Thursday, March 7, 2013

It Came From the Kitchen (Part 2)



The next morning, Donald woke up from hearing a knocking noise, the noise got louder, faster and harder.
            “There’s that noise again,” Donald said to himself as he got up from bed and ran into the dining room in his pajamas.
            “Donny, open the door,” Victoria yelled as she knocked on the front door.
Donald looked towards the front door and shook his head in disbelief.
            “Donny, open this door, its freezing out here,” Victoria yelled as she continued to knock.
Donald went and opened the door for Victoria, he yawned and scratched his head as he did.
            “Don’t yawn in my face,” Victoria shouted.
            “I just got out of bed,” Donald replied.
            “Well then go wash up,” Victoria said as she entered the house. “I hope you cleaned the plates and ran the dishwasher?”
            “I did, they are all clean now.”
            “Good, while you are taking a shower, I’ll empty the dishwasher.” Victoria said annoyingly.
            “Alright” Donald said as he went into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Victoria walked into the kitchen and saw the empty ginger ale can on the counter and shook her head. She opened the dishwasher and saw that it was empty.
            “I thought he ran a load of dishes,” she said to herself in bewilderment. She stared at the empty dishwasher and yelled, “Donny, I thought you ran the dishwasher?”
Donald could not hear Victoria as he was in the shower and the water spraying out muffled any outside noises. Victoria waited for a response but did not hear any. She looked at the dishwasher again and pulled out the top tray. She jumped back as she noticed the skeleton skull glass in it.
            “Creepy fucking mug. I told him to get rid of it and he fucking washes it,” she yelled as she quickly picked up the glass and placed it on the counter. “He is going to hear it from me once he gets out of that shower.”
Victoria bent down and grabbed the dishwasher door, as she did, the dishwasher door closed itself on her as if the door was a mouth chewing. Victoria screamed with each time the door closed on her until she was dead. The door repeated the chewing action until Victoria’s body disappeared. Donald finished in the shower and did not hear what happened to Victoria. He got out of the washroom, put on some fresh clothes and went into the kitchen.
            “Hey Victoria, do you want anything for breakfast?” he said out loud. Donald waited a few seconds for a response but did not hear one. “Victoria, you want something for breakfast?” He said again and still did not get a reply.
Donald looked on the counter and saw the skull glass, “she probably left from seeing the glass again,” he thought to himself.
Donald ran to the foyer and noticed that Victoria’s shoes, purse and jacket were still there. He looked all over the house and did not find her. Finally, he walked back to the kitchen perplexed.
            “Where could she have gone?” he said to himself.
Suddenly, the dishwasher door opened slowly, not paying attention, Donald closed the door. The door opened again, Donald looked at it and thought he did not close it properly the first time. He closed the door again and made sure it was closed well. He looked at the dishwasher and the door opened slowly. Donald looked on in confusion, he bent down, grabbed the door and noticed something shiny hanging from the top tray. He pulled out the shiny object and noticed that it was Victoria’s necklace that he gave her on their second anniversary of being together.  Donald pulled out the top tray and noticed that there was a red cloth in the tray. He lifted the red cloth and realized that it was Victoria’s shirt with blood stain on it.
            “What in the hell is going on here?” Donald said out loud to himself as he looked at the skull glass on the counter. “What happened here?”
The dishwasher opened and closed its door a couple of times.
            “The dishwasher is alive?” Donald questioned.
            “And talks,” the dishwasher said.
            “And talks,” Donald said before he jumped in fear and ran across the room.
            “Donald, no need to worry, the bitch is gone,” the dishwasher said.
            “You killed her,” Donald said.
            “I know, isn’t it amazing,” the dishwasher responded.
            “I’m calling the cops,” Donald said firmly.
            “For what?” the dishwasher questioned.
            “You KILLED Victoria.”
            “Donny, I thought we were friends, you decided to keep me.”
            “What? Oh who cares, you are going to jail.”
            “Fine, call the police and tell them your talking dishwasher killed your girlfriend.”
Donald looked at the phone and then back at the dishwasher. He stopped dialing, closed the phone and placed it back onto the receiver.
