z

Young Writers Society


12+

Bone Dry

by theobliviousoracle


Bone Dry

The person, gnawing on a juicy bone right out of the precariously shaped lump of charred meat thrown at him straight out of oven, the thick aroma of fire sleezing through the meat and the seasoning diffusing through the air in thorough clouds of ecstasy; the person high up in some air castle, on his massively laden platter, or so it seemed, for him not having eaten a shrug of dust in the week prior.

The other person reaches out, of the reverie he'd let the person delve into for a mildew of moments now exacerbated, asks. The meat, once another living being you are eating. How does that make you feel?

Whimper. All those rumbles wrecking havoc in my belly, had to eat something. The person thinks. Seems now if it were almost a thing, I thought about it. The person says. Throws a cleaned bone, plucks a new serving.

As if it were a thing.. A moment. But what of the life it contained, it was an animal. You must know that. Used to be living. Pranced around. On that bone. The other person reverts. Points to a bone.

You're right. Blood on my hands now. Says, You were right. If i don't think about it, I don't feel a thing. It's great.

But, not a thing. A being. Insists. Persists.

Meek. Says, a being maybe. No, not maybe, yes! But, at least it was not some 'one'. Eye darts.

Not some 'one'. Repeats. Some 'one'. 'One'. Considers. Asks. And what if that being, that compilation of life energy that you are presently eviscerating in such a barbaric manner, what if it was some 'one'. One! Exclaims. Excited now, feet shuffling.

The person looks sick. The other person hovering over, lucid remnants of ecstasy seeping out of the meat, now aside, forgotten. Eyes lock. The person manages a bleat.

Another person? It can't be, it can't. Couldn't stoop that low. Not possible. No. Manages, no one I know. Not a being I know. Bile rising.

Pause. And then, resolved? Asks.

No answer. Say, animal was good? Not person. No, not someone.

If it was someone you knew? Grins.


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15 Reviews


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Wed Nov 08, 2017 3:06 am
Cub wrote a review...



Interesting. I like your concept, and your presentation is definitely intriguing.
The way you used dialogue without punctuation was reminiscent (for me, at least), of the works of Cormac McCarthy. That can be a very effective way of getting across your story line, and here I think you certainly have an opportunity to do well with it. Especially towards the end, in your story it is utilized especially well, which impresses me.
Now, there are some problems. I assume that the jumbled, sort of disorganized tone of your story is intentional, and thus I have no problems with it--for the most part. You need to be mindful of keeping things at least understandable. Towards the beginning of your story, this is a real problem. I had no idea whatsoever what was going on--those run-on sentences killed me. Do be careful about that, if you're unintentionally being ungrammatical. Making things clear to the reader is key.
Now, connecting to that tone you're trying to set, I have some suggestions. If I were you, I'd stick with simple language, like you use towards the end. Words like 'exacerbate' and 'precariously' don't work here, at least not for me. They distracted me from the story you're trying to tell, and also didn't really fit with your setting. My assumption is that the creatures being featured here are early hominids, such as Homo Neanderthalis, or just early Homo Sapiens Sapiens. They probably wouldn't think in long sentences, or use words like 'platter'. Keep it short and sweet.
As to your concept, it is very good. I like morbid things, and cannibals wondering about what they're eating is definitely very attractive to me. What's more, it's an original idea, and those are hard to find.
Good luck writing--I hope to read more from you soon!




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Tue Nov 07, 2017 5:29 pm
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Radrook wrote a review...



As jumbled as this short story might seem to other readers, I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It was as if I were being introduced into the minds of some creatures somewhere far from our reality who were discussing the eating of meat and what classifies a creature as fit to be eaten or not.

There seems to be an accusation and an admission that the meat being eaten is not an animal. The only excuse provided is that the eater was hungry. But the same can be said about all the creatures we eat, we are hungry. Yet cannibalism is indeed frowned upon regardless of the hunger involved.

Very interesting read. I won't go into punctuation and other such things because I get the impression that it was done on purpose in order to convey the sheer alien nature of the creatures who are speaking and the place where it is taking place.

Thanks for sharing.





Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
— George Santayana