Butchers (© Tony Sandy)
They had travelled so far across the
universe that a great hunger and thirst for something real to eat and drink had
enveloped them, like nothing on Earth. Countless eons, eating nothing but pills
and synthetic slop, had made them as a race, long for anything to break the
monotony. Then they sighted the planet and saw that it had abundant plant and
animal life on it. They landed and and feasted on all
the delights of the senses that these millennia of space travel had denied them.
They breathed in fresh air and tasted the many subtle particles, buoyed up by
this collection of gases. They felt the textures of rock, soil and sand beneath
their feet. Their hands ran through the cool water and grass. They looked at all
the colours and interplays of light - the reds, the browns, the greens... They
listened to the myriad of sounds around them; then the killing began. They cleared the land for their
habitation - chopping down trees, burning down bushes and grass. Destroying any
creature, too slow to move out of the way in time or too inquisitive, to keep
out of the way. They could breathe the atmosphere
with little trouble. As they discovered, most water could be safely drunk or
filtered from the sea. Swampy water carried all kinds of poisonous
micro-organisms or toxins. There was a frenzy for fresh meat,
fruit and vegetables from the civilian population, once released upon the
planet. Many died or were made seriously ill initially because not all plants
were safe to eat and some of the animals were poisonous or fought back too. The
government, which consisted of the ruling council from the armada, restricted
the worst excesses of this feeding frenzy, while the scientists checked out what
was safe to eat and what was not. Many hundreds of years passed and
vast tracts of land on the various continents, were cleared. Deserts were made
to artificially bloom. Jungle was turned into grassland and vast herds of
animals were domesticated. Within a few hundred years the planet was
conquered... "Morning neighbour - where are you
off to?" "The Butchers. Fancied a a side of
beef and maybe a bit of loin. Yourself?" "You know me, I'm a vegetarian.
Can't stand anything sentient suffering." "How do you know they suffer -
they're only bits of meat, fit for nothing but eating." "Well that's your opinion - mine is
different." With that the pair parted company -
Sammo, to the butchery department of his local store and Denko to maintaining
his garden, saying to himself "You don't eat kith and kin." In he walked, proudly waiting for
his turn to order. "I'll have some of that. One of
those and can I have a hand?" "Just one?" asked the butcher behind
the counter. "They're on special this week - two for the price of one." "One will do, thank you" "White, black, brown or yellow?" "White please. I find the others
tend to be a bit salty for my taste." "Hot countries bring it to the
surface. This one okay?" "Fine." "Do you want me to pull the nails
out?" "Yes please. The wife doesn't like
doing it for some reason." "Most people are the same" And with that he ripped them out,
with the alien equivalent of pliers. "You should hear them squeal when
they do that at the piggery. Personally I think it's cruel but the farmer says
it's necessary as it stops them fighting and gouging each others eyes out - and
you know what delicacies eyeballs are, don't you?" "Yes." "Anything else?" "No thanks." "That's fifteen Sturkels." Sammo paid the credits in the usual
manner and walked happily home. The chopped up thighs would do for the weekend
barbecue but the pickled fingers and palm would do for his work lunch. The rest
would go in the freezer. "Fancy Denko missing out on such
treats?" He thought to himself.
- THE END - Other contributions by this author:- 1. Romero's Children (28-Apr-2013)
| This story is narrated by the survivor of an ancient race, who in turn helps the survivors of the human race when Earth is over run by zombies. | 2. Almost Human (28-Apr-2013)
| This story is about integration and the lengths some 'aliens' will go to, to fit into their new host planet. | 3. Culture Shock (28-Apr-2013)
| The story follows a zombie, saved by science and the dedication of a good doctor, plus the results of neglecting such a relationship. | 4. The Man Who Wanted To Die But Couldn't (7-Jun-2013)
| Sometimes it doesn't matter how much you despair at life because we can't all die as and when we would like to. | 5. Zombie Diaries (7-Sep-2013)
| The boredom of day to day existence as a zombie, when you've been used to something better in life. | 6. A Glitch in the Matrix (27-Dec-2013)
| You have an ideal life, then minor, niggling things happen which you ignore until they get more than a little out of hand... |
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