Tales from the Haberdashery

Three

“It must be around here somewhere.” Eldric propped his hands against his hips. “I dropped it from right up there. I’d know the spot.”

Mathias hoisted the bag he was carrying onto the canyon floor. It clattered as it dropped. “From that height, I think it would have bounced.”

Eldric blinked. “Bounced?” He looked up and then scanned the ground again. “How far could it bounce? It’s a boot, Mathias.” He tapped his non-booted, non-socked foot against the ground.

“At least let me wrap your foot in something. You look ridiculous.”

Eldric cocked his head to gape at Mathias. “Rid-” he folded his arms, letting out an incredulous huff. “Says a Mole Man with no sight? No, no. The only thing I’ll be wrapping around this foot is my sock and my boot. Keep your mitts to yourself and look around for it! You’re not even looking!”

Shaking his head Mathias responded, “Give me one second to get my wits about me, we’ve been hiking all morning.” Mathias stretched out his back, which popped its thanks in reply. He shook out his body and let out a satisfied groan. “Would you like some water?”

“No, Mathias! I just want my sock and my boot!” Eldric was kneeling to brush the sand around the area where he thought his boot should be. Frantically, he searched. Mathias sighed as he pulled the folded glasses from the front pocket of his backpack and balanced them on his nose. “Mole Man with no sight.” He scoffed before surveying the canyon. Across the way was a large, flattened boulder situated in a shady spot.

“Ah, lovely,” he clambered up to find a good spot for sitting and patted the pocket of his shirt to confirm the location of his handkerchief. He flattened it before him, taking care to smooth the edges, then rustled through his bag. He pushed aside the large bundle of bones, climbing gear, and extra water to find a terracotta pot with a lid.

“Ah, here we are.” He said to no one. In the distance, Eldric groaned as the pile of sand he kicked blew back into his face.

Mathias placed the pot before him with the lid faced down. He spun the bottom of the terracotta pot, and it rose from the lid to reveal three tea-light candles. Mathias used a small piece of flint to catch the wicks. He untied the small cook pot that was dangling from the pack and placed it atop the terracotta pot.

He took a wrapped leaf from the pack next. Unwrapping the leaf, he was careful to keep the edges folded up as he dropped the dried mixture into the pot, followed by some extra water. While that heated, he placed a container of rice and two tiny oranges onto the handkerchief. Another grunt from off in the distance. They were growing more passive-aggressive.

“Sounds like someone is a bit hangry,” Mathias said to the gently simmering curry before him. He carefully incorporated the mixture as it heated, then emptied his pot onto the rice and began to dig in. “That Ivan knows his camp food.”

As he took the first bite, he tilted his head back in bliss as the rice married the curry and melted over his tongue. He closed his eyes and revelled in the nourishment. When he opened them again, he noticed a ledge across the way. It was directly above the spot where Eldric was kicking up sand. From Mathias’s best guess, it was about seven feet up. The sock dangled off the edge, caught on an overzealous bush. The boot was perched upright as if it hadn’t plummeted over hundreds of feet to get there.

Mathias smiled as he took his next bite. The curry was sweet and sour with just the right amount of tang, followed by a spice that faded by your next bite.

“Mmm. That Ivan. I’ll have to let him know this was the best batch yet.”