Tying the Knot

My grandfather always butchered his own food. He always said, "I don't need anyone to eat!" He was never the humane type either. He would pick rabbits up by the ears and hold them at arms length to play Russian roulette with them. We never really kept bunnies long, at least, with their heads intact. His favorite to kill were hogs. He would knock them out and tie them upside down in his shed. Now, what he did after their squealing faces were pointed toward the floor, I did not know. Mother started to tell me that I wasn't allowed around Grandpaw anymore. That was after we started buying our own, already killed and ready to stew, meat.

When I became an orphan, my mother and grandfather disappeared, I just did not know what to think. I felt lost. I had stolen some of Grandpaw's rope, the rope he tied up hogs with, and that night, they both disappeared. When I grew up and got married to the love of my life, we discovered that I still had the deed to my grandfather's house. Mom had saved it for me. So of course we moved there! The cozy little home had rotted and started to deteriorate by the time we had gotten there, unfortunately. But Grandpaw's shed stood in the back field, leaning to one side, looking as sad and almost scared.

"It IS my Grandfather's house...Can't we stay and fix it up?"

Now how could my loving husband say no to me?

"What's in that shed honey?"

"I don't know dear, but it creeps me out." And that was all said about the shed. Though my dear husband always glanced through the kitchen window at it.

No sooner than we started fixing the house did I realize that there were no animals here. No neighbors. No mice. No birds. Well, I thought that was strange, but maybe I should be thankful. No loud noises, no mice holes. Until the only living thing that actually mattered to me disappeared. Just like my mother. The only place he could be was the shed, the rest of the house was still half-painted and empty. Perhaps he went to look in, no matter how much you love someone, you still have curiosity.

I walked up the concrete steps and peeked into the door, careful not to knock it off the one hinge it was attached to the door frame with. Then...black.

The next thing I remember was the bloody concrete floor. But I wasn't touching it, just facing it. Upside-down.

"My love..?" I managed to choke through the think stink of rotting flesh.

"Yes?" answered a cracking voice.

"Grandfather??" I asked. My eyes widened and started to digest the horror that surrounded my helpless body. And there, in the window light, was my dearest other, my husband. Sitting right next to my beloved mother who I missed so dearly. "Momma!" I shouted. The sculpture was knocked onto the floor, a pig body, with a human face. "DEAR GOD!"

"Like it? I say, I quite 'njoy makin' 'dis here creations. Since you done stole my rope, I been havin' to use my pig parts to make new ones" crackled the voice.

It wasn't until then when I felt the ooze of organs wrapped around my wrists.

"Reinforced wit' pig hide"

I twisted my hands but I knew I couldn't get out. I stared at my husband, now leaning on the human-pig that was once my mother. I watched as Grandpaw took a butcher knife to my husband. I watched as my husband woke up and was skinned alive. I watched the life fade away from his eyes. I watched his beautiful face, still beautiful, as it was sewn on to a rotting pig's body.

"You know, I always need help gettin' me some food." I was told as my leather and intestine binds were released and I was lowered to the floor. "This one still needs fixed up." He kicked the butchered man in the floor.

And I felt the cold handle of my butcher knife in my hand.