Why on earth did she have to have that item to make a meal
from … while the others had, to her mind, easier foods … but she had a plan …
she would stuff hers ... so far she only had one to use.
 |
| A questioning eye ... what change of heart ... |
Her fellow contestants – what a motley lot they were …
uncouth, uncaring, unhelpful … she deserved to win … and she was doing all she
could in that direction. She just had to
be careful and so clever.
Hearts make for good eating … and oh boy does she have an
interesting one to eat … perhaps she’ll find a couple of smaller ones later
on – but that would take some effort …
and set the cat amongst the
pigeons giving away more than she intended … her secret had to remain hers …
For now – let’s think about the cooking … but what will she
do … grill slices, skewer it whole, stuff the two larger chambers – she
couldn’t be bothered to make four stuffings … two would be fine …
… or make a meatloaf … ah mix and hand-mush the finely
chopped ingredients together … that would be fun … but would be cooked, or she could
make heart-tartare … and then no-one would know what they were eating … and
she’d have squelched the heart in her hands …
Dice some onion, celery, mushrooms finely chopped and
lightly sautéed … add in salsa verde to flavour one of the stuffings and a few peas to brighten the ruby colour, while the
other mix could have chimichurri combined with breadcrumbs … that’d make the heart
tasty …
Then the pleasurable bit … massaging and manipulating that
heart to clean it up … strip off the fat, all obvious squishy tissue, valves,
papillary muscles and tendineae … her fellow opponents would know and
appreciate the care she’d taken – but would they guess about Jonas …
 |
| Bleeding Heart Yard, London A body was found here 1646 - torn limb from limb, but the fresh heart still pumping blood ... |
Stuffed heart – that’s the idea … no need to Change that
Heart … but perhaps she could have had a Change of Heart …
They would question her – where was Jonas … well couldn’t
they see he was in front of their eyes … now it’s too late for a Change of Heart
– her butchery skills had been tested …
The time had come to present the dish to the judges and
other contestants … to see what they think … as they sample that heart …
… then she’d better disappear … her disguise and hiding
place have been well established … should be a cinch …
Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
69 comments:
Wow! Right up there with Poe on the suspense.
Oh my, oh my, oh my! Eating heart is really not good for your heart, too much cholesterol
So creepy and totally unappetizing, but wow what a read! Well done, well, maybe just perfect, after all everyone loves their heart a little different- raw, medium, or burnt? :)
Wow! What a great creepy story. Very clever! Intriguing for sure!
~Jess
Creepy and gross. I wonder if Jonas deserved it.
You creeped me out, Hilary! Good gravy, or should I say,"Pass the gravy"?
My friend is all about chicken hearts, I'll have to make a story about that someday too;)
NO, no, no . . . but a lovely story:-)
Oh my goodness! That made me a little nauseous reading it, but very well done!
Puree it into a dip
Mix in a touch of wine
top with some papirka
I'm sure it'll be fine
Nice story but I'm sure Jonas did not like it. LOL
@ Kathy - thank you very much ...
@ Arlene - yes I know ... but I hadn't realised heart had a lot of cholesterol in it ...
@ Yolanda - sorry it didn't appeal to me ... but I saw an ice pick in someone's skull on the tv ... so added that bit in to the story ... I was going to write only about cooking hearts ...
@ Jess - sorry it is fairly gross ...
@ Liz - Jonas definitely deserved it ... I'm horrid and he had to go!!
@ Lee - apologies ... I knew it would revolt ... well I forgot about the gravy for the presentation ...
@ Mark - I enjoy chicken hearts ... not sure I could actually eat this one ... but if you didn't know ...
@ Janice - definitely not a good dish ...
@ Sherry - it made me fairly nauseous writing it ... but ....
@ Desk49 - thanks you've added some much needed cookery stills to my ingredients ... and I'm sure Jonas' heart will be tastier for it! I am certain he didn't like his dish ...
Thanks everyone ... the story started out as cooking hearts but turned into this rather unpleasant take on it ... influenced by a tv episode! And gruesome memories of some early reading ... cheers to you all - Hilary
Hi Hilary, quite bizarre. But rendered well.
Hilary, yet again I am glad to be vegetarian. Big smiles. I really like this unexpected taste from you...
Mmm, heart tartare. I think I'll pass though. Great take on the prompt!
Now that's one way to have a change of heart.
What a creepy, yet cool, story.
Doesn't make me hungry in the slightest, but I could read more.
Edgar Allan Poe would be proud.
Great job.
Yikes! I don't want to run into her.
You really did a good job on this, Hilary.
You surprised me with this...
But I love surprises! :-D
@ Pradeep - yes I agree .. it is a little bizarre - but different ...
