie smacked Aiden in the chest. “You are such an asshole, you know that?”
“Yes, but as it is frequently noted, I am an asshole who gets what he wants. Besides it’s a good idea. I don’t know why you’re being so stubborn about it.”
“Because…because…Argh.” Chelsie stormed off towards the kitchen to see if there was anything she could bang around until she felt less frustrated. She really didn’t have a good reason anymore to boycott the live music idea. Her only real argument had been the cost and that didn’t look like it would a problem anymore.
It looked like Aiden was going to be the asshole who got what he wanted. Again.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Grounds to Leaves: Sip to Success - Part 2
The rest of the week following their opening day brought little in the way of new customers. Chelsie couldn’t help despairing. The best thing to happen to them so far was that they had a regular customer. Their first of what Aiden assured her would be many regulars.
It figured though, that the one person who would be a regular at Grounds to Leaves would be a total jerk. He was undeniably rude to both her and Aiden. It didn’t seem to matter who served him, he never had a nice thing to say to anyone.
His routine was the same. He came through the door at precisely 9am every morning. He ordered something different every time, but he always ordered it in the same way. “Give me a tall Caramel Latté, no foam and a pumpkin scone. Be quick about it.”
He would give his coffee a suspicious sip and sniff at whatever pastry he had ordered before grunting and storming back out of the coffee shop. By the time Friday came around, Chelsie made sure Aiden served him because she had a feeling she would try to slap him if she had to serve him one more time.
“Come on now Chels, he really isn’t that bad. Just a bit brusque.” Aiden laughed at her after their one regular had walked out of sight on Friday.
“You would say that. He reminds me of you before you’ve had your morning cup of coffee.”
“Well then he must not be all that bad.” Aiden smirked and ran a hand through his hair as he leaned on the counter. His eyes darted around the empty shop before he looked at her.
“I don’t even like you.” Chelsie crossed her arms and pretended to pout.
“Like me or not, I’m family. You have to love me.”
Chelsie made a rude gesture in his direction and decided that it was time for a break. She made herself a cup of tea. She hesitated for a second over the choices before deciding that a nice Monks Blend would be just what the doctor ordered. With a sigh, she leaned back into one the chairs nearest the counter.
“So, how do you think we’re going to do next week?”
“Honestly?” Aiden seemed hesitant to answer her question. The answer was pretty obvious, even to her. They were bombing when they needed to be booming. Another two weeks of customer counts like this and she was sure they would end having to close the doors permanently.
Aiden gave up on waiting for her to respond and just forged ahead with an honest answer. “We’ve got enough reserves to manage for the month if things keep up the way they are. Another month like this and we might as well give up.”
“Gee, that’s better than what I was thinking.” Chelsie took a sip of her tea and stared at the door, trying to will the customers to come through it.
“You know, most new coffee houses have it rough on the first few weeks. We’ll get there. Before you know it, we won’t even be able to keep up.”
“’I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Don’t be a negative Nancy, Chels. Besides, word will get around. I know we’re better than our nearest competitors and it won’t take long before people realize it.”
The rest of the day passed in much the same manner. By the time they locked the doors a total of eight customers, including their regular, had stepped into the shop. An hour after closing, they stepped out into the warm air of early dusk. The weather had warmed up considerably since Monday.
“Looks like we’ll be getting the extended summer the weatherman promised.” Aiden slung his jacket over his shoulder. It had been chilly when he had arrived that morning. “Look, Chels, I was thinking.”
“I’d love to make a mean comment, but I’m just not in a good enough mood to mean to you.” Chelsie put her jacket on in spite of the warmth.
“Well, I was thinking we should stay open later. Maybe get some live music in. We might be able to get the late night crowds at least on Friday and Saturday. Might bring in some extra money that we need.”
“Might? How much is it going to cost us?”
“The musicians would probably want to be paid if we have to hire them.”
“Nuh-uh. No way.” Chelsie crossed her arms across her chest and tried to look firm. In truth she liked the idea, but she wasn’t willing to risk any more.
“Just at least think about it.” Aiden gave in quicker than she had expected. With a terse nod, Chelsie turned her back on him and walked home. She would think about it at least, but the thought of putting out more money scared the hell out of her.
Saturday morning was the usual routine of baking, cleaning and organizing. Aiden mercifully didn’t bring up the topic of live music again and Chelsie was determined to avoid that conversation. At 6am they opened their doors for the early morning crowd.
“Good morning my dear.”
“Hi Walter.”
“You don’t look so good today. What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Chelsie stared at their resident ghost in surprise. “You live here, you ought to know what’s wrong. We don’t have any customers. Things are going terribly!”
“No customers? Then what is that?” Old Walter nodded towards the door and Chelsie turned to see two people walk into the shop. She blinked a bit in surprise and hurried to get behind the counter. She barely had a spare thought to remind herself to plaster a smile on her face.
The two customers were soon followed by another one and another. All day a steady stream of people came through their door. Chelsie and Aiden barely managed to keep up with it. Twice Aiden had to run back to the kitchen to whip up another batch of some sort pastry, leaving Chelsie to try and handle the customers on her own.
At 6pm Chelsie locked the door with relief. She had not been in the least bit prepared for the sudden turn of events. “What the hell happened?” She shook her head and looked around in surprise. They had barely managed to keep up with the flow customers.
“Someone turned the customer tap to on, I guess.” Aiden had draped himself in a chair, his eyes closed. He looked like he was ready to fall asleep right there. Chelsie just wanted to lay down on the floor for a good nap. She had barely found the time to breathe today.
