The Stranger and the Kitchen

“I wake up sweating and with a sharp pain in my forehead near my right eye. I analyze my surroundings and, unfortunately, this is not a horrible dream; it is an undesirable reality, and the vision in my right eye was still cloudy. I didn’t want to waste much time. I finish observing the environment and realize that I am in a forest; it is humid and hot despite being under the shade.”

—Well, I have to get out of this forest and look for a city. I don’t know how different it is from my world... oh, that moron, he threw me out like a bum, without money, without an exact direction of where to go, he didn’t even leave me in a city. My head hurts so much...

“What a terrifying experience. Everything was so... well, the only thing I know is that the eye has something to do with this world. He wouldn’t have given it to me for no reason. Will it give me powers like the ones he has?... <Anerus> that was not a human. I saw in his gaze something that terrified me so much, a soul so dark, full of grudges against something or, rather, against someone. What could have happened to him? Can I trust his word? Is he really so powerful if I free him? And how am I supposed to fulfill my objective?”

“I ignore my thoughts and start moving without an exact course until I find a dirt path. I follow it not knowing where it might end up; I just wanted to get out of the forest. After half an hour, hungry and thirsty, the headache that was unbearable made me not want to walk anymore. But I had to keep going; I didn’t feel safe in that forest. I felt so many gazes fixed on me, as if I were in danger, but no one approached me. The sweat falling on me was so freezing that it gave me such chills. I perceived the smell of death and its need to spill blood. I was afraid. After several minutes, I exit that forest and sigh in relief, running out of fear until I reach what seems to be two roads separating two different locations, but...”

—That clumsy god didn’t tell me there were different languages, although it’s strange if he could communicate with me, albeit in a weird way. I don’t know what the sign says, my God...

“I was just complaining. My head hurt, the thirst and hunger were unbearable. I keep looking at the sign until my vision began to clear and I could understand what it said. I wouldn’t know how, but that god has something to do with this because I see memories of the languages of this world. It hurts a lot; it’s so many things at once in my head. I didn’t expect it. I fall collapsed from the pain until my head clears a little. After a few minutes, I get up to see if I could distinguish those words.”

“Now that I can understand what it says, they are the borders of both countries: Ware and Nater. I have to go to Ware and learn magic to start understanding this world and its poetry with magic.”

—Alright, the only thing I know is that I must travel to Ware. I don’t know how far the city is; I don’t see anything in the distance... My God, I hope I don’t take too long.

“I think I made a bad choice since it took three hours of walking to reach a village. I was so tired and resigned to not having reached the main city. I wanted to throw myself on the ground and sleep... but I couldn’t rest. I needed to get a job, and a roof... how easy it was to say... I decide to walk around and listen to the inhabitants to see how their communication is, and new memories of their language appear. After watching so many people pass by, I could already get an idea of how to speak with them, although they just kept staring at me and murmuring about me. I still couldn’t quite distinguish what they were saying about me; surely it was because of my red streaks. I see a young lady passing by, with a thick cloak that didn’t leave her body in view except for her face, her short blonde hair, the tiara on her forehead, and her beautiful greenish eyes. I build up the courage and decide to ask her if she knew of an available job.”

—Nu ut-siannoc ne ,liavart nu ehcrehc ej ,ruojnob? —I didn’t even understand myself well. God, this is weird, and I only said “Hello, good morning, I am looking for a job. Do you know of one?”. —Ecnahc ennob ,simmoc nu tnehcrehc sli ,étôc à'd eur al snad lailimaf rab nu a y li ,iuo —yes, there is a family bar on the next block, they are looking for a helper. Good luck.
—Icrem —I replied with a “thanks” and went directly to the bar she pointed out.

“The whole village looks very medieval, but it doesn’t seem to be the typical poor village. Everyone here seems middle class, very well dressed, enjoying the day. Is it like this in the whole country? I imagine it will be the same in some other villages. Well, let’s see if I get a job.”

