"There's my boy" he heard his father say as he gave his son a big bear hug. "Okay dad, good to see you too," 


Lance looked at his father with a mixture of surprise and confusion. He noticed that his father seemed to have grown taller "Dad, you look...look...taller," he stuttered, not quite sure how to articulate his observation. His father let out a hearty chuckle, reminiscent of Santa Clause. "Well, you know, son," he replied with a twinkle in his eye, "Those darn aliens hooked me up to a stretching machine." Lance eyes widened in disbelief. His dad couldn't possibly be serious, could he? But as he looked at his father's towering figure, he couldn't deny that something strange had indeed happened.


"You didn't see us for a week and you say that?!" His mother laughed.


Lance sat at the kitchen table, watching his mom intently as she skillfully cut the meat, the familiar sound of the knife hitting the cutting board and the tantalizing aroma of meat filled the air, as Lance continued to observe his mom's actions, a sense of unease began to creep over him. The way the meat looked as it was being cut, with its pale color and red juices oozing out, reminded him of something else entirely - a human arm that had been skinned. He couldn't shake off the disturbing image in his mind, and he found himself feeling nauseous at the thought. Lance knew it was just his overactive imagination playing tricks on him, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread and discomfort as he watched his mom effortlessly slice through the meat with precision.


After the meat was sliced, Lance's mother began putting a salad together. As she was preparing the ingredients, he noticed she put leaves in the salad "Mom, are you putting leaves in the salad?" he asked curiously. His mother chuckled and replied, "Yes I am, Ash leaves are good for you." Lance was intrigued by this revelation.


"I forgot to mention, I'm actually having dinner at a friend's place." He lied.


"Oh nonsense! You're having dinner with us! We have to catch up dear" His mother replied.


"No really, I made this promise days ago, so we'll catch up tomorrow ok?" Lance said with a hug as he rushed out the door.