“Yeah I guess so.” Casually, she wandered around picking up cups and plates that were still left on some of the tables to take back to the kitchen. She picked up a newspaper that someone had left behind, glancing it over as she did so.
She started walking towards the kitchen when she came to a quick halt. She placed the dishes down on the nearest table and took a closer look at the paper. Something she had glimpsed had suddenly caught her mind. She browsed it over till she saw what she was looking for. The paper was folded awkwardly, but she could easily see a headline that said “-nds to Leaves”.
She opened the paper and saw exactly what she expected, the title of the article was “Grounds to Leaves”. She scanned the article over and then shook her head in disbelief. She looked at it again and was unable to contain her screech of joy.
“What the hell?” Aiden was up and beside her in seconds. “What’s wrong?”
She couldn’t put together two coherent words, she was so excited. Instead she shoved the paper at Aiden. He read it over, slower than she did.
“Well that explains things.” Calmly he set the paper down and picked up the dishes that Chelsie had abandoned. He left her standing there, stupefied, and took the dishes to the kitchen. Chelsie took the time to read the article over once more.
The writers name was not familiar to her, but the picture was a face she had come to know well in the last week. It was their one regular customer. She placed the newspaper down on the counter and thought about cutting out and framing the article to hang on the wall.
With a smile on her face, she went about getting the shop ready for Monday and almost regretted the fact they were closed on Sundays. She needed the rest, but at the same time she was eager to know what the next day would bring for them.
“You know,” Aiden began as they stepped out happily into the street, “we’re going to need to get some help if we’re going to be that busy. There’s no way we’ll be able to both work twelve hour shifts like that.”
“You’re right.” Chelsie thought about it. “I’ll call the paper tomorrow and put an ad in the help wanted section.”
They said their good nights, both eager with anticipation for Monday.
It figured though, that the one person who would be a regular at Grounds to Leaves would be a total jerk. He was undeniably rude to both her and Aiden. It didn’t seem to matter who served him, he never had a nice thing to say to anyone.
His routine was the same. He came through the door at precisely 9am every morning. He ordered something different every time, but he always ordered it in the same way. “Give me a tall Caramel Latté, no foam and a pumpkin scone. Be quick about it.”
He would give his coffee a suspicious sip and sniff at whatever pastry he had ordered before grunting and storming back out of the coffee shop. By the time Friday came around, Chelsie made sure Aiden served him because she had a feeling she would try to slap him if she had to serve him one more time.
“Come on now Chels, he really isn’t that bad. Just a bit brusque.” Aiden laughed at her after their one regular had walked out of sight on Friday.
“You would say that. He reminds me of you before you’ve had your morning cup of coffee.”
“Well then he must not be all that bad.” Aiden smirked and ran a hand through his hair as he leaned on the counter. His eyes darted around the empty shop before he looked at her.
“I don’t even like you.” Chelsie crossed her arms and pretended to pout.
“Like me or not, I’m family. You have to love me.”
Chelsie made a rude gesture in his direction and decided that it was time for a break. She made herself a cup of tea. She hesitated for a second over the choices before deciding that a nice Monks Blend would be just what the doctor ordered. With a sigh, she leaned back into one the chairs nearest the counter.
“So, how do you think we’re going to do next week?”
“Honestly?” Aiden seemed hesitant to answer her question. The answer was pretty obvious, even to her. They were bombing when they needed to be booming. Another two weeks of customer counts like this and she was sure they would end having to close the doors permanently.
Aiden gave up on waiting for her to respond and just forged ahead with an honest answer. “We’ve got enough reserves to manage for the month if things keep up the way they are. Another month like this and we might as well give up.”
“Gee, that’s better than what I was thinking.” Chelsie took a sip of her tea and stared at the door, trying to will the customers to come through it.
“You know, most new coffee houses have it rough on the first few weeks. We’ll get there. Before you know it, we won’t even be able to keep up.”
“’I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Don’t be a negative Nancy, Chels. Besides, word will get around. I know we’re better than our nearest competitors and it won’t take long before people realize it.”
The rest of the day passed in much the same manner. By the time they locked the doors a total of eight customers, including their regular, had stepped into the shop. An hour after closing, they stepped out into the warm air of early dusk. The weather had warmed up considerably since Monday.
“Looks like we’ll be getting the extended summer the weatherman promised.” Aiden slung his jacket over his shoulder. It had been chilly when he had arrived that morning. “Look, Chels, I was thinking.”
“I’d love to make a mean comment, but I’m just not in a good enough mood to mean to you.” Chelsie put her jacket on in spite of the warmth.
“Well, I was thinking we should stay open later. Maybe get some live music in. We might be able to get the late night crowds at least on Friday and Saturday. Might bring in some extra money that we need.”
“Might? How much is it going to cost us?”
“The musicians would probably want to be paid if we have to hire them.”
“Nuh-uh. No way.” Chelsie crossed her arms across her chest and tried to look firm. In truth she liked the idea, but she wasn’t willing to risk any more.
“Just at least think about it.” Aiden gave in quicker than she had expected. With a terse nod, Chelsie turned her back on him and walked home. She would think about it at least, but the thought of putting out more money scared the hell out of her.
Saturday morning was the usual routine of baking, cleaning and organizing. Aiden mercifully didn’t bring up the topic of live music again and Chelsie was determined to avoid that conversation. At 6am they opened their doors for the early morning crowd.
“Good morning my dear.”
