Week 3 Story: Ribs for Dinner

Some might say that Bill and Jessica rushed into their marriage. Jessica would say it was love at first sight. Those who were close to Bill knew that when he saw something he wanted, he'd stop at nothing to get it. And he wanted Jessica. They eloped after only knowing each other a few months. After, she moved into his beautifully large home. As a doctor, he had plenty of money, and he spent a lot of this money on his dog. He had a massive purebred German Shepherd. It was a mean dog and didn't take well to this new house mate. He was always peeing in her shoes or ripping up her things. Bill continuously made excuses for the dog because he adored him like a child.

(Image Information: 

Aggressive German Shepherd

Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Several weeks later, the couple offered to host Jessica's family's Christmas celebration. It was a beautiful party with a large variety of food and beverages. The dog circled the partygoers like a predator, giving out warning snarls each time a hand reached down to pet him. For most of Jessica's family, this was their first time to meet her new husband. He was listening to a rambling cousin or aunt when he saw her. In walked the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. A moment earlier, Jessica had been the light of his eye, but now all he could see was this woman's long blonde hair where his wife's was a dull brown. Her green eyes were glittering and smiling. She had the same soft nose as Jessica so he thought they must be closely related. He instantly knew he must have her. He quickly excused himself from his current conversation to go speak with the mystery woman. 

When she spoke, he became even more entranced. She said that her name was Hailey and she was Jessica's sister, but this did not matter to him. His lust for her was boiling over. He led her away from the commotion of the party under the excuse of showing her a painting. He took her to a dark room before wrapping an arm around her neck. After she passed out, he molested her. Then, he gave her an injection of some kind and stuffed her in a closet, locking the door before rejoining the party. 

Later, a family member was asking around for Hailey. Bill did not panic. It was like he had done this before. He said that she had had a little too much to drink and he sent her home in a cab. Eventually, the party ended and all of the guests went home. His wife collapsed into bed, a little drunk but content. He went back to her sister to retrieve her phone. She had texts inquiring about her making it home safely. He responded as her and confirmed that she was home. The next day, he impersonated her again. He sent out messages that she would be out of town for several weeks for work. 

He continued to use Hailey as a plaything, giving her injections to keep her quiet and immobile. The dog often guarded his owner's hiding spot, glaring at Jessica every time she came near. This gave her a terrible suspicion of her husband. One day, she called in sick to work without informing Bill. She coaxed the dog outside before investigating the closet he had been guarding. She found her sister there and immediately knew what had happened. She let Hailey rest in her bed as she came back to consciousness. She informed her sister of what had happened. They were both filled with rage and began to form a plan of revenge.

(Image Information: Ribs for Dinner

Source: Flickr)

When Bill returned home from work, Hailey hid and Jessica acted as if everything were normal. She served a dinner of incredibly flavorful ribs and he quickly ate it up. Halfway through the meal, he noticed his faithful dog was not seated at his feet as usual. He asked Jessica about him, and she smiled a wicked smile. She told him that the dog was in his stomach. Bill was not a stupid man but he looked at her stupidly then. Hailey revealed herself at this time with the dog's bloody head in her hand. Bill's eyes widened in realization. He was overwhelmed by rage and sadness, but also a great fear of what these women might do to him. One sister held a knife to his throat while the other covered up the evidence of what they had done and called the police. Bill was taken away and the sisters never told anyone of what they'd done.

Author's note: In the original story, a man (Tereus) raped the sister (Philomela) of his wife (Procne) and kept her hidden away. He cut off Philomela's tongue to keep her silent, but she still managed to get a message to Procne. Together, the sisters killed Procne and Tereus's son and fed the meat from the boy's body to her husband. I altered the story to feel more modern. I cut down a bit on the gore by keeping my Philomela (Hailey) sedated instead of removing her tongue. I also didn't like the idea of Procne (Jessica) killing her own child to get revenge on her husband. Instead she feeds him his own dog. I have a soft spot in my heart for animals too so it had to be a mean dog.

Bibliography: Ovid's Metamorphoses by Tony Kline (more specifically Tereus Marries Procne, Tereus Rapes Philomela, and Procne's Revenge), web source.