Saturday, July 11, 2009

Entry #46

Eating Out
by Mithun Mukherjee


It was just another night.

"Two glasses of Chardonnay please", one of them ordered. He was dressed in a white suit, a white tie, his eyes exuding brilliance almost unearthly. His blond hair almost shone.

"Not very angelic...” the other guy mused. He had long hair and was rather peacefully dressed. The calm on his seemed to echo the solitude of centuries. He looked weary.

The waiter placed two flute glasses filled with a clear liquid which bubbled slightly. "To humanity", they chorused and moved the glasses towards their pressed lips. And then it happened.

The glass in the hands of the long-haired guy started humming and vibrating softly. Bubbles rose from below and burst on the surface in a soft hiss of expensive wine spray. The color of the liquid started slowly dancing, almost psychedelic, changing into a fine azure. The other guy stared with a look of resignation over his face. It finally rested, a glass of crimson, peacefully settled on the white tablecloth.

During the commotion, the guy in the white suit had managed to get up and slowly move behind his partner. He nudged and they slipped out of the restaurant, leaving behind a startled waiter staring at a wine-glass filled with clear blood on an expensive white table cloth.

They walked on the road outside, dim street light streaming at their faces. Finally the guy in the white suit spoke,

"Don’t you think it ought to be the other way round?"

16 comments:

laughingwolf said...

nice take :)

Laurel said...

Unexpected. Nice description of transubstantiation and funny last line!

Anonymous said...

(I think I missed the transubstantiation bit.)

I love the way you described the chardonnay changing, though I was thrown for a minute because I don't think chardonnay is served in flute glasses. And the "long-haired guy" and "other guy" confused me a little.

I"m only nitpicking because I really loved it, I loved how low-key the tone is, I loved your take on the prompt!

Chris Eldin said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chris Eldin said...

Great twist!! Clever and creative!

JR's Thumbprints said...

Interesting reversal here. I'm reminded of Jason's "Running Wind" contest where someone wrote a story about a motorcycle that traveled in reverse. But I digress. I was uneasy at the beginning of the story, wondering about the beverage placed in front of them, however, I was completely satisfied with the end result.

Aniket Thakkar said...

Very creative.

You painted a detailed picture of the whole scene.

Catherine Vibert said...

I like the transubstantiation bit too. I had to wonder which one was Jesus! I must admit to some question at the end of exactly what was going on, who was who, and why, so it seemed like a great opening bit to a longer story.

Tessa said...

Original and complex. I enjoyed the conundrum.

BernardL said...

I had a good time reading this a couple times. :)

PJD said...

God and Jesus walk into a restaurant and order two glasses of Chardonnay... sounds like the start of a joke you might overhear one Palo Alto person tell another at a wine tasting in Sonoma. I guess when you're omnipotent, it's the simple pleasure of a minor prank that makes eternity bearable.

Scribblers Inc said...

@ All: Thank you for some great feed back...a high five to Jason for organising something that brings together such great talent from all corners of the globe. Its an honor to feature as an entry amount such lofty entrants!!

wishes
Scribblers Inc.
mithunmukherjee.blogspot.com

Sarah Laurenson said...

Really enjoyed this.

JaneyV said...

Very nice take on the prompt. I love the angle (oops - nearly wrote 'angel' there) that you went for.

Jade L Blackwater said...

Nicely written - love the punchline.

Anonymous said...

Sorry he couldn't have his wine. Perhaps it doesn't agree with angels.

High marks for pacing.