“Hi Walter.”
“You don’t look so good today. What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Chelsie stared at their resident ghost in surprise. “You live here, you ought to know what’s wrong. We don’t have any customers. Things are going terribly!”
“No customers? Then what is that?” Old Walter nodded towards the door and Chelsie turned to see two people walk into the shop. She blinked a bit in surprise and hurried to get behind the counter. She barely had a spare thought to remind herself to plaster a smile on her face.
The two customers were soon followed by another one and another. All day a steady stream of people came through their door. Chelsie and Aiden barely managed to keep up with it. Twice Aiden had to run back to the kitchen to whip up another batch of some sort pastry, leaving Chelsie to try and handle the customers on her own.
At 6pm Chelsie locked the door with relief. She had not been in the least bit prepared for the sudden turn of events. “What the hell happened?” She shook her head and looked around in surprise. They had barely managed to keep up with the flow customers.
“Someone turned the customer tap to on, I guess.” Aiden had draped himself in a chair, his eyes closed. He looked like he was ready to fall asleep right there. Chelsie just wanted to lay down on the floor for a good nap. She had barely found the time to breathe today.
“Yeah I guess so.” Casually, she wandered around picking up cups and plates that were still left on some of the tables to take back to the kitchen. She picked up a newspaper that someone had left behind, glancing it over as she did so.
She started walking towards the kitchen when she came to a quick halt. She placed the dishes down on the nearest table and took a closer look at the paper. Something she had glimpsed had suddenly caught her mind. She browsed it over till she saw what she was looking for. The paper was folded awkwardly, but she could easily see a headline that said “-nds to Leaves”.
She opened the paper and saw exactly what she expected, the title of the article was “Grounds to Leaves”. She scanned the article over and then shook her head in disbelief. She looked at it again and was unable to contain her screech of joy.
“What the hell?” Aiden was up and beside her in seconds. “What’s wrong?”
She couldn’t put together two coherent words, she was so excited. Instead she shoved the paper at Aiden. He read it over, slower than she did.
“Well that explains things.” Calmly he set the paper down and picked up the dishes that Chelsie had abandoned. He left her standing there, stupefied, and took the dishes to the kitchen. Chelsie took the time to read the article over once more.
Although it is not my habit to review anything other than the best restaurants our fine city has to offer, I find it necessary to write this article about a little gem of a coffee house that I had the distinct pleasure to discover one morning completely by accident.
The place is called “Grounds to Leaves” a typical pun inspired name for any coffee house. When I went in I expected nothing beyond the usual, but this new kid on the block managed to surprise even me.
They offer a wide enough variety of coffees and teas to satisfy even a connoisseur of either beverage. Each cup of coffee is fresh ground and fresh brewed using a modified French press. The teas are steeped to perfection.
As an added bonus they provide a selection of fresh baked pastries that are some of the best I have ever tasted. Some of their pastry selections could even be termed as unique or exotic. It is obvious that their baker is very skilled indeed.
I highly recommend those in the area to stop by Grounds to Leaves and try some of their gastronomic delights. As always, your taste buds will thank me for this recommendation.
The writers name was not familiar to her, but the picture was a face she had come to know well in the last week. It was their one regular customer. She placed the newspaper down on the counter and thought about cutting out and framing the article to hang on the wall.
With a smile on her face, she went about getting the shop ready for Monday and almost regretted the fact they were closed on Sundays. She needed the rest, but at the same time she was eager to know what the next day would bring for them.
“You know,” Aiden began as they stepped out happily into the street, “we’re going to need to get some help if we’re going to be that busy. There’s no way we’ll be able to both work twelve hour shifts like that.”
“You’re right.” Chelsie thought about it. “I’ll call the paper tomorrow and put an ad in the help wanted section.”
They said their good nights, both eager with anticipation for Monday.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Grounds to Leaves: Sip to Success - Part 1
Few lights illuminated the interior of the store across the street. Those few dim pools of illumination didn’t allow her to see much, but Chelsie took in the view with glee. She cast her eyes up at the sign above the window. Even without any light shining upon the golden writing she could read it quite easily. Grounds to Leaves.
Her legs stirred the early morning mist as she made her way across the silent street. It was chilly for September, even at this hour of the day. Chelsie barely even noticed. All she could think about was how nice everything would look in the full light of day. This place, this coffee shop, was her pride and joy; a dream that was about to become fully realized today.
She unlocked the front door and let herself into the shop. The sounds of emanating from the kitchen told Chelsie that Aiden had already arrived and was hard at work. She turned back to lock the door behind her. It was pretty unlikely that anyone would wander in at this hour, but it was better to be safe than sorry. The last thing they needed was their first customer showing up before they were even ready.
“So today is the day, is it?” Chelsie jumped a little at the unexpected voice behind her. It took her a moment to place it after being so lost in her own thoughts. She turned around to see an older gentlemen casually lounging in one of the more comfy chairs in the corner of the store.
“Walter, I didn’t see you there when I came in.” She smiled warmly at him, feeling oddly happy to see him here on the morning of the big day.
“That’s probably because I wasn’t.” He puffed on his pipe and Chelsie watched, fascinated as always, at the rising smoke as it slowly dissipated a few feet above his head. “Well, is it?”
“Is it what?” Chelsie still hadn’t quite gotten used to Old Walter yet. There was no doubt in her mind that he was friendly enough, but she had never really dealt with his kind before. And the fact that he would only ever talk to her sometimes got on her nerves. She was learning to deal with it a bit better over the last few weeks.
