Chapter 37
Mr. Wentworth leads you down a long hallway to what turns out to be the largest dining room you have ever seen. It looks like something out of the Gilded Age, from the antique chairs and dining table to the grand chandelier dangling from the ceiling.
“This,” he says, “is where we will be dining tonight.”
You can’t help but notice the framed photos mounted on the walls. It takes you a moment to realize that the photos are all of various animals. But most of them are not animals you’ve ever seen before. You struggle to recognize even one of them.
“These are some of the animals sampled in the past by the Adventurous Eaters Club,” Mr. Wentworth tells you proudly. We always get a picture of them for the wall before their sacrifice.”
“I see…”
“That’s a spotted genet.” Mr. Wentworth points to a picture of something that looks like a cross between a raccoon and a leopard. “And that over there is a Cuvier’s dwarf crocodile.” He smiles fondly. “It took forever to get that little devil tender enough to eat.”
Your gaze lingers on a photo of a creature that looks a little bit like an ape, but with white fur. You’ve never seen anything like it before. “What is that?”
“I’m so glad you asked, Sloan.” He is now practically beaming. “That is an abominable snowman.”
“An… abominable snowman?”
“That’s right.”
Apparently, they are serving imaginary animals at their dinner club. “The abominable snowman isn’t real.”
“Oh, it is very much real,” Mr. Wentworth assures you. “She’s real, and she put up one hell of a fight. But in the end, we got her. And she was quite delicious.”
You’re not sure what to say to that, so instead you ask, “What are you serving tonight?”
“Oh,” he says, “I’ll let that be a surprise.”
Surprise? Well, whatever it is, maybe you can sample a tiny bit.
This will probably be your only chance to taste a dragon or Godzilla or whatever the hell it is they’re making in there.
Although you love animals and hate the idea of them being kept in cages, you also respect the food chain and are not a vegetarian.
“Now…” He rubs his hands together eagerly. “We still have a little time before dinner. Would you care for a tour of the house? Or would you like to go straight to the kitchen?”
To take a tour of the house, turn to Chapter 38 (page 93)
To go straight to the kitchen, turn to Chapter 46 (page 111)