"Oh, by the way, Sarah," Kat added, "The opposite spell works like a filter. If your buck says something positive, truthful or otherwise non-negative, that'll come through... It's the negative stuff that the opposite spell works on." "Ok, that makes sense too I suppose," Sarah replied.
"And also, the spell is also fixed now so that it can only speak when spoken directly to... only when it is asked a direct question. That's what keeps it from speaking when we don't want to," Kat explained, so it's ok to use its name in those cases to get past the speech-blocking spell and allow it to respond."
"Got it," Sarah said.
"Ok," said Sarah, "let's finish putting up these Christmas trees."
A bit later, Steve spoke up and said "Hey it's getting to be about time for some lunch... How about we get some pizzas delivered, and then I'll still grill the burgers later for dinner like I promised." All agreed and he ordered the pizzas.
When the bang on the door came, it startled Dan until he saw Steve come through to accept a couple of pizzas. He set them on the table and announced "Pizza's here!" Sarah, Kat and Jack then filed past. Everyone grabbed a drink and plopped down on their seats. With the spell fixed, Dan felt everyone's weight on the deerskin suede leather seats as pressure over his entire body. He struggled with the pressure, stretching and pulling over his skin as they all settled in and made themselves comfortable.
He hated every second of it, but understood Kat arranged her spells the way she did so that he would always be reminded not only of his status in the household but also of his position on the food chain. Even with that, however, Dan was relieved that this meal was of pizza and not venison.
As lunch went on, Dan watched Sarah, Steve, Kat and Jack taking second and third helpings. He watched them eat. Not that he had any choice... He was still a deer head mounted on the dining room wall. He could not look away, it wasn't possible. He didn't pay much attention to what they talked about, as he watched everyone's mouths. He watched them eating hungrily, he watched them biting, chewing, slurping, and swallowing, on and on. Even though they were only eating pizza, he could only think about how these four mouths would soon continue wiping out what was left of his body.
As lunch wrapped up, Sarah cast a quick glance toward Dan and said "I bet it was glad we got pizza this time Haha!" Steve chimed in, "Yeah, but venison's back on the menu tonight!"
Jack said to Kat, "Oh Kat, are you in for a treat tonight. My Dad makes the best burgers!"
"Yes, I've heard," said Kat back to Jack as she smiled, "they sound delicious!"
Jack said as he pointed at Dan, "I bet it's not sharing the same enthusiasm for dinner we are, but that's ok!"
"Right Dan?" said Jack as he turned and looked at the deer head, "I'm glad you're here buddy! You're going on the grill tonight for some flame broiled deliciousness! You gonna be going for a ride down a slide to my belly! Are you excited about that?"
Dan yelled out in anger, "Jack! You fucking asshole! Who do you think you are?! The only reason you're at that table instead of up here with me is because you're Kat's girlfriend and not her sibling! No, I don't want to go on the grill! No, I don't want to be your food! I want you to starve! I am so fucking sick of being seen as just food for all you guys!"
But due to the opposite spell, what everyone heard was the deer speaking in a calm and cheery voice, "Jack, you're a fine gentleman, and I am beyond elated that I will soon be grilled up and enjoyed by the two lovebirds that you and Kat are. I sure hope you get enough to eat tonight. I am so appreciative that I am food for this family."
"Dan, that is Music to my ears," Jack said as he turned back to the table and patted his belly.
Everyone laughed.
Sarah spoke up, "I want to ask it something!"
"So Dan," she said, "I was just wondering... What was opening day like from your perspective?"
Dan shouted out "Really Sarah? You want to know what it was like for me!? It was a fucking awful day, the whole thing was miserable! Kat wiped out my human existence and turned me into an animal! Then, only a few minutes later, you shot me and took away my chance at a new life! While I laid on the ground, you looked down on me like I was nothing more than food! I was horrified! Then I heard you call your husband to come and gut me... He gutted me and you two threw me into the back of a truck to haul me to your fucking house. Then you guys hung me upside down in your garage to finish bleeding out so I could be butchered the next day. You brought your kid out to show me off to, and I realized that I had unfortunately become food for whole your stupid family. I saw how excited you were, and spent the rest of the night dreading the fact that besides being your food, I'd probably also have my head turned into some sort of sick trophy on your wall, and prayed that you wouldn't turn my hide into some kind of strange items for your own pleasure.
But what Sarah, Steve, Jack and Kat heard was a friendly voice saying "Sarah, I can understand how curious you must be. But it was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Kat blessed me with the opportunity for a new existence. Even better, you were right there to let me know that I would be better off helping to fuel your life. As I lay on the ground and looked up at you,
I knew I would become your food, and I was delighted! I was so happy when you called Steve to come help expedite the process. He was able to remove my insides quickly, and it was nice that you two were able to provide me with transport to your beautiful home. Then, you worked together to put me in a good position for harvesting my meat the following day. When you brought Jack out to see me, I was so excited that I had been blessed with becoming food for such a wonderful family. I spent the rest of the night not only in anticipation of becoming your delicious meals, but also hoping that you would preserve my head and bring it into your home, and I hoped that you might find some good uses for my hide as well."
"Oh, that's wonderful to hear," said Sarah, "And what was the following day like for you?"
Dan continued,"If you must know, I spent most of the day alone in darkness, horrified about what would happen when you returned. When you finally came back, I saw that Kat was with you. I knew this meant not only another set of teeth tearing me apart, but also her fucking spells making the rest of my existence a living hell. Then, she actually held my head while you guys cut it off to start butchering me! Then she dropped my head into a garbage bag and took me to be made into a stupid wall decoration for you!"
And what everyone heard was "I'm glad you asked. Most of my day was spent in quiet anticipation, looking forward to what would happen when you returned. When you did, I was so happy to see that Kat was with you. I knew that this meant not only would she also share in the delicious meals I'd become, but also that she would use her wonderful spells to make the best of my situation. She was kind enough to hold my head while you three cooperated to expertly remove it and start preparing me to become your food. Then she was considerate enough to protect me while she drove me to be transformed into this nice piece for display in your home."
"Oh, that's wonderful," Sarah said, "So you must really be looking forward to tonight?"
"Fuck no!" replied Dan, while everyone heard "Absolutely!"
Sarah turned to Kat and said "Ok, yeah, I'm feeling much better about this whole situation now. It's just venison." "That's right," Kat replied, "Delicious venison!"
Steve asked Sarah, "Hun, what time should I light the grill tonight?" "How about 6:00?" She said. "Sounds like a plan." Steve responded.
Everyone got up, cleared the table and went back to decorating for Christmas, except for Jack. He got right up in Dan's face and said "Dude, I can't even imagine what you're going through in there. But I do know that tonight you're gonna be going through here again," pointing into his own mouth, continuing with "sandwiched in a toasted bun, smothered with cheese and barbecue sauce, pickles and anything else I want... and my mouth is watering for it. I don't care what you ever were... Like I said before, now you're food, dude! When I see you, I only see steaks, roasts, ribs, burger, sausages, jerky, stewing meat and so on... Because that's what you are... You're just meat."
He popped a piece of venison jerky in his mouth and walked off, chuckling.