Foreword

Please, sit. The chair is steady. The table has been cleaned.

There is no need to look for an exit; if there were one meant for you, it would have presented itself already.

Welcome.

You have come a long way, whether your legs carried you or something louder did. Hunger does that. It leads mouths to tables, hands to knives, strangers to places they swear they did not mean to enter. Your Host understands this. Your Host has always understood this.

There is no costly bill to pay here, nor a clock counting down the seconds and minutes and hours of your presence. You may eat as slowly as you like. You may eat until you forget what the ache felt like. Satisfaction is the only requirement, and Your Host will watch for it carefully.

Do not concern yourself with the origin of the meat. All meals here are prepared with care—seasoned, rested, cooked to preference. Nothing is served thoughtlessly or wasted. If unease stirs, that is natural. Hunger often arrives with shame. If curiosity stirs, that is better.

You were led here because you needed feeding. Everyone who crosses this threshold is. Some are seated at the table. Some are placed upon it. Fate has a way of setting roles without asking for opinions.

Still—tonight, you are a guest.

The table is set. Allow Your Host to begin.