Sushi Horror Story, Part Two

My mom rolled her eyes and dragged the Pepsi over to her and gazed down into the brown liquid. Strange little black blobs floated on the surface. My mom made a gurgling sound. “I think they’re ants,” she finally said. Just then, I noticed an ant emerging from the liquid, crawling upwards desperately from the muck. It seemed to be gasping for air as it plummeted to the tabletop. It scurried about briefly, before it met my fist. Curious, yet, horrified, all of us leaned over to inspect the swamp. Dead ants swirled and tumbled throughout the drink, and live ants struggled to survive on the surface. My brother’s eyes widened as he realized what he’d been drinking for the last twelve minutes. He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue, crossing his eyes to examine the muscle. A single black dot resided in the middle of the pink flesh. Colton jumped up, shook him spastically, and ran to the bathroom. I pushed my Pink Panther Platter away from me.
The waitress was summoned, and my mom carefully explained that dead insects had made a watery tomb in Colton’s drink. The waitress shook her head. My mom tried again. “There are ants. In his drink. ANTS.” The woman mimed things marching across her palm. My mom nodded. The waitress giggled nervously and explained to us in fractured English that ants were living in the soda dispenser. But she didn’t think they’d get in the actual drink! There was a collective head tilt. She then offered Colton, and all of us, a free refill. “Um, we’ll just have the check, thanks,” my mom said. Since no discount was offered, we paid the full bill. As soon as Colton reappeared, green-faced, from the bathroom, we bolted from “Damn Me.”