My taxidermied pets are still alive The fluffy corpses…
0 reactions
My taxidermied pets are still alive
The fluffy corpses were still warm when Karl dropped them on the table.
He then sat beside me on the couch and turned on the TV. A World War 2 documentary was playing. Soldiers were being blown to pieces. Karl leaned forward with a thin smile. “Be quick about it, Clyde - I’m hungry as hell. They already been bled.”
My eyes fell onto the rabbits, and poison twisted in my gut. One had soft, white fur - pure like untouched snow. The other was sleek and black like onyx. Their glassy eyes reflected my grim expression. They were pleading for a second chance at life.
Only I could give it to them.
I looked back at my brother. He was staring rigidly at the television. His lips hung open like always, revealing the few yellow teeth he still had. His face was as grimy as his unwashed clothes.
*How dare someone that hideous kill something so beautiful?*
I gazed at the many stuffed animals placed around our house like furniture. The birds mounted to the walls with their wings spread. The squirrels on top of the fireplace, eternally mid-stride. And the deer with large, majestic antlers right beside the TV. They all glared at me. *How could you?*
I jumped to my feet and grabbed the rabbits. I ran into my half of the kitchen and got to work. “Everything is okay,” I whispered into their large ears. “You’ll be beautiful forever.”
I began slicing them carefully to remove their organs and bones. Their skin peeled away with a soft wet sound. I moved slowly to avoid ruining their pelts. Even one cut out of place could forever taint their beauty. I would never allow that. Salt and Pepper, I had named them. They were part of my family now.
As I worked, my brother came into his side of the kitchen. Dirty beakers and plastic bottles were loosely scattered across the counter. I glanced over my shoulder to see my brother grabbing his glass pipe before returning to his spot on the couch. I gripped my knife.
My brother could be unpredictable when he smoked. I kept glancing back at him as I worked.
When I had finished skinning the rabbits, I plopped two cutlets onto a skillet and placed the rest of the meat in the freezer. The only thing worse than killing such works of art was wasting them. My stomach groaned over the smell of the roasting meat. I sprinkled Salt with pepper and Pepper with salt.
I dropped a plate of the finished meal on the table beside my brother without looking at him.
“About time,” he grumbled. He barely looked away from the television as he placed his pipe on the table and shoveled bits of the food into his mouth with his bare hands.
I sat beside him with my plate on my lap. Despite my hunger, I couldn’t force the food into my mouth.
I looked up at the stuffed deer beside the TV. Dan the Deer, I had named him. Dan’s brown eyes dug into me. *Murderer.*
They didn’t understand. How could they? Karl was the one who killed them. And in the wild, there would be nothing left of them. I gave them something better. I gave them eternity.
I gulped down the food as quickly as I could without looking at it. I rose to my feet, but a hand grabbed my leg.
“Where you goin’?” My brother had a desperate look in his eyes.
“I gotta give Momma her plate downstairs.”
“What?” My brother looked disgusted. “She don’t need that. Sit and watch with me a little longer.”
“You know I don’t like these war shows,” I said, sitting back down anyway.
“It’s not a show, it’s real history.” My brother squinted at me in offense. “It’s more interesting than them nature shows you like.”
“That’s real life!” I spat back. “Everything living together in harmony. Not violence and killing each other over dumb shit.”
“The hell are you talking about? Animals kill each other all the damn time. Nothing more violent than nature.”
I bit my tongue. I wanted so badly to argue, but I knew better. I tried to change the subject.
“Do you remember when we went to the zoo as a family when we were kids?” I asked. The memory suddenly came back to me, and I felt my eyes water. “There were so many beautiful creatures all living together. Gorillas, tigers, snakes, giraffes, elephants. All different shapes and sizes. I was so happy when I saw them.”
My brother continued to stare blankly at the screen.
“They didn’t look happy, though,” I continued, “They looked like they had forgotten they were even alive.”
“I remember our parents getting into a fight and getting us banned from coming back,” my brother replied dryly. He never liked to talk about our parents. Especially our father.
I suddenly remembered the last fight our father had with my brother. It’s shocking how much a human head can bleed.
“*You can’t trust him*.” I turned my head to see Dan the Deer. “*He’s just going to do the same to you*,” he said.
“*The same thing he did to all of us*,” Sarah the Squirrel said.
“*Murderer*!” Betty the Bird said.
“No,” I whimpered. Tears were streaming down my face.
Karl turned away from the TV for the first time. On the screen was a soldier cowering in a trench, with mortars going off all around him.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked.
“Why did you have to kill them, Karl?”
Karl glared at me with disgust. “Not this shit again. They’re fuckin’ animals, Clyde! You would’ve starved to death if I hadn’t hunted them for us. You can go eat the dirt if it upsets you that much! It’s bad ‘nuff you gotta keep them all in here. What, you tryin’ to turn this place into your own damn zoo?”
I caught a glimpse of Dan the Deer in the corner of my eye.
“*Now we’ll never be free*,” he said.
