 This is Cook's Falls, and this is a story about one of its residents, Simon Dally. I'm Stella, Simon's guardian angel, and I'm here to help him. Here comes Simon now! Say hello, Simon! Simon's on his way to work. He's a cook for the town's only restaurant, the dinner plate. That's Ebenezer Finneke. He's the town's wealthiest man. He carries a stopwatch and threatens to have anyone fired who delays his lunch schedule. And he can do it. He has a lot of power in a little town like Cook's Falls. Good afternoon! Why all the long faces? Finneke just ordered the special. He wants it in 20 minutes or heads will roll. That's no problem. We're set up to serve the special. Not today special, Simon. Tomorrow special, beef stew. Tomorrow's? But that's impossible. We're not prepared to serve it yet. And if we rush around too much, someone's liable to get hurt. Simon, I'm sorry. This Mr. Finneke wants tomorrow special. You just have to try and make it quickly. But we're short-handed today as it is. And you just have to work harder. I'm sorry. He's got me over barrel. All right, let's get down to work. Sam, have you been trained to operate the slicer? No, but I don't have time for that now. Finneke's waiting. I'll learn later. Sam ought to know that an answer like that just won't cut it with Simon. No pun intended. It'll only take a minute. Now roll up your sleeves and pay attention. You want to get the extra material away from the blade so it won't get caught and pulled in. And you should take your watch and your wedding ring off as well. So they won't get caught either. Take your time. Relax. Okay, now make sure the safety guard is on the food when you're slicing. Don't try to catch what you're slicing either. That's a sure-fire way to slice up your hands. And don't put too much force on the guard either. Too much force may cause the blade to lose it. And when you're done, turn the machine off. Thanks for the lessons, Simon. I'll be careful. Hi, Sam. Hi, Betsy. One more thing, Sam. If someone calls to you, it talks to you when you're operating the slicer. Turn the machine off before you look up. If you turn away from the slicer, even for a split second, you can get a severe injury. Thanks, Simon. Glad to have you. Jim, I'll need some of those carrots for Finicky's stew. Sure, Simon. Uh-oh. If he's gonna chop carrots with that dull knife, he's gonna need a hand. Get it? Jim, don't use that dull knife. You could hurt yourself. Use a sharp one. I could get hurt worse with a sharp knife. A lot of people think that, Jim, but a sharp knife is much safer. It cuts easier, and you don't have to push down so hard. And there's less chance the food will slip away, leaving the knife to fall on your hand. So sharpen your knives regularly, and store them separate from the other utensils, so you don't get cut reaching for one. There are even special metal mesh gloves you can use when you're slicing continuously. Thanks, Simon. Sure. Mary, that doesn't look too safe. Well, how else am I supposed to get it down? Well, if you can't reach the box easily, you should use a step ladder. This box is too heavy. You could throw your back out, or it could land on your head, or cause you to lose your balance and make you fall. Right, Simon. Thank you. You could store the box under the counter where it would be easier to reach. Come on, Simon. Well, Betsy, just getting some water for Finicky's stew. Oh, look what I did. Careful, Betsy. Sorry. Boy, if she took a spill, she'd be all washed up. All right, I'd better quit while I'm ahead. I don't have time to clean this up now. I'll warn people with this, Simon. Boy, if Simon doesn't get this stew going, he's going to be in big trouble. I'd better help him out. Well, Simon, I got the water going for your stew. Well, thanks, Mary. But the handle pointing out over the stove that way can be very dangerous. Someone could come rushing along, run into it, and get a severe scull. I never thought of that, Simon. Our kitchen's got a million places where a person could get hurt if they're not watching. Here's another one. It's a good thing we've got a fire extinguisher and emergency numbers posted there to the telephone. Um, Simon, can I see you outside for a second? Sure, Mr. Putter. What is it, Mr. Putter? I'm sorry, Simon. Mr. Fennecke didn't get his lunch yet. He wants me to fire the head cook, and that's you. But Mr. Putter, you can't sacrifice safety. I have no choice but to let you go. If I don't, he'll close me down. I'm sorry, Simon. I'm really sorry. I understand, Mr. Putter. You had no choice. What am I going to do? I wish I'd never been born. Okay. You were never born. Who are you? I'm Stella, your guardian angel, and I'm here to give you what you wished for. You've got to be kidding