“Opening day, of course. I really don’t have much sense of time anymore and I just was curious to know. So, is it?”
“Yes,” Chelsie beamed, unable to contain her joy at the thought. “Today is the day. We open in just under two hours from now. I can’t wait. It’s going to be great.”
Old Walter just harrumphed, but not in response to what she had said. His attention was focused on the entrance to the kitchen. Chelsie turned just in time to see a flour-streaked Aiden standing in the doorway. She glanced back at where Old Walter was sitting and, as usual, he had already gone.
“Talking to yourself again?” Aiden frowned at her and she knew what he was thinking. The first time he had caught her talking to Old Walter she had tried to explain what was really going on. He hadn’t believed a word of it, but she suspected that he had always thought her a little crazy. After all, crazy did run in the family.
“Just a little pep talk is all.” She smiled more to try and convince Aiden that she wasn’t really crazy. She followed him back into the kitchen. “So, how’s the baking coming?”
“Not too bad. I just wish I knew how much to make of everything.” A timer went off. Aiden opened up one of the ovens and smell of fresh banana bread drifted enticingly towards Chelsie.
“Mmmmm, does it matter too much? What we don’t sell today we can sell as day old tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, but you know my thoughts on that.” Aiden frowned at her as he put the banana bread on a rack to cool. They had argued a lot about how they would do things in their coffee house. This was one of the few arguments that she managed to win.
“Right, I’m just going to go and get the house all set up for our first of many customers.” Aiden didn’t say anything in response; he just turned his back on her and set about mixing something furiously. Chelsie tried her best not to feel snubbed. Aiden was just being Aiden. He didn’t mean anything by it.
She hung her jacket up in the office and glanced at the clock. 90 minutes till opening and there was still a lot that needed to be done. She unlocked the safe and took out the float for the till. She kicked it closed behind her as she hurried back out into the shop.
With the till ready to go she did a quick double check of the counter area to make sure that everything was in its place. She went through her mental list of everything they needed to be able to operate smoothly. It all looked good. She grabbed a couple of boxes from under the till and went to fill the island with sugar, cream, stir sticks and the like.
She gave the clock a quick glance again; an hour left till opening. They would have to fill the pastry case pretty soon. She grabbed the glass cleaner and gave the already spotless display case another wipe down. Switching bottles, she went to wipe down the tables, not willing to take a chance that she had missed a spot when she had washed them last night.
“Can I get some help in here?” Chelsie rushed to the kitchen before Aiden could even finish his question. He had already started setting the food onto platters for her to take out. She grabbed the nearest two plates and took them out to the display case.
It didn’t seem to take them long to get all the food set up and displayed properly. They both took a moment to stand back and admire the sight of all those fresh baked goodies. The warm and enticing smells from all the early morning baking just added to the moment.
“We open in five minutes. Are you ready?” Aiden placed a hand on her shoulder and she smiled up at him.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. I just hope it goes well.”
“You put the ads out, right?”
“Yup, you saw them didn’t you?” Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember if he had mentioned the ads to her before. She was sure he would have said at least something to her if he had seen them.
“I did, just wanted to remind you that if you advertised than we should get some customers today. So, do you want to do the honors or shall I?”
Chelsie didn’t even give him a chance. She dashed towards the door, unlocking it and flipping over the open sign. She grinned back at him. “Let’s do this.”
Then they waited for their first customer. A few pedestrians passed by on the street, some of them even slowing a bit to look into the new store, but no one came in. By the end of the day, they had only served four people.
Six o’clock came and Chelsie went to the door to lock it and flip the sign to closed. She looked back at Aiden, standing by the counter looking as depressed as she felt. It took a lot of effort not to break out into tears. She had sunk everything into this place.
“Four customers, four.” Her voice wavered as she said it.
“Well that could have gone better.” Aiden looked at the nearly full pastry case. “Guess I made too much.” He started taking the platters to the kitchen so he could wrap them up and sell them as day olds tomorrow. Chelsie wandered towards a chair and just kept mumbling the word four over and over to herself.
“Will you just give it a rest already and help me get this place cleaned up.” Aiden had already finished with the pastry case and Chelsie hadn’t moved from the chair. She looked up at his sharp tone of voice, her first reaction to anything since she had locked the door.
“Four, Aiden, four.”
“Yeah, I get it, I can count. Maybe tomorrow it’ll be five. Now help me get this place cleaned up.”
“Why did I do this? We are going to fail. I’ll lose everything!” A hint of a panic edged her words.
“You’ll lose everything? Remember who put up most of the finances for this. I have just as much invested in this coffee shop as you do. But we are going to fail and lose everything if we don’t at least try. So quit your moaning and get off your ass.”
Chelsie wanted to snap back at him, but he was right, like he often was. Reluctantly, she pushed herself out of the chair and went through the motions of getting the shop ready for another day. It took an hour to get everything sorted out. By the time they were finished, a heavy fog had rolled into the city.
“Need a ride home?”
Chelsie shook her head. “No, I’ll walk. I need to get some air anyway. Clear my head.”
“You sure?” Aiden frowned at her, not sure if he believed her.
“Yeah, thanks though.”
“Okay, and hey, Chels?” He waited for her to actually look at him instead of the floor. “Things will look better next week.”
“Thanks Aiden. See you tomorrow.” She watched him leave and took another look at her dream that already seemed to be disappearing before her eyes.
“You know I hate to say it, but he could be right.” Chelsie didn’t even bother to look and see where Old Walter was this time.