            “Change of heart Donny?” the dishwasher asked.
            “No. The police are going to think I’m some kind of deranged psycho if I were to say my talking dishwasher killed my girlfriend. They would probably pin it on me.”
Donald looked at the dishwasher distraught. He slumped down into a chair and placed his hands upon his face.
            “Something troubling you Donny?” the dishwasher asked.
            “Yeah, I own a talking killing dishwasher, and stop calling me Donny, that what Victoria called me and I hated it.”
            “Alright Don but look on the bright side, you now have a friend that will kill for you and wash your dishes.”
            “A dream come true,” Donald said sarcastically. “Could this day just get any better?”
The phone began to ring.
            “Hello?” Donald answered.
            “Donald buddy, it’s Tommy. How are things?” Tommy said over the phone.
            “Oh you know, it could suck,” Donald said looking at the dishwasher.
            “Oh, I get it some vacuum humor,” Tommy forced laughed. “Listen, we have another convention coming up and I want to make sure you are fully prepared for it. So, I will be over tonight.”
            “Look Tom, the convention is not for another three weeks, couldn’t we…”
            “Woah Donald, the convention is like the Superbowl and I need to impress a bunch of people, so, I can make the money. So, I would need you to not suck like you did in Vegas. Not suck, get it? Vacuum humor.” Tommy said laughing hysterically over his own joke.
            “Yeah I get it.” Donald answered.
            “I’m coming over tonight, make a wonderful pasta dinner and be prepared to be Tom-vac. Get it? Another vacuum joke, I am on fire with these.”
            “Yeah I get it.”
            “Great, I will see you tonight and make sure Victoria is there, she is always a sweet heart.” Tommy said as he hung up the phone.
            “Great, that’s all I need now. Some asshole coming over and hoping Victoria will be here.” Donald said to himself.
            “Want me to dispose of the asshole?” the dishwasher asked.
            “Ohhh no, you killed once already and you won’t kill ever again.” Donald said.
            “What is that supposed to mean?” the dishwasher asked.
            “I am going to get an expert.”
Donald ran into his office and turned on his laptop. Once, it was on and working, he went onto the internet and typed in paranormal experts in the Brampton area. He managed to find one that fit his liking, it was Frank Spangler, a well-known investigator into the supernatural. He got onto the phone and dialed the phone number that was listed on Frank’s website.
            “Hi Frank Spangler, investigator into the supernatural. How can I help you?” Frank Spangler answered.
            “Hi Frank. My name is Donald and I have a problem with my dishwasher.” Donald said.
            “Listen buddy, I am a real investigator of supernatural. I am not some mechanic that fixes dishwashers and I do not appreciate crank calls.”
            “No, no my dishwasher talks.” Donald said quickly.
            “It talks?” Frank gained interest in the call.
            “Yeah and it also kills.”
            “Talks and kills? That’s very interesting. You are not pulling my leg are you?”
            “I’m not. Who would make up a story like that?”
            “Weirdos and psychopaths who want my attention and teenagers who like to play crank calls.”
            “Oh, well, I can assure you I do not fall in any of those categories.” Donald reassured him.
            “Alright. When did you notice that your dishwasher started to talk and kill?”
            “This morning.”
            “It did not do this before?”
            “Right, it was just a normal dishwasher,” Donald answered.
            “Before it talked and killed, do you remember the last thing you did to it?” Frank asked.
            “Yeah, I set it to wash a load of dishes.”
            “Did you place the dishes in any different way that you would place them?”
            “What does that have to do with anything?” Donald asked.
            “I need to know whether or not you positioned the dishes differently simply because the way you place the dishes could have opened some kind of portal that could have…”
            “Are you serious?” Donald asked.
            “Do you want my help or not?” Frank asked.
            “I do. I do.”
            “So, then answer my question. Did you position the dishes differently then you normally would?”
            “No. I just placed the dishes into the dishwasher and then placed this souvenir skull glass I bought and then set it run.”
            “Did you say a skull glass?” Frank asked.
            “I know. I know. Weird but I thought it was cool…”
            “So you did. Alright. Don’t do anything. I am coming over tonight.” Frank took down Donald’s address and then hung up the phone.

