Torturous Dinner

The ground rushed up to meet me as I fell, gasping for air. It was too much. I couldn't take anymore. My heartbeat pounded in my ears. Tears rolled from my eyes as the man's dying screams echoed in my head.

I couldn't believe what I'd just witnessed. Well, since everything I was seeing had actually happened I guess I had to believe it. What made my heart bleed was discovering how depraved people could be to torture a living breathing person in such a heinous fashion.

The gladiator, Claudius, appeared upside down over me. "Get up. The game isn't over."

I whimpered and covered my eyes with my hands even though it wouldn't erase the images burned into my brain. "How much more?"

He threw back his head and laughed, loud and long. "Had a gladiator questioned like that, he'd have been flayed before we sent him out into the ring. You have lasted longer than all. By far, you are the worthiest player we've had in this arena. A woman, too! What is that thing you keep fiddling with?" he asked and snatched Mandy's rabbit foot from my hand.

"It's for making wishes. I just wanted to have a terrifying but safe Halloween!"

Claudius' laughter was joined by Aapo, a Mayan high priest, and Ping, the Chinese torturer who had just recalled in detail the bamboo torture that had sent me to the floor as I was forced to watch his memories play out like a hologram above the table.

It was impossible to tell how many different executions I'd watched so far from every different culture around the world and throughout time. Once a torturer told all his or her memories, Claudius would snap his fingers and another person would take the empty seat.

When I'd first arrived here, the mouthwatering food on the table and my exotic tablemates had made me think I was having some kind of hallucination because someone at the party had spiked my drink.

Then Claudius began telling the tale of the first fights he'd witnessed and the ghostly images had appeared. While the others ate, I shrank in horror, vomited. Claudius' magic prevented me running or not watching.

"How much more?" I repeated. I needed to know how long my torture would last.

"Gladiators fight to the death. Up!" He snapped his fingers and my spirit returned to the seat. "Next battle!"

**************

Back at the party, my friends rushed over as my body slid from the stool and hit the floor with a thud. The rabbit foot slipped unnoticed from my limp hand.

"Josie!" "What's wrong?" "She's not breathing." "Her heart's stopped!" "Call an ambulance!"


WORD COUNT: 500

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