“I guess we’ll see won’t we? Good night Walter.”
“Good night my dear.”
Chelsie left the shop and wandered out into the fog hoping that the fresh air would clear her head. She wanted to be hopeful that things would get better, but she couldn’t help feeling a little pessimistic. Things always seemed to have a way of going wrong for her.
Maybe next week would look better.
Her legs stirred the early morning mist as she made her way across the silent street. It was chilly for September, even at this hour of the day. Chelsie barely even noticed. All she could think about was how nice everything would look in the full light of day. This place, this coffee shop, was her pride and joy; a dream that was about to become fully realized today.
She unlocked the front door and let herself into the shop. The sounds of emanating from the kitchen told Chelsie that Aiden had already arrived and was hard at work. She turned back to lock the door behind her. It was pretty unlikely that anyone would wander in at this hour, but it was better to be safe than sorry. The last thing they needed was their first customer showing up before they were even ready.
“So today is the day, is it?” Chelsie jumped a little at the unexpected voice behind her. It took her a moment to place it after being so lost in her own thoughts. She turned around to see an older gentlemen casually lounging in one of the more comfy chairs in the corner of the store.
“Walter, I didn’t see you there when I came in.” She smiled warmly at him, feeling oddly happy to see him here on the morning of the big day.
“That’s probably because I wasn’t.” He puffed on his pipe and Chelsie watched, fascinated as always, at the rising smoke as it slowly dissipated a few feet above his head. “Well, is it?”
“Is it what?” Chelsie still hadn’t quite gotten used to Old Walter yet. There was no doubt in her mind that he was friendly enough, but she had never really dealt with his kind before. And the fact that he would only ever talk to her sometimes got on her nerves. She was learning to deal with it a bit better over the last few weeks.
“Opening day, of course. I really don’t have much sense of time anymore and I just was curious to know. So, is it?”
“Yes,” Chelsie beamed, unable to contain her joy at the thought. “Today is the day. We open in just under two hours from now. I can’t wait. It’s going to be great.”
Old Walter just harrumphed, but not in response to what she had said. His attention was focused on the entrance to the kitchen. Chelsie turned just in time to see a flour-streaked Aiden standing in the doorway. She glanced back at where Old Walter was sitting and, as usual, he had already gone.
“Talking to yourself again?” Aiden frowned at her and she knew what he was thinking. The first time he had caught her talking to Old Walter she had tried to explain what was really going on. He hadn’t believed a word of it, but she suspected that he had always thought her a little crazy. After all, crazy did run in the family.
“Just a little pep talk is all.” She smiled more to try and convince Aiden that she wasn’t really crazy. She followed him back into the kitchen. “So, how’s the baking coming?”
“Not too bad. I just wish I knew how much to make of everything.” A timer went off. Aiden opened up one of the ovens and smell of fresh banana bread drifted enticingly towards Chelsie.
“Mmmmm, does it matter too much? What we don’t sell today we can sell as day old tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, but you know my thoughts on that.” Aiden frowned at her as he put the banana bread on a rack to cool. They had argued a lot about how they would do things in their coffee house. This was one of the few arguments that she managed to win.
“Right, I’m just going to go and get the house all set up for our first of many customers.” Aiden didn’t say anything in response; he just turned his back on her and set about mixing something furiously. Chelsie tried her best not to feel snubbed. Aiden was just being Aiden. He didn’t mean anything by it.
She hung her jacket up in the office and glanced at the clock. 90 minutes till opening and there was still a lot that needed to be done. She unlocked the safe and took out the float for the till. She kicked it closed behind her as she hurried back out into the shop.
With the till ready to go she did a quick double check of the counter area to make sure that everything was in its place. She went through her mental list of everything they needed to be able to operate smoothly. It all looked good. She grabbed a couple of boxes from under the till and went to fill the island with sugar, cream, stir sticks and the like.
She gave the clock a quick glance again; an hour left till opening. They would have to fill the pastry case pretty soon. She grabbed the glass cleaner and gave the already spotless display case another wipe down. Switching bottles, she went to wipe down the tables, not willing to take a chance that she had missed a spot when she had washed them last night.
“Can I get some help in here?” Chelsie rushed to the kitchen before Aiden could even finish his question. He had already started setting the food onto platters for her to take out. She grabbed the nearest two plates and took them out to the display case.
It didn’t seem to take them long to get all the food set up and displayed properly. They both took a moment to stand back and admire the sight of all those fresh baked goodies. The warm and enticing smells from all the early morning baking just added to the moment.
“We open in five minutes. Are you ready?” Aiden placed a hand on her shoulder and she smiled up at him.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. I just hope it goes well.”
“You put the ads out, right?”
“Yup, you saw them didn’t you?” Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember if he had mentioned the ads to her before. She was sure he would have said at least something to her if he had seen them.
“I did, just wanted to remind you that if you advertised than we should get some customers today. So, do you want to do the honors or shall I?”
Chelsie didn’t even give him a chance. She dashed towards the door, unlocking it and flipping over the open sign. She grinned back at him. “Let’s do this.”
Then they waited for their first customer. A few pedestrians passed by on the street, some of them even slowing a bit to look into the new store, but no one came in. By the end of the day, they had only served four people.
Six o’clock came and Chelsie went to the door to lock it and flip the sign to closed. She looked back at Aiden, standing by the counter looking as depressed as she felt. It took a lot of effort not to break out into tears. She had sunk everything into this place.
“Four customers, four.” Her voice wavered as she said it.
