Elizabeth Swann's Sister

36. Gruel Glorious Gruel and Being Chased

I stirred slightly, as I awoke to the sound of someone entering my cabin, for all the time that I was asleep I had completely forgotten about Thomas, going to retrieve some food for us. I opened my eyes, as he came into the room with two bowl fulls of gruel and a plate full of stale hard bread. He smiled at me. "Your dinner is served madame". He said to me, whilst imitating a French butler. I chuckled slightly, as I got out from underneath the covers and got comfy again, resting my head against the wall. Thomas handed me the bowl full of gruel, I placed it down upon my lap as I reached over to grab a slice of bread.

We both sat in silence for sometime, the only thing that could be heard from us both, was the slurrping and chewing of our mouths and the clinking of the spoons hitting the bowl, as we were eating the cold lumpy gruel. The texture of it was thick and chewy, as though it had been standing for quite some time, the bread was rock hard but it filled a whole in the stomach for a while, preventing hunger from happening again for a time. We both had to dip it into our gruel to try and soften it, although it wasn't a pleasant taste of the pair combined, it did help with the chewing and prevention of broken teeth.

I had finished my bowl of gruel, much to my amazement, as I have never had something quite like it before, it does not seem like a pleasant meal to have, but I suppose due to the hunger I had forgotten about what I was eating for a moment and continued to content myself with it. I got up from the bunk and placed the bowl onto the desk that was also within the room, I turned to look at Thomas who was still eating his gruel.

"Ghastly isn't it?". He asked me with a mouth full of gruel, he was lucky that I was able to understand him. "What is?". I questioned. "This". He titled the bowl down and pointed at it with his spoon, before continuing to eat it with a disgusted expression. "Yes I suppose it is, however I did not seem to pay attention to it's taste, nor it's texture as I was so incredibly famished, I shovelled it down my throat without a second thought". I chuckled. "You should think about doing the same, as you will need all the strength you have to continue to carry on, on this voyage as goodness knows how long we shall be at sea for and I don't want you turing into some ghastly looking skeleton with skin clinging to it". I continued. "I suppose your right, but it is just so hard to swallow with all these lumps". He said, whilst sulking into his bowl and playing with the gruel with his spoon.

"I know!, Helen used to play a game with me when I was a child". "A game?, what kind of game, can you play with food?". He questioned. "She used to place the food upon the folk and lift it far away from her, high into the air, she would then tell me too close my eyes, before she would say here comes the little birdy coming to fly home in its nest, she then used to tell me that the birds home was my stomach and I had to open my mouth and chew up the birdy to keep the birdy safe away from the tormenting cats that wanted to eat it". "The nest was in your stomach?". Thomas questioned, with a puzzled look upon his face. "Did you never ask why you had to chew up the birdy and if you did wouldn't it die?". He continued.

"Hmm, I had never thought of that, but I was only a small child at the time, I probably just believed that I would keep him safe, so I did what needed to be done and chewed him up and swallowed him". I told him. "Come on let's try it". I said. "As much as I think that is a terrific idea, I shall have to pass, I mean what would we say if someone should happen to walk in and see us?". He said. "Well I suppose you could just pinch your nose and then chew". I replied. "That's what I am used to doing now, especially when father makes me eat my kippers at breakfast". I told him as I pulled a disgusted face. I sighed. "Oh how I miss him". I said as I pursed my lips together and frowned slightly, fighting back the urge to cry.

I looked over to see Thomas now sat with his hand upon his nose and pinching it as he was shovelling spoonfuls of gruel into his mouth. All I could do was laugh, at the sight that was in front of me, as he looked somewhat comical. He had finally finished, dropping the spoon into the bowl so fast, that the sound of it nearly shattered the windows. He rose from the bunk and placed his bowl beside mine and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.