shovel from the warehouse.
For most of the day, they snuck onto private
property, loaded sacks with silage, and hauled them back to their
staging area. They managed to do six loads before it grew dark.
Then they returned the horses and sat down to a large meal at the
hotel's restaurant.
“Hessie, we got one more day to get shit
squared away. No late breakfasts tomorrow. I decided I'm gonna be
generous and forgive your tardiness this morning. I'll see to
getting us a freight wagon and a couple of draft horses for the day
after tomorrow.”
Hess leaned forward. “Watch yourself, Erik.
You would be braving the ocean in a rowboat if not for me. No,
worse than that, you wouldn't even know to stay behind at the end
of the world. You owe me.”
“Just told you, all's forgiven. Pull your
tighty whiteys out of your ass.”
They finished the meal in silence. On their
way up the stairs, Hess spoke. “I'll need to collect a few things
before we leave. Food, fish hooks, a salt water still for drinking
water.”
Erik nodded. “Then soon as the last
presentation ends, we split to get our shit in order. Shouldn't
take too long the last day, it's just you and Natalia. We'll meet
at the hidey hole before stealing our ship.”
Fifteen minutes later, after a brief scrub in
the bath, Hess dove into his bed. The next morning, he woke late
once more and rushed to get downstairs on time.
Chapter 25 – Hess
When he arrived at the meeting room, a
luxurious buffet awaited him. Hess hesitated, then noticed Elza
seemed to be enjoying the food. “Did San make any of this?”
San laughed. “It's safe, Hess. I know a lot
of recipes that work in a traditional way. The time for
experimentation has passed, so I won't be serving any more
bleach-tinis. This is just good food and adequate company.”
“Thanks for complimenting my adequacy.”
“Oh, Hess, you're one of my favorites. In the
top twelve for sure.”
Hess glanced at the contents of the closest
tureen, at what looked like a jumble of autumn color. San looped
her arm through his. “Honestly, I'm not playing any tricks on you
today. This is me proving to everyone that I'm more than the one
who eats weird things. I discovered some phenomenal combinations
while walking the worlds.”
“What is this one?”
“I call it kitchen sink stew. It has three
types of meat: duck, pork, and horse. Plus assorted vegetables:
carrots, celery, peppers, peas, and ginger. Half the broth is made
from caramelized onions and garlic. The other half is based on
lemongrass and mushrooms. After I combined everything, I seasoned
it up to perfection. The thing beside it is noodles in a creamy
wine sauce that you will not believe. Whatever you do, don't leave
without trying the pickled salad.”
Hess glanced around the room. “Is this your
presentation?”
“I'll do the talking thing too. This is
mostly me showing off.”
When San left to speak with a newly arrived
Ingrid, Hess glanced to Elza, who without looking up from her plate
signaled back with a thumbs up. Hess placed a single spoonful from
each tureen onto a plate and sat one seat away from Elza. As the
room slowly filled, Hess took a tentative bite of the kitchen sink
stew.
“You have to admit it's good,” Elza said.
He smiled. “I admit nothing.”
“I hear that nothing is pretty popular these
days.”
“Only if it's differentiated.”
“So they tell me.” Elza took a sip of a dark
liquid. “You would hate this one. It's too bitter, too sour, and
too sweet all at once. The lighter one is more your style. I think
it's sassafras mixed with wheat beer. Somehow she made it spicy, so
don't drink too fast.”
Hess studied his plate. “You're spending a
lot of time with San.”
“I'm still keeping my promise from Iteration
five. What is your plan to escape the island?”
“We're stealing a steamship.”
“Sounds promising.”
Hess sighed. “It's low on coal. I'm not sure
if it will be able to get up to operating
For most of the day, they snuck onto private
property, loaded sacks with silage, and hauled them back to their
staging area. They managed to do six loads before it grew dark.
Then they returned the horses and sat down to a large meal at the
hotel's restaurant.
“Hessie, we got one more day to get shit
squared away. No late breakfasts tomorrow. I decided I'm gonna be
generous and forgive your tardiness this morning. I'll see to
getting us a freight wagon and a couple of draft horses for the day
after tomorrow.”
Hess leaned forward. “Watch yourself, Erik.
You would be braving the ocean in a rowboat if not for me. No,
worse than that, you wouldn't even know to stay behind at the end
of the world. You owe me.”
“Just told you, all's forgiven. Pull your
tighty whiteys out of your ass.”
They finished the meal in silence. On their
way up the stairs, Hess spoke. “I'll need to collect a few things
before we leave. Food, fish hooks, a salt water still for drinking
water.”
Erik nodded. “Then soon as the last
presentation ends, we split to get our shit in order. Shouldn't
take too long the last day, it's just you and Natalia. We'll meet
at the hidey hole before stealing our ship.”
Fifteen minutes later, after a brief scrub in
the bath, Hess dove into his bed. The next morning, he woke late
once more and rushed to get downstairs on time.
Chapter 25 – Hess
When he arrived at the meeting room, a
luxurious buffet awaited him. Hess hesitated, then noticed Elza
seemed to be enjoying the food. “Did San make any of this?”
San laughed. “It's safe, Hess. I know a lot
of recipes that work in a traditional way. The time for
experimentation has passed, so I won't be serving any more
bleach-tinis. This is just good food and adequate company.”
“Thanks for complimenting my adequacy.”
“Oh, Hess, you're one of my favorites. In the
top twelve for sure.”
Hess glanced at the contents of the closest
tureen, at what looked like a jumble of autumn color. San looped
her arm through his. “Honestly, I'm not playing any tricks on you
today. This is me proving to everyone that I'm more than the one
who eats weird things. I discovered some phenomenal combinations
while walking the worlds.”
“What is this one?”
“I call it kitchen sink stew. It has three
types of meat: duck, pork, and horse. Plus assorted vegetables:
carrots, celery, peppers, peas, and ginger. Half the broth is made
from caramelized onions and garlic. The other half is based on
lemongrass and mushrooms. After I combined everything, I seasoned
it up to perfection. The thing beside it is noodles in a creamy
wine sauce that you will not believe. Whatever you do, don't leave
without trying the pickled salad.”
Hess glanced around the room. “Is this your
presentation?”
“I'll do the talking thing too. This is
mostly me showing off.”
When San left to speak with a newly arrived
Ingrid, Hess glanced to Elza, who without looking up from her plate
signaled back with a thumbs up. Hess placed a single spoonful from
each tureen onto a plate and sat one seat away from Elza. As the
room slowly filled, Hess took a tentative bite of the kitchen sink
stew.
“You have to admit it's good,” Elza said.
He smiled. “I admit nothing.”
“I hear that nothing is pretty popular these
days.”
“Only if it's differentiated.”
“So they tell me.” Elza took a sip of a dark
liquid. “You would hate this one. It's too bitter, too sour, and
too sweet all at once. The lighter one is more your style. I think
it's sassafras mixed with wheat beer. Somehow she made it spicy, so
don't drink too fast.”
Hess studied his plate. “You're spending a
lot of time with San.”
“I'm still keeping my promise from Iteration
five. What is your plan to escape the island?”
“We're stealing a steamship.”
“Sounds promising.”
Hess sighed. “It's low on coal. I'm not sure
if it will be able to get up to operating
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