20 Comments
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A. A. Kostas's avatar

Dark stuff... but vivid. There is a lot to be learned in the hunting and the killing and the ritual delicacy of preparing a carcass

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Josh Nadeau's avatar

Haha definitely dark, it’s an important little idea though, that we can use good for evil, that things are not as they seem, etc

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A. A. Kostas's avatar

Yeah that's right - sentimentality and even community and traditions can all be twisted or corrupted. They are not necessary good in and of themselves.

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Jacob Hintz's avatar

Well that twist sufficiently horrified me. Well done.

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Josh Nadeau's avatar

We aim to please ahahah

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Rooted in Him's avatar

Beautiful! I’ve always appreciated darker shades of literary beauty. The theme that came to my mind is the way we interact with the world around us. We do so with patience and compassion, knowing how to handle a life or a skill without, frankly, butchering someone’s spirit or life. Great piece!!

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Debi Hassler-Never Forsaken's avatar

Oh my, what a twist-first thought, oh gross/but it really is a great story, with a flash of Hannibal Lector at the end, served up with some Chianti and fava beans, no doubt. (Cue sound effects…)

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Josh Nadeau's avatar

Hahah very gross — things are not always as they seem

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Alice Harper's avatar

I hated the ending! I was loving it until the twist. Was any of the scout story really or just all made up? Great writing.✍️

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Josh Nadeau's avatar

Ahahah it was so wholesome and homespun. Things are not always as they seem —

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Kat's avatar

Woah! Great way to tie the story up. I wasn't expecting that at all!

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Josh Nadeau's avatar

;) me neither at first ha

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Kat's avatar

I did a double-take while reading. I was like, 'Wait, did I miss something?' lol

Nice work, Josh. I very much enjoy your stuff.

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Quint Firestone's avatar

unbelievable joke, tie the story up, come on now

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Will Romano's avatar

I was in the store with my wife reading this at first and for some reason it took my like halfway through to realize this was a short story and not an essay- safe to say I would have realized by the end though lol. Great writing as always!

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Joel Henderson's avatar

Ah haha I missed the secondary title - ( a short story)

For a moment I thought you were making a confession Josh! Great writing! The words were painting perfect images in my mind’s eye!

I pictured Dexter or something like that at the end

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Nick Makiej's avatar

So graphic, wow. I felt *right there* with your Scout Master, right there, intimately part of each vignette.

And honestly, not sure what to make of the twist…but way to leave me with something I’ll be thinking about til at least tomorrow!

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Musings on a Modern Life's avatar

Well written! I had to re-read the last line about three times when the twist hit me. The flow that led to the finale was immaculate.

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Cory Kostrzycki's avatar

Dexter was a “good” guy!

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Chase Ferruccio's avatar

The dread that hit my stomach at the end.

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