A Chat Over Dinner
If you are the type who eats out regularly, one day a stranger might join you at the table. This stranger will always appear to be of your age and sex, and he (if it is a he) will only appear if you are alone. No matter what style of restaurant it is, he will always be carrying his own plate of food.
After a few seconds, he will look directly at you and say, “You seem like an interesting person. May I know you better?” Say yes, and he will begin to ask you questions about yourself in between bites. These questions will be innocuous enough at first: what your name is, what you do for a living, and so forth, but should you open your mouth to answer, you will be forced to tell the truth, even if you do not consciously know what the truth is. Remain silent, and the stranger will scowl at you, pick up his plate, and leave. You will never see him again. If you do indulge his questions, however, they will grow darker and darker as the food leaves his plate, and it will become harder and harder to resist answering. Do not attempt to leave the table before he does under any circumstances.
When his plate is clean, he will stand up to leave, but not before asking you one last, irresistible question: “What would drive you to take your own life?” You will instantly be aware that you will be able to lie in response to this one question, and I suggest you do, for whatever you describe will come to pass within the week. Those who are canny may use this chat to gain whatever they desire, but know that if the happenstance you name does not drive you to suicide, the stranger will start guessing as to what will. And consider how much he now knows about you.
–
Credited to Peter L.
barely okay
I liked this one. It was something I could easily imagine happening, since I’m not really secretive about myself that much, anyway….
Though, it wasn’t THAT scary.
i lolled
good thing i never go out to eat alone!
I liked it. It’s similar to a lot of other stories on the site, but the last sentence was a nice touch.
on the edge of ridiculous and cool
ummmmmm…note to self,cancel dinner on my mental health day by myself,maybe take the girlfriend out to a movie…
Damn, this guy is stealing my clientele!
:c i knew that guy at the taco place was creepy >.>;
I’ve seen better pastas…
The ending couldn’t have been better.
I really, really like this one. (:
Wait, what? I do this for a living. I am a professional come-sit-at-your-table-and-ask-you-random-questions-about-yourself-while-we-are-eating guy.
shit.
Note to self: Bring gun whenever eating out alone.
Better than most pastas about supernatural deals. This pasta offers both pro and con to accepting the contract while many others are overwhelming good, bad or nonsensical. I enjoyed it.
But then….WHO WAS PLATE?
Not creepy, but really interesting and definitely well-written. I liked it, despite the non-creepiness. And, Candlejack, sorry to hear about your cli
This is an interesting one! I like it a lot.
I really like this one. Kind of unlikely, but it calls back on older pastas, which I really enjoy.
Pretty neat.
note to self: ALWAYS carry mace.
[this pasta was ok]
I agree with Fund. It’s nice to see one that is actually a somewhat balanced risk vs. reward situation instead of YOU DIE or NOTHING BAD EVER HAPPENS.
not bad
Almost literally creepy pasta (depending on your meal).
It was OK.
lol. i ate alone once in my life at mcdonalds…it was so sad T_T. i dont think i have to worry about a stranger comin up to me, its unlikely to happen again:P
Good thing I wouldn’t talk to a stranger who randomly sits at my table asking personal question