Dinner with Death

The last guest arrived five minutes late, making a spectacle of herself. She was soaked from the flash rain-storm, that seemed to appear from nowhere. The other guests let out a collective sigh. They had been wondering who was hosting this dinner party. The butler removed her jacket and ushered the six of them into the dining room. The rectangular table was made of beautiful mahogany. There were place settings for all six guests. Fine crystal flutes, exquisite porcelain plates, beautiful silverware from the 18th century, and the most stunning linen napkins.

A chair was pulled out for each guest to sit upon by the butler. He pushed in there chairs and placed a napkin in their laps. He opened two bottles of Champagne and filled each glass. He then headed to the kitchen for the first course. As the butler exited the dining room, a conversation between the guests started. The man wearing the green dinner jacket turned to the woman who arrived late and said "Well it was nice of you to join us, especially since you invited us all here. Though I do wonder why I was invited, I do not even know you". Before she could respond the butler entered with a tray in hand. He had six plates of the first course. This course consisted if a salad with wild greens, tomato, red onions, olives, feta, and a homemade raspberry vinaigrette. He placed one plate in front of each person. The lady who had arrived late asked for a glass of water to accompany her first course. He nodded to her and walked back out to the kitchen. The guests began to eat their salad. It had a bit of a tangy taste to it, manners dictated that they not speak while consuming their food. The man in the green jacket seemed to savor each bite though he still looked towards the woman who has arrived late for an answer. As she finished a bite, she took a sip of her water cleansing her palate.

She looked at the man in the green dinner jacket and replied "I believe it is your importance that commanded and invitation for you for this dinner, just as it is for each of us here". Each of the guests, the woman who arrived late, the man in the green dinner jacket, the other two women, and the other two gentlemen sipped from their glasses frequently to clear the built-up tangy flavor from their mouths. They each looked from one to another as they finished the course. The butler soon arrived to clear their plates. He refilled the flutes with champagne. Again the woman who was late declined and she asked her water to be refilled. The butler cleared the plates and left the dining room. There was an awkward silence while the guests waited for the return of the butler.

Some fiddled with their silverware, some twirled their flutes, others shifted their eyes around the room. The door to the dining room opened and carrying a tray with six plates and a fresh glass of water was the butler. He walked in confidently, balancing the tray perfectly. He served each guest. He replaced the full glass of water for the empty glass, then left the room. The second course was a medium-rare filet mignon wrapped in bacon and cooked in garlic butter sauce. It was accompanied by sauteed prawns, steamed broccoli, and twice mashed potatoes. The flavors were rich and earthy. The conversation was stilted as the food was eaten. It started to seem no one knew one another.

The man in the green dinner jacket realized he knew none of the other guests, as did the woman who arrived late. Each person one by one came to this same realization but said nothing. They had assumed they each were the only ones, so each person enjoyed the delectable food and drank the champagne. As the plates began to empty the guest began to get full. Some of them seemed to have eaten themselves to the point of exhaustion. Their eyes began getting heavy and some blinked rapidly to keep theirs open. The butler came in again to clear plates. He did so quickly and left the room. Re-entering quickly he had the third course for the guests. He noticed that most of them were trying not to nod off. He smiled knowing a good meal can have that effect on people. He served them all chocolate lava cakes. He placed one in front of each of them and refilled the champagne one last time. The woman drinking water declined and again asked for a refill of her water. The butler nodded with a smile and left the dining room.

The guests each took a bite of the dessert. This opened the top and they could see the liquid fudge in the middle. One by one they guests dropped face-first into the cakes. All except the woman who had arrived late. She looked around in shock. At the moment the butler entered with her glass of water. Looking around he walked to the woman and set the glass in front of her. She asked, "What's wrong with them?" The butler merely replied, "I once hear we begin to die the moment we are born, but it accelerates during dinner parties." He then winked at her, turned on his heel, and walked out the door.

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