“Well that could have gone better.” Aiden looked at the nearly full pastry case. “Guess I made too much.” He started taking the platters to the kitchen so he could wrap them up and sell them as day olds tomorrow. Chelsie wandered towards a chair and just kept mumbling the word four over and over to herself.
“Will you just give it a rest already and help me get this place cleaned up.” Aiden had already finished with the pastry case and Chelsie hadn’t moved from the chair. She looked up at his sharp tone of voice, her first reaction to anything since she had locked the door.
“Four, Aiden, four.”
“Yeah, I get it, I can count. Maybe tomorrow it’ll be five. Now help me get this place cleaned up.”
“Why did I do this? We are going to fail. I’ll lose everything!” A hint of a panic edged her words.
“You’ll lose everything? Remember who put up most of the finances for this. I have just as much invested in this coffee shop as you do. But we are going to fail and lose everything if we don’t at least try. So quit your moaning and get off your ass.”
Chelsie wanted to snap back at him, but he was right, like he often was. Reluctantly, she pushed herself out of the chair and went through the motions of getting the shop ready for another day. It took an hour to get everything sorted out. By the time they were finished, a heavy fog had rolled into the city.
“Need a ride home?”
Chelsie shook her head. “No, I’ll walk. I need to get some air anyway. Clear my head.”
“You sure?” Aiden frowned at her, not sure if he believed her.
“Yeah, thanks though.”
“Okay, and hey, Chels?” He waited for her to actually look at him instead of the floor. “Things will look better next week.”
“Thanks Aiden. See you tomorrow.” She watched him leave and took another look at her dream that already seemed to be disappearing before her eyes.
“You know I hate to say it, but he could be right.” Chelsie didn’t even bother to look and see where Old Walter was this time.
“I guess we’ll see won’t we? Good night Walter.”
“Good night my dear.”
Chelsie left the shop and wandered out into the fog hoping that the fresh air would clear her head. She wanted to be hopeful that things would get better, but she couldn’t help feeling a little pessimistic. Things always seemed to have a way of going wrong for her.
Maybe next week would look better.
Grounds to Leaves - Teaser
Grounds to Leaves is a series of short stories that take place in a café of the same name. The café is owned and operated by Chelsie McIntyre and Aiden McAllister. They are of very opposite personalities and will often bicker over the littlest of things. However, in the end they usually manage to find some common ground.
The stories that you will find in the Grounds to Leaves series will contain a cast of our two main characters, their resident ghost Old Walter - that only Chelsie can see, their oddball employee Chloë - the gothic hippie, Jack - the smart (and smartass) punk, Ashleigh - the shopaholic, and a rotating cast of colourful regulars.
So come on by, have a cuppa on the house and enjoy the show.
Grounds to Leaves was created and written by myself, Crystal L. Kirkham with special thanks to my writing friend, A.D. Reimer, for all the creative input and encouragement!
The stories that you will find in the Grounds to Leaves series will contain a cast of our two main characters, their resident ghost Old Walter - that only Chelsie can see, their oddball employee Chloë - the gothic hippie, Jack - the smart (and smartass) punk, Ashleigh - the shopaholic, and a rotating cast of colourful regulars.
So come on by, have a cuppa on the house and enjoy the show.
Grounds to Leaves was created and written by myself, Crystal L. Kirkham with special thanks to my writing friend, A.D. Reimer, for all the creative input and encouragement!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Subject Twelve
He threw his arm over this face, trying to block out the odd yellow-green light that was trying to wake him. He stretched slightly and grimaced at the pain in his back. The ground was softer than he was used to, but it was no real bed. A screeching from deep within the jungle brought him fully awake in amazement. He blinked as he looked around at the strange plants that surrounded him.
“How the…” he stared, mouth hanging open. He could have sworn that he had been in a city when he fell asleep. A crashing sound brought his neck snapping around towards the direction the sound had come from. He saw nothing, but his nerves felt on edge. Carefully, he stood up. He felt better in this position, but not much.
He stared around bewildered for a moment. Nothing made sense. This jungle was alien to him. He had travelled before; although it seemed like another lifetime ago. He remembered visiting the rainforests of Brazil and the damp remote wilderness of northern British Columbia. He could distinctly remember the long sticky days he spent in the jungles of Thailand. This wasn’t like anything he had ever seen. This wasn’t Earth.
The realisation hit him slowly as stood there, trying to stare in every direction at once. Something fluttered lightly past his face and he jumped back startled. He watched the thing land on a bright purple flower. He decided not to stare at it for too long, it made him nervous. It reminded him of nothing he had ever seen or imagined before.
He could feel himself starting to hyperventilate, the beginnings of hysteria starting to set in. He didn’t want to close his eyes on this alien world, but he had to calm down. Freaking out would get him nowhere. Cautiously, he closed his eyes and focussed on bringing himself to a calm centre; slowing his breathing until it was normal again.
With a refreshed and calmer mind, he looked at his surroundings again. As he really began to take in this alien world he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was just not right. He looked around again, really trying to examine every aspect of every little thing. It was without a doubt very alien, but there was something that he couldn’t quite identify that made it all seem a little off.
His contemplation of this was cut short by another loud crashing sound. This time the sound was much closer. He tilted his head to try and listen more carefully in the direction the sound had come from. The thought of dangerous predators passed through his mind. He had no idea what to expect. He could feel the hysteria he had fought off so successfully earlier creeping in on him again.
