Special Report - Day Three

When Allie woke up she made her decision and called the studio. The studio told her that her idea was great and it would probably be a great career builder. It was exactly what the company needed for it’s new direction. She decided she needed to call Steve.

“What? Are you insane?” Steve said.

“Relax, it’s only for the show, and Mr. Murdoch says it’d be a great career builder.”

“You sure?” He didn’t sound convinced.

“Yeah, they can’t do anything you don’t approve of, besides, I’ll be wearing next to nothing.”

There was silence on the other end for a couple of beats, “How did you pull that off?”

“It’s the evening news, we’ll just put up a disclaimer,” Allie said.

“Just for the show you say?”

“Yeah, completely for entertainment value. Nothing serious.”

“I guess I’ll do it. Don’t want you to get all the credit.”

“Good, Meet me around five pm and we’ll do the shoot.”

Allie hung up smiling. Her and Jael took the van to the restaurant. Steve would have to take another cab, but it served him right after all the trouble he’d caused. Meghyn welcomed them to her office and set up for the interview.

“So, what do you think of my restaurant?” Meghyn asked.

“I have to admit, I was skeptical at first, but the longer I’ve been here the more I enjoy it”, Allie said.

“Good to hear. I’m sure you’re wondering why after all this time only one local news station has talked about this place, and you had to come all the way out here for a story any local news station would kill to cover?” She gave a confident smile.

“I try not to ask too many questions like that”, Allie said.

“Most of the press that has come this way had a similar reaction to your friend Steve”, Meghyn leaned in, “I can’t, I won’t have that kind of bad press floating around. It’s not like I’m doing anything wrong, right?”

“You’re giving people what they want right?” Allie asked.

“I’m glad you get me”, Meghyn smiled, leaning back in her chair. “We’re going to get along just fine.”

--

 At the signal, Jael started rolling.

“When did you found this restaurant?”

“I founded it three years ago. We started out small but to my surprise, the business took off. I was able to add another story to our building and make it into a nightclub atmosphere.”

“Where did you get the idea?”

“Of shrinking men down for food? Ha! I’ve always wanted to do that since I was a little girl. I would imagine friends or classmates as my food and wondered what it would be like if my mom packed tiny boys in my lunchbox to eat. I guess I never let go of the idea as an adult. I went online and found a site called GiantessWorld.net and realized that there were others like me! I desperately wanted to eat a shrunken man. Fortunately for me, buying the shrinking technology to reduce a man in size was affordable. I have several other business ventures and could manage the price on the expensive machinery. I never expected this restaurant to actually earn me any money, but to my surprise it’s swiftly becoming my primary income.”

“How did you know that there would be a market for such a thing?”

“Well the truth of the matter Allie was that I didn’t. I knew I liked eating guys and simply hoped that there would be some business. The fact that the Forbidden Dish is becoming an internationally acclaimed exotic dining experience shocked me. I am considering opening up restaurants in Florida, California and in Europe. Those haven’t been finalized of course but my finance team is seriously investigating the possibilities of restaurants in other locations.

 “Do you ever feel bad for the people that get shrunk?”

Meghyn let out a laugh here. “You have no idea how many people have asked me that. Between protesters outside and legal hearings where people try to sue me. I always tell them the same thing; Those men whom I’ve eaten or any of my employees or patrons have eaten - all of them signed up for it. Everyone who wants to be food must sign a legalized contract ensuring that they are willingly being shrunk down to be consumed. It’s not a part of the contract but we also offer the people a chance to back out before we shrink them. Unlike other restaurants; who we serve for dinner actually wants to be eaten.”

Meghyn smiled.

“Everyone I’ve ever eaten was still begging me to devour them when I was putting them in my mouth,” she lied.  Meghyn had eaten mostly volunteers, but had eaten her share of unwilling people as well.

"You have the only shrinking technology in the world, why use it for a restaurant?", Allie inquired.