“Shut your mouth, Karl,” I said through my teeth. “You’re gonna wake Momma with all your yelling.”
I immediately knew I said the wrong thing. I saw his eyes widen with rage. He jumped to his feet.
“You’re a fuckin’ nutcase!” he said. Before I could open my mouth in response, his fist slammed into the side of my mouth and sent me reeling backward.
“No, Karl, I’m sorry!” I gasped. But he ignored me and tackled me into the wall beside Dan the Deer.
“You psycho piece of shit!” he yelled. He wrapped his hands around my throat and squeezed with an iron grip. I tried to plead with him, but only weak wheezes escaped my lips. The color in the room started to fade.
“*Fight back!*” Dan the Deer said.
“*Avenge us!*” Sarah the Squirrel said.
I felt the rage reignite within me. I thought about all the blood Karl had drawn over the years. The poor, innocent creatures that had their futures taken away from them. The dread I felt every time he came back from hunting.
I pushed back with all my might against Karl. He stumbled backward.
His hands flailed away from my neck to catch his balance.
His heel caught the rug.
Dan the Deer’s antlers punched right through his chest in an instant.
Karl looked down in disbelief at the antlers poking through his ribcage and the stream of blood flowing down. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but all that spilled out was more blood. After spasming uncomfortably for a few moments, he fell limp.
I fell to my knees, gasping for air. “No,” I whimpered. “I didn’t mean - Karl, I’m so sorry!”
But the room had gone silent. The TV must’ve been blaring loudly, but I couldn’t hear it. Even my animals had nothing left to say.
Dan the Deer had gotten his revenge in the end.
I don’t know how long I stayed there on the floor. But after some time, I felt myself snap back into rhythm.
I slowly removed my brother’s body from the antlers and plugged up the wounds. I dragged him down into the basement with all my tools and chemicals.
I watched as an outsider as my hands moved automatically. Cutting. Cleaning. The same way I had done it for years. It took hours, and the rest of my chemicals. Humans were harder than rabbits. But finally, I had preserved my brother.
He looked as fierce as ever on the basement couch beside our mother and father.
His chest wounds were easy enough to stitch and cover up with his favorite sweater. Our father’s head had been much harder, until I managed to find a large enough hat. Only Momma had been perfectly untainted, since she had passed from sickness.
I felt my lip quiver as I saw how perfectly they fit together there on the couch. There was no more space for me. And no one who could give me eternal beauty. Years and years from now, they’ll still be here.
Smiling together on that couch.
While I’m left to rot.
#entertainment
source
The fluffy corpses were still warm when Karl dropped them on the table.
He then sat beside me on the couch and turned on the TV. A World War 2 documentary was playing. Soldiers were being blown to pieces. Karl leaned forward with a thin smile. “Be quick about it, Clyde - I’m hungry as hell. They already been bled.”
My eyes fell onto the rabbits, and poison twisted in my gut. One had soft, white fur - pure like untouched snow. The other was sleek and black like onyx. Their glassy eyes reflected my grim expression. They were pleading for a second chance at life.
Only I could give it to them.
I looked back at my brother. He was staring rigidly at the television. His lips hung open like always, revealing the few yellow teeth he still had. His face was as grimy as his unwashed clothes.
*How dare someone that hideous kill something so beautiful?*
I gazed at the many stuffed animals placed around our house like furniture. The birds mounted to the walls with their wings spread. The squirrels on top of the fireplace, eternally mid-stride. And the deer with large, majestic antlers right beside the TV. They all glared at me. *How could you?*
I jumped to my feet and grabbed the rabbits. I ran into my half of the kitchen and got to work. “Everything is okay,” I whispered into their large ears. “You’ll be beautiful forever.”
I began slicing them carefully to remove their organs and bones. Their skin peeled away with a soft wet sound. I moved slowly to avoid ruining their pelts. Even one cut out of place could forever taint their beauty. I would never allow that. Salt and Pepper, I had named them. They were part of my family now.
As I worked, my brother came into his side of the kitchen. Dirty beakers and plastic bottles were loosely scattered across the counter. I glanced over my shoulder to see my brother grabbing his glass pipe before returning to his spot on the couch. I gripped my knife.
My brother could be unpredictable when he smoked. I kept glancing back at him as I worked.
When I had finished skinning the rabbits, I plopped two cutlets onto a skillet and placed the rest of the meat in the freezer. The only thing worse than killing such works of art was wasting them. My stomach groaned over the smell of the roasting meat. I sprinkled Salt with pepper and Pepper with salt.
I dropped a plate of the finished meal on the table beside my brother without looking at him.
“About time,” he grumbled. He barely looked away from the television as he placed his pipe on the table and shoveled bits of the food into his mouth with his bare hands.
I sat beside him with my plate on my lap. Despite my hunger, I couldn’t force the food into my mouth.
I looked up at the stuffed deer beside the TV. Dan the Deer, I had named him. Dan’s brown eyes dug into me. *Murderer.*
They didn’t understand. How could they? Karl was the one who killed them. And in the wild, there would be nothing left of them. I gave them something better. I gave them eternity.
