Once Upon a Black Kraken

  Do not order it. Not the crunchy cookie for dessert. “The chocolate delight, please," she orders to the waitress. Shit! The date was going like a charm. Nod the waitress seconding my companion. I hide my concern. "Why that face?" Damn. She is very aware. "Let’s change it for the cake," she proposes condescendingly. She raises her hand to regain the waitress' attention. “Sorry. I just wouldn’t be able to taste it," I explain. A concern glance. Eventually she will find out. I remove my teeth. Grin with the single tooth that survives in my gums. She does not judge, just foresees a story. *** 1991. My mother inspected my elementary school graduation portrait with disappointment. Unbeatable hairstyle, shiny shoes, and wrinkle-free clothes like baby skin. Was my smile what originated her reaction, it showed off a hole. The void was not a molar that can be concealed on the sidelines, was in the foreground. I grinned at her. She despised my dental gap. ...

  No lo pidas. No la galleta crujiente de postre. — La delicia de chocolate, por favor—, le ordena a la mesera. ¡Mierda! La cita iba tan bien. Asiento a la mesera secundando a mi acompañante. Disimulo mi preocupación. — ¿Por qué esa cara? Puta madre. Es muy perspicaz. — La cambiamos por el pastel—, propone condescendientemente. Alza la mano para recuperar la atención de la camarera. — Perdón. Es que no podría probarla—, le explico. Me observa desorientada. Eventualmente se enterará. Extraigo mi dentadura. Sonrío con el diente que sobrevive en mis encías. No me juzga, supone una historia. *** 1991. Mi madre examinó desilusionada mi retrato de graduación de primaria. Peinado inmejorable, calzado brillante y vestimenta lisa como piel de bebé. Fue mi sonrisa la causante de dicha reacción, alardeaba una grieta. La falla no era un molar ocultable al margen, estaba en primer plano. Le sonreí. Aborreció mi vacío dental. — No—, sentencia. Desaparecío la todavía...

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 Film criticsm and discussion program. Are you too busy? Hear it on-the-go in Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2u0E3Owrm6hxf5Lo7U6EQo?si=d3c6d31d38464a63 Such a big fan? Support it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZX3xaY_SD1c   For horror, gore and dark humor fans, give a chance to ‘Give me a Hand,’ a Short Story by Osnar Chávez on Amazon: https://a.co/d/fl69aQ5 A man has the power of attaching dead limbs to his body to use as his own, but this ability gets his relationship at risk and now must fight his own hand to preserve his identity. For Spanish-speakers the original, finalist of the Gore Short Story Contest of Nueva Bestia Editorial, Spanish version: https://a.co/d/68u9ad8 FREE by subscribing to my email newsletter (not a cult): https://osnarchavez0.wixsite.com/osnar-ch-vez/blank-2

Are you too busy? Hear it on-the-go in Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2u0E3Owrm6hxf5Lo7U6EQo?si=d3c6d31d38464a63 For horror, gore and dark humor fans, give a chance to ‘Give me a Hand,’ a Short Story by Osnar Chávez on Amazon: https://a.co/d/fl69aQ5 A man has the power of attaching dead limbs to his body to use as his own, but this ability gets his relationship at risk and now must fight his own hand to preserve his identity. For Spanish-speakers the original, finalist of the Gore Short Story Contest of Nueva Bestia Editorial, Spanish version: https://a.co/d/68u9ad8 FREE by subscribing to my email newsletter (not a cult): https://osnarchavez0.wixsite.com/osnar-ch-vez/blank-2

  Film criticsm and discussion program. August 25 - 31   Are you too busy? Hear it on-the-go in Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2u0E3Owrm6hxf5Lo7U6EQo?si=d3c6d31d38464a63   Such a big fan? Support it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0Rb9elARot4