In the living room, Asher sat on the sofa and picked up the remote control, turning on the TV in front of him. He pretended to watch the program while secretly observing Aunt Vera from the corner of his eye.
While Aunt Vera cooked in the kitchen, she chatted pleasantly with Grandpa Max, and his uncle added to the conversation from time to time. Looking at this familiar scene, it didn't seem like they could be monsters. It was impossible for a monster's memory to be exactly identical to the real person's, right?
"Ben, Gwen, Asher, you must try this chicken-flavored gelatin I made. It's especially delicious!" Aunt Vera's enthusiastic voice called out from the kitchen.
"Chicken-flavored... gelatin?! What kind of culinary abomination is this!" Asher's face turned pale. He'd rather go outside and fight those monsters than eat Aunt Vera's chicken-flavored gelatin!
"This is the same kind of disaster as Grandpa's cooking!" Gwen thought with dread, her pitiful eyes turning toward Asher. The pleading expression on her face would have been endearing if the circumstances weren't so dire.
"Okay, I'll help you out this once!" Asher steeled himself, gritting his teeth as he spoke.
"Asher!" Ben also looked at him with desperate, pleading eyes.
Asher was silent for a moment before saying, "Ben, be a man and face it bravely!"
"No way!" Ben shouted with a mortified expression.
"No what? The gelatin is here!"
Aunt Vera carried a large serving platter with several portions of chicken-flavored gelatin on it. She walked toward the three of them with a kind smile and set the plate on the coffee table in the living room.
The gelatin was an unnatural green color, large, quivering masses that resembled some kind of unknown substance. They emitted a distinctly unappetizing odor that filled the room.
Even Asher felt waves of disgust. This was truly a culinary catastrophe. Why did Grandpa Max and Aunt Vera, enjoy cooking such questionable dishes so much?
And the strangest thing of all?
Uncle Frank and Grandpa Max took the lead, each holding a small plate in their left hand and a spoon in their right. They each took a portion of gelatin and ate it with apparent relish in front of everyone.
"Vera, your cooking skills are still excellent, you haven't lost your touch at all," Max praised between bites, showing what could only be described as solidarity through suffering.
"Yes, as a main dish, this chicken gelatin can also be eaten as a dessert, and it has protein and nutritional value," Uncle Frank added with seeming admiration.
"Oh, you're too kind," Aunt Vera replied with a bashful smile.
After the two elders finished their tasting, they and Aunt Vera looked at the three grandchildren with anticipation in their eyes.
"..."
Asher suddenly broke into a cold sweat, his hand trembling as he gripped the spoon. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he positioned it over a quivering mass of gelatin. His lips trembled as he brought the spoon closer to his mouth.
When he finally closed his eyes, furrowed his brow, and placed the gelatin in his mouth, Asher felt like he'd instantly been transported to hell. He nearly died on the spot, his entire body shaking slightly. He forced himself to swallow the entire spoonful of chicken-flavored gelatin in one go without chewing.
Because if he actually bit into it with his teeth, the flavor would fully spread across his tongue.
He would genuinely prefer death!
"Haha, it looks like my chicken-flavored gelatin is a hit! Asher seems to love it," Aunt Vera said with a delighted smile.
This made Asher's body tremble even more violently!
This lunch was definitely one that he and Ben would never forget for the rest of their lives. Gwen, however, bowed her head with slight embarrassment and avoided the ordeal on the grounds that she wasn't hungry.
Once the platter was finally clean, Asher and Ben both looked utterly defeated. They lay flat on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling with hollow eyes, as if their souls had left their bodies.
Aunt Vera and Uncle Frank picked up the plates and dishes, then headed toward the kitchen.
Max, having finally dropped his amused expression, sat down next to Asher and asked in a low voice, "Asher, what's your assessment? They can't be monsters in disguise, right? I've been asking questions only someone from our generation would know, and they answered everything correctly."
"I don't know about the rest, but Aunt Vera's cooking skills can't be faked!" Asher gritted his teeth, partly to emphasize his point, but mostly to keep from throwing up his lunch.
Crash! Bang! Clatter!
There was a loud commotion from the kitchen as dishes were thrown into the trash can and shattered to pieces!
"Why aren't you washing them? Why throw them away?" Seeing this scene, Asher looked puzzled and addressed his aunt and uncle as they emerged from the kitchen.
"Oh, that." Aunt Vera still wore her pleasant smile, though it suddenly seemed slightly forced. "It's because the water in the whole town has been shut off, so we can't wash the dishes. We can only throw them away."
Water?!
That single word made Asher's mind snap to full alertness!
He remembered it clearly now.
When the elderly man had encountered water earlier, he'd done a backflip and looked extremely nervous!
In other words, the monsters' weakness was water!
"Maybe I can use water to test whether Aunt Vera and the others are actually humanoid monsters," Asher thought, making up his mind. He began looking around, searching for a water source.