I was at dinner with my dad and my little brother tonight, both of whom are major foodies and excellent cooks. They were literally nerding out about a really good local fish market. I had a question for experienced fish purchasers, which had been on my mind for awhile, so I tried to ask as casually as possible: “So, uh, do you think it would be possible to obtain, like, uh, for example, the heart and liver of a bass?” 

Silence. Everyone looked at me really weird. “Is this for something Satanic?” my little brother asked.

I flushed and said in a tiny voice “It might be!”

Everyone cracked up, and my dad told me that if I bought a whole bass and asked to keep the entrails, he would cook me a delicious bass for dinner and then I could do my ritual. 

Anyway I love having an accepting family. 

(And if you know what the heart and liver of a bass is good for, then you know I hope not to have to do this ritual anyway but I’m thinking it would be good to have those in the freezer just in case.)