A New Brew

The victim shifts anxiously, breathing heavily.
Two wrinkled hands stir a bubbling pot.
Unknown ingredients are caught in the whirlpool.
Steam clouds the air.
Shrieks of laughter resonate around the room.
Decorations hang lifelessly on the walls, splattered with a single shade of red.
A dragon stares hungrily; baring a serried row of sharp daggers in its mouth.
The victim awaits the inevitable, heart thumping harder and faster.
The first scoop lifts out of the frothing pot.
The victim’s eyes widen as the steaming spoon enters his mouth –
he grimaces. His grandmother chuckles cheerfully.
Chinese New Year is back.