The Story About How My Imaginary Friend Died

Chapter Twenty - Why You Should Never Try the One-Handed-Egg-Crack

"Should we get started, then?" Katja said.

Tim nodded and lifted himself off the table.

"Good idea. We need to hurry."

I nodded.

"You guys, this is depressing," Katja said after a while.

"No shit," Tim said.

I just nodded.

"Depressing and thus, boring. We need to fix something, or I'm going to die alive."

"I'm pretty sure that 'dying alive' is the most common way of dying," Tim said.

"Whatever," Katja sighed.

We filmed for a couple of minutes, before acknowledging that this was very unproductive and depressing.

"Should we just stop?" Katja said.

"Maybe that's a good idea."

"Yeah, I'll have to face my mom. I'll see you guys later, then..." I said before gathering my things and leaving the cabin.

"Emma, I have an offer for you."

I looked up, the younger lady that I'd only seen one time since I'd started working here stood in front of me.

"Hi," I said.

She looked at the floor. "I'm Stella," she said.

I nodded. She already knew my name.

"What's the offer?"

Stella eyed me.

"We... or, I, am wondering if you'd do something for us."

I nodded slowly.

"O...kay? What's this 'something?' I said when she gave away no further sign of continuing talking.

"Yeah, right, we have a patient who's having a birthday tonight, and we can't be here all the time, or... I can't, Gunilla is visiting her mother."

Stella's expression looked troubled, and an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

I coughed.

"Anyways, I will take care of the arranging, and some of his relatives are coming. So we wondered if you maybe could cook the food?"

I was dumbstruck, yet again.

"Of course, it's not gourmét were talking about here, you know, if you look in the kitchen, you'll see than we don't do that stuff here," she chuckled humourlessly, "it's just about putting some stuff into the oven, nothing more."

"I thought that the elders couldn't eat warm food, or at least, that's what Cassandra told me?"

"Og that..." Stella said, furrowing her brows. "That's just Gunilla and Cassandra, combined. They're in my opinion way to protective and these elders don't get to live much. I have a suspicion that it makes them depressed," she said, "but don't tell anyone I told you that," she added as an afterthought.

I chuckled for the first time in this place.

"That's okay," I said, "I won't."

"But why haven't you asked Cassandra to do this?" I said.

"Oh... ouch, I'm not sure I should tell you this as the grown up, but I just have a feeling that we shouldn't let her do that."

I nodded. Liking this woman a lot more at the moment.

Still, it wasn't like I was going to spend my free time volunteering extra.

She could just forget that.