I receive some anonymous beef!!!

I sign the slip for the Citilink delivery man, who disappears off in his van. Not expecting a big parcel, I carry it inside with some eagerness.

It seems to be a perfectly normal parcel – an expanded polystyrene box held together by plastic bands. I snip these to see what is within.

Beef stares back at me.

I am a little taken aback by this. I eye the beef suspiciously, then double-check the name on the package. It is definitely for me.

I search in vain for some sender’s details. There are none. Whoever has been sending beef through the post wants to make damn sure they remain anonymous. They are cowards.

There is a small card tucked in to the packaging. Inside are two words only, written in meticulous capital letters, in jet black ink: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY.” The implication is that this sentence has been left sinisterly unfinished, with a missing “IT WILL BE YOUR LAST”, “NOW WATCH OUT OR YOU WILL END UP LIKE THIS BEEF”, or “WE WILL GET YOU FOR YOUR CRIMES. LOVE, THE COWS.”

At a bit of a loss, I eventually remove the beef from its packaging. Unnerved, I decide to confine it securely in the freezer. I check it a few hours later. It is still there.