Slaughterhouse Guests Carve First Meat

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About Slaughterhouse Guests Carve First Meat

A year since his marriage broke down, straightforward, friendly Kris Kartofski is ready to meet someone new. He meets Janis through Single Hearts and she invites him to her ranch near Fort Worth to meet the folks. Unfortunately for Kris, Janis and her family turn out to be very different than he'd hoped."The storm batters the roof. Unfazed, Dawn says a rambling prayer about appreciating all the food God gives us every day of our lives and Janis hands me a heavy carving knife for the pig. 'You're man of the house now,' she says softly. I stand up, take the knife from her and nod: the ritual is about to begin."Kris Kartofski is in his thirties and divorced. Outgoing, likeable and straightforward, he adores his little boy, Jake. Kris describes himself as living a simple, contented life on the coast but, a year after his marriage ended, he thinks he's ready to meet someone new. He meets Janis through Single Hearts dating agency and takes a risk by agreeing to visit her at her family's desolate ranch near Fort Worth.Janis is a quiet woman who's interested in finding a man. Reasonable on the first two dates, she suddenly seems sombre when Kris meets her at the ranch. Through Dawn, he discovers Janis told him a few white lies about herself in the beginning. When he gets a moment alone with Janis she assures him she's just nervous about the visit and encourages him to give her another chance.Dawn is Janis' aunt. She's a sturdy, confident woman who enjoys cooking traditional foods and has a passion for old artefacts - she's quick to show Kris her grandfather's prized collection of firearms languishing in the eating room cabinet. Dawn seems friendly and jovial at first but, yet again, there's something not quite right about her. For one thing, she appears to have total control over the other person in the ranch - morose, silent Reina.Reina is Janis' stepmother. From the moment Kris arrives, sombre Reina is ringing her hands and barely speaking. Always on the nervous sidelines, she watches intently over the conversations between Dawn, Kris and Janis. When she's present, she causes an atmosphere that begins to deeply unnerve their laid-back visitor. Reina is clearly hiding something about the Bisher-Worths just like Dawn and Janis are - but, is the silent member of the strange family unit going to be silent much longer?

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