Glad To Be Of Service [✔]

👨‍🍳 07: Yolklores and Fairykales

Another week has passed swiftly after being all tied up with work. Nonetheless, I'm certain all of these opportunities comes pouring down after I surrendered to Mr. Pheles' whims.

Now that I think about it, I totally forgot about the deal. I wipe my hands and exit the kitchen. Jacob is busy on his phone so I simply signal him that I'll go back to my apartment.

He gives me an okay sign and I head outside, pulling out my phone. But, an article catches my eye instead. I squint at those bold letters — Austin Hudson: The Next Golden Chef.

I only know one person, who had that cringe-ass title, and immediately opened another tab, brushing that issue at the back of my head.

Mephisto Pheles... Should I just type it? So far, other names are quite familiar but I never heard of Mephisto Pheles before.

I press the elevator button as I wait for the damned internet connection to show the result.

Seconds later, various links and images show up on my screen. My eyes go directly to the very first line, almost dropping my phone.

A fvcking demon.

That's who Mr. Pheles is, or rather, Mephistopheles — as autocorrected by the site.

The creatures I have met so far are from legends and books but no one is closely related to Hell. My fingers click the link with subtly trembling hands.

The short summary is easy to comprehend but a lot to take in, considering that this man — demon — really exists. Contrary to my initial understanding, he is indeed from a book. A devil who is renowned for tempting the damned into the abyss, specifically Faust, from the book of the same name.

The elevator door pings and slides open. But, speaking of the devil — with no pun intended — he emerges out of thin air the moment I step in.

My eyes go back and forth between the photo and the person in front of me. The only semblance between the actual and the illustration is the constant upturn of his lips and those elven ears. He has regular irises compared to the slitted one depicted by the image, though both are as bright red as ripe tomatoes.

"Good evening, Mr. Schneider." He tips his head and glances at my phone. "So you found out?"

My mouth remains shut. I haven't fully digested the fact yet but here I am facing a real demon. I've been exposed to all this craziness twice already but it's still difficult to swallow, even for someone like me who has already experienced the ugly side of the world.

"Is this really you?" I confirm.

His answer is simply a smile while using his baton to press the floor I stayed in. "As spoken on our deal, I'll transfer the money as soon as I can but that is not why I'm here for. I reckon you're finished with your work by this time, so I'm here to invite you to another party."

"I'll pass," comes my automatic reply.

His lips only grow wider. "You know what'll happen when you refuse me."

My fists clench on my sides. If that's not a threat, I don't know what is. I force the following words out of my mouth, letting him see reason. "But, you said you have a chef."

I dare not say I'm busy again after all that damnation he did last week.

"That's why you'll be coming as a guest."

This time, my mouth gapes. "What the fvck will I even do there?" I blurt out without thinking.

"Perhaps enjoy? I perceived you've been quite assiduous these days."