“I can’t imagine a better use for this technology than to allow people to live out their fantasies with it. I enjoy it but I want the rest of the world to enjoy it too!”

“How many men do you think you’ve eaten by now?”

“Oh goodness me, I have no earthly idea. I’ve lost count. There was a time that I kept a tally of men. After it went over a hundred I decided there was no point to it anymore. I eat tiny men every day. Usually after a morning workout and again at dinner.”

After the interview was over and Jael turned off the camera Allie asked a few more questions she didn’t want to ask on air. 

“I’ve noticed in the contract that there are no outs for people that change their mind, what happens if the shrinker takes pity on the shrinkee?”

 "Well, they belong to the restaurant and go back for resale”, Meghyn answered frankly. “Not the sort of thing I like to talk about on air you understand.”

“So, there is no way for them to come back?” When Allie asked this she was having a hard time hiding the excitement in her voice. Meghyn smiled. She picked up a bowl on her desk that Allie hadn’t noticed. It contained four men.

“These four backed out yesterday. Usually we finish them off on the same day, but I figured you might be curious, so I saved some. Want one?”

“Well, I was thinking..”, Allie leaned in and whispered in Meghyn’s ear. Meghyn smiled and nodded.

“That’s a great idea. There are costumes in the storage area in the back. We throw great Halloween parties, plus sometimes patrons have special requests. I’m sure you can find what you need. Don’t worry. I’ll back you one hundred percent.”

“Thank’s Meghyn,” said Allie, standing up to leave.

“Excuse me Meghyn”, said Jael. “But I wouldn’t mind one of those little guys.” She indicated the bowl of little men on the table. “I ate one yesterday and he was delicious. I’d love to try another one.”

“Of course dear”, said Meghyn.

She reached forward with the bowl as Jael picked up one of the four men who were now huddling in the far side of the dish. She examined him for a few seconds. His pleading did nothing to change her expression, she looked more curious than concerned. She casually swallowed him with little fanfare.

“While his struggling does feel good, I think I like the willing ones better”, she said as if they were sampling wines from different seasons rather than talking about live humans.

Megyhn grabbed one from the bowl and ate it as well. Jael noticed that while Allie didn’t try one herself she watched intently when they ate theirs.

“Well boys”, Megyhn said smiling down at the two leftover men, “What do you think? Should a girl indulge every now and then?” The men stared up at her too scared to speak,

“It is the weekend after all”, she said grabbing another man and popping him into her mouth. She offered the bowl to Jael.

“What about Allie?” Jael asked.

“Don’t worry, we have that covered”, Megyhn said. Jael shrugged and took the last man.

They thanked Megyhn and began to head out, but as they reached the door Megyhn walked over to Allie and whispered, “I like the way you think”, she smiled and winked as they left.

“What was that about?” Jael asked.

Allie smiled, “I’ll tell you on the way, we’ve got a lot to do and only a little time to do it.”

*  *  *

Jorge, a young but stern looking man, had been Anchor for Action news for six years; Priscilla, who was pretty but always looked smug, had been co-anchor for five. As they waited for the lighting and makeup people to finish they prepared for tonight’s report.

“I hear Steve got kicked out on the first day”, Jorge said.

“You know Steve, he probably touched someone inappropriately or said something sleazy”, Priscilla said.

“I hear Allie hit it off with the owner of the restaurant”, Jorge said, “If it’s true, Mr. Murdoch will probably move her up the ladder.”

“Better watch out, Jorge, she’ll be after your job before you know it”, Priscilla and Jorge didn’t like each other. They managed to look friendly enough on air, but if you paid attention you’d catch them staring daggers at each other and sneaking insults disguised as jokes at each other. Most of them would come off as awkward and generate polite laughter from the newscast, but the viewing audience couldn’t help but groan.

 “All right people we’re on in five, four three”, the director said signaling two and one with his fingers. Generic news theme music played.

