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A large, muscular and perfectly manicured hand landed on her shoulder and Ginger beamed happily down at the ghoul, "Why perfect timing, young miss! You just step on with me into the kitchens now, that's a dear."

The kitchens were sparkling clean, but strange rattling, growling, and scratching sounds could be heard coming from every which direction. "Now, you may be askin yerself, 'What's a lunchlady doin, givin an exam an the like, eh?' Well, jess so ya know, me n' the headmistress go back quite aways. Why we were just a couple o' little ghouls just startin out in the Academy ourselves, jess like ya are now. So if'n anybody knows a bit about what makes a student get all progressin' like, it's ol' Ginger, right before yer eyes, ya ken?"

"Atta ghoul!" With a cheerful pat on the gryphon's shoulder, Ginger went to grab a coat and hat, "Now, I wouldna have jess any student handle this, but yer a gryphon, and they're a sort ya can trust with jess bout anythin' I reckon." She gave Tahki a measuring glance, and continued, "Ya got a good look in yer eye, lass. I believe you'll do fine, jess fine."

The lunchlady went to a large metal door, and opened it a crack, "Now, in here we have today's lunch..." High pitched screeching and excited but unintelligible chattering could be heard before she slammed it shut again and locked the door. "Now...the key," she held it up, "...I'll be trustin you with it." Handing it to the gryphon, she continued, "I 'av to go to market today, there's a festival comin up an well....I'll jess say fish is at a premium at the moment. So ol' Ginger has to get what she can while she can. But well...the gnomes sneak snack when I set them to watch over my cute lil jollies, an I can't ask another faculty member, so I'm trustin, you lil miss."

Straightening her hat, she gave Tahki one last pat on the shoulder, "Yer test is to guard an protect the other student's lunches, I'll be back in a short bit." And with that, Tahki was alone. In the kitchen. And the noises started growing louder, particularly the ones coming from behind that door.

The sounds behind the door grew louder and louder. A thumping sound began, along with tiny screams.

The thumping grew louder. The screams continued.


THUMP.



And then...silence.







A small trickle of blood began to leak out from the bottom of the door.

From behind the door came two distinct sounds. The first was the soft, furtive scratching of something try to very quietly get the hell away. The second...was the sound of someone...something, eating.

The scratching was interrupted by another high-pitched scream. The sounds of eating intensified.

At her voice the sounds of eating paused, and a snuffling sound could be heard from behind the door. And then...thump! THUMP! THUMP!



The metal door burst open, and out of it bounced seven little jolly meals, screaming and crying. They raced to the gryphon, and hid behind her, crying pathetically. A few moments, later...something much larger shuffled out of the doorway...

























For a moment it stared at the ghoul, and then it coughed up three bloody little lunch boxes. Then it fixed its gaze on the seven remaining. For the three lunches...Tahki was too late. But as the other seven shivered and wailed behind her, she still had a chance to save (most of) lunch!