Come back next week for Part 3 of IT CAME FROM THE KITCHEN

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

It Came From the Kitchen (Part 1)


Donald Nada, a 28 year old vacuum parts salesman, turned the key in the lock and opened the door to his raised bungalow home, tossing his bags into the foyer.
“It’s good to be home,” he said to an empty house out loud.
Walking to the kitchen to get a glass of water, Donald noticed the blinking light on the answering machine and pressed play.
            “Hi Donny, it’s me. I’m just picking up some egg foo young from Chicken & Balls for dinner and will come over. See you soon,” a woman’s voice said over the machine.
That woman’s voice was Victoria Shelley, Donald’s girlfriend for three years. Even though she was his girlfriend, she occasionally flirted with other men and frequented the male strip joint every Thursday night. 
            “Chicken & Balls? She always goes there for Chinese food because of the servers. House of Wong is just down the street for fuck sakes and is ten times better,” Donald thought to himself as he went to go sit on the couch.
The house was silent, except for the creaks the house made while settling. Donald, having to work three days at a Las Vegas vacuum convention was exhausted. His flight back to home felt long and he was glad to be back to his house in Brampton, Ontario. Donald was enjoying the little piece of quiet; he collected thoughts and felt very relaxed. The doorbell broke the silence and the front door opened. 
            “Donny, I’m here,” Victoria said as she entered the house. “How was the convention in Vegas? How is Tommy doing?”
Tommy Chode, a bald 32 year old full of himself vacuum parts salesman, thought he was God’s gift to earth. He believed that he was far superior to anyone else and thought he was the main reason why the vacuum part business was selling.
            “I didn’t get to see much of Tommy, he left me at the booth as he networked with everyone there,” Donald said.
            “Oh who cares, what did you bring me back from Vegas?”
            “Here.” Donald dangled a vacuum key chain in front of her face. “It’s pink, your favorite colour.”
            “You didn’t get me anything else?” Victoria frowned.
            “No,” Donald answered. “But I did pick up this awesome mug.”
Donald ran to the foyer and opened one of his bags. He pulled out the mug which was wrapped in newspaper. He brought it over to the dining room table, which Victoria already set up to eat. Donald unwrapped the mug while Victoria began to eat the egg foo young. Once unwrapped, he placed the mug on the table directly in front of her.
            “What the HELL IS THAT THING?” She asked while spitting out some food in disgust.
            “It is a glass skeleton skull mug,” Donald answered with pride. “Isn’t it awesome?”
            “No Donald, it is creepy. Where would you even find something like that?”
            “Before heading off to the airport, I stopped at a small souvenir shop and bought it from this little old lady who had a pointy nose with a wart on it,” Donald answered.
            “It is creepy and frightening,” Victoria began to say, “get rid off that thing or I’m leaving right now.”
Donald and Victoria stared at each other, neither one budging. Donald could see in Victoria’s eyes that she was upset with him and wanted him to do what she said.
            “I see how it is,” Victoria said as she stood up from the table and began to pack the food up. “Let me tell you Donny, tomorrow I will come by and if that fucking creepy mug is still here, it will be the last time you see me.”
Victoria finished packing the food and walked directly out the door. Donald stood and watched as Victoria slammed the door behind her. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a ginger ale from the fridge. He opened the drink and took a big gulp of the fizzy pop. He walked slowly to the dining room table and sat down staring at the mug. He drank some more ginger ale and then proceeded to put the plates and forks into the dishwasher. The only item left on the table was the skeleton mug. Donald stared at the mug, took one final drink of his ginger ale and picked up the glass skull mug.
            “At least you won’t go to Chicken & Balls for the servers,” he said as he stared at the glass.
Donald walked over to the dishwasher and placed the skull glass in the top tray. He closed the dishwasher and turned it on. He smiled and headed towards the living room. As he walked down the stairs to the living room, the dishwasher started to light up from the inside.
            In the living room, Donald turned on the television and started flipping around the channels. He managed to find some late night cheesy movie. Within a few minutes, he fell asleep on the couch. Ten minutes later Donald awoke to a horrible banging noise.
            “I must have left the volume high,” he said to himself as he closed the television.
The banging noise continued. Donald thought it must have been someone knocking at the door and went to go check. He opened the front door and saw that no one was there. He locked the front door and listened closely to where the sound could be coming from. He walked slowly towards the sound, which he figured out it was coming from the kitchen. As he got closer and closer to the kitchen, the horrible banging noise stopped. Donald walked into the kitchen and stood still waiting to hear if the noise repeated but everything was silent.
            “Three a.m.?” Donald said to himself as he saw the time on the oven.
He closed all the lights and went to bed. It was all dark and quiet throughout the house until the dishwasher lit up from the inside, the door opened by itself and closed quickly.

Tune in next week for part two of IT CAME FROM THE KITCHEN....

Welcome Reader

Hello Reader,

My name is Frank De Francesco and welcome to "Dishwashers and Oreos," a blog of a collection of short stories created by me.

What kind of short stories you ask?
Well, you will see some horrifying, funny, random and hopefully good short stories.

So sit back and enjoy.

Frankie D.