I gulped down the food as quickly as I could without looking at it. I rose to my feet, but a hand grabbed my leg.
“Where you goin’?” My brother had a desperate look in his eyes.
“I gotta give Momma her plate downstairs.”
“What?” My brother looked disgusted. “She don’t need that. Sit and watch with me a little longer.”
“You know I don’t like these war shows,” I said, sitting back down anyway.
“It’s not a show, it’s real history.” My brother squinted at me in offense. “It’s more interesting than them nature shows you like.”
“That’s real life!” I spat back. “Everything living together in harmony. Not violence and killing each other over dumb shit.”
“The hell are you talking about? Animals kill each other all the damn time. Nothing more violent than nature.”
I bit my tongue. I wanted so badly to argue, but I knew better. I tried to change the subject.
“Do you remember when we went to the zoo as a family when we were kids?” I asked. The memory suddenly came back to me, and I felt my eyes water. “There were so many beautiful creatures all living together. Gorillas, tigers, snakes, giraffes, elephants. All different shapes and sizes. I was so happy when I saw them.”
My brother continued to stare blankly at the screen.
“They didn’t look happy, though,” I continued, “They looked like they had forgotten they were even alive.”
“I remember our parents getting into a fight and getting us banned from coming back,” my brother replied dryly. He never liked to talk about our parents. Especially our father.
I suddenly remembered the last fight our father had with my brother. It’s shocking how much a human head can bleed.
“*You can’t trust him*.” I turned my head to see Dan the Deer. “*He’s just going to do the same to you*,” he said.
“*The same thing he did to all of us*,” Sarah the Squirrel said.
“*Murderer*!” Betty the Bird said.
“No,” I whimpered. Tears were streaming down my face.
Karl turned away from the TV for the first time. On the screen was a soldier cowering in a trench, with mortars going off all around him.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked.
“Why did you have to kill them, Karl?”
Karl glared at me with disgust. “Not this shit again. They’re fuckin’ animals, Clyde! You would’ve starved to death if I hadn’t hunted them for us. You can go eat the dirt if it upsets you that much! It’s bad ‘nuff you gotta keep them all in here. What, you tryin’ to turn this place into your own damn zoo?”
I caught a glimpse of Dan the Deer in the corner of my eye.
“*Now we’ll never be free*,” he said.
“Shut your mouth, Karl,” I said through my teeth. “You’re gonna wake Momma with all your yelling.”
I immediately knew I said the wrong thing. I saw his eyes widen with rage. He jumped to his feet.
“You’re a fuckin’ nutcase!” he said. Before I could open my mouth in response, his fist slammed into the side of my mouth and sent me reeling backward.
“No, Karl, I’m sorry!” I gasped. But he ignored me and tackled me into the wall beside Dan the Deer.
“You psycho piece of shit!” he yelled. He wrapped his hands around my throat and squeezed with an iron grip. I tried to plead with him, but only weak wheezes escaped my lips. The color in the room started to fade.
“*Fight back!*” Dan the Deer said.
“*Avenge us!*” Sarah the Squirrel said.
I felt the rage reignite within me. I thought about all the blood Karl had drawn over the years. The poor, innocent creatures that had their futures taken away from them. The dread I felt every time he came back from hunting.
I pushed back with all my might against Karl. He stumbled backward.
His hands flailed away from my neck to catch his balance.
His heel caught the rug.
Dan the Deer’s antlers punched right through his chest in an instant.
Karl looked down in disbelief at the antlers poking through his ribcage and the stream of blood flowing down. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but all that spilled out was more blood. After spasming uncomfortably for a few moments, he fell limp.
I fell to my knees, gasping for air. “No,” I whimpered. “I didn’t mean - Karl, I’m so sorry!”
But the room had gone silent. The TV must’ve been blaring loudly, but I couldn’t hear it. Even my animals had nothing left to say.
Dan the Deer had gotten his revenge in the end.
I don’t know how long I stayed there on the floor. But after some time, I felt myself snap back into rhythm.
I slowly removed my brother’s body from the antlers and plugged up the wounds. I dragged him down into the basement with all my tools and chemicals.
I watched as an outsider as my hands moved automatically. Cutting. Cleaning. The same way I had done it for years. It took hours, and the rest of my chemicals. Humans were harder than rabbits. But finally, I had preserved my brother.
He looked as fierce as ever on the basement couch beside our mother and father.
His chest wounds were easy enough to stitch and cover up with his favorite sweater. Our father’s head had been much harder, until I managed to find a large enough hat. Only Momma had been perfectly untainted, since she had passed from sickness.
I felt my lip quiver as I saw how perfectly they fit together there on the couch. There was no more space for me. And no one who could give me eternal beauty. Years and years from now, they’ll still be here.
Smiling together on that couch.
While I’m left to rot.
#entertainment
source
| 3,000 mlx | |
| 5 | |
| 0 |