The Ring

Chapter 29

                                                                     Addie's P.O.V.

     The sound of something hitting the ground near my face caused me to jerk awake. I groggily opened my eyes and watched a small tin bowl spin around as someone shouted from above "Grub time, wench!" and slammed the trap door again. I sat up and leaned against the wall, taking the small bowl in my hand and setting it in my lap. I shook my head to try to wake myself up, causing my head to throb.

     "I've gotta have a concussion or something." I mumbled to myself rubbing the back of my head. On the bright side, it didn't seem to be bleeding or cut, but I had a knot the size of a grapefruit. I turned my attention to the food in my lap. It hardly counted as food. From the little light I had to use, I saw that the bottom of the bowl was filled with a lumpy gray substance. I slowly lifted the bowl to my face and took a little breath through my nose. I almost gagged at the odor that was coming from it, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the stench that filled the room. And for some reason, a brown rock was sitting in the middle of the bowl. I picked it up and lifted it into the small beam of light, trying to get a better look at it. I squeezed it a little and it crumbled some. I sniffed it and the familiar scent of yeast filled my nostrils. I took a hesitant bite and spit it out. I was bread, but it was one of the worst things I have ever tasted!

     I looked to my right and noticed another small object sitting in the corner. I set the bowl down on the floor and crawled over to it. My hand landed in something wet and I realized that the cup had been full of water.

     "Fucking idiot." I cursed whoever threw the food down to me. I picked up the cup and tipped it to my mouth. Barely anything came out of the cup, and I suddenly felt as if my throat was made of sandpaper.

     I sighed and brought the cup back to my spot in the light, setting it at my feet and taking the bowl of mystery goo back in my hands.

     "This is beyond disgusting..." I sniffed at the mess again and my eyes began to water. As bad as it may be though, you need to eat to keep your strength up. I knew I was right, I had watched enough of "I Shouldn't Be Alive" on Animal Planet to know that when you're lost, or locked up in my case, any food should be cherished. I dipped my pinkie finger in the bowl and stuck in in my mouth. I did a terrible spit take and gagged over and over again. It was worse than I thought. Not only did it smell terrible, but it tasted like a mixture of sour milk and vinegar.

     My stomach growled then, demanding it be fed and I groaned. "Just do it, Addie. You'll be happy you did later..." I tried to convince myself, but I wasn't too sure. What would be better? Not eating at all, or possibly getting sick from eating whatever they gave me. I knew, even if I got sick, I'd last longer with something in me.

     I took a deep breath, pinched my nose, closed my eyes, and tipped the bowl into my mouth. The bumpy, cold, gooey mixture slithered over my tongue and down my throat, but I forced myself to finish every last drop. I threw the bowl away from me and started gagging again. I could still feel it sliding down my throat, and the after taste it left behind was indescribable.

     The ship went over a wave and for a second the room tilted to the left. As I slid, something rolled over my hand. I picked up the rock bread and shoved it in my mouth, hoping to get rid of the horrible taste. It helped a little, but I almost broke a tooth trying to eat it. The ship continued to rock back and forth and I could feel everything in my stomach rocking with it. Finally, I couldn't hold it in any longer, and I threw up most of what I had just eaten. So much for that.

     When the water finally calmed down and the ship stopped rocking, my stomach felt better.

     "Ok. Bread, good. Gray Goop, not good." I concluded. I'd rather be set on fire than eat that stuff again. Not literally, but I decided I had to avoid it from now on. I took the cup and put it on the other end of the room, and spent the rest of the morning throwing the rock into it. But even the crashing of the waves against the ship and the plunk-ing of the rock landing in the cup couldn't drown out the sounds of my empty stomach.