31 days theme exchange: "Heart, which is firm and rather dry"

[tarigwaemir]

Heart, which is firm and rather dry

He carefully cut a thin slice from the heart and slipped it into his mouth. He chewed slowly and methodically, his eyes half-closed in concentration.

"Well?" Mr. Ibis asked from the other room, pen poised.

"He died in his sleep. A man of strong will. Always did his duty to his wife and children. He was never quite happy though. At a loss for what to do next when his children grew up and moved away. Rather lonely in his last years after his wife passed away." Jacquel swallowed and wiped his mouth neatly. "An uneventful life and a peaceful death."

"Died in sleep," Mr. Ibis repeated as he scribbled on his clipboard.

"He was an honest man."

"How do you know? Can you weigh his heart from a single slice?"

"The scales and feather were only for show. I can smell the traces of his soul. He was an honest man."

"If you say so. Next body?"

END

Comments

[tryogeru.livejournal.com]

Lovely. I thought those two were really interesting but too bad he didn't do more with them. You write Gaiman really well.

[troisroyaumes]

Oh whew, glad you liked. This was one of the ones I was unsure about since it's been a while since I read American Gods.

[sophiap.livejournal.com]

I really like how you portrayed these two. The idea of the scales and feather being only for show seems very Gaimanesque, somehow. I also love the image of Ibis noting the details on his clipboard.