Pared to Truth
Dark Memoirs - Chapter 2
"Death may be the greatest of all human blessings." - Socrates
The irony isn't lost on me that people like Socrates love to share their thoughts and feelings on death. Living, breathing people feel they have an intimate understanding of death enough to give a fair assessment of it.
It's all bullshit, of course.
Now I do believe Socrates, who enjoyed some exquisite buggery with Alcibiades, has a point. What is that saying, a Greek philosopher balls deep in his protege's ass will hit upon insight and wisdom once on a blue Thursday?
His philosophical nonsense — all highbrow thinking and verbosity with no real meaning at all — makes me sick. But, dirty, old Socrates had a point, death can be a blessing for humans.
That's why they come to me. Poor fools.
Poor pathetic fuckers.
I wish I got nearly as much out of this as I did when I was still green, young and full of vigour.
Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy it. Still get an electric delight from watching and feeling someone's last breath drawn or watching as the final drop of blood is exsanguinated from their flailing body.
Some will think they are ready for the big leagues. They think they are ready to feel their life drift away. The narcotics, the self-inflicted damage they've done to themselves has numbed them to reason.
Fortunately, I am not one to let my judgements get in the way of my all-important work.
Just last week a man who thought he was some kind of tough guy, or brute, came to my hallowed halls of humiliation and dehumanisation as if he were going to Glastonbury to see Dolly Parton.
Told me to do my worst.
I ignored his ridiculous request.
Strung his body up with chains, naked as the day he was born. Then I took a grater — a crude, inelegant tool — and pared his skin away. Funny how it’s always the loudest men who are reduced to quiet truths when their own betraying flesh finally surrenders.
Like so many before him, he asked whether he got last words. No. This isn't kindergarten. Death will come to those who want it - naked, without reason, rhyme, memorial, or pomp and ceremony..
Well, not for them, anyway.
*
Thanks for reading!
Author's Notes: The tester was a success. This is the second chapter in my ongoing new series about a strange individual. The first chapter, Fair Exchange, No Robberies, was very well received. Thank you. I have started republishing each chapter to the Chapters community and will be publishing an index with links to all the existing and future chapters in Horror.
This is perhaps my best poem -
About the Creator
Paul Stewart
Award-Winning Writer, Poet, Scottish-Italian, Subversive.
The Accidental Poet - Poetry Collection out now!
Streams and Scratches in My Mind coming soon!
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Keep reading
More stories from Paul Stewart and writers in Chapters and other communities.
Bruce Lee and The God of War: Kuan Ti
It starts with love.. The Power to the God Of War and Wealth Walk into a Chinese restaurant (even in Oklahoma, USA), a Chinese police station, a kung fu martial arts studio or even a Chinese temple and you often see a red faced warrior holding a heavy quan-do (spear like weapon).
By WILD WAYNE : The Dragon King4 days ago in Chapters
Center Stage with Gina C.
*** I'm keen to republish the interviews I did for my series with Vocal creators. It's been a few years and I thought it might be nice to revisit these wonderful conversations. I'll be releasing them one at a time for a few weeks/months.
By Heather Hubler5 days ago in Interview
Comments (12)
Oh, this was right up Dharsheena's alley, I'm sure of it! Remarkable nailing on this, Paul!
Remind me never to piss you off 😆
Okay, definitely not the Grim Reaper as I've always imagined "him". Something much more wicked about this entity. Death by cheese grater. That's better than Freddie Kruger.
What a story of death and yes it will come when it comes for you or any body. Good job.
I'm sorry it's taken me this long to get to this story. (I know you understand, but I'm sorry I I denied myself the pleasure of reading it sooner.) But you did a brilliant job with this second installment. All the creepy darkness and mystery from the first rolled perfectly into this piece. I love that you started with Socrates, though I have to say, in all my studies of history, I don't remember ever hearing that exact saying about his protege... But I'm not a Philosopher ... I am very impressed with your choice of tool to inflict a very grisly and painful death. "Pared away his skin." Not too much detail to make this unreadable, but it still pains a vivid picture of his demise. Choosing a grater, a tool so many have accidentally sheared away a piece of themselves on, makes this instantly relatable. And your wonderful ending, "this isn't kindergarten." It circles back to the "tough guy" acting all confident and nonchalant as he enters, completely unprepared for the horror that awaits him.
I can see now how cheese has lost its appeal, even just for a day. Cheese is life. Cheese grater is death? Loved this!
So I am prepping supper and Linda wanted grilled cheese and soup I now changed my mind as I chose not to grate cheese or anything that needs grating Curse you Paul
I have cut my finger on a cheese grater before, so I can imagine that feeling making it's way down my back, thank for the visual, I can see the skin peeling off like it would a block of cheese. Though, cheese doesn't bleed! haha Thanks for the new word: exsanguinated. I love when my knowledge is expanded through reading. this is a great chapter, working well with the previous. Stoked for this journey
What a great chapter and what a way to go. Good job.
Ahh I see the witch doctor is back ;) (I jest) this is fked in the best kinda way my guy.
NO THIS ISN'T KINDERGARTEN HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
It’s a good feckin’ thing I chose to read this well before dinner and my bedtime. A grater, an inelegant tool, really?! And that hit job on Socrates? Just say no to the philosophical musings of pedo’s? You have definitely created a dark and twisted protagonist for your serial, Paul. Curious about the motivations of the dipshits who volunteer for death by inches, though. Your character brought to mind a really dark, ghoulish fella in Ray Bradbury’s story - Skeleton. Did you ever read it?