They sat in their chairs, each naked save for a pair of black high heels.  The lack of clothing made the heat radiating from a brick pizza oven easier to bear.  And of course the waitstaff had no complaints.

The restaurant was legendary, a place where one could sample exotic dishes offered nowhere else.  Diners and critics alike were known to insinuate that there was something unusual about its menu.

The waiter brought out the main course.  She was obviously drugged, bound at her wrists and ankles.  Her movements were sluggish as he prodded her across the dining room.

He set their feast down on the table, and they dismissed him.  The main course lay there, feminine and vulnerable, ready to sate their hunger. 

The women sat in silence.  “How do we do this?” one asked after a moment.

“I don’t know,” said another.  I’ve never eaten pussy before.” (149/149)

Behind the Scenes

I wrote this story in about twenty minutes on Wednesday evening.  The prompt photo didn’t exactly speak to me; I found myself scrambling to come up with an idea as I didn’t think I would have an internet connection at all on Thursday.  Even when the idea came to me I was convinced that it was the least unique idea imaginable.  Still, I went with it.  I note that it’s a bit unclear as to what exactly is occurring in my story, though that is due to the fact that the picture itself is unclear.  Are they going to actually cannibalize the woman on the table?  Or are they, as is stated in the final line, planning to perform cunnilingus on her?  If so, what’s with the silverware?

Among the parameters for this week’s Flash Fiction Friday challenge was a word range of 145-149.  I always find such a range particularly challenging; anyone can write a story that is 149 words or less, but it takes precision to write a story that must fall within such a tight bracket.  Additionally, this week’s required word was “…insinuate…”  Not “…insinuation…” or even “…insinuated…”  Unlike most weeks, I remembered to include the required word, but found it very difficult to do so.  The verbiage about diners and critics being “known to insinuate” was a direct result of the required tense; had the word been “…insinuated…” I could have gone with “diners and critics alike insinuated…”

I realize that the brick structure in the background of the photo is clearly a fireplace, but I chose to make it a pizza oven.  Despite the fact that no restaurant that I know of has a pizza oven in a location other than the kitchen, but I thought it drove home the point that this is a very unusual restaurant, and not some sort of BDSM dungeon.  Incidentally, “A Very Unusual Restaurant” was the original title of this story.

Deleted Scenes

Despite my story’s lack of substance, I found the 149-word maximum a bit limiting, and because of this I had to trim about fifteen words to make the limit.  Additionally, while the story was still underway I pre-emptively excised the following passage in order to make room for the second paragraph containing the required word.

They stared at the empty oak tabletop, anticipating their feast.  One of the women impatiently tapped her silverware against the surface.  The service wasn’t slow; on the contrary, their waiter was very attentive.  But their anticipation was great.

Soundtrack

As Billy Joel is one of her favorite artists, Jill will probably never forgive me for going with “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant”.  It was the first song that came to mind.

Programming Note

We’ll be out of town next week, and may or may not have internet access.  While I will make every effort to participate in Flash Fiction Friday on July 20, if we don’t it’s because we’re unable, not because we’ve in any way lost interest in the meme.