The Feast

A simple family dinner.

“Daddy, can I have some gravy please?” the supple young boy, wearing his best clothing asked his father. 

“I don’t know, can you?” his father asked with a smile.

“Charles…” the man’s wife said in a voice more nasally than usual, looking at him with an innocent air of disapproval.

        “Oh, come now Mary,” he placed his hand over that of his wife, smiling as he looked into her eyes. “I’m only trying to teach him!” He removed his hand from her, picking up the marble cup holding the ever so succulent batch of gravy made for their dinner. With both hands, he reached over, “Yes, Michael, you may,” he said to his gracious son, winking playfully as he carefully poured some of the brown liquid onto the boy’s food.

Young Michael smiled as he watched the gravy cover the delicious meat before him. He had waited long for such a feast to commence; the young boy’s patience had become challenged as the family continued preparing their own meals. He looked around, noticing the others were distracted, and carefully reached for a piece of the heavenly-tasting meat that he had been deprived of for far too long. Taking hold of a small piece, his mouth watered, and his eyes widened in anticipation of the unique taste.

“Michael! You have to wait for all of us!” the boy’s elder sister exclaimed in an annoying fashion"complemented by the nasal tone of her voice"as she noticed her brother before he could sneak a taste of his meal.

The boy looked at the piece of meat, watching it as it enticed and taunted him with its own deliciousness; the juicy red meat made him quiver at its sanctity. He then looked over to his father, who signaled him to place it down on his plate.

“Your sister’s right, honey; it’s polite if you wait for all of us,” his mother explained.

He darted his eyes at his sister, expressing his scorn, and placed the piece of meat back down on his own plate angrily, causing small splashes of red droplets to cover a previously white portion of his plate. He sat back and pouted in his annoyance, crossing his arms as his sister smiled menacingly in her own amusement. “Fine,” he stated bluntly. His father ruffled his hair, cheering the young boy up as the three other family members continued to add to their plates whatever they desired.

The boy’s sister went to grab one of the pieces of meat, only to be thwarted by her other younger brother. “I wanted that piece!” she cried as he placed the slab of meat on his plate.

“You were too slow,” he bragged, sticking his tongue out at her.

Her face became red with anger as she held back a response, turning to her parents. “Make him give it back!”

“I wanted that piece, too! She wasn’t even close enough to it, so I just grabbed it.”

“No! You saw me going for that piece, and just took it to be annoying like you always do!”

“Oh yeah, prove it!”

The man put down his newspaper, tired of the mindless bickering already. “Abby, there is plenty to go around. Be the mature one and just take another piece.”

Abby looked over at her brother, who mocked her by holding and playing around with the slab of meat. She wanted, more than anything at the time, to jab his nose in a downward motion, knowing the result would be worth her consequential punishment. She held back, however, lest her brother see fit to deliver the same response unto her. “Yes, daddy,” she said with disappointment, grabbing another piece.

“Now, if we’re all through with nonsense, can we say our thanks?” the mother inquired.

The family nodded in agreement, joining hands as Charles began to speak. “Well, Sir, here we sit once more, happy as we could ever ask for. I suppose we should be much, much happier, to be bestowed with such an honor as having this exquisite catch. Recent times have been hard on all of us; I know it’s been long since we’ve been able to dine so regally. So we thank you, Sir, for everything.”

Mary smiled as he finished his oration, kissing him gently on the cheek as the family lowered their hands. “That was lovely, dear. Now,” she looked at her children, “we may eat.”

The children, much to their parents’ amusement, frantically grabbed their utensils as they devoured the food on their plates. Charles removed his own nostril plugs"as the rest of his family had"and began to eat his own meal; it was forbidden to even smell the fine meat before collectively dining with your family. The man placed the warm and smeared slab of meat into his mouth, entering into a brief state of euphoria as he savored the initial moment. It was the smell, however, that returned his attention to elephant in the room.

He stared, for a moment, at the blood soaked and slightly decayed corpse that occupied the center of the table. The body, the center of their feast, was garnished in ceremonial robes"easily removable for convenience. He observed his family around him as they savagely filled their stomachs with the prized meat. Charles watched his son tear a piece of fine flesh off of it, devouring it without hesitation"his teeth and mouth painted red with blood. The man smiled at his son’s enthusiasm"he was so proud to see him growing up"and continued quietly eating the fresh and succulent red meat.

Author's Note

General review.