9 1.9: The Catch (2/2)

The aroma of the freshly baked mussels was almost identical to the clams or other shellfish that was baked over a volcanic rock in my time. Except for the missing condiments such as chili sauce and fresh lime juice, eating these while being near the sea would truly heighten one's appetite.

I picked one up from the banana leaf and opened the shell wide before scraping it off before placing the meat in my mouth. I can't help blowing it using my breath while the exquisite taste exploded within my mouth.

This was my first time trying on fresh mussels direct from the sea. Otherwise, in my previous life, these mussels can be bought from the supermarket frozen section and mainly those sizes that Eun had brought in were mainly from Australia.

The freshness!! The sweetness!! The chewiness!! Sensations ran wild as the mussels were slowly chewed and savored between my molars; setting off multitude explosions of tastes on my taste buds. It was the high of living in this era I suppose.

The rest of the brothers too picked the baked mussels and quickly ate them while blowing them in order to cool it off before scraping the meat and placing them into their mouths. Their look of positive indulgence on their palate shows that they are generally satisfied with their haul.

”Today not much to bring ashore. The rest of the mussels would take a few days before harvesting. We will come back the day after tomorrow for another harvest.” said Ding as a matter of fact as he stuffed another piece or morsel in his mouth and spoke between eating. The rest nodded in agreement including myself.

I took a few more to consume, the same goes for the rest of them. Before long the small basket of raw mussels had been baked and consumed and it left a pile of empty shells next to the glowing embers leaving about some five to seven pieces inside the small carryon basket.

I pondered on how many mussels were there on a single piece of rope that lay suspended in the ocean. Just then Cheng collected the empty shells and buried them under the sand near the edge of the pine trees, most probably to act as a kind of fertilizers.

Cheng went into the trail afterward and brought a bunch of coconuts along with him on the way back to the makeshift A-frame shelter. He used his dagger to took the top off and punched a triangular shaped hole on top of the core.

He popped the triangular part that was carved out by his dagger and handed one to me. I drank up almost immediately while thanking him while slowly placing my lips at the opening; the taste of the sweet and saltish juice dribbling down my throat as I gulped every single mouthful. I wiped my mouth against the back of my hand when I had emptied the contents.

Such simple pleasure of this drink was found abundance in the forest behind the pine trees and I was wondering how much it could cost in the markets of my previous life.

”Time to take a short nap before the merchants come and trade the 'treasures:'” said Cheng as he went to the makeshift A-frame shelter and stretched himself down. The rest followed him to the shelter and lay down.

With a full stomach and the soft billowing of sea breeze; I find it hard to keep my eyes open. Before I dozed off, I made a mindful reminder to ask the brothers whether they had seen what I had seen the night before.

Before long my eyes were shut and I was lost in the midday nap....