Rush Above Sea Level

Chapter 5: The Great Depression

A trip to knightcon with a brother who cannot stop grinning was not how I anticipated my last week during the Summer to go. My brother loves medieval stuff, we can all clearly see from his room and the way he talks about it. His bookshelf is filled with different versions of King Arthur and other knights. His bedside cramped with knight like figures. Knight t-shirts scattered about. He knew the whole history and structure of the medieval society. At first, our parents thought this passion would grow old as he got older, but that was not the case. Unfortunately, it grew with him. My birth meant something spectacular to him, I was the princess he had to save. Sometimes I was the princess he would treat well, other times I was the dragon that he could kill. Now we were both crowded in a car on our way to knightcon. He had begged to go for years, it was always met with rejection due to the distance and price. That year, our parents decided it was a good time to give him a chance. Their offer? Be the good kid until knightcon. Easy as Joseph wasn't a particularly bad brother, he just stood up to our parents when they pushed him too hard, much to their dislike. He listened, he got better grades, did chores, treated me better than usual (leaving more than one potato chip in the bowl is very nice) and obeyed our parents. Our parents weren't bad, just strict, but they kept their word. A few days later, we were packed for knightcon for an eight hour trip. It wasn't fun for me but Joseph was elated to meet people with the same devoutness for knights as him. One even offered him a knightcon hoodie, which he delightfully accepted...

A cabin is fun, but only when you live for some time. I felt icky after not properly cleaning myself for weeks, everyone in the cabin wasn't squeaky clean either. It might have gotten worse since Kayla joined us, she sheds a lot of hair. The plumbing system in the cabin was weak and the water was cold, but it felt so uncomfortable a scrubbing seemed worth it. Tugging a large tub, I walked towards the toilet in the cabin, Kayla following me. Upon closing the door, she stared inquisitively. Unaware of the situation, I promised her I'd be back soon. Closing the door, I filled the tub with water filling it to near the brim. Taking off my clothes I shifted uneasily to the tub and sat down. I instantly felt better already after submerging in a tub of H20, some dirt washed off and other needed to be scrubbed. This might take a while.

I must admit that I have never felt this grateful for a bath, walking out, I hummed a weird tune of a nursery rhyme. Twinkle noticed and raised his eyebrow, then shook his head and chuckled, playing with his go fish cards. Go fish has been a hobby of Twinkle now, swiping through the cards with one hand, he stared absorbed in the images. Jesse sat opposite of him, flipping through her cookbook fondly. Jerry was laid down in front of the fire, fiddling with his charred bow, he never got over the damage. Cruellum was nowhere to be found, so I assumed he was in his room. I knelt down and pet Kayla. All of a sudden, Jesse stood up and declared

"We're nearly running out of food."

Jerry raised his eyebrow and questioned

"How much do we have left?"

"I don't know, a week?"

"I can hunt but I don't know much about plants."

Twinkle cleared his throat.

"I do."

The twins turned to him and lit up.

"Of course! You're a farmer!" Jesse exclaimed.

Jerry frowned

"Mountain and fields are different."

I insisted

"There must be something that could share the same environment."

Twinkle nodded

"I spotted some familiar plants on the way, it is very much possible."

Jerry paused for a moment before nodding

"I don't see why not."

Twinkle got out of his chair, and smiled

"I'll get started right away."

I followed him

"I'll see if I can help." I proposed.

Walking around the forest for food was an interesting journey, there was a lot that was unfamiliar to Twinkle, until he noticed a potato plant. Enthusiastic, he gingerly picked up the potato and walked back to the cabin. Placing the potato on the table, he announced

"We're eating potatoes!"

Jerry sat on the chair, legs up on the table, and smirked.Jesse, unimpressed and tired, scowled

"This is not the time to play, Twinkle."

Jerry chuckled softly

"There isn't any harm, we just have to find a way to survive."

Suddenly Jesse perked up, still tired but grinning a little.

"I know what to do,"

Jerry stood up and asked

"What do you have in mind?"

"I have an interest in The Great Depression, I've learned a trick or two when it comes to food."

"Well that's going to help a bit."

Jerry turned to Twinkle.

"We still need your help with the plants though."

Twinkle nodded.

"There we go, I'll go hunting more. I need a new bow though."

Trying to be useful, I said

"Do you think Kayla can help?"

Jerry hesitated then smiled

"We'll have to try to see."

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Please give feedback, I'm really nervous on how you saw this.

Thanks for reading!

Karrot