—Good morning, is the owner here?
—What do you need, boy? —A large man, almost two meters tall and intimidating, responds to my call. He reminds me of my boss, but shorter and with hair...
—Yes, good morning. I just arrived in this village and I need a jo... —We cross gazes and he interrupts me, very annoyed. I didn’t know why.
—Get out of here, mage brat! I don’t hire people like you here!
—Wait, I don’t understand. What’s wrong?
—Get out! —Everyone boos me to leave. Like me? What does he refer to?
—Okay, I’m going. God, what a disaster... —Why did they behave like that with me?

“I keep walking and asking, but no one else was kind like that woman. I don’t like this village anymore; I want to go home.”

—Good morning. Are you lost, young man? You aren’t from here —an old, kind woman asks me, approaching suddenly. She looks at me from head to toe and, finally, someone doesn’t judge me. An elderly person from this village... I suppose they would be the only ones kind to me.
—Yes, excuse me. I arrived today and I need a job. Do you know of one?
—Oh, what a pity. If you had arrived a little earlier I would have hired you, but my restaurant closed after my husband passed away —a pity for her husband, but I couldn’t lose the opportunity.
—Please, ma’am, allow me to work in your restaurant. I don’t need money right now, just a roof. I will work like that if you let me sleep under a roof, even in the restaurant itself. I will take care of everything, I know how to cook. —seriously, I couldn’t lose this opportunity. If it wasn’t with her, then I would have to keep walking to the next villages until reaching the city.
—I don’t know, young man... I don’t want to take advantage of you —she said, lowering her gaze to her wrinkled hands.
—This place is full of dust and sad memories. I don’t even have firewood for the stoves.
—It doesn’t matter, ma’am. Please, I can help your business open again. I’ll take care of everything; I know how to work and I can do anything.

“The lady didn’t take her eyes off me. I don’t know what she saw in me, but she looked so happy and with the same hope as I had. She takes out a rusty key and hands it to me.”

—My name is Brigitte —she told me with a nostalgic look and smile; sadness, tiredness, so many emotions in a single glance.
—Everything is dirty, so old... we are going to have to work a lot.
—Nice to meet you, Mrs. Brigitte. My name is Jorge. Please, have faith that everything will return to its original path and I won’t allow it to close again. —i can’t promise such a thing; it’s not like I’m going to stay a long time, just the necessary time.
—“Jorge” is such a nice name —it’s obvious she never heard a name like mine. It’s normal; this is not my home and I don’t care much about this world.

“We arrived at her restaurant. Everything was so dark, dirty; this place lacked love. Luckily, the old woman was attentive to me and gave me bread and water to start the work. People see how there is movement in that old business that seems not to have opened for a long time. The villagers just murmur as they pass; others stay watching how I work. It doesn’t matter, I’ll show them who I am. I spent the whole day working. I couldn’t eat much, but at least I had something in my belly and was no longer thirsty.”

—Good job, Jorge. Everything is so... beautiful —she said it almost in tears, a look so human, so nostalgic.

“She just wipes her tears and takes me to her house where I could eat after working all day without resting, and she allowed me to sleep in my own bedroom. Thank you, ma’am.”

—Thank you very much, ma’am —I devoured everything without tasting anything; I was so hungry.
—No, thanks to you. It had been a year and seven months since I opened the doors of my business. I am already so old and my husband was the one who could still work... but he... he was... —her voice breaks, she lowers her gaze, and her tears do not wait.

“I imagined he would have died because of some bandits in the area, but this is not my world. Again. He was killed by some wild “creatures” of the forest outside the village I came from. I was so lucky not to cross paths with them... but that sensation of the forest was abnormal...”

—Those creatures are like humans but twice as big. They aren’t like ogres; they are civilized, but these savages hunt for fun in packs. I never saw that they needed to feed on humans, they just play with them and... —she said it with terror in her eyes. She went through a lot.

“I imagine this old woman saw everything throughout her life. Such cruel creatures, they resemble humans but at the same time ogres... this place is so strange. Well, I don’t care... I think.”

“Morning comes and it is time to open the place, buy the basket for the restaurant, and get firewood. I go to the bathroom to wash my face and I see the reason why everyone murmured about me... I can see in my reflection that the eye that god implanted is a different color, a dull light blue with a pentagram of a dark star. Now I understand everything. This world is of magic; it is like a fantasy world, and to think that was only fiction for me. I imagine there is racism in some aspects of this world; it wouldn’t explain why they treated me so badly if that weren’t the case. I’ll have to hide it with a lock of my hair until then. How funny, I look like an emo from my time, an advantage of long hair.”