@ EC - oh yes I can understand the vegetarian element ... I was going to do cooked heart -but changed to a little horror ...
@ Laura - the thought of heart tartare is a little much ... so like you I'd pass ... thanks though ...
@ Toi - it is very creepy ... and I hope I don't think about it tonight! I'm sure Poe would totally outstrip me with his writing ... and his macabre thoughts ... thanks though ...
@ Sandra - oh I certainly wouldn't want to be a participant in this cookery contest ... thanks, appreciate the thumbs up ...
@ Jz - it surprised me ... but I'm glad everyone's 'happy' reading it ... not too gruesome probably ...
Cheers to you all - perhaps I should serve it with a glass of murky purplish bubbly?! Happy thoughts - Hilary
Oh my goodness - not for me - I wouldn't take a bite!
Cheeky! 😁
Topmost on the creepy quotient! Change of heart indeed :) Well done. Liked the details of the recipes she's considering too, makes it even creepier.
Bleeding Heart Yard still exists, off Greville Street Hatton Garden. I take people there on my guided walks. The murder victim is understood to have been Lady Hatton, wife of Sir William Hatton, after whom Hatton Garden is named.
Also Dickens set part of Little Dorrit there.
CLICK HERE for Bazza’s trenchant Blog ‘To Discover Ice’
Poor Jonas! His heart being served as a special dish in a cooking contest. A very unique way of using the prompt.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat G
And there was I savouring the thought of heart which I haven't eaten in years, not since I have been in Canada. Yuk Hilary, how do you get such ideas. You could obviously write horror stories or movies, not that I would read them LOL
Great short story!
So glad I'm not a judge on the panel of the show. :)
Eep. I sure got the chills. But I couldn't help but laugh at "stuffed heart." Creepy tale and a clever take on the theme.
I definitely was into the food you selected. I love a good meatloaf. Stuffed heart--that's a new one. Who knew you could make a thriller out of cooking!
Now that was twisted!
Whoa. Creepy, but compelling because it was so well done. I agree with Kathy G. who compared it to Poe. Yes, indeedy
How gross and scary. Stuffed heart... I need to block the bloody imagery your story invokes. How fitting for this particular theme, even though none of us at WEP could imagine the butchery approach.
Didn't know you had a dark side, Hilary. . .but so cleverly done, just like the character in your tale. Very nice and very creepy. Wouldn't want to anger this cook. Well done, but rare as well, like the heart.(no remorse is the true sign of a killer, IMO.)
@ Sandie – well you wouldn’t know til after you’d eaten some of it – which was my intention … as the cook contestant!
@ Sue – well it wasn’t his cheeks too … could have added those in … I guess?!
@ Nila – it’s not very nice is it … and I’m glad I added in the recipes, ingredients etc … but a couple of commenters have added in extras … eg Ellis (Desk 49) … made it even worse than my storyline!
@ Bazza – yes I know … that’s why I put the Bleeding Heart Yard in as a place … just made sense for the story line … but fascinating to know you include it in your walks. Ah of course though – I hadn’t realised the connection with Hatton and Hatton Garden – so thanks for that … and I did see quite a few authors used the place as a setting … especially Dickens …
@ Pat – I agree … I hope there aren’t too many Jonas’s around … I quickly thought of his name. I was influenced by something I’d seen on tv years ago re cooking killing off a series of people …
@ Jo – I know – sorry about that … I quite fancied the dish too … perhaps it’s a good thing I eat a lot of seafood now I’m in West Canada … so won’t dwell on this story too much. I’d seen a tv thing death by chocolate years and years ago … people were killed off with chocolate dishes – can’t remember much more … but just thought I could draft something quickly up along those lines … hateful contestants …
@ Elizabeth – thank you … I’d hate to judge cooking shows … or talk about the dishes – and then ah ha … find out it was a person’s heart …
@ Chrys – well it would have been well and truly stuffed in two ways … food and dead … but I’m glad the theme has bemused you all …
@ Jacqui – well there’ve been a few authors over the years … Elizabeth Spann Craig (commenter two above you) writes cozy mysteries ‘similar’ to this short one. Gosh I love a meatloaf … but I might have to wait a while before I eat another one!
@ Alex – yes twisted … absolutely and horrible to think about …
@ Diane – good heavens = thank you! It just came to me and worked its way on to the page … appreciate your comment …
@ Olga – I’m afraid ‘gross’ is a good word to describe this post; the methodology of extracting the heart with butchery skills I haven’t thought about too much … probably a good thing – but mostly after an animal is killed its heart is extracted … so I guess the same could happen with a person?! I had to have him butchered, as she needed to get rid of him … piece by piece presumably … now I’m over thinking the continuation of the story …
@ DG – thanks, I just needed to write up something completely different from other entries (well I hoped that – it seems to have worked) … but the continuation of the story would be like Macbeth’s Witches and their brew. I certainly didn’t think too much about the story – other than get it down – hence I guess the ‘no remorse’ angle happened …
Thanks so much to you all – hope I didn’t creep you out too much … but really appreciate the comments and approval within them...