“Welcome to Action News, I’m Jorge Gomez”, Jorge said. His accent was only perceptible when he said his own name.

“And I’m Priscilla Thompson”, Priscilla said.

“Later tonight, find out what common household object might be killing you as we speak. The answer might shock you”, Jorge said.

“And after the break, we’ll interview a couple of boy scouts that saved 8 sumo wrestlers from a burning building”, Priscilla said.

“We also have news, weather, and Sports”, Jorge said.

“But first our very own Allie Abrams has a special report from a restaurant that’s to die for. Allie?” Priscilla said.

“Thanks Priscilla, I will be giving you, the viewing audience a full tour of Forbidden Dish, followed by a surprise that I’m sure everyone will enjoy”, Allie was sitting at a table with a fruity drink in front of her smiling like she always did.

“It looks like you’re having a great time”, Priscilla said.

“Oh yes, I’m having the time of my life!” Allie said.

“Is Steve enjoying himself as much as you?” Jorge asked.

“Steve’s just great”, Allie said. She smiled like she was keeping a secret, “I don’t think he’d say he wants to be any other place but here.”

The pre-recorded “reel” began to run. Jael was just barely on time editing it. They’d really cut it close, but Allie knew it was worth it.

It opened with Allie standing in front of the restaurant.

“At first glance Forbidden Dish may look like your average highbrow restaurant. It boasts two stories, each with their own bar, a dance club upstairs, and a fine dining restaurant downstairs, but that’s not what has people dying to visit. It’s all about what’s on the menu, or rather, who. That’s right, Forbidden Dish is the only restaurant in the world where volunteers are allowed to be shrunk to a more manageable size and swallowed either by the local staff or curious customers. Sound beyond belief? I’ll take you inside to see for yourself, but first, a few words from the protesters outside.”

“It’s just not right,” One woman said.

“Everybody has a right to life,” A priest said.

"Our buddy disappeared in there”, said one dark-haired young man, part of a small group of young men. "He went in there to pick up a girl and we haven't seen him since."

“While there are a few detractors, most of the town finds the restaurant improves the local economy with tourist dollars, plus only consenting adults may enter, so nobody is here against their will”, Allie said, “I’m here with Steve Simpson who has a surprise for you.”

“That’s right Allie”, Steve said walking up beside her, “I’m going to give viewers a first-hand look at the Forbidden Dish process by going through it step by step.”

They both walked in the door and were seated at a table. Steve was handed a stack of papers stapled together.

“This is the Restaurant’s consent form”, Steve said, “And as you can see it is pretty hefty, but it protects Forbidden Dish from lawsuits. While I’m filling this out, Allie will show you around.”

 The scene cut to footage of interviews with various customers.

“I come here every chance I get!” one woman wearing a blue bracelet said.

“This is, um my first time”, a man with a red bracelet said staring longingly into the woman’s eyes. Allie neglected to leave in footage of the man chickening out later.

“You may have noticed the red and blue bracelets worn by the various patrons. Blue indicates that you are looking for a meal, and red indicates that you are looking to be a meal. It saves time and prevents awkwardness”, Allie raised her hand and showed her blue bracelet.

As she was explaining the bracelets, a small young woman in glasses accidentally walked into the shot nearly crashing into Allie. She was carrying a tiny man, and when she saw the camera she turned red and ran away. Allie shrugged and moved on.

She showed footage of various tables full of people. There was a six top table with women dressed in pants suits gathered around. On the table was a bowl containing shrunken men.

“Here we have the great legal minds of Dewie, Cheatim, and Howe. Excuse me ma’am, how do you feel about representing this restaurant?”

“How do I feel? I feel great! It is a unique experience and I’m on the ground floor! It has really bolstered my career, plus, I’ve made a new friend in the owner”, one woman said.

“Speaking of the owner, I sat down to the first ever one on one interview with Meghyn herself”, Allie said.

