The Family Man Who Turned Evil

Horror! We may or may not like this genre, but I’m sure this story is going to impact you.

When I was in middle school, even before my teenage years, I read this scary tale. I guess, I was too young to read it, but a translated version of the original Chinese story appeared in a magazine my father subscribed to.

I remember developing goosebumps as I read it. I was not prepared for this horror.

Since then, I’ve wanted to re-read it but have never found it again—even in this internet era! So, here I’ll narrate it in my own version, recalling from memory after 25–30 years.

Without much ado, let’s begin.

There was a man living with his wife, sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren in a big house. His job was to take the cattle to the pasture for grazing.

He would rest under the shade of a tree and eat the bread and vegetables his wife had packed for him. After a nap, he’d bring his herd back to the barn before sunset.

At night, he’d huddle with his family around a bonfire, sharing stories. He was a content man.

One day, while leading his herd through the meadow to the pasture, he saw a crow flying with a big piece of meat in its beak. On a whim, he threw his stick at the bird. The meat fell to the ground.

He saw it was a large chunk of fleshy meat — a heart.

He thought to himself, “If I didn’t want to eat it, why did I deprive the bird?” But since he had it now, he decided to eat the meat.

Under the tree, he made a fire, salted the meat, wrapped it with leaves, and roasted it. He tasted it — it was delicious, unlike anything he had ever eaten.

He went home as usual. The next day, he ate the food his wife had cooked — it tasted bland.

He couldn’t forget the unique taste of the meat he had eaten the day before.

The following day, he strayed into the jungle and hunted a rabbit. He tried the heart — it didn’t taste like the meat.

The day after, he hunted a duck. Still not the same.

He was growing restless and obsessed. Over the next few days, he tried the hearts of different forest animals. But none of them matched the taste from the first day.

He was no longer the gregarious, happy family man he once was. He seemed distracted and detached.

Then, one day, an evil idea struck him. He was sitting on the porch as the grandchildren played. He sent one granddaughter to fetch water for him.

As the little girl went inside, he followed — and did the unthinkable.

He finally tasted what he had been craving. The monster had taken over him.

He committed the same crime again and again. As the children's head count started decreasing, the parents grew wary.

They decided to monitor the kids and expose the offender.

The youngest son of the old man was given the task to catch the culprit red-handed.

As everyone guessed, a child was sent into the dark kitchen to fetch water. The old man followed, and just as he was about to attack, his son caught him. The family was horrified.

Given the severity of his crime, he was locked in a secluded house with a small window, while his punishment was decided. Eventually, his family and neighbors stoned him to death.

Temptations, if not controlled, can turn a man into a monster, a psychopath.

Let me know your thoughts on this scary tale.