Intergalactic Bites – First Passage
Who knew a sandwich shop could change someone’s life so completely? It wasn’t just the herbs and spices that created a cascade of flavors, nor was the crunch of the perfectly toasted bread. The ingredients could be so fresh that the tomatoes came straight off the vine, which still wouldn't be why people came here. Not to mention that the price of a single sandwich could equal a mortgage payment. Anyone who heard of this shop knew it wasn't the sandwich they were paying for. It was an experience.
You are transported to another universe as soon as the first crumbs pass your lips, not just in some metaphysical sense, but in a genuine, authentic, and physical way. The experience lasts as long as the food is in your mouth until the last crumb is swallowed.
Each sandwich is locked in a different location. The one resembling a hot pastrami took you to a world full of a flowered colony somewhere in the Asserillian galaxy. It was said that the people who smelled these flowers would find the love of their lives within the next week. Another sandwich that tasted like a BLT took you to a stadium wholly submerged in water that anyone could breathe. Here, people report being able to watch a sport that looked like a combination of water polo and hockey, and audience participation is encouraged.
Having an experience here could quite literally change your life. The owner, Phil, just requires one thing. No substitutions on any of the sandwiches. Ever. One woman tried to do this and found out in a miserable way that each sandwich is crafted with the utmost caution. She swapped out two sauces and found herself dangling off of a cliff over acid. Or that's where Phil thinks she ended up; we will probably never know.
All in all, everyone won't stop talking about this shop. So, what is a person to do but check it out themselves? That's what Jay thought. He was pulled in by a combination of peer pressure and a very cute girl that thought he should spend this semester's tuition on one of the shortest trips he would ever take. So, after borrowing his mom’s credit card, he got in line.
His heart beat so quickly as he looked at the menu. A short list of basic-looking slices of bread and meats. A Reuben, PB&J, Grilled Cheese. Each was accompanied by a brief description of where he would go. Unfortunately for Jay, the line was quite a bit shorter than usual; he made it to the front before he had much chance to read everything as thoroughly as he would have wanted. While it would have been easy to let the person in front of him go first, the primal urge to panic in a slightly awkward social situation took over. He took one look at the forest green eyes of the cashier, smiling expectantly at him, and the words, "One tuna sandwich, please," tumbled from his lips.
The cashier gave him her best customer service smile and rang him up for one tuna fish sandwich. In a haze, Jay stumbled away from her with considerably less money, clutching his ticket with the number 58 scrawled on it. He found a seat in a corner booth with a small green light next to it. When he sat down, it turned red to indicate the table had been taken.
He had been informed that sitting only by a green light was vital. Any red lights indicated that there was a person that would be sitting there as soon as they finished their sandwich. You couldn't sit down in the same place someone was about to pop into existence. That was how some very unfortunate splicing happened.
Jay looked at his ticket number and heard 46 being called out in the background. He didn't even like tuna and hadn't read the description of where he was about to go. The only word that had stood out to him had been hot. Honestly, he didn't know if his sandwich was served hot or if that was an attribute of where he was going. Either way, it was far too late to change his mind. That would mean going to the cashier and talking to her again, which would not happen.
Jay waited another ten minutes before finally hearing the fated number 58 being called out. He practically jumped out of his seat to get it due to his nerves that felt like they had been super charged. He retrieved his tuna sandwich and sat back down at his table.
Looking at the sandwich, he almost felt a sense of disappointment. It wasn't glowing or buzzing. It looked like two pieces of whole wheat with a white tuna salad slapped between the bread. A sad-looking pickle had been thrown on the side as an afterthought. Jay poked at the sandwich as if it would prove that it was from another dimension right here and now. Nothing happened.
The sandwich was still a sandwich. Sitting in a cheap red basket with some paper under it. It occurred to Jay that this could all just be one big scam. An amazingly pulled-off one, but fraud nonetheless.
He picked up the tuna sandwich and stared at it. With the slightest bit of trepidation, he took the smallest of bites. There was a subtle pop, followed by a rushing sound in his ears. To anyone else, it would have looked like he simply blinked out of existence, all that was left was an empty tray and the sad, shriveled pickle. To Jay, he was in a whole new world. One that he was never going to make it back from.
