Rub it real good. The meat has to be tender, but the skin still firm enough to maintain a good grip. The touch of a confident hand had coaxed a hunk of pinkish, sinewy animal from the wooden bowl, taking for itself the wisps of steam its touch produced.
As the priest raised his fork to his mouth, he cast his eyes on the cell phone sitting on the couch next to him. One message, unread. The screen pulsed with the certainty of its taunting.
Burger was only the first course.
The second course was ham. The third was bread. You needed first, then second, and last course very much in order to be satisfied.
If you did not know that, whether or not you ate, it was only proper to make believe. In fact, that's exactly what you were doing. You were pretending that you knew what to do. So you became the host and served course after course, pretending to be in command of the event even as you despair of your ability to host it.
But what choice did you have?
Eventually, the meal was done.
Even so, the mayor of the town wished to press his offense against the servants of Christ. And he was strong still. While the priest ate, a man had crept into the cellar of the kitchen. A moment later, he came out of the cellar with a smile on his face. He held a krill in his hand tightly as he approached the priest.
"From the bottom of my heart, I wish to thank you," said the man in his very-polite-man voice. "I am honored to have you here in my kitchen."
"Think nothing of it," said the priest. "It is my pleasure. These krill are delicious."
The mayor began laughing so loudly that the sound echoed through the entire town. "They are, of course," he said. "But more importantly, the krill here represent the new beginning we have had to make."
"I see," said the priest. "What exactly have you come to discuss?"
"You see, the local church had been here for all these years," began the mayor. "But we have noticed that it's been losing members. It's to be expected, I suppose. Consider that anyone who follows the teachings of Christ is often found to be contrarian by the religion of the culture they live in. But these people are quite particular. They are commonly called 'hard-line.'
"Yes, you understand," continued the mayor. "And unfortunately for the church, these very people are the most pious in town. And so, they are the ones that the church has been dependent on. When they are no longer around, the people are left with their own two creatures, the ones that allowed the town to survive: the fish, and the krill. The priests were all left with nothing."
"They exist because they are our servants," said the priest.
"Yes, they do," said the mayor. "But now, it's too late. Look at what has happened. This town has been here for a thousand years, and now, it's dead. You see, it is only the food available in the town that makes the people stay here. If we did not have the fish and the krill, the town itself would not be a viable destination. But now those fish and krill can just as well be had on the internet.
"So, this town is meaningless to everyone nowadays. Not only is it a backwater, it is an outdated one. Therefore, there is no reason to stay here. That is why this town has been abandoned. I am the only one left in town. I took on the job of being mayor, but I wish now to accept being the last man.
"But this all should not matter anymore, because I will not be the only one to inhabit this town. With the help of my various connections and connections of my money and status in the industry, I am getting a new population of citizens. We will make a new town here."
The priest nodded. "I am glad the burial is over," he said, "But I am curious. No more krill?"
"No more krill," said the mayor. "I will allow only mice. I have managed to acquire some living by trading with a breeder in the Midlands. The original mice of the town have been eaten. The new ones are much superior in flavor.
"But, since the town is just one hundred meters from the sea, that should not be a problem."
"Very well," said the priest. "I will be off now."
"I hope you clean up your mess," said the mayor. "You do not want to be seen causing a mess."
"I will do so," said the priest.
"It is good that you finally understand," said the mayor. "You are a good man.
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