Meat Family

Chapter 6

Ancestors

Just dead people

After buying a few more items from the shopping list and ignoring the odd stares from the villagers, they arrived at their last stop: Dr. Korosvki's practice. It was a quaint little house with the strong scent of herbs in the air. It was the only house without decorations, but many plants were hung around it, and it was situated right in front of the Terra statue. The statue depicted a beautiful woman in a long dress, from whose hair either plants grew or her hair was made of plants—Brock couldn't quite decipher it. She struck an elegant pose, with one hand raised as if reaching for something.

Brock knocked on the wooden door, and soon after, footsteps could be heard. A short, elderly man opened the door. He had brown hair sticking out in all directions and wore thick round glasses on his small nose, which made his eyes look enormous.

"Ah! The Kanis family, nice to see you. Come on in!" Dr. Korosvki said warmly, inviting them inside. Dr. Korosvki was the only doctor in the village. He didn't adhere strictly to the village's beliefs but was still a relief to the villagers.

Brock wheeled Sabine into the warm house, where the herbal scent grew even stronger. Many herbs were in vases, and various medical tools were scattered across tables.

Brock noticed the doctor staring at him curiously. "Who is this young gentleman?"

His older sister chuckled, "This is Brock, he's visiting us today."

Dr. Korosvki's eyes lit up immediately. "Ah, now I remember! You have so many siblings, I tend to forget a few faces quickly," the doctor laughed and then turned to Sabine. "Let's get started with our program."

"You can wait outside if you like, Brock. This might take a while," Sabine said to her brother, who nodded and stepped out of the house.

The orange-haired boy sat down on the steps of the practice and let out a slight, tired sigh. The day had dragged on, and he was looking forward to a warm shower and his cozy bed. He had completely forgotten to message Ryan—he was going to regret that...

He watched the villagers going about their daily activities. Some were kneeling beneath the Terra statue, praying quietly. Others were decorating a tree with wind chimes. Llum Estrela was deeply attached to the old kings who were said to have once ruled the entire world. They were believed to have had beautiful kingdoms, all of which were destroyed by a monstrous creature until nothing was left. But he had heard that there was still a kingdom in the Alps. The final class of his school had flown there as part of their graduation trip to see it. He had heard many tales of how beautiful the castle was, but it was supposed to be freezing cold.

Even his own family had a strong belief in their ancestors. His ancestor was said to have been a commissioner of the Holy Star Queen, something very prestigious, but little good was ever said about him in the stories—then the door behind him opened.

Sabine rolled out: "Alright, let's head home."

The sun was slowly disappearing behind the trees, darkening the forest. He loved the forest, but at night, it became a nightmare. The sounds of animals and, during storms, the branches banging against the windows.

"We should hurry, we don't want Mom to have a meltdown," Sabine joked.

"I bet you five dollars she's already on the steps," Brock suggested with a grin.

"Whoa! Deal!"

As they approached the house, the light from the windows shone through. Brock tried to see if anyone was on the steps, but there was no one in sight.

"Hah! I think I'm getting those five dollas." Sabine grinned back at him.

"Who said you'd get anything?"

His sister looked at him in slight confusion: "You made the bet!"

"Yeah, but I never said you'd get anything," Brock replied with a smirk.

"Oh, you little..."

"Now you're insulting me too. These years haven't been kind to you," Brock shot back cheekily.

"Are you saying I'm old?" Sabine retorted, raising an eyebrow. Brock merely shrugged and pushed Sabine into the house.

"There you are," his mother said with a relieved sigh as she heard the door open. "I made some tea if you'd like."

Sabine nodded and rolled into the dining room. Brock, on the other hand, was eager to take a shower; he felt dirty even though he didn't look like it.

"Brock, could you do something for me?" his mother called as he took a step onto the first stair. He suppressed a sigh and smiled at her kindly. "Of course."

"I've got some fresh flowers; would you be so kind as to put them on the shrine?" She handed him a bouquet of yellow marigolds before heading into the dining room. Brock made his way to the shrine. It was in a small room illuminated only by candles. On three tables, covered in marigolds, were various old black-and-white photographs—well, the white had turned a bit yellowish over time.

It had been his mother's idea to create this shrine, knowing how important his father's ancestors were to him and apparently also in Mexico. In Mexico, similar shrines are made to allow the deceased to visit. Brock didn't believe in ghosts, but if he were to see a family ghost, he would likely scream out of fear rather than joy.

The most modest picture was of his brother Chilly, an eight-year-old boy with a big grin and glasses far too large for his small face. He still heard Cursed's taunts in his head, but he knew it was just his imagination.

He placed the marigolds among the other flowers and glanced at the photos. He didn't know the names of any of them but saw no resemblance to himself. However, his father had mentioned that they all should have orange hair. His gaze shifted to a large, old photograph hanging on the wall, its edges frayed and torn. The person was barely recognizable due to its age.

It was a man with shoulder-length hair, wearing a large hat and a coat. He looked serious, as if he was staring directly at Brock.

He was the beginning of his bloodline with the curse. The first one with the first curse.

Hunter B. Kendrick

"Why?" Brock asked, staring intently at the man in the picture. "What did you do that made my family suffer so much?"