The scene cut to the interview with Meghyn. After the interview with Meghyn the interview with Lindsay was played. Allie had obtained video footage of Lindsay’s interaction with Austin in the private room and decided to use it for her report:

“There you have it folks. The customers, the wait staff, and even the legal team love it here! If you’re worried about a few protesters, rest assured every great innovation has its detractors. Let’s go see how Steve is doing”, Allie said.

The next scene showed Steve handing the papers off to Lindsay and smiling.

“Well, that was easy”, Steve said.

“Did you read it?” Allie said.

“Sure did”, Steve lied. He had only quickly skimmed through it.

“Good! Are you nervous?” Allie asked.

“You better believe it, but still I’m looking forward to this.”

“Me too, Steve, me too”, Allie said. They walked to the other side of the restaurant and got a shot of the lines to the shrinking booth, but since they were there for business purposes they were given permission to jump to the head of the line. They filmed Steve entering the machine and the door being shut and locked.

“My claustrophobia is already kicking in, sitting in this thing.” Steve said excitedly, though he seemed not concerned in the least.

“Don’t worry, there will be a lot more room real soon”, Allie joked, “By the way parents - the rest of this special is not for children. If you have children or are easily offended, please turn away. Please use your own discretion.”

Lindsay was at the controls. “Now, Mr. Simpson, this is really important,” Lindsay said, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Allie smiled and winked at him.

Steve had a funny grin on his face. “Yeah.” He said.

Allie and Jael left the room.

“We’ve been informed that video equipment interferes with the machine, so we cannot film the shrinking process”, Allie said, “But right now Steve is being shrunk down to roughly two inches tall.”

Lindsay came out and ushered them back to the shrinking room. She opened the hatch and Allie picked the much smaller Steve up from the booth. They walked down to a private room in the back and filmed how the doors worked and the surrounding “furniture” of the room. Allie sat Steve on the table, walked over to the jukebox, set up a song with a rapid drum beat, and slowly walked off-camera.

Jael focused the camera on Steve’s face then panned out as Allie walked back into view. Her skirt and blazer were gone. She was now wearing a coconut bra and grass skirt she’d grabbed them from the costume storage.

Jael zoomed in on Steve’s enraptured face then panned to Allie as she began to dance, slowly at first, but steadily faster and faster until she was matching the speed of the drum beats. Her hips and belly were rocking invitingly as she danced closer and closer to the table. Her navel was mesmerizing and Steve found himself transfixed to the spot as she smiled down at him. He was so drawn in by her movements he didn’t even notice her hand move in behind him and lift him from the table until he was right in front of her mouth.

Allie smiled at the camera and slowly drew him between her lips. Since the music was so loud and she wasn’t wearing her lapel mic, she was the only one to hear him scream.

Continuing to dance, she sucked him the rest of the way into her mouth. She smiled at the camera, tilted her head back, and swallowed.

Allie danced for a little while longer and opened her mouth wide so Jael could zoom the camera in and show that it was empty. It was a really good camera with high resolution and her empty mouth was beamed to houses nation-wide.

The scene cut from a full screen view of Allie’s mouth back to her sitting at the table sipping her fruity drink.

“That’s it for our special report on Forbidden Dish. Thanks for watching, and as always have a good night and a great morning.”

A corny joke scrolled across the teleprompter, but Jorge and Priscilla were too stunned by what they just saw to say it. It scrolled up and the set up for the next story came and went while they stared at the screen, mouths agape.

* * *

“I can’t believe you did it”, Jael said, congratulating her, “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Oh, I have it in me alright”, Allie said rubbing her belly. She laughed, “Thanks for backing me up.”

“No problem,” Jael said, “He had it coming.”

Between Meghyn liking her and Mr. Murdoch being impressed by her, Allie made Anchor within the week. Her and Jael can still be seen hanging out at Forbidden Dish when they need a little excitement. Thanks to her mouth shot and dance she’s had many people specially request her. If you ask real nice, she may even give you a special dance of your own.

The End