"Dinner Time"

 The static on the radio crackled over the sound of music as I pulled the chicken nuggets out of the oven. The static would come in and out, masking out individual words of the song as if it was a form of censorship.

I took the chicken nuggets out of the oven and gently sat it down on the stovetop. I took the oven mitts off and twisted the knob on the oven to turn it off. I had to back away from the kitchen for a few moments to escape the intense heat.

As I left the kitchen, I joined my baby in the living room. She had a cartoon running on the television that her eyes were transfixed to. She would laugh the cutest little baby laugh you'd ever hear. It was impossible not to crack a smile upon hearing it. It was adorable.

As I waited for the chicken nuggets to cool, I plopped down next to my child. Her name was Charlie. We named her after her grandfather. We just wished he could have seen her before he passed.

It hadn't taken long before her show had ended. I could hear her starting to whine a little bit. She was hungry. Maybe she could smell the food.

I got up and put the chicken nuggets on a plate. I cut them up a little bit so it would be easier for her to eat. I gave her a little bit of ketchup as well to go along with it.

I sat with her and helped her eat them. I'd grab a nugget and she'd take it from my hand and shovel it in her mouth. She loved them.

As I fed her, I could hear the radio in the kitchen growing a little louder. Why was it doing that? I shrugged it off and continued feeding Charlie.

Before I knew it, her food was almost completely gone. Thankfully, she hadn't made much of a mess of herself. Normally she'd be wearing the ketchup like a face mask. Today there was just a tiny amount above her lip. I grabbed a napkin from the coffee table and wiped her face. As I did, the radio static was only getting louder.

I tried ignoring it but it was starting to upset my baby. She refused to eat anymore food and started crying. In frustration, I stood up and went to the kitchen to turn the radio off. I flipped a switch on the side of it but it made no difference. I tried adjusting the volume dial but nothing happened. Even adjusting the station it was on would only leave me with more static.

Out of desperation, I went to the all to unplug it. But to my horror, it wasn't even plugged in. I was horrified. How was this even possible? Was I in a dream?

As the volume increased, my baby's crying also got louder. She was slamming her little fists against the chair she was seated in. I was overwhelmed and had no idea what to do.

I picked up the radio and slammed it on the ground. It shattered to pieces, and yet the static still rang through the house. Over the static and the crying, I could no longer hear my own thoughts! I let out a scream at the top of my lungs. I screamed and screamed until my throat was sore. And as I lowered my voice, the static and baby crying had also begun to fade.

Looking around, I was surrounded by darkness. Not even the slightest hint of light, nor sound, was there to guide me. I stuck my hand out to try and guide my way around. But to my horror, I found that I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I couldn't do anything. What was happening?

Suddenly, the lights flashed on. I was strapped to a table. Was I in a doctor's office? It was hard to see, as the lights were so blinding to my adjusting eyes. I was able to turn my head and I saw the radio I'd once had, now in pieces. It was preserved well, it's pieces laid out perfectly on a metal plate next to me.

A voice wandered its way into the room. He introduced himself as just 'The Doctor'. He told me how sad he was that I'd broken his greatest creation. One that he'd literally put his heart and soul into. He gave it life, to put it lightly.

He then told me in his most sinister tone, "But that's okay. Souls can be replaced. Only this soul won't be my own." My screams were drowned out by the whirring of an electric buzz saw.