Taste

Chew

Funny how you realize food can think sometimes.

"Children? My, why are such precious angels disappearing?" Nan asked in her sweet, old voice. I repressed the need to chuckle. We're the reason, stupid man.

"For thirty years, exactly the number of years you've been here, the crime rate and child murder ratios have gone up. Every year, more kids in this town disappear. Any idea why?"

"Child murderers? Rapists? Serial killers?" I let out sarcastically. Nan gave me a dark look.

Commissioner Spark turned to me, his blind eye seeming to look through me.
"I don't know if you are aware, young lady, that this is very serious."

"And you make it sound like it's something in a tv show." I replied, starting to be amused. I felt him slightly uncomfortable, maybe even angry. I knew my remark hit right where it needed to.

"Young one." He said, his low voice slowly building up. "In thirty years, since your grandmother has settled here, more than enough kids have vanished, at a rate of about two per week. I understand it's a big town and this neighbourhood in particular is laced with crime. But it wasn't this way before. And the rate has gone higher, too, in the last fifteen years. When did you start to live here girly?"

I stared at him, shock easy to read on my face. Fifteen years. Because of me, Nan was close to discovered. I looked at her, hoping for something. Anything.
Nan immediately knew what to say and do.
"Food is ready!" She shouted proudly and happily. She took out two bowls and served us both a hearty portion of stew, which the good old commissioner glared at for a moment. I sat on the other side of the counter, making sure to avoid looking at him. I stared down at my own portion of child stew.

I knew whose it was, the one we were eating. An obese woman by the terribly common name of Sally who over fed and spoiled her only child, cute little Samantha. Samantha was fat for her age, but not too much. I smiled as I started to eat. Oh how tender the meat was. Just enough fat, just enough meat. A delight to taste. Nan really had the magic touch for stews, just like I have the magic touch for luring children.

It's a rather easy process, really, to lure an infant with a Charm. Only a bit of enchantment was needed, just enough to make one's voice so sweet and kind any babe would come closer to hear it. Nan always said that it was the easiest way to get a man, too, when I would be of age. I believed her. Infatuated men can be as stupid as the kids I bring home.

Nan and the old man's conversation went on as we ate, one answering the other's questions. He asked about our way of life, which she described with such a boring voice that he soon changed subjects. The old commissioner continued to ask about really basic things, which left me with a suspicious feeling of unease. Then, he suddenly looked at me and asked me if I knew of Sally Oaker, the mother of the most recently kidnapped child. I nearly choked, but kept my cool.

"I've heard of her, yeah. Why?" I replied, trying to sound as oblivious of that woman's current situation as I could.
His eyes were harsh as he stared at me, his blind eye somehow making me more and more uncomfortable.
"Her child is gone. It's missing. Have you also heard of that?" He said, his gaze unchanged as he talked.

"No, I haven't heard of that. Was it on the news?" I started to sound nervous.
His staring made me feel more and more like a trapped rabbit, panic starting to swell inside my chest while my heartbeat felt rushed, like I was running at full speed.
"No, it wasn't on the news. Not yet at least. You look like you might know more than what you want me to think you know, girly."

I was on the verge of a panic attack, which Nan taught me was a downside of having a nervous father. It was probably the most I knew of him, and the most she ever let me know. I tried to breathe slower, but it wouldn't work. I stared at Nan, trying to give her a silent signal for help.

"Will you take some cookies commissioner?" She said in her kind, old voice, distracting him from me and allowing me to finally calm down.
He accepted a cookie but, hearing the grandfather clock chime 7pm, he decided he had had enough and got up to leave. I felt relief about his departure, but Nan wasn't having it. She invited him in the living room for what she called a "private talk". In truth, I knew she was going to either erase his memory and suspicions, or erase him altogether. I hoped he would die.

But after a quick interview with her, he walked out of the room and straight to the door. He picked up his coat in a slight hurry and turned to salute me, but only mumbled something close to a goodbye and left into the storm, darkness swallowing him and his dark raincoat.

Nan walked up to me as I stared out the open door, paralyzed. "That wretched creature will jump off the cliff. Or get drunk and die. Either way is good as long as we're rid of him. You don't need to fear anything, stupid." And with this the door slammed and I looked down, feeling shamed. If I had trusted Nan was going to kill him in the end I wouldn't have panicked. I really felt stupid.

I decided we needed more meat cuts for meals. Nan was probably going to be happy that I thought of that. Besides, cutting meat helps.

I went into the backyard shack and opened a trap door hidden under the rug. I went down the steep stairs, the air soon filled with the strong smell of sweetened iron and rotting meat. I love that smell. It feels closer to home than cookies and stew. The smell of blood soothes me.

I picked up a torso from the freezer. Nan had a lot of trouble cutting those up and we often had surplus. I recognized the child immediately. He was the only one we had caught that had tried to resist. He had one single needle-like wound between the neck and shoulders. It offers less resistance than most places when aiming for the heart. The part I enjoyed most? Watching the life leave his eyes while his heart stopped beating.

I got to work, slashing and dicing.
Oh sweet, glorious peace.