"Isabelle dear, could you check to see if the cake has cooled down enough to frost?" a matronly, plump woman said.

A young but plain girl replied from the corner of the kitchen, "Yes, Momma Marie."  As she walked to the main table, her simple, blue dress swayed around her body and her short, red hair bobbed up and down.  She gently placed her palm on the surface of the dessert and said, "It's plenty ready Momma." 

"Alright dear, go tell Bruce that we're just about finished with the food." Momma said, whipping cream, butter, and sugar in a bowl.

Isabelle wiped her hands on the apron tied around her waist and set out through down the short, adjoining hallway.  It was a rustic, outside kitchen connected to the house by an open walkway.  The barn lay about thirty feet away from the kitchen with its door facing the house.  The door lay open revealing the livestock, hay, and hanging bodies; everything was neatly in order from years of experience.  From the hill behind the barn, one could see the residences of neighbors all with their own quaint little house and barn. 

She walked through the open doorway of the house and immediately turned to the right into the sewing room.  A large, chisled man of probably sixty sat on a stool sewing together a coat made from an odd leather.  He wore simple farmer's clothes and a peppered, short beard.  Bright afternoon sunlight beamed through the window giving the man ample vision to work. 

After watching the man work for a few seconds, Isabelle softly, "Bruce?"

The aged man looked up from his work with a golden smile and warmth in his eyes.  He said, "What do you need, honey?"

"We're just about done with the food."

"Alright." he said.  "I really think Jeremy is going to have a great time today."

"I think so too." she replied.  "How much farther do you have on the coat?"

"Not much," he said holding the garment up, "but these sleeves have been giving me problems.  Hispanic flesh always turns out beautiful but it's hard to work with.  But anyway, why don't you go help Stanley set up the decorations?"

"I'll be right on it."  Isabelle said and then nearly skipped out of the room.  She walked through the rooms and out of the front door into the wide open yard covered with rich green grass.  A few feet ahead, there was a myriad of tables covered with white sheets and there were strings, covered with ribbons, leading from trees down to the ground.  There was a goliath of an oak tree a good twenty feet behind the tables and from it hung a rope ending in a meat hook.  Next to the tree, on the ground, lay the body of a young girl with her abdomen cut open and a man, dressed very much like Bruce, was kneeling next to her. 

Isabelle walked up the man and said, "Do you need any help, Stan?" 

He didn't look up from his work but did give her his attention.  He said, "Well, you can help me hang this up here in a minute."  The body was filled with wax paper bags of home made candies and he shoved a few more in.  "I think that should be enough for the kids."  He then took a spindle of thread and a coarse needle that layed amongst his other items beside him.  Several mimutes passed as he sewed the body, that couldn't be more than a day old, closed.  After finishing, he looked towards Isabelle and said, "You ready?"

She nodded her head and then they lifted the body up.  Straining to lift it, they got it above the hook and then it down, letting the rusted iron tool pierce the corpse's lower back.  They both looked at it in satisfaction and Stan said, "Well let's Jeremy and the rest out here."

Probably no more than two hours passed and in that time all the residents of the house and the neighbors from just over the hill to several miles away had come to celebrate the boy's coming of age.  They all had enjoyed a bevvy of fine home cooking and Jeremy had dived into the cake as if it were to be his last meal.  As of now, everyone had gathered around the giant oak and watched as Jeremy swung wildly with an old axe handle at the hanging body.  He laughed and giggled and the other children standing by cheered him on, trying to give directions to his target.  After another minute of frenzy, Jeremy finally struck the body and then doubled his efforts trying to release the goodness inside.  The body swung like a pendulumm and its breasts bounced with each blow.  With one final swing, he finally broke through the skin open the satchels of candy started to rain down.  The children went into a state of bedlum running under the body picking up the bags of delight and their laughter rang through the hillside.

Jeremy, pleased with his victory, simply stood back and let the other children enjoy the scramble.  Being a humble boy, he knew that his day had brought him enough joy and that he should share.  He stared with joy at the children but Stanley's voice brought him out of his daze.

"Jeremy," Stanley said, "there's one last gift."  He then stepped to the side revealing Bruce standing behind him holding the coat in his hands.  Jeremy's eyes filled elation as he saw it.  Bruce helped him put it on and the boy looked at himself with pride.  It was a wonderful winter coat that would be quite useful for his work on the farm.  Unexpectedly, he hugged the old man Bruce and around the waist and tears streamed from his face.

"Thank you." he said.