Employee Reward

Aurelia was hard at work creating a new outfit for Iola when there was a knock at the door. It was her boss herself. “Hey Iola,” She greeted. “I’m just finishing up the sizing adjustments on that outfit you tried on yester…day…” Aurelia trailed off as she noticed what Iola was carrying. She had worked for Iola long enough to recognize her ‘famous’ stew…

“That great!” Iola smiled cheerfully, “I noticed how hard you’ve been working on this and well, everything else, so I wanted to make some stew for you to thank you. Don’t think I haven’t noticed those meals you’ve been skipping.” Iola scolded gently as she placed the stew on Aurelia’s desk.

Aurelia could feel her soul leaving her body, and she could have sworn that something moved in the bowl. Sometimes she did forget to eat while she was working, but she always tried hard not to for this exact reason. It just slipped her mind while she was finishing up the dress. “R-right… thank you, that’s very kind of you…” Was the screaming she heard just a figment of her imagination, or was it the agonized spirit of something trapped within the churning depths of the stew?

“It’s no trouble at all,” Iola assured as she nudged the bowl closer. “I appreciate everything that you do, and I love cooking, so I’m happy to do this for you.”

Aurelia could never be honest about her feelings on Iola’s cooking when her boss was so kind and sincere like that… she begrudgingly picked up the spoon, and with another grim stare at the stew, she took a bite and choked it down. It tasted rancid, and she knew from the rumbling in her stomach that she would become very closely acquainted with the bathroom in the next few minutes. “I love it, thank you…”