Derik Green had just gotten off work at the office. It was Wednesday. That meant his wife was meeting with her scrapbooking club. She usually ate with them so Derik would always grab a bite on his way home.

Derik was strolling down 7th avenue where he often walked on Wednesday nights when he was searching for somewhere to eat. He made a point to never eat at the same restaurant twice. He enjoyed the adventure in trying new thing and the thrill of never knowing what to expect.

He walked for seven or eight blocks when he saw this bright florescent sign that said Sushi Star in the most intriguing fashion. He had never seen this place before; he would’ve remembered if he had. Everything about this place was alluring from the glow of the sign to the bamboo planted by the doors. Just looking at it gave him this feeling of balance and peace.

There was no doubt in his mind that this was the place he was going to eat at. He walked into the restaurant and it was empty. This seemed very strange to him on account that it was dinnertime and it was located on a very busy street. There was calm Japanese music playing in the background. It was very soothing.
Derik walked up to the bar. The chef didn’t say anything so Derik pointed to the sushi he wanted. The chef put it on a plate for him and handed him some chopsticks. He was just taking his first bite when he heard a loud bang from the back. The chef seemed oblivious and he continued working.
The music changed. It was much louder now. Although he didn’t understand them, the soprano voices of the Japanese singers seemed to be taunting him. The lights got brighter and then dimmed. This made Derik nervous.
There was another loud bang from the back. All of a sudden a giant squid slithered out from the back. The lights flickering and the beat of the music had gotten more intense. They synchronized with his heartbeat.
The Squid walked up to the counter and asked, “Are you enjoying your sushi?” He didn’t know what to say, he was dumbfound. The beat of the music synchronized with his heartbeat. Derik just remained there no idea what to say or do. Oddly enough he wasn’t scared and he had a silly grin spread across his face.
“I’ll leave you alone and let you finish your sushi,” said the squid. Then he reached across the bar laid down a business card. “Come again and tell your friends about us,” it said as it slithered back into the kitchen.
There was another loud bang and everything went black and the music ceased4. It was only like this for a few seconds but they felt like an eternity. Then all of a sudden everything returned to normal and it was as if nothing happened. The chef was happily humming and chopping some fish.
“What just happened?” Derik asked. The chef narrowed his eyes and tilted his head in confusion. “Did you not just see that giant squid come in here?” The chef started laughing, ”Oh this is your first time.”
Then a fat man that resembled the squid he saw pushed open the door to the kitchen. The chef said something in Japanese to him and they both started laughing. The fat man said “So how was your sushi?” Unsure of how to respond and afraid of what he had just consumed, Derik ran out of the restaurant and went home.
Derik tried to forget about that night but no matter what he did he would always found himself wondering what had happened. Had what he seen been real? Did he hallucinate it? And if so what had caused him to do so?
About three months later he was watching the news when he saw this segment over a Japanese sushi restaurant that had been caught putting LSD in their sushi. This caught Derik’s attention. Then they showed a picture of the restaurant . It was the Sushi Star.