THE BLUNT FAMILY TRADITION

The Blunts had occupied the top echelon of society for many generations. They had gradually built their immense wealth over decades, all the while cementing strong ties to the political class, broadening their influence over the economic elite, and building an aura of mystery around their family.

The family’s rise to power began with Dexter Blunt, a butcher who owned a ramshackle butchery in Brixton, the poorest district of the nation’s capital. His clientele were made up of blue-collar workers who were prone to making purchases on credit and falling behind on payments because of their meagre income. This was the reason for the mystery surrounding the rise of the family. How had a butcher doing business in the poorest neighborhood in town suddenly risen up the ranks to rub shoulders with the high and mighty? That question would remain unanswered in perpetuity.

Since there was no answer coming from the Blunts, people began to spread rumors about their source of income. Some claimed the family was involved in the drug trade, they claimed Dexter was a dealer who supplied the high and mighty, hence his quick rise to power. Others claimed the family was involved with supplying arms and ammunition to dictators in third-world countries. And others claimed the family managed money laundering operations on behalf of the nation’s elites. 

The rumors spread like wildfire, but there was rarely any proof given to back them up, so they would peter out and die, making way for fresh rumors that would eventually peter out and die. 

Very few of the nation’s citizens actually believed the rumors, they only listened and shared because it served as a temporary distraction from the drudgery of daily life. Many people had lived and interacted with Dexter, and they all testified to his strength of character. Many highly respected members of the society, including priests, personally vouched for him, attesting to his impeccable character. Prior to moving away from Brixton, Dexter was known to be a man of intense faith. He spent long hours in the Brixton Cathedral, during which he would pray ceaselessly and then single-handedly clean up the 500-person capacity cathedral. How could such a man be involved in the numerous illicit schemes he had been accused of? It was a hard pill to swallow.

After his death, Dexter left the 2000-acre ranch he called home to his children. They split it among themselves and built their individual homes on the property. When they died, they also passed it down to the next generation.

The ranch had always been off limits to outsiders, just as the world outside was off limits to insiders. Subsequent generations had established schools, hospitals, fitness centers, restaurants, parks, and more within the ranch. It was a world of its own. The amenities available on the ranch were staffed by non-family members who’d sworn oaths of secrecy, they also lived permanently on the ranch. There were a myriad reasons for keeping the family away from the outside world, the most important of which was the preservation of the family bloodline. Children were forbidden from having relationships with outsiders or even considering marriage with them. They were to marry their cousins, and if no cousin was available, they would marry a sibling. And if there was no cousin or sibling available, a married cousin or sibling would have to embrace polygamy.

***

There had been relative peace in the family till Frederick came of age. Not only did he refuse to attend the school on the ranch, he also refused to continue to live there beyond his eighteenth birthday. The heads of the family refused to allow him break with the family tradition. They had all embraced the same customs, what made him think he could just waltz into the family and dictate changes to decades-old traditions? 

Despite coaxing from his parents and siblings, Frederick refused to abandon his plans. He didn’t want to school in the ranch, and he was determined to see to it that he didn’t. When his father and the other heads of the family would not let him have his way, he found himself a lawyer and took the family to court. The judge ruled in his favor and Frederick moved out of the ranch immediately, taking with him all of his property and most importantly, his inheritance.

Frederick instantly became the black sheep of the family. Sermons were given in the family cathedral, denouncing the actions he took and encouraging the other kids to stay in line. Theodore, the first born male child of his generation and the leader of the family, reinforced the reasons why the previous generations had been so adamant on staying away from the outside world. He spoke about the nosiness of the nation’s citizens, he reminded the kids of the outlandish rumors that were constantly being spread about the family, and he presented each child with a thick folder containing photos, articles, newspaper cut-outs, and more, detailing the depravity that had infected the wider society. He begged them to pray for Frederick; to pray that the Lord show him the light; to pray that the Lord touch his heart, open his eyes, and return him to the family.

***

Five years would pass before Frederick returned to the ranch. He returned, not because he saw the light and regretted his actions, but because his mother informed him that the heads of the family had started to put in place measures to ensure the smooth transition of power to the next generation. She told him they planned to pass him over for the position of leader of the family despite him being the first born male of his generation. She also told him there had been discussions about his inheritance. She said they had agreed that there was no reason why he should have an inheritance if he was determined to not respect the family tradition. After all, his grandfather, from whom he was receiving the inheritance, had gotten his own inheritance because he lived in accordance with the will of the family.

Frederick didn’t need further coaxing after realizing there was a possibility that he would be disinherited. The inheritance was the only reason why he’d been able to live comfortably outside the ranch. It had taken months of constant training for him to understand how to go about doing his laundry, and he still had many basic skills left to learn. How would he survive without the monthly inflows?

