Beginnings/The Dinner

So, this is the start of my new blog. The purpose of which, is to mainly display stories & story ideas for critique (in a professional & mature manner, please), archive & update writings, label & tag for later use, and to have friends and strangers read my writings and give me feedback. Also, I may occasionally have a rant or two if I feel the need, but mainly this will be for my writings.

Again, I ask that you please be professional and mature with your feedback & critique. I don't mind if you're harsh or brutal, so long as you make a coherent point. Think my stuff sucks ass? Ok, but tell me why. Think its awesome? What makes it awesome? Either way, I just want to know the how and the why, so as to improve my writing & storytelling skills.


WARNING: I will absolutely NOT tolerate plagiarism. To anyone attempting to steal my ideas or writings, I have copies with dates and times on all of these potential stories. If I find any of them have been stolen, rest assured appropriate responses will be met with the copyright theft.

Besides that, I ask you to enjoy in any way you can my writings, and feel free to critique, make suggestions or point out grammatical errors or anything else I might've missed.

Thanks for deciding to read my blog! We'll start it off with a dark short story I wrote years ago. What is it about? I ask for your interpretation first. Enjoy!

The Dinner

created. 10/25/2006
updated. 5/01/2009
updated, mc name change. 9/13/2009

"Do you ever think I'll find true love?" Keith asked. The dark figure across the table from him paused for a moment, considering the question.

"No, I don't think you ever will." The figure rasped. Keith's shoulder's slumped as he sighed heavily. "But at the same time," the wheezy voice continued, "I don't think it's for you."

Silence ensued. Keith's eyebrows were strained with concentration. Whether it was over the half-eaten meal before him, or over the response to his query, it could not be told. It was probably the latter.

"You know, true love, marriage, romantic monogamy, life-long commitment to a singular partner, it's not for everyone." The dark figure went on. " And even most that end up that way, (that is spending the rest of their bleak lives with one partner), don't actually learn what true love is. Or they simply don't realize that they've ever experienced it. But I think," the figure raised his glass of blood-red wine, "that whole lot is for normal saps anyways. Cattle, if you will. There are those who need not experience such frivolous things, those who have too much spirit in them to not engage in ties so simplistically taboo, those who are destined for so much more, those whose minds are far too advanced to be wasted rotting away in stressful, futile commitments."

With that he drained his glass, and reached for the bottle to refill it. Keith sat there motionless, for a while longer. His words were comforting, and he supposed they made sense, but he couldn't help feeling they weren't all true, or perhaps weren't for his case.

"So you think I'm one of those? Destined for better things, and such?" He asked doubtfully.

He was sure had he been able to penetrate the darkness beneath the hood of the Dark Figure, he'd have seen it smile in a manner not without some degree of malicious intent. As it was, his voice did have the edge of a smile in it. "My friend, I don't think it. I know it. All I'm saying is why waste time wondering about such ancient, ritualistic fancies? There's so much more out there. I know you know that. You've tasted it. You can sense the greater things that are out there. To be tied down when such powers are at work, and ready to be harnessed? A tragedy indeed!"

Keith was feeling more sure of this. It did make sense, in some ways at least. He ignored the nagging feeling in the back of his mind.

"Now, come come! Will you really let such a meal go to waste? And DO have some more of this wine!" The figure filled Keith's half-empty glass just to the brim. Keith picked up his utensils again, and began working at his plate.

The plate consisted of the half-eaten remains of his past lovers. Half was covered in the bones of their lies, he'd cleaned the flesh of their intent from them. Although soon he'd have to discard the lies, their naked presence on the plate disgusted him. But for the time, he ignored it as he began shoveling into his mouth their various emotions. He marveled at how filling they were. He never recalled them so full of such sustenance! He felt he could go weeks on nothing but their petty hatred for him, or their failed love for him. Their sickeningly sweet sadness that had been boiled of anything guilt-inducing lay in bowls ready for dessert. He discarded his plate, and upon a new one he piled high with their fiery frustrations, delicious jealousies, satiating sensuousness. The happiness he ate in meager portions, and sparingly, as it was nigh as filling as it looked. He wondered often how they survived on it themselves. No matter. His favorite meal was made largely of the huge roast of their anger and rage. Filled with the gravy of their random outbursts, and soaked in the juices of their mood swings, it added quite a tangy, unusual flavor. But it was quite good. As full as he felt, he kept eating. He couldn't stop eating with such delightful victuals before him. He did so hate to waste. Plus he didn't actually feel physically full. He was simply amazed at how much he had eaten, and yet continued to eat. Soon, he'd forgotten all about his worries about 'true love', whatever that was.

A tinking sound of metal on glass soon interrupted his absorption in his meal. He looked up to see his darkness-cloaked friend and dinner companion standing as he lightly hit his wine glass with a fork.

"A toast, my friend and mess-mate!" He said, raising his glass. Keith stood, and raised his glass as well.

"To high spirits, great destinies, and ever-growing, ever-strengthening minds!" The Dark Figure said cheerily.

"And to friends, and lovers of old," the Dark Figure winced at the beginning compliment to his toast, but Keith continued, "Who weren't quite strong enough to join us now, but were nonetheless helpful in assisting us towards our journeys. May their strength never fail us, where it indeed failed them." At this Keith swore he saw a glint of a smile beneath that hood staring at him from across the table. His Dark companion let out a hearty laugh. As it was true. Having eaten his past-lovers, they were now apart of him, assimilated into his being, all their weaknesses now strength to him. Their glasses tinked as they met in the middle of the table, and they drank deeply of the blood-red wine. For indeed, it was the blood of his ex-lovers'. Keith would have choked on the strong coppery taste, had it not been masked by the sweet taste of vengeance.

End