Aside from the reactions of a few, the
new babies were a happy and healthy distraction from the cruel world the
survivors of Anur had found themselves in. Now there was more joy than sorrow,
there were new mouths to feed and tiny clothes to be made, there was little
time to worry about things that may or may not be perfect. Some things were
happening that simply could not be explained.
"Your hair's falling out"
Dena finally announced as the comb pulled out another huge tuft of hair from
Bell's scalp.
"Everyone's complaining about
losing hair" he replied. "I thought it was the pregnancies."
"It isn't the pregnancies."
Dena had been aware of the problem for a while. "Josh was saying it's from
the malnutrition, it's because the Lunies don't eat meat."
"Makes sense" Bell had to
agree. Even though he didn't care for his own hair, he loved Dena's
hair, he didn't want her to lose it. "Don't worry, Babe, we’re
leaving soon, one way or another."
Due
to the harsh conditions there were many infants who perished shortly after
birth, Adon's Salon was growing busy once again. Once the babies were born,
Josh had idle hands, Adon immediately offered him work however his interest in
cooking had blossomed forth. Having learned so much already from the Lemurians
Josh had become a talented young chef and before long, Adon's Salon was
expanding to include a real kitchen, evolving into it's own establishment from
where Josh and Adon could pool their talents in developing their new tribe.
"Mmmm
that smells good!" Adon couldn't ignore the delicious aromas replacing the
usual odors of the Funeral Salon, Josh was wielding godly powers now. And now
wafts of Josh's delicious menu items caught the attention of all kinds of
hungry stomachs. It didn't take long, maybe just a few days before the first
curious knock rapped on the door. Josh peeked through the crack in the window.
"It's
Bell."
"Damn!"
Adon knew his operations would suffer if the truth was out, but turning Bell
away wasn't an option, either, it would only confirm to him there was something
fishy going on.
"Let
him in."
Bell
scanned the makeshift establishment, there wasn't much to see. A sink, a
workbench of tools, a table and chairs... A curtain over a doorway to an
adjacent room... The aroma told the inside story.
"It
doesn't take a genius to figure out what you two are up to in here" he
advised. "There's a hungry tribe outside, half of them would do anything
to join in and half of them would be absolutely horrified to know what you were
doing to their loved ones."
"And?"
"You
tell me" Bell sat down at the table. "I'm hungry, who's for
dinner?"
"You'll need to swear an Oath you won't
tell anyone" Adon suddenly moved to the door, holding out a blade.
"And
you'll need to come up with a cover story to compliment the smell" Bell
assured, unintimidated by Adon's threats. Somewhat entertained by their
panicked reactions, Bell pondered the scenario objectively, it reeked of a gold
mine. Adon's Funeral Salon had the potential to become an exclusive restaurant,
it would make their lives so much better.
He
turned to Adon, still wielding the blade in his direction. He had to agree with
him, those who wished to dine here would need to be sworn to secrecy and they
would need a very good cover story, he had an idea.
"There's
still deer in these parts" he pitched. "I've seen them. Actually,
I've been secretly hunting them myself. What do you think, does your cooking
smell like deer?"
"Mina
doesn't allow any bloodshed in Anur" Josh reminded.
Bell
pondered the hurdle, in the question lay the answer.
"Have
you noticed everyone's hair is falling out?" He reminded. "My guess
is it's malnutrition! It's because we're not getting enough meat! And now
look!" He pointed to the curtained doorway. "Mina's
got savages in her tribe so desperate for meat they would
eat anyone... Hell, they may even be eyeing her!" Adon and Josh exchanged worried glances. "What if,
under such dire circumstances she'd settle for
the lesser of these said evils?"
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