Frederick returned to the ranch a week after the discussion with his mother. Although the family was happy to see him, many of them were very skeptical. Theodore’s numerous sermons about Frederick and life outside the ranch had positioned him as an outsider, as an enemy. So, although they were happy to see that he was back just as Theodore had predicted a few weeks prior to his return, they didn’t know if they would be able to relate to him as a person, as a relation, and as leader of the family. 

Theodore had asked that they give him a second chance, but they found it hard to be very welcoming from the get-go. Instead, they opted to watch and pray. Only time could tell what had become of Frederick.

***

“You’ve shown signs of being a reformed man, Frederick.” Theodore complemented him with a broad grin. “The sermons you’ve given at the cathedral these past weeks were powerful, to say the least. I am coming to see that perhaps, the Lord sent you out to the world to experience it so you can come back here to share with us the dangers and vices that exist beyond the walls of our sacred sanctuary.”

“It has been eye opening.” Said Frederick’s father, Anthony. “I would never have imagined how far gone the world is. I read these things over the internet and see reports on TV, but they never frame it the way Frederick has. It’s very different when he speaks of it,” he turned to the others seated around the table. “When you reflect on Frederick’s sermons, you realize how lucky we are that Papa Dexter built this sanctuary. In this sanctuary, we are safe, and our children are safe from the evil eating up our world.”

The men around the round-table nodded in agreement. Many of them had been aghast at what Frederick had shared with them at the cathedral. The level of debauchery and hedonism in the world was much worse than they could ever have predicted.

“Prior to your return,” Theodore said, turning to the issue that had necessitated the meeting that evening. “We’d been discussing cutting you off permanently from the family, Frederick. We thought you were lost. We thought you were too far gone to be redeemed, but it is obvious that the Lord has a purpose for your life, and the Lord has returned you to us. He took you from us and kept you long enough for you to experience and learn from the horrendous things happening out there in the world, and now he’s brought you back just in time for you to take your rightful place in this family.” He leaned forward in his chair and beamed. “We are all old and greying men, Frederick. There is not much time left for us on this earth. It is time for us to coach you, the next generation, and give you room to take charge of the affairs of the family.”

Frederick nodded absentmindedly.

“The most critical aspect of being the leader of this family, as you now know, is taking charge of the family business and ensuring its continued smooth operations. Papa Dexter started this business and grew it into the powerhouse it is today. As you now know, this business is the source of the immense power this family wields in society. The continued peace and prosperity of the family will rest on your shoulders when you take charge. And your success in ensuring peace and prosperity is highly dependent on you ensuring the business operates smoothly, you understand that?”

Again, Frederick nodded absentmindedly.

“I know it is a lot to take in,” Anthony said. “But you’re a man. A man has to do what a man has to do. When I had ‘the discussion’ with my father, I was just as shaken as you are, but I have gradually grown into it and today it doesn’t bother me at all. It is key to our survival. We need to keep the business running smoothly if we are to maintain the wealth and security of our family and our sanctuary, you understand that right?” Everyone around the table stared at Frederick, expectantly. This was a pivotal moment for the family. No one in the decades-long history of the family had refused to take charge of or participate in the operations of family business. Such a decision would require the implementation of certain never-before-used aspects of the family constitution.

“So, what do you say, son?” Theodore asked, expectantly. “Are you ready to take charge of the family? Are you ready to continue the great legacy Papa Dexter left behind? Are you ready to assume leadership of the family business?”

Frederick sighed. He could never have predicted that he would find himself in such a situation when he opted to return to the ranch. He thought he just had to return, smile and pretend to conform to the family’s traditions, retain his inheritance, and sometime in the not too distant future, return to the world he had come to love. 

“What do you say, son?” Anthony asked as he placed a loving hand on his son’s shoulder. “Are you ready to take your birthright?”

Frederick exhaled. “As a child, growing up, it is normal for you to see the world around through rose-colored glasses. This evening, I realized mine were multi-layered. Never in a million years could I have ever predicted the things my father revealed to me this evening. I am utterly dumbfounded.”

Anthony nodded and said. “It is normal to be surprised. We all were…”

“What is your decision, boy?” Theodore interrupted, there was a hint of irritation in his voice. “Shall we proceed?”

“If the high and mighty of this nation have fallen in love with the taste of human flesh and you all expect me to assume the role of their ‘dealer’, you must be out of your minds. How can you ask me to take charge of a ranch that has a hidden section dedicated to rearing humans for processing and distribution, like animals? You are all worse than animals, both you and those who came before you. I cannot, and will not, be party to such a disgusting and inhumane enterprise. You don’t deserve the air you breathe. None of you do.”

An eerie silence enveloped the room. Theodore slowly reclined in his chair, all the while holding Frederick’s gaze. When the boy returned and waxed lyrical, he knew it was too good to be true. The boy was no longer one of them. The devil had taken charge of his soul. He had become an instrument in the hands of the devil. Theodore couldn’t bear the thought of sitting back and watching the devil use Frederick to destroy decades-old traditions. It was time to act swiftly and put a permanently stop to the devil’s plans for the Blunt family.