Deer Meat

We had been driving for a few minutes, and KoMg looked happier than I had ever seen anyone look behind a steering wheel. His smile was wider than the road. He took the busiest route, but it didn't matter. It was late, and the streets were almost empty.

"KoMg, you don't seem like you're from here."

"Why? Yeah, I'm from the Ayeyarwady Region. I came here to work, to pay my little sister's school fees and help my family. I have two sisters, one older and one younger. My older sister and I work so the little one can stay in school." He glanced at me and smiled. "It's nice to meet good people like you, Naing Naing. You're really friendly and kind."

"Of course I am," I said. "Your story moves me. All that hard work. All that talent."

My phone rang. It was my mother.

"Hello, Mom."

"Wathone, are you home?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Okay. I'm just checking on you. Your father said you were home. Tell me if you need money for food or anything."

"Okay. Buy me a shirt from Bangkok."

"Okay. And tell your father not to forget about the trip next month."

"Okay, Mom."

I hung up.

"Dude, was that your mom?" KoMg asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"She sounds so sweet and kind, man. Just like you."

"Oh. Thanks, man. Give me a minute. I need to call my father."

"Sure, man."

It rang for a long time.

"Hello? Wathone?"

"Dad, you're not home?"

"No. How did you know?"

"You told Mom I was home. If you were home, you'd know I'm not."

He laughed. "Well, you know your mother. Always accusing me, always jealous. Listen. You don't tell her I went out, and I won't tell her you went out. Deal?"

"Sure, Dad. See you in the morning."

"Hahaha! That's my son!"

"Naing Naing, we're almost there," KoMg said. "Where should I park?"

"Inside the gate. Hold on, I'll get the maid to open it. I'm sure she's still there."

I got out and rang the bell, and I was right. The young maid came running to open the gate.

I saw her again. She had cut her hair, and she was wearing makeup to cover the bruises.

"Hey. Is Aunty still here? Are you alone?"

"Yes, young sir. Just me and your dog. Your sister went to her friend's house after you left."

"Look. I want to apologize for what I did. I'll buy you something tomorrow, so you'll forgive me."

"Oh, sir, there's no need."

She looked down, and her face turned red.

"Please. At least let me do that. I owe you. Go home early tonight and rest."

"Are you sure, sir? Aunty told me to sleep here and watch the house."

"It's fine. I'm home now. I want you to rest. Your pretty face is bruised and tired because of me. Go on, get your things and go home."

"Thank you, sir."

She hurried off to get her things, shy, almost running. I watched her from behind the whole way, every step she took, until she turned the corner of the house.

I opened the gate and waved the car in, then got back in beside KoMg.

"Dude, you okay?"

"Sure. You have maids? And your house is huge, man. It's like a castle!"

"Welcome. Wait here in the car. I'll go and get the wine."

"Okay, man. Thank you, for the second time."

"No problem."

At the front door, I met the maid on her way out.

"Sir, I'm going home now."

"Okay. Take care. It's late. Is your place far?"

"No, sir. Just around the corner. I rent an apartment there."

"Ah, okay. Good. Don't make me worry."

"Mm." She nodded, shy again, and walked to the gate. I watched her from behind. I liked the way she walked. With every step she took, I couldn't take my eyes off her, until she disappeared into the dark. Just around the corner. I would remember that.

I went inside to get the wine. I had no idea which one he meant, so I grabbed the first bottle I saw on the shelf and took it out to the car.

"Hey, man! Here!"

KoMg turned it over in his hands. "That's not the one we talked about. But wow. This one's twice as expensive."

"Oh. Not that one?"

"No, man. But this is more than fine. If you're not okay with it, you can take it back. It's really expensive."

"No, keep it. Come on, I'll show you my wine collection."

"I'm not sure, man. It's kind of late."

"Come on. You're already here. Just take a look."

"Well, shit. Okay, man. I'm coming."

I led KoMg to my father's wine room.

"Oh wow. You weren't kidding. Look at this collection. These are all really expensive."

"Yeah, man. Look around."

While he was looking, I picked up the bottle closest to me and swung it into the back of his head. The sound echoed around the room.

KoMg screamed. He didn't pass out. He turned to me, shocked and confused, one hand pressed to his head.

"Why did you do that? I'm going home."

He ran past me, and his legs gave out halfway to the door. He fell, and started crawling toward it. I should have locked it. It didn't matter. He was crawling slowly.

I took another bottle from the shelf and hit him again. It didn't break. He screamed. This was a big house, and nobody was home. He could scream until his throat tore. No one would hear him.

I hit him again. This time he started to bleed. He rolled over and looked up at me, begging.