… cheers to you all … we’ve had a power cut this morning – so now we’re back up and running I can get back to commenting … Hilary
haha that sure makes me glad that I only eat food that I prepare. Twisted indeed. Hopefully not too chewy.
Wowza Hilary, that was some creepy story! Well done my friend. Not sure if I want to eat at your place LOL :) x
It's gruesome for sure, but very well written. Perhaps I should have read in the a.m. versus right before bed. ;)
Yikes Hilary - Roald Dahl in female form! (his adult stories). Heart stopping!
oh wow - very creepy and well written. Good job!!
What an awesome twist! Well done.
Ooh, so deliciously creepy -- and I didn't mean to use delicious in quite that apt way!
I thought of Roald Dahl, too.
And those poor judges, they won't know what they're eating...
@ Pat - yes, that's a good point ... we really don't know what we're eating. Chewy or no ... not sure, as you say presumably not ... as I'd tried to get the sinews, and gristle off before I stuffed and cooked it ...
@ Debby - I most definitely wouldn't want to eat at that person's place ... trouble is we wouldn't know til too late ...
@ Rosey - thanks ... and yes I guess it's not a story for the nighttime ... hope you slept ok?!
@ Susan - I have to say I didn't realise Roald Dahl wrote horror stories ... Oh yes I see ... "Lamb to the Slaughter" is of that ilk ... having checked in Wiki ...
@ Joanne - yes sorry ... but that's what came to mind ...
@ Christine - rather a horrible twist ... but I'm not the first, nor the last ...
@ Deniz - love that 'delicious' ... interesting you also thought of Roald Dahl ... I didn't know he wrote those sorts of stories ... and yes poor judges - they, nor the contestants, will know what they're eating ... as in "Lamb to the Slaughter" ...
Thanks so much - it's not a good story to dwell on ... and I'm so glad you've felt the story worthwhile ... cheers to you all - Hilary
Oh my goodness that made me cringe a bit - my grandmother used to dish up stuffed hearts as a main meal - now I'm wondering where she got them from. What a great take on the prompt.
"Change of Heart" sounds an interesting issue!
Well done, Hilary!
But I agree with your friend, "Eating heart is really not good for your heart, too much cholesterol"!
Lots of hugs!
We may none of us look at cooking shows the same way again! Creepy, indeed :)
An unusual dish I think? That would make for a crazy cooking show entry. Nobody better mess with her or they might become her next meal. Well written grizzly tale.
An unexpected and grisly tale. Reminds me of a cross between Hannibal Lecter and Poe. Great job.
@ Sally - sorry ... but I'm so glad to hear your grandmother used to serve stuffed hearts - I know they were utilised in the War ... hence I really didn't have a problem about 'serving a post up with them in - though perhaps the way I contrived it ... is a little far out ... but thanks!
@ Sonia - well I didn't know about the too much cholesterol in a heart ... but it was an interesting story to write up ...
@ Rebecca - sorry ... I suspect a few with wandering minds, including mine, will query things in future!
@ Deborah - certainly unusual - but they were used and prized during the War ... all parts of the animal. Yup - don't mess with the cook around here! Thanks though ...
@ Christopher - it is really grisly isn't it ... and now I'll add Hannibal Lecter to my thoughts ... I've never watched that movie!!
Thank you so much to all of you - for accommodating my horror take on the prompt 'Change of Heart' ... cheers Hilary
Wow, that was disturbing...but "well-done" nonetheless :)
Well my mom cooked lots of strange thingS when I was a little boy. I was during WWII and there was heart, kidney, something called tripe, pigs feet etc. I still love liver and the other item don't show up in the supermarket. Of course my mom was a great cook and I don't recall anything being inedible Well except a god-awful vegetable called rutabagas...:(
I just read that blurb under the drawing of Bleeding Heart Yard. Seriously creepy:)
Hi Hilary!
Didn't you just lull us into expecting a lovely romp through history, not a cooking program. Oh well, I hope Jonas had a tender heart, then she might win.
You served us up a creepy dish. Now I'm all a-tremble at what to expect for the October horror-fest.
WELL DONE!
Thanks for shaking us all up!
Denise x
I like the novelty of her considering stuffing the chambers. This was fun to read, dark and disturbing.
That was so bizarre and extremely well done. I'm now well and truly vegetarian. Loved all those touches with the celery and the Master chef thinking. Great take on the prompt.
