SHORT STORY: The Secret Burger. He didn’t know what he was really eating, until it was too late.

Jonathan Starch didn’t like his mother’s cooking, especially that dreaded Sunday roast.

A young man of 12, he was a fussy eater, and much preferred fast food, if that’s what you call it.

Burgers, chips, pizza, kebabs, takeaways, these were the life for him, washed down with a good old soft drink.

It didn’t bother him that he was slightly overweight because of his eating habits, for as he would say: “what is the point of living a good life if you can’t enjoy your food?”

“How can healthy people, be happy, if the food tastes awful? You won’t get me eating like a bloody rabbit!”

His longsuffering mother hoped that he may eat healthier, but it was too no avail, that’s because young Jonathan had been spoiled too much and exerted resistance to any attempts to eat vegetables. So she usually gave in to pleasing her son’s preferences.

But one day, however, Jonathan’s dad Michael sadly lost his job. The local factory had closed down, and he was the main breadwinner in the family. Because of this the Starches soon became hard up and could no longer afford to order the takeaways he liked to have, or buy the food he would otherwise eat.

So one evening after school, Jonathan’s mum was forced to serve him all they could afford: mashed potatoes with a side of sweetcorn straight from an old tin.

Jonathan, his brain wired to the dopamine of better tasting food, was repulsed at the sight of the dish. The visual discomfort of seeing it sent shivers down his body, the unpleasant steamy smell of the corn was enough to almost make him vomit.

“I’m not eating this!” He said to his mother angrily.

“You’ll eat what you’re given, we can’t afford anything else!” His mother snaped back, “there are starving people in this world so you should be grateful!”

“Starving? Well I’d rather starve than eat that dross, see ya!” Jonathan sulked, before storming out of the house.

“Jonathan wait until your father hears about this!” His mum shouted, to no avail.

Jonathan walked through the town angrily, but also increasingly hungry. Having not eaten the evening meal, he was desperate to get something for himself, something he liked.

However, as a young man he did not have a lot of money, and he’d already spent his sparse dinner money that schoolday on burger and chips in the school canteen. So as he checked out his favourite takeaways and restaurants, he couldn’t afford any of them, frustrating him as he knew he had to do something.

Disgruntled and disheartened, he walked down a very dark old alley off the side of the street, and that is when he saw something…

It was a restaurant he hadn’t seen before. In the blackness of the alley the brightness of its sign beamed out into the surroundings. It had a red facade with the white text “SECRET BURGER” written on it.

Curious, Jonathan approached it. He then noticed a sign in the window which said “We have the best prices in town! Special PREMIUM beef burgers served here”

Upon seeing this Jonathan couldn’t believe his eyes and quickly creaked open the door and hurried in.

Inside, the exterior was spotlessly clean with a white tiled floor and walls. The dining area was lined with red, plastic seats and tables.

To Jonathan’s tastes, the place had a heavenly aroma about it, as if there had never been a smell so appetising and mouth watering.

There was not a soul to be seen eating there, however.

At the far end of the restaurant behind the counter stood a man. He stood idle, as if he were waiting very patiently. He wore a big red apron, a white and a small hat.

On his face was a smile that seemed to be perfectly still. The rest of his face however seemed obscured, as if it could not be made out.

Notably, the restaurant had no menu

“Welcome,” said the man in a calm and steady voice as Jonathan approached.

“hello…” Jonathan said nervously, “What do you serve here? Do you have a menu?” He asked.

“Welcome to Secret Burger,” the man announced formally, yet almost robotically. “Please take a seat and I will be with you shortly,” he then stated, gesturing towards a table.

Confused yet compliant, Jonathan sat down, as the mysterious man disappeared behind the cashier.

A minute passed, then another, then another. Jonathan waited in anticipation, his belly rumbling. He drummed his fingers on the table in boredom.

Suddenly, the man emerged from behind the counter carrying a tray, his grin still as fixated as ever.

He then proceeded to take three items from it and place them on the table. Jonathan looked to see a beef burger, fries and a soft drink before him.

The appearance of the food was pristine, almost perfect looking, appearing as if it were the type of burger meal appearing in advertisements. Neat, clean, flawless, fresh and with a heavenly aroma.

Jonathan couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Enjoy your meal sir!” The man smiled, before retreating.

Despite having not paid for anything yet, Jonathan had zero hesitation regarding what sat in front of him and he grabbed the Burger firmly with two hands and took a bite out of it.

As he chewed upon it, he felt a feeling hit his taste buds that was more sensational than anything he’d ever tasted. It was heavenly, perhaps greater than the human mind could even fathom.

He then took another bite, then another, and another, quickly diminishing the burger, wolving down the fries and slurping down the drink.

“Wow, that was amazing!” Jonathan said loudly in euphoria.

“You are welcome, sir,” the man replied, again emotionless.

“But what about the bill?” He then asked curiously.

“The bill has already been settled sir,” the man replied again, with minimal expression.”

“But how?” Jonathan then asked, confussd. “I haven’t paid anything.

“Have a nice day now,” the man answered formally in a script like manner, dodging his question.

Jonathan was confused, although not too bothered as the feeling of the food had been great. He noticed an emerging ache in his torso but this didn’t alarm him.

“Okay, thank you then!” Jonathan then said loudly as he jumped to his feet. However as he looked over to the cashier the man was gone. He then shrugged his shoulders and left.

Jonathan walked back out and along the alleyway, but as he walked, the pain in his torso grew. With each passing step it seemed to get bigger and bigger.

He then started to groan in pain, as the feeling was not only agnosing but increasingly stinging too. He clenched his hands over his stomach in agony.

At that moment, he then noticed something… A steady trail of blood was present beneath his feet and across the path he had walked.

It was beneath his feet and dripping down from the bottom his shirt, of which now had a large red stained circle in the middle of it.

On seeing this, Jonathan stopped, his breath deepening in a state of panic, as he slowly lifted up his shirt. As his eyes fell upon what lay beneath, the colour drained from his face…

A massive chunk of flesh had been cut out of his torso, leaving a gaping, bleeding hole. After processing this, Jonathan yelled and screamed. Furious, he dashed back down the alley towards the restaurant he had visited.

But it was gone. There was nothing but a dark, abandoned former unit with wooden boards over its windows.

Jonathan couldn’t believe it. Horrified, confused and in agony, he then collapsed in the street.

As he lost consciousness, the memory of the man’s words echoed in his mind: “the bill has already been settled sir.“

He then remembered his smiling, unusually obscured face…

Jonathan woke up in bed, frightened. As he looked around, he came to the realization he was in a dimly hit hospital ward, the continual beeping of a heart monitor next to him.

He lifted up his hospital pyjama shirt curiously. His stomach had been stitched up. The Secret Burger was no dream.

But seemingly, the worst was over, he gave a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, he heard some footsteps. A man dressed in a light blue surgical outfit walked into the room.

“Ah, Mr. Starch, you’ve come around.” The Doctor said.

But Jonathan froze in horror, for the voice he heard was a familiar one.

As he looked closer, the surgeon happened to resemble same man who had served him in the restaurant that previous night.

The End.