“I spend almost the whole morning shopping with the old woman’s few savings, and the more I speak with people, the easier communication becomes, and the more I read the prices and weird names of the products, the reading becomes more understandable. I get everything I think I need and head to the restaurant to work. I prepare the tables, the kitchen, the drinks, but then the first customers arrive.”

—Good morning, we would like a large plate of kegag with irochú tripe. —the first customer’s option sounded disgusting.

“What is that supposed to be? I forgot that I am unaware of the culinary culture of the place. I’ll have to improvise throughout the day and propose foods from my world. The old woman just looked with worry, but I couldn’t fail her, after everything she did for me.”

—Excuse me, but today we do not have that available. But... —come on Jorge, think of something fast, you can’t fail now —But I can offer you an option brought from another world, something your palate has never tasted. I won’t disappoint you.
—Alright, I trust you, boy —he sits at a table with his companions and I improvise everything in the kitchen.

“I decide to cook them chicken milanesa with a salad of tomatoes, lettuce, and onions, although the appearance of the vegetables and the bird meat were different. It was the fastest thing that occurred to me, thinking that I will have to cook against the clock or have almost everything ready for when the next customers arrive. Curious, he seems to be an adventurer by his appearance and that of his companions. I think that profession would suit me when I leave this village. But without strength or knowing how to use magic, I am useless. I must not waste this second life and I will have to look in the library for a spell book, if there is a tutorial on how to cast a spell in those books.”

—Milanesa, you say... What is it made of? —the adventurer asked with distrust upon seeing the plate. I don’t blame him; I imagine they had never seen anything like it.
—Chicken meat breaded in breadcrumbs and fried in oil —i say it with total normality, but the adventurers look at me with confusion.
—What is a “chicken,” boy? Are you screwing with me? —he looks at me with a threatening gaze, standing up from his table and clenching his fists.

“Out of habit with my words, I forget that the birds I don’t know have another name here. Luckily, a female companion of his saves me, taking the first bite.”

—Hey, leave him alone and try this! —she exclaims, amazed, and saves me from a possible punch —It is very delicious!

“Everyone tastes my food amazed. That was a close one... but it gives me more satisfaction to see the old woman happy. All that fear disappeared when she saw the adventurers devouring everything. The day passes normally and more customers only ask for the milanesa. Its popularity was such that I could prepare the milanesa sandwich for the adventurers who ordered for takeout."

"Throughout the work day, I realized that all those adventurers are from the village and, according to what the old woman said, magic in this village does not exist; only the knights who come to guard are the only ones with real magic, or adventurers who were passing through. In this way, a week passes working, but I didn’t have time to go to the library. Luckily, one day that luck changed.”

—Do you seriously possess no magic, Jorge?! —the old woman asked with astonishment.
—No, Grandma Brigitte, I only have this eye that is useless —I replied in a low voice, making sure the business was empty.

“I decided to maintain a lie, that I had been born with this defective eye. Luckily she is somewhat naive, but I felt guilty. Until now she was the second person to be kind to me knowing about my eye; the first was a woman with that cloak who pointed out the bar where they kicked me out. I wonder if she only pointed it out of kindness or pity.”

—Why don’t you go to the library after work? —she suggested —Don’t worry, it is always open to the village, maybe you’ll discover something there.

“I listened and went to the library after work. I looked for several books, I spent the night there, but I found nothing about magic eyes, at least, to understand if there is a great complexity in having a magic eye, or so I imagined. I think that, if it is magical, I doubt it is decorative."

"And so the first two months pass working, reading other magic books and I even tried to cast spells, but nothing worked. I suppose I must learn something beforehand to cast spells.

"Over time the restaurant gained more popularity and I brought several recipes from my world. Until one day something unusual happens.”

—Good morning, what would you like? —i ask the customer, but I feel like I had seen her before.
—Good morning. I see you got a job, congratulations —she replies and looks up.

“It was her, the first person who was kind to me. She seems friendly. I think I’ll strike up a conversation with her; maybe I can learn something about this world with her. She seems to know more than she appears.”