The Stomach Eaters

Grandpa and I were always close. It had been that way ever since I was a kid and he lived with us. He would tell me the most enthralling stories, some of which he'd claimed were true. Even now, I still listened to his stories with mirth and anticipation, because you could never know what he was going to tell you.

On the day of my 17th birthday, Grandpa, at 83 years of age, told me a story I would never forget. He told me about the Stomach Eaters. I literally laughed out loud when he said that. Grandpa glared at me for a moment before I realized he was being serious. I hushed up. At that instant－I thought I'd imagined it－a look of something akin to...pride?...flashed on his wrinkled face. It was there for a split-second. And then it was gone, replaced by his usual serious "story-telling-mode-on" look as he grimly added, "This one is a true story, son."

He spoke of an ancient race of people called the Ventervescors, which translates loosely in English to "Stomach eat or devour". I guess it didn't sound so comical in Latin. They had the outward appearance of a regular human being. They even acted, sounded and aged like one on the whole. Except for when it came to meal times. That was when they gathered together as a family, usually in the middle of the night, and feasted on a human being's stomach while he was still alive.

The poor naked human would be lying down, alive but unconscious, with his wrists and ankles shackled tightly to the four corners of a large dining table. While he was still unconscious, the females would remove his vocal cords so he couldn't scream after he regained consciousness; Ventervescors had always liked the quiet.

Shortly after, the human would awaken. As the ravenous family prepared to dig in to their meal, two rows of razor-sharp teeth, both top and bottom, would emerge in front of their regular humanoid teeth, allowing them to tear, chaw on and grind up their food with ease. The oldest member of the family would start by placing both palms, one near the solar plexus and the other on the lower abdomen of their entrée. Then he would lower his head, sink his razor teeth in and tear off the belly button and give it to the youngest member. This would signify the commencement of the feast.

For the next twenty minutes or so, there would only be the sounds of tearing, crunching and swallowing going on. Ventervescors never consumed any other part of the human body while it was alive; only the stomach, as it was believed to contain the richest of essences brought forth by its conscious fear. The surrounding areas around the human's head and thighs would quickly be littered with tears, urine and other bodily fluids－discharged by his own primal fear. His mouth would be wide opened in silent screams of excruciating pain and agony as the Stomach Eaters ate peacefully. After the meal ended, the remainder of the body would be smoked, cured, dried and ground or whatever that was needed to be processed into stock, seasonings and preservatives. There was no wastage.

I listened in rapt awe, not once interrupting as Grandpa narrated the macabre tale in all its gruesome detail. I always had a bizarre fascination for gore. Instead of being put off like most people would, there was something in it that intrigued me.

Later that day, whilst playing some zombie apocalypse game on my computer, I started getting hungry and vaguely wondered about whatever it was Mom had gone out so early this morning to get in preparation for my birthday dinner. So, a little while later, when Mom announced that dinner was ready, I leaped up from my computer and went downstairs to the dining room in eager anticipation.

Mom had decorated the dining room with candles and had gotten a new tablecloth as well. "You don't know how excited everyone is, son.”, Dad said to me as he clapped me on my back. “We, in particular your Grandfather, have all been waiting for this moment to arrive and at last, it’s here!", Dad exclaimed, smiling at Grandpa and then back at me as he continued proudly, "You have come of age, my boy, and are now finally ready!" 

He then nodded at Grandpa and gave him a thumbs up.

Putting both palms on the dish, Grandpa leaned in to bite the belly button off of the silently sobbing man and gave it to me. I accepted it and immediately felt, for the first time, razor-sharp adult teeth sprout from the recesses of my gums. I bit into the soft, chewy umbilicus. 

The feast had begun.