me. Hey, like it or not, I'm your guardian angel, and I'm here to give you what you wished for. Well, in that case, I'll take it. Whoa, pal, I've already granted your wish. What wish? You wished you had never been born. Oh, yeah, but that's not what I really wanted. Too late. Come on. I'll show you what life without you is like. Hey, what's going on? The dinner plate was going great. I just came from there. No, Simon. You were never there. You were never even born, and this is what life is like without you. What happened to the restaurant? So many people were injured on the job that in time, no one wanted to work there. It had to close. Sam, what did you do to your hand? Hey, pal, keep your mitts off me. Sam! It was a slicer, wasn't it? It can't look up from that thing even for a second. Jim, your thumb! I warned you not to use a dull knife. Mary, what happened to you? I lost my balance and fell off the counter, not that it's any of your business. But Mary, I told you not to lift that box. It should never have been stirred up there in the first place. They don't know you, Simon. You were never born. No one taught them about safety in the kitchen. But I warned them all. Why didn't they listen? They would have, Simon. If you had been born to warn them, they would have listened. But without you, they had finicky and others like him on their backs. They ignored their own safety. Is it too late, Stella? Can I ever go back? Go back? I gave you what you wished for. I don't know how to take wishes back. Stella, get me out of this mess! I'll think of something. I can't believe it. The restaurant's closed. All my friends are out of work. And I was never born. I wish I'd never made that wish. That's it? It was so easy! A retro wish! Simon, I've been looking all over town for you. Well, Sam, you wouldn't believe it even if I told you. Hey, wait a minute. You know me, don't you, Sam? You know me! Of course I know you, Simon. I've worked with you long enough. Right. We worked together. Say, you're acting pretty excited for somebody who just lost their job. No, that's right, too. I just lost my job! Yes, Simon. That's why I came to find you. Come on. Gaines all here! Are we having a party or something? When we found out you were let go, we all quit. We said there's no way we're working in this kitchen without Simon Daly. You did that for me. Yeah, and Mr. Putter had to hire you back in order to get the rest of us to work. Finicky had no choice either. He knew without us, he'd never get a good meal. Is that true, Mr. Putter? Yes, Simon. It didn't make good business sense to let you go, and when everyone else supported you, why Finicky had to agree. And now that you're back, I'd like you to train the employees to use the equipment safely and properly. I can't have you all getting injured now, can I? Welcome back, Simon. Thanks, Stella. What's this, Simon? Nothing, Sam. Nothing. Let's go back over what we learned. A slicer can be a dangerous piece of equipment if you don't know how to use it properly. Use the guard at all times and don't reach for anything that's stuck in it until you turn it off. To clean it, unplug it first. Turn the gauge to the closed position and remove the guard. Use a stick with a cloth wrapped around one end and clean the blade from the center out. Cover the hand that rotates the blade with a protective cloth. If it's a removable blade slicer, remove the guard and blade. Then wash the blade at once. Don't leave it in the sink unattended. When you're done, replace the blade and guard. Now about knives. This is common sense too. If you're using a dull knife, the blade can easily slip off and cut you. A sharp knife slices cleanly without as much force. Keep knives sharp and store them separately from other utensils. Don't place them in the sink, under food or in other hidden locations. Falls in the kitchen are another common hazard. Most falls are from slips or trips at floor level. Keep floor surfaces clean and dry and free from trash and other obstacles. Clean up spills immediately or at least use caution or wet floor signs until you get a chance to clean it up. Use slip resistant floor coatings and non-slip floor strips. Store bulky heavy items on lower shelves so they won't fall on you. And don't stand on things that aren't sturdy. Use a safe ladder. To prevent burns and scalds, examine the area around the stove. Keep flammable objects such as clothing and towels away from flames. Pot handles on the stove should be turned inward so they can't be knocked off by an employee passing by. Don't attempt to lift heavy pots containing hot liquids. Ask for help and don't rush. Simon says a kitchen's got a million places for a person to get hurt if they're not thinking. So remember, safety's everyone's job.