He jumped as the sound came closer still. He glanced into the dark forbidding forest and hesitated. He didn’t want to begin an aimless run in these alien forests for no reason. He tried to reassure himself that there was nothing to be scared of yet. For all he knew, it was a large fluffy bunny crashing through the jungle. He tried to tell himself this, but he didn’t believe it. He edged closer to the other side of the small clearing.
A sharp…something…poked him in the back and he jumped forward a bit. He glanced backwards at whatever had poked him. At the same time he realized that a small part of him was holding out for this all to be a dream. The pain in his back convinced this small part to give up all hope on the dream idea.
With a final crash the creature that he had been listening for appeared on the other side of the clearing. There was no doubt in his mind that this was a predator of some sort. From its sharp claws to its vicious teeth, it screamed dangerous. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up.
Its seven beady eyes stared straight at him. He felt locked in its gaze, unable to move. Thankfully, the creature didn’t move either; it just stood there examining him. A drop of drool fell from its gaping maw onto the ground below, yellowing the plants that it fell on.
After what seemed an eternity the creature emitted a strangled mew followed by a menacing snarl. It took a step forward. That was all it took to break the hold terror had upon his body. With no second thoughts, he turned and ran blindly into jungle. He didn’t have to guess at whether or not the alien beast was pursuing him; he could hear it crashing through the foliage behind him.
As hard as he ran, he was sure the crashing sound behind him was getting closer. He could feel his feet getting heavier with every step and his breath was coming in ragged, painful gasps. He couldn’t keep running much longer. It was only the thought of dying on this alien planet that kept him moving.
The ground in front of him sloped slightly upwards and try as he might he couldn’t lift his feet any further. He fell forward, barely having the strength to put his hands out to catch himself. He lay there, curled in a foetal position from the pain in his sides. Tears stung at his eyes as he listened to the beast come closer. He prayed for a quick ending.
The crashing stopped suddenly. The silence was deafening. It was at that point that he realized what had been bothering him earlier. There was no background noise. Every place he had ever been had been filled with all sorts of noises. This jungle was virtually silent. It was eerie.
The strangled mewing began, it sounded as though the creature was right behind him. He didn’t want to look, but he found himself turning his head ever so slowing in the direction of the mewing. He found himself face to teeth with the creature. He started to tremble uncontrollably. Each tooth was nearly as long as his head.
It mewed at him again and a drop of drool dripped onto his head. He could feel it burning him like acid. He didn’t want to scream, but he couldn’t hold his tongue. It was almost more moan than scream, but it was enough to set the creature off. He felt the giant claws tear through his core, skewering him. He didn’t even have time to scream before it all went dark.
********
“Well he isn’t dead,” Arro looked up from her computer with a small smile. “It’s an improvement.”
“Yes, it is.”
Arro looked sharply at Dr. Kline. The tone in his voice was not what she had expected. “Are you not happy with the results sir?”
Dr. Kline sighed as he started to disconnect the wires from the body on the table. “It’s not that I’m not happy, but I was really hoping we had worked the kinks out this time.”
“It’s not perfect yet, but we’re closer. He’s only comatose. He’s the first one not to die.” Arro tried to sound as confident as she wished her boss would sound. “There’s bound to be a few setbacks in any new tech. I’m sure we’ll be better next time ‘round. The data is promising.”
“Yes, I’m sure it will be.” Dr. Kline still sounded uncommitted as he walked over to examine the data on Arro’s computer. He was silent for a moment and then he smiled.
“Ah, looks like we still have to develop a more than just the interface. Look at this.”
Arro leaned forward to concentrate on the data that Dr. Kline was looking at. The readings were quite specific. The subject had identified something being out of sorts in the programme.
“We’ll need to watch the video review to see if we can identify the source of unreality. Of course, though, we need to improve the interface first. I would like to have a surviving subject to interview.” Dr. Kline walked away, mumbling under his breath. He stopped just before he reached the door.
“Oh, and have the cleaning crew dispose of this subject. He’ll be of no further use to us.” Without waiting for a response, Dr. Kline left.
With a sigh Arro sent off an email request for the removal to the cleaning crew with instructions on where to dump the body. She walked over to the body and took a look at him.
“Well subject twelve, you were good while it lasted. Now it’s time to go looking for subject thirteen.” Arro turned back to her computer at the same time the cleaning crew arrived. She smiled politely at them as they entered the room and then proceeded to ignore them.
“This virtual reality project is a virtual pain in the butt,” one of them muttered to the other as they hefted the body onto the cart they had brought with them. Arro pretended not to have heard them. The other member of the cleaning crew laughed at the joke.
“Yeah, but it’ll make all of us rich.”
“How the…” he stared, mouth hanging open. He could have sworn that he had been in a city when he fell asleep. A crashing sound brought his neck snapping around towards the direction the sound had come from. He saw nothing, but his nerves felt on edge. Carefully, he stood up. He felt better in this position, but not much.
He stared around bewildered for a moment. Nothing made sense. This jungle was alien to him. He had travelled before; although it seemed like another lifetime ago. He remembered visiting the rainforests of Brazil and the damp remote wilderness of northern British Columbia. He could distinctly remember the long sticky days he spent in the jungles of Thailand. This wasn’t like anything he had ever seen. This wasn’t Earth.
The realisation hit him slowly as stood there, trying to stare in every direction at once. Something fluttered lightly past his face and he jumped back startled. He watched the thing land on a bright purple flower. He decided not to stare at it for too long, it made him nervous. It reminded him of nothing he had ever seen or imagined before.