@ Elizabeth - I'm afraid it was a rather 'horrid' story ... but thank you.
@ Troutbirder - we always had offal ... but usually the normal kind - liver and kidneys ... I have eaten sweetbreads ... but never managed tripe - though friends used to have it. But thanks for letting us know about the things around when you were growing up - offal is not easy to find now-a-days ... 'no demand' I guess. We didn't have swede (rutabaga) except in Cornish pasties ... but I love that vegetable now. Thanks for adding to our information and post War home life ...
@ Sandra - yes there really is a Bleeding Heart Yard - and it's near the diamond centre of Hatton Garden, as Elizabeth Hatton was the murdered woman ...
@ Denise - I like different as you know. If she'd cooked his heart right and it tasted good - I guess she had a chance - but that would be difficult ... as she'd have to reappear ...
But 'delighted' you think this was a creepy serving - I'd say it was. October is 2 months away ... time to mull over my thoughts! Thanks ...
@ Shannon - actually the stuffings sound rather good - just not for Jonas's heart. Glad you enjoyed the read ... could well be dark and disturbing ...
@ Kalpanaa - bizarre is a good word isn't it - one just hopes not to meet a contestant with malevolent thoughts. Not surprised you're vegetarian after this ... but I enjoy cooking so was happy to concoct some ingredients for the stuffing ... and thank you ...
Cheers to you all - hope you can sleep once you've got over the thought of this story ... I think I'll move on - cheers and happy weekends - Hilary
Yipes! You took your "change of heart" in a whole different direction. Well done, m'dear, but you'll have to excuse me if I pass on your main course. :)
Have a super weekend.
This was great! I thoroughly enjoyed how this story followed her thought process and all the ways she considered preparing the heart. This is an unsettling and fascinating tale, and she should definitely get out of there before too many people become curious about where Jonas went.
Creepy and bizarre! *shivers*
Love the stream-of-consciousness style.
Great suspense too...
Hilary, I think you've outdone yourself!
@ Susan - yes it was very off the wall this story. I'm not sure I'd want to eat this main course either ... but the stuffing sounded good!
@ LG Keltner - thanks so much ... I love cooking and food so it was easy to write this up ... to its 'unsettling' end as you mention. Yes she did need to escape and completely disappear ... I suspect they'd track her down ...
@ Michelle - yes the idea is rather foul isn't it, and grisly ... I've had to look up 'stream of consciousness' (!!) as I'd no idea what it meant ... and ok now I understand ... my thoughts rattling through as I drafted up the story line ... that is true. Thanks Michelle.
Thank you I really appreciate the positiveness of my gruesome storyline - have happy weekends ... cheers Hilary
I have never eaten heart, as far as I know, and I must confess that I am not motivated to rush out and experience this delicacy!
Bizarrely delicious with some meaty treats tucked in to tempt our taste buds - except...
I hate eating hearts. Unless I have a change of...tongue.
Creepy but compelling - definitely didn't see it coming! I wonder whether she'll get away scot free.
Been keeping up with the likes of Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Sweeney Todd, have we?
It's a very good story. Fun take on the prompt. Cheers!
Purrfect ending hook, Hilary.
Happy Sunday.
@ David - I'm not sure I've eaten heart either, but suspect unknowingly I've eaten it in a game pie or equivalent ... but during the War I'm sure the heart from any animal was eaten; though can understand your reticence ...
@ Roland - love your comment ... especially the tongue twister at the end - thanks, it made me laugh ...
@ Nick - that's great ... that I teased you into the denouement ... and yes the story could continue couldn't it - backstory too ...
@ JL - nope ... Iv'e never watched Dr Hannibal Lecter, nor I think seen Sweeney Todd through ... but thanks appreciate the 'thumbs up' for the story ...
@ Sandra - thanks ... at least I didn't put cat in too?!
Cheers to you all - I've now moved on to happier posts ... take care and have good weeks - Hilary
What an interesting take on the prompt! Not sure if I'll be rushing out to try it though...
Hi OA - I'm afraid I rather went off the radar with this story ... and can quite understand why you won't be rushing out to try these sorts of dishes ... thanks for coming over - cheers Hilary
What a fun story, full of imagination -and flavour!
Hi Juliet - yes the stuffing would be good ... I've rather gone off heart! But delighted you enjoyed the tale ... cheers Hilary
Oh dear Hilary - that was creepy good! I found my heart beating rather rapidly. But I think I'll stick to chocolate hearts myself. Perhaps stuffed with cream.
Hi Deborah - what a delight to find a comment here ... it was great fun to read ... something very different - but I enjoyed the 'awful' write up ... thanks so much - Hilary
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