Bean Soup by octopus_fool

[octopus_fool]

B2MeM Prompt, Card and Number: O75 – Beans (Card 25 - Botany), Tombs and Crypts (Card 103 - Horror), cheese (Card 175 - Smells)
Format: ficlet
Genre: Horror, Drama
Rating: Mature
Warnings: cannibalism, mentions of child death
Characters: Other characters from Cardolan
Pairings: none
Creator’s Notes (optional): none
Summary: It spoke of the horrors above ground that they preferred starvation over trying to reach supplies outside of the barrows.

Also on AO3.

In her dreams, the glassy eyes of the children that had already died of starvation stared from the gaunt faces of her own children. The wails of the other women became her own until she startled from the thin veil of sleep that had settled over her mind.

It spoke of the horrors above ground that they preferred starvation over trying to reach supplies outside of the barrows, even though there would still be supplies somewhere. They had had to leave in such a hurry that they hadn’t been able to take everything along with them. Now all they had left was a little wheat and beans, which they cooked into a thin soup for the group in the evenings.

 

She retreated deeper into the tombs for a bit of privacy, some time away from the grief, worry and fear.

A face startled her, its mouth full of grinning teeth and no eyes left in the sunken sockets. Her heart still trying to beat its way out of her chest, she looked at the face. It was not one of her people, but someone who had died before the fell hosts of the North descended on Cardolan. The flesh had shrivelled and hung on the bones like dried meat.

They hadn’t had any dried meat, not in weeks. Cautiously, she sniffed at the corpse. A faint scent of cheese hung over it, but mostly, it smelled like dried meat.

 

“Nana, there’s meat in here!” Her eldest was examining the bean soup. “Where did you get it?”

“I was saving some for your birthday, my darling.”

“It’s my birthday?”

She had long since lost track of the days and even telling apart night and day was impossible in most parts of the barrow. Still, she nodded.

“Yes, my darling. Happy birthday, I hope you like your surprise!”

He hugged her tight.

“Thank you, Nana!”

He ate with enthusiasm, as did her daughter and the other children in the group.

 

The women showed less enthusiasm. They did not ask, but she could see that they knew. Still, they ate, spoonful after spoonful.

Comments

[lindahoyland]

You capture the horror of the situation well.

[erulissedances]

This was creepy good!

- Erulisse (one L)