"Oh my God, please, Naing Naing, please, I'm sorry, don't do this to me."

"KoMg, please. Calm down."

I swung again. He threw up his hands, and the bottle shattered against them and cut them open. He was crying now, begging louder and louder.

The more he begged, the angrier I got. I took one more bottle and brought it down on his forehead as hard as I could. The glass burst apart, and KoMg went still.

My clothes stank of wine.

I dragged him by the legs into the dining room, closed the door, locked every door in the house, and tied him to a chair.

When he came to, he looked around the room, then at me.

"Naing Naing, listen to me. Why are you doing this?"

"What do you mean? Just stay calm. You'll be fine."

"Mom," he said. "Mommy. Help me. Mom." He started crying, loud. "Mom, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Mom."

I sighed. He was starting to annoy me. I went to the kitchen and came back with a knife while he cried and shouted for help.

"Okay, KoMg. Let me take that away for now. I'll put it back later, when I'm finished."

"What? No, no, I'll shut up, please, no, no, please, Naing Naing, I'm really—"

I took hold of his tongue and cut it out. His tears ran down his face like rain. I dropped his tongue into a pot from the kitchen.

Then I started cutting into his chest. He screamed with no tongue. He sounded like a pig.

"You look great, KoMg."

Then I took his hands, the same hands I had watched spinning bottles behind the bar all night. So fast. So clever. I cut off his fingers, one by one, and dropped each of them into the pot with his tongue. I wanted to keep those.

He gagged, and then he passed out.

Well. Now what? I couldn't wait for him to wake up on his own. I had to finish before morning. Then I had an idea. I boiled water in the kitchen and put his feet in it. That kept him awake.

I stepped back and took photos from across the room. Beautiful, like art, like a Greek sculptor carving marble.

Then I put some music on my phone. Jazz. Something to calm him down instead of all that acting crazy.

When the jazz started, I danced my way back over to him. He was awake now. He tried to talk with no tongue.

"Ahhhh… ahhh… hep… heh… heo…"

I started skinning him near his ribs, until the bones showed through. He looked weak. Tired.

"Oh, wait, KoMg. I have an idea. Let me go get my buddy."

I ran upstairs, got it, and came back down to show him my favorite toy.

"One, two, three! A hammer, KoMg."

"Pleasliss…"

"Okay. Relax your toes."

I smashed every one of his toes. He screamed. I was getting tired of the screaming. I had to do something about it. I got forks and spoons from the kitchen and shoved them into his mouth one by one. It didn't feel like enough, so I got a few more and pushed those in too.

He was close to passing out again. I boiled the water again and looked at the clock. It was almost three. Time flies when you're having fun.

I smashed his toes once more and put his feet back into the boiling water.

His eyes went wide, almost popping out of his head. I wanted to see what was behind them. I took a spoon and dug one out.

"Wow. So many nerves and veins." Then it slipped. "Oops. It fell. Sorry, KoMg. Your eye's on the floor."

I picked it up and put it in the pot.

He passed out again. This time he wasn't breathing.

"Oh," I said. "Why is he so weak? Is he dead?"

I held my hand under his nose. He was really dead.

I made sure of it. I cut him open and broke his ribs with my hammer so I could see his heart. It had already stopped. I took out his heart and put it in the pot, then his liver. Then I went behind him and hit his head with the hammer until the skull cracked and something began to leak out. I kept hitting until it gave way. I reached inside and took out his brain. It was soft and slimy. I put that in the pot too.

Well. He was nothing now.

I untied him and dragged him by the legs out into the back garden, where nobody ever goes.

When I came back inside, Poepoe was standing in the doorway, looking at me with those sad eyes, her head tilted to one side. She started walking toward me.

"Hey, no! Don't come into the dining room. It's dirty in here. Go!"

She didn't listen. She kept coming. So I went to the pot, took out the heart and the tongue, put them on her plate, and carried the plate outside. She followed me, and when I set it down, she started eating. I went back in and locked the door behind me so she couldn't follow me again.

Then I went back out to the back garden to dig. A hole, not a grave. I dug it deep, deeper than I was tall, and dropped him in standing up, as if he were still standing somewhere under the garden. Then I filled it in with soil and mud until there was nothing left to see, and I put a flowerpot on top.

I was tired. I didn't want to clean anymore. I went inside and texted the maid: Please come early tomorrow morning. You have a lot of work to do.

She was probably asleep. She would see it in the morning.

I went upstairs with the pot and my hammer. Just outside my bedroom, my legs gave out. My eyes grew heavy, and I fell asleep right there on the floor.

To be continued...