Quote:
Who knew fruit cake could be so good? A local bakery claims to have perfected their recipe and is giving away free samples. The good news? It’s delicious. The bad news? A few hours after ingestion, something strange kicks in. Suddenly, everything seems so colorful and bright. The music sounds so much better, everything tastes so much better—and then, it stops, and everything is an awful blend of everything. Lights are too bright, smells and tastes are overwhelming, music sounds like noise. You’re sick enough to throw up everything in your stomach—which is good, because within a few hours of that you finally start to feel normal again.
Word count: 538 words
"Dad... Dad, gross."
The pink-haired boy crinkled his nose when his father hefted the far too large cube onto the dinner table. It was common practice for the Dawson family to eat dessert together, but considering how busy Rigel had been lately, Caelum shrugged it off as long as his father showed him what they would be having. His mind twisted to disgust that his father chose fruit cake for their sweet that evening.
"Oh, Cae, don't say that," Rigel said. "It's just fruit cake."
"That's the thing, dad, I hate fruit cake." Caelum crossed his arms over his chest. "You can't expect me to eat that."
"But it's festive!"
"It's a lump of gross."
Rigel sighed. "Well, someone at work told me this fruit cake's great, so that's why I picked it up. You don't have to eat it, but doesn't hurt to give it a try, yea?" Caelum shifted uncomfortably. "I would stay and talk more, but I have some stuff to type up." Rigel patted the cake. "This'll be here if you want it."
Caelum continued to glare daggers at the cake as if it dishonored the last fourteen generations of his family by simply existing. He thought fruit cake tasted awful, but when he thought back to his father's offer to simply try it, he shifted again.
Okay, maybe one bite won't hurt.
Rising from his seat and grabbing a knife, Caelum peeled back the cellophane wrap on the dessert and cut off a thin slice. Rising it before his face, he narrowed red eyes at it, before holding his breath and stuffing it entirely into his mouth. He didn't taste; just chewed and swallowed. It hit the bottom of his stomach like a rock.
The cake sat in his stomach for hours, leaving the boy with little opinion of it. However, soon, the world appeared... brighter? Lighter? More Christmas-y? The boy hadn't felt this jaunty in years! He even stopped by his father's office and flashed him a beaming smile.
"Hey, dad! You were right!" he said. "The fruit cake was fantastic!"
Rigel chuckled heartily. "I'm glad you gave it a try, son."
Then... the euphoria stopped. Like a sack of bricks thrown to his head, Caelum reeled when all of the sensations of the world came crashing in on him. His head whirled, spinning him about to the point he headed for the bathroom and emptied the contents of his dinner and lunch. Snarling, Caelum knew it was too good to be true!
He marched to the kitchen and snatched the lump of gross off the dinner table. He dunked it into the garbage can and dusted his hands clean, feeling as if he rid a curse from his very own home. Honestly, no matter how much youma he dusted, how many Negas he drove away, what fights against Chaos overall he survived, nothing compared to throwing that fruit cake in the trash where it belonged.
Suddenly, Rigel emerged from the hallway and peered at his son. "Caelum, where's the fruit cake? I wanted a piece."
Caelum clammed up and turned about to his father. "U-uh... I, uh, ate it all?"