He could feel himself starting to hyperventilate, the beginnings of hysteria starting to set in. He didn’t want to close his eyes on this alien world, but he had to calm down. Freaking out would get him nowhere. Cautiously, he closed his eyes and focussed on bringing himself to a calm centre; slowing his breathing until it was normal again.
With a refreshed and calmer mind, he looked at his surroundings again. As he really began to take in this alien world he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was just not right. He looked around again, really trying to examine every aspect of every little thing. It was without a doubt very alien, but there was something that he couldn’t quite identify that made it all seem a little off.
His contemplation of this was cut short by another loud crashing sound. This time the sound was much closer. He tilted his head to try and listen more carefully in the direction the sound had come from. The thought of dangerous predators passed through his mind. He had no idea what to expect. He could feel the hysteria he had fought off so successfully earlier creeping in on him again.
He jumped as the sound came closer still. He glanced into the dark forbidding forest and hesitated. He didn’t want to begin an aimless run in these alien forests for no reason. He tried to reassure himself that there was nothing to be scared of yet. For all he knew, it was a large fluffy bunny crashing through the jungle. He tried to tell himself this, but he didn’t believe it. He edged closer to the other side of the small clearing.
A sharp…something…poked him in the back and he jumped forward a bit. He glanced backwards at whatever had poked him. At the same time he realized that a small part of him was holding out for this all to be a dream. The pain in his back convinced this small part to give up all hope on the dream idea.
With a final crash the creature that he had been listening for appeared on the other side of the clearing. There was no doubt in his mind that this was a predator of some sort. From its sharp claws to its vicious teeth, it screamed dangerous. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up.
Its seven beady eyes stared straight at him. He felt locked in its gaze, unable to move. Thankfully, the creature didn’t move either; it just stood there examining him. A drop of drool fell from its gaping maw onto the ground below, yellowing the plants that it fell on.
After what seemed an eternity the creature emitted a strangled mew followed by a menacing snarl. It took a step forward. That was all it took to break the hold terror had upon his body. With no second thoughts, he turned and ran blindly into jungle. He didn’t have to guess at whether or not the alien beast was pursuing him; he could hear it crashing through the foliage behind him.
As hard as he ran, he was sure the crashing sound behind him was getting closer. He could feel his feet getting heavier with every step and his breath was coming in ragged, painful gasps. He couldn’t keep running much longer. It was only the thought of dying on this alien planet that kept him moving.
The ground in front of him sloped slightly upwards and try as he might he couldn’t lift his feet any further. He fell forward, barely having the strength to put his hands out to catch himself. He lay there, curled in a foetal position from the pain in his sides. Tears stung at his eyes as he listened to the beast come closer. He prayed for a quick ending.
The crashing stopped suddenly. The silence was deafening. It was at that point that he realized what had been bothering him earlier. There was no background noise. Every place he had ever been had been filled with all sorts of noises. This jungle was virtually silent. It was eerie.
The strangled mewing began, it sounded as though the creature was right behind him. He didn’t want to look, but he found himself turning his head ever so slowing in the direction of the mewing. He found himself face to teeth with the creature. He started to tremble uncontrollably. Each tooth was nearly as long as his head.
It mewed at him again and a drop of drool dripped onto his head. He could feel it burning him like acid. He didn’t want to scream, but he couldn’t hold his tongue. It was almost more moan than scream, but it was enough to set the creature off. He felt the giant claws tear through his core, skewering him. He didn’t even have time to scream before it all went dark.
********
“Well he isn’t dead,” Arro looked up from her computer with a small smile. “It’s an improvement.”
“Yes, it is.”
Arro looked sharply at Dr. Kline. The tone in his voice was not what she had expected. “Are you not happy with the results sir?”
Dr. Kline sighed as he started to disconnect the wires from the body on the table. “It’s not that I’m not happy, but I was really hoping we had worked the kinks out this time.”
“It’s not perfect yet, but we’re closer. He’s only comatose. He’s the first one not to die.” Arro tried to sound as confident as she wished her boss would sound. “There’s bound to be a few setbacks in any new tech. I’m sure we’ll be better next time ‘round. The data is promising.”
“Yes, I’m sure it will be.” Dr. Kline still sounded uncommitted as he walked over to examine the data on Arro’s computer. He was silent for a moment and then he smiled.
“Ah, looks like we still have to develop a more than just the interface. Look at this.”
Arro leaned forward to concentrate on the data that Dr. Kline was looking at. The readings were quite specific. The subject had identified something being out of sorts in the programme.
“We’ll need to watch the video review to see if we can identify the source of unreality. Of course, though, we need to improve the interface first. I would like to have a surviving subject to interview.” Dr. Kline walked away, mumbling under his breath. He stopped just before he reached the door.
“Oh, and have the cleaning crew dispose of this subject. He’ll be of no further use to us.” Without waiting for a response, Dr. Kline left.
With a sigh Arro sent off an email request for the removal to the cleaning crew with instructions on where to dump the body. She walked over to the body and took a look at him.
“Well subject twelve, you were good while it lasted. Now it’s time to go looking for subject thirteen.” Arro turned back to her computer at the same time the cleaning crew arrived. She smiled politely at them as they entered the room and then proceeded to ignore them.
“This virtual reality project is a virtual pain in the butt,” one of them muttered to the other as they hefted the body onto the cart they had brought with them. Arro pretended not to have heard them. The other member of the cleaning crew laughed at the joke.
“Yeah, but it’ll make all of us rich.”
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