Chapter Eight

Facing the Knives

Button-Bright was tossed from tree to tree like a bean bag toy for what seemed at least an hour.

He wasn't really sure how long it had lasted, but finally he was thrown by the last tree, and landed hard against the grass in a clearing.

The clearing was odd. That was the first thing he noticed upon bringing himself to stand.

There were stoves scattered here and there, along with kitchen islands and butcher blocks.

The entire place was abandoned, but he vaguely recalled something about Utensia from a previous adventure.

He wondered where all the living silverware was, and noticed the entire placed looked trashed upon further observation.

Some of the stoves were banged up and turned over. Some of the islands lay in shambles.

It was clear something bad had happened here...

As Button thought this, he had a vague and sudden sense of eyes watching him.

He turned toward some nearby bushes, but found nothing.

He was about to turn and look a different way when a rope flew up over his shoulder quick as mustard and caught him.

Several more ropes entrapped him and he was drug back- now a prisoner.

"We got a human," several little voices repeated to one another with excitement.

Button was surprised to find when he looked around- a bunch of kitchen knives had surrounded him.

A butcher knife and carving knife were holding the ropes that had him restrained, while a particularly dull butter-knife paced.

"What to do with our prisoner?" the butter-knife wondered.

A steak knife beat the ground with it's blade in protest.

"Bah!" it said to the butter-knife. "Like we'd let you decide it? You're just a butter-knife, and aren't much use for cutting anything!"

"That may be true enough," the butter-knife said with an air. "However, let us not forget I led us in the toppling of Utensia. I commanded the cleavers and chased off all the other silverware."

A bunch of the knives laughed amongst themselves at this.

"Yes!" chuckled the cleaver. "A lot of good that's done us too..."

"Enough of that sir!" the butter-knife retorted. "I suggest we take this prisoner to the forks, and see what they make of him."

Several of the knives hopped at this to show their agreement, and soon Button-Bright was forced to walk along behind them.

He was bound with quite strong ropes and could not have resisted- even if his jailers were a butcher cleaver and a carving knife...