Upstream House

Nobody was quite sure why it was called Upstream House. There was
neither river nor stream anywhere close to it. The house was part of a
massive estate. Other than the house itself the estate had a 2000-seat,
two-tier auditorium, a mini golf course and a squash court. An IMAX
theatre was under construction. The last owner had erected a huge
Ferris Wheel and the one before had created a recording studio. This
recording facility could accommodate ten tracks together. Indeed, no
one recorded any songs here. It was a plaything for the rich people who
lived on the estate. The present owner had only recently moved in. He
was a thin man and his family consisted of himself and wife. She too
was thin like him. The house needed some urgent electrical repairs. So,
an electrician was called in. A maid was also present this morning to
finish the dusting. The owner, Mr Batter, was keeping watch on both the
electrician and the maid. As both were about to leave Mrs Batter asked
them to meet her in the kitchen in private. Both people were requested
to stay on for the coming evening. Mrs Batter told them that they were
throwing a house-warming party. There was a lot of work to be done. And
the Batters had only a single man-servant and a cook. The maid and the
electrician were offered good money. They were given to understand that
the party would finish quite soon and they would be free to leave by
ten pm. Well, it WAS a grand party. Neither the maid nor the
electrician were seen again though. Complaints were lodged with the
police by their families. Mr and Mrs Batter and their servants were
asked routine questions by the police. All members of the Batter
household told the same story. The electrician and maid had left the
Batter estate at nine-thirty quite inebriated and shouting choicest
expletives. No one knew what happened to them thereafter. Everyone
including the police believed that the missing people had eloped.
A few days later Mr Batter fell from his horse. A doctor and a nurse
were called to his estate. A young, energetic doctor and a pretty nurse
who were romantically involved arrived an hour later. They carried
medicines with them and also many plaster bandages. Mr Batter's right
hand was plastered and put in a sling. Thereafter a terrible
thunderstorm started. As thunderbolt after thunderbolt split the sky
open, the nurse, Miss Dolly suddenly fainted. The doctor became nervous
and slipped, falling quite badly. Mrs Batter immediately offered two of
their guest rooms to the doctor and nurse. It was now ten pm and the
storm showed no signs of relenting. What was more the streets were
flooded too. Thus the medical personnel stayed with the Batters for the
night. Next morning Mr Batter visited the hospital and met the
superintendent. He informed the super that the fidgety doctor and the
nervous nurse had left the Batter estate at eleven pm despite being
warned against it. The Batters knew nothing concerning their
whereabouts. Nor did the hospital super or the missing peoples'
families. Once again a complaint was made with the local police
station. The police again spoke to all members of the Batter household.
Once more, everyone gave the same answer. Down to the same words. This
made the police suspicious. But there was no evidence for or against
anything.
A ghastly incident took place a month later. The Batters organized a
magic show in their own auditorium to which all the children of the
town were invited. Without any warning the auditorium caught fire in
the middle of the show. The Batters claimed that all the children had
burned to ashes in the fire. Surprisingly no remains, either of the
children or their clothes or bags were found. It was as if the fire was
planned meticulously and then everything incinerated to perfection one
by one. Even man-made fires don't work so efficiently. Indeed some clue
was being missed.
The cook's cousin was a policeman. He was visiting his brother at
Upstream House. He had read about the disappearances and burning. He
observed that his cousin had lost a lot of weight. The cook was fond of
meat and the visiting policeman wanted him to make some special meat
curry for him. But when he mentioned the matter the cook began to throw
up. He then wept bitterly and began to tremble. On being asked why he
was behaving so strangely he kept quiet. Ten minutes later the cook
handed his cousin a magazine. It was called Vox MES. MES stands for Man
Eaters' Society. This was a secret, covert organization of habitual
cannibals. They met once a month, usually at the same place for one
calendar year. Then they moved on to the residence of another MES
member. Mr and Mrs Batter were active members of MES. They were
practising cannibals who had been holding MES meetings at their
residence for the last twelve months. They had occupied Upstream House
for just six months. Already, they had killed and eaten there, along
with other members, at least thirty people. When the Batters were
arrested they pretended to feel outraged. They spoke about defamation
cases, exorbitant damages and threatened to call the Home Department.
Things took a bizarre turn when Mrs Batter suddenly pounced and tore
off the hand of the interrogating lady officer with her teeth. It was
really easy thereafter. The available evidence was clinching. Mr and
Mrs Batter were charged with killing and eating fellow human beings. It
was truly a case without precedent.