Orange Chicken

Jeremy walks up to the Panda Express counter. The orange chicken glows like a beacon calling his shackled soul forward. He tastes the sweetness already. He licks his lips and his eyes water. He lets out a slight whimper. The man at the counter asks what he would like and Jeremy asks for a bowl with rice. The man is about to build Jeremy’s dream before his eyes. Then he asks—no, begs—for the orange chicken on top. The man says they are out of orange chicken. A lie. Enraged, Jeremy opens his mouth to swear but the Panda Employee begins dancing in circles, eating the orange chicken and singing, “if you wish upon a star, it doesn’t matter who you are!” He turns into a panda and starts floating into the sky, taking the last of the orange chicken with him. Jeremy wakes up in a cold sweat. He is still in prison and will be for the next 25 years.