Free The Flesh Eaters by L. A. Morse Page A

the value of their possessions has no significance for the family. The goods are merely by-products of the hunt; some are used, but most are not.
    The growing size of the family and the increasing rewards of the hunt have necessitated changes in the way food is stored. The casual methods of the earlier days are no longer appropriate. Now hooks and spikes have been driven into the wall of the cave; from these, thighs, legs, arms, and shoulder joints are hung. Occasionally there drips a whole bloody torso. Against one wall are huge barrels, filled with prickling brine, in which more limbs and internal organs are preserved. Meg was a poor and resentful housekeeper in her dimly recollected past life, but she learned certain lessons that now make her a careful mistress of the cave’s only valuable resource.
     
    Two small boys struggle with buckets of water far too heavy for them. With the greatest effort, they have managed to carry them without spilling from the stream outside the cave, through the twisted, water-filled passage to the living area. They do not complain because this is their assigned duty. As they near the large barrel that contains the cave’s water supply, a younger sister sticks out her foot, tripping one of the boys. He stares in disbelief as his bucket of water pours onto the ground.
    Sawney Beane has observed the incident. He walks over to the fallen boy, cuffs him on the head and points back down the cave, indicating that he is to bring another bucket of water. The boy protests that it was not his fault, but the sternness of Sawney Beane’s expression silences him. Picking up his bucket, he runs out.
     
    A girl sweeps the cave with a broom made of branches and leaves. Along with the rubbish and dirt that she sweeps into the stream are several gold coins and a shiny ring. She regards these items as more bits of trash to be discarded.
     
    Meg watches as two older girls prepare a barrel of brine. They pour in water and add salt and several kinds of dried herbs. When the mixture is ready, Meg dips her finger in the barrel to taste it. She indicates that more salt is required. The girls add more, then look to Meg, who nods. Now the girls lift a partially-dismembered body onto a makeshift trestle table. Under Meg’s supervision, they gut the body and cut the flesh away from the bones. Some pieces are dropped into the barrel, others are put off to one side to be dried and hung. The stomach and intestines are thrown to the ground to be swept away.
    Meg walks over to inspect some hanging meat. She finds a piece that is starting to rot and signals to a child standing close by. The child takes a knife, cuts off the spoiled part, and throws it away. Meg makes a mental note that the remainder of the meat should be eaten soon.
    A toddler squats in the center of the living area, urinating, enjoying the sound of the splashing. An older child picks up the infant and carries it to the edge of the water, showing it that it should go there.
     
    Meg is punishing a young child, beating it with a thick leather strap. Since she rarely hunts now, punishment provides her with considerable satisfaction. Her huge breasts and buttocks quiver beneath the thin material of her dress as she brings the strap down, and each time the child cries out, her nipples tingle. She does not beat the older children because they have learned not to cry, which lessens her pleasure. The other children gain considerable satisfaction from the screams of the child being punished. They have learned early to enjoy the pain and fear of others.
     
    It is feeding time. Sawney Beane and Meg sit on the elevated platform that serves as their bed. Their children are grouped about them on the floor of the cave. The family’s diet includes vegetables and fruit, but meat is what they enjoy most, not only for the texture and taste, but because of the way in which it is acquired. Everything is eaten raw.
    The older children eat like their parents, cutting away