The Family Business: A Dark Tale of Greed and Oil
The Family Business
By Ambrose Bierce
Father: The company is failing! To save it, we need more dogs at the factory.
Son: Dad, that doesn’t seem right. I have no friends because of our terrible reputation.
Father: It’s the only way to earn money to survive!
Mother: Our son is right, but we do need money to eat.
Son: But Mom, I feel so alone. I hate that the dogs are dying for this oil. It’s wrong!
Father: Enough! This is our livelihood, our way of life!
Mother: My job isn’t easy either, but it’s our life.
(The son, while searching the village for tools, notices a police officer following him.)
Son: I’ve been searching all afternoon and found nothing. I have to lose the police; they can’t know what we’re doing.
Police: That boy is suspicious. I need to investigate where he gets those dogs.
(The son, after evading the police, returns to the factory.)
Father: Son, why are you back so soon? Where are the dogs for the oil?
Son: Father, a police officer has been following me all afternoon. I was afraid of getting caught. We could lose everything, and you’re the only family I have.
Mother: Son, come help me in the workshop. We can discuss this later.
(The mother had a side business, taking care of and “disposing of” unwanted individuals. Sometimes, people vanished without a trace.)
Son: Mom, I’m back to help. I finished my homework.
Mother: Son, hurry! We have a situation that needs your help.
(The son, upon reaching the workshop’s back door, sees his mother clutching a blanket, wrapping something that drips a warm, red liquid.)
Mother: Boff! My son, I need you to get rid of this problem. Take it to that place.
Son: Yes, Mom. (He picks up the package and opens it, discovering the corpse of a young child.) Mother! What is this?!
Mother: Quiet! Just obey.
(Boff carries the body towards the well used for the factory’s waste. He stops near the factory, gazing at the child’s beautiful, serene face. A strange feeling washes over him.)
Son: Such a beautiful face. (He hesitates before lowering the body into the cauldron, stroking the child’s hair.)
Son: I can’t keep doing this. It’s eating me up inside. I know it’s wrong, but I have to obey my parents. I need to tell Father what I’ve done.
(The next morning, the doctors arrive to test the latest batch of oil.)
Father: Gentlemen, good morning. Let’s begin. This oil is revolutionary! It’s healthy and free of adverse effects. This new batch is exceptional! We’ve finally achieved success!
(As they test the oil, they notice a difference: it’s smoother, silkier, and denser than before.)
Father: Yes, we’ve perfected the formula! (He returns home, ecstatic, and tells his wife and son the good news.)
Son: Father… I have a confession… Instead of disposing of the body in the river… I put it in the cauldron.
(His parents stare at him in astonishment.)
Mother: That’s a brilliant idea, son!
(She turns to her husband, a sinister gleam in her eye.)
Mother: We can combine our work!
Father: You’re right! We start tomorrow!
(Days later, at a neighborhood gathering, the parents face criticism and disbelief over their sudden success.)
(Later that night, tensions erupt between the husband and wife.)
Father: You’re insane! This is all your fault!
Mother: Don’t you dare talk to me like that! I have a knife!
Father: You think I’m scared of your little knife? (He laughs menacingly.)
Mother: Let go of me!
Son: Stop it, both of you! You’re going to hurt each other! (He cries out, watching in terror.)
(The fight escalates, leaving the father mortally wounded. He grabs his wife, a crazed look in his eyes.)
Father: I may die, but you’re coming with me!
(With a final surge of strength, he drags his wife into the boiling cauldron.)
Son: (Sobbing) What have I done? I have to get out of here! I can go to Otumwee, study, and make something of myself. Anything but this!
(The son packs his belongings, his heart heavy with guilt and fear. He flees into the night, desperate to escape the horrors of his family’s legacy.)