Dorothy tilted her head, and Belter narrowed his eyes. They both anticipated more explanation.
However, Hendrick didn’t give any more details. He had not yet gained the confidence to explain in detail what he went through.
“That’s not all.”
He made it known that there was not just bread. Then he brought a wooden bucket that contained milk. Hendrick then briefly explained about the bread and milk.
“A cow’s milk? What is a cow?” Dorothy inquired, for she had never seen those things. She lowered her face towards the bucket so that she could smell the contents.
Belter quickly went to the entrance of the hut and looked outside. He was now behaving similarly to Hendrick’s earlier actions.
“How much can you eat?” Asked Dorothy, who had stopped smelling.
“Huh, you have to hide it.” Said Hendrick. “Eat as much as possible”.
“But why is this bread so soft? Interesting.” Tian was so perplexed.
“The bread is soft? Even though it’s not freshly baked?” Belter was also surprised, even though he was only 12 years old then.
But what surprised the younger siblings the most was Hendrick’s words. He had told them that they had to eat it all. They did not understand why.
“We have to eat it all?” Belter and Dorothy asked again as though doubting what they had just heard.
Hendrick nodded in confirmation, and then further explained, “If you leave it like this, it will quickly spoil, so you have to eat it all right away.”
They all wanted to eat it. However, they naturally wanted to stockpile it. It was the kind of mindset adopted by someone who did not know if he would get this lucky again.
They ate happily. But deep within, Hendrick was sad. “Do not worry about it.” He kept assuring the siblings as they ate. “This will not be the end.”
“What have you been doing?” Belter asked him.
“Don’t worry,” Hendrick said with a laugh. “I am not sure yet, but I heard the voice of God. No, I should say it is God’s agent.”
“I’ve never heard of God giving bread,” Tian said with a shocked look as he took a very large bite of the bread.
“Tian!” Dorothy restrained him.
“H-Hmm…” He was almost crying, for he wanted the bread so badly.
“Easy, everyone.” Hendrick intervened. “Share it nicely amongst yourselves.”
“You first, brother,” Belter suggested.
“I have already eaten,” he said as he showed them the ripped-off part of the bread. “I have eaten enough.”
But they were hesitant, including Tian. They wanted Hendrick to eat first.
The bond between the siblings was interesting. Hendrick always put his younger ones first. Yet, when they had something to eat, the younger siblings also put Hendrick first.
Hendrick figured out that if he didn’t eat, they too wouldn’t eat all. So he took off a little piece of bread. It was so small that Dorothy quickly broke more and handed it over to him. She evenly broke the rest of the bread and distributed them to Belter and Tian. Usually, that kind of equal distribution was up to Dorothy.
They all started eating obliviously. Even though the portions were big, they disappeared in an instant, leaving no crumbs. The relish felt by the siblings was similar to that of Hendrick when he first tried it.
However, upon sharing milk, each had a different reaction.
“I assure you, it tastes healthy.”
“I think it’s a little fishy.”
“Oh, it’s weird.”
Only Belter reacted very well with the taste. Yet, it was clear that it felt much more reassuring than filling the stomach with water. It had been long-awaited satiety.
They lay on the straw-covered floor. Everyone slept happily that night. Even though it was not a cold season, the straw and dry grass could not keep them warm enough at dawn.
It gave Hendrick so much pleasure seeing his younger siblings eating properly and sleeping comfortably, rather than suffering through an empty stomach and forcibly lying down as usual. He quietly came out of the hut, kneeling on the ground as before, and looking up at the sky.
“Oh, God. Thank you. I have never been as proud as I am today. I am afraid that this happiness would end soon.” Hendrick bowed, again and again, hoping that God would not turn his head away because of his lack of devotion. “I hope you will continue to help in the future. I will give you all the devotion I can. Although it may not be enough in your eyes, I will try harder.”
After the miracle at the mountain, Hendrick no longer worried that his prayers would reach God.
After a while, God’s helper spoke to him again.
―Your request to designate a fixed help destination has been accepted.
―Help sponsor Ko Jin-Hwan.
There was an attached message from the sponsor.
-Cheer up. Let’s work hard together
There was a mixture of words Hendrick couldn’t comprehend but could see what it meant.
God answered that he would continue to help.
‘Ko Jin-Hwan.’ Hendrick thought deeply about the name of God. It felt too holy to say it.
The voice of the helper was different. It was a little rough, but it was low and warm, like a big brother’s. Hendrick considered that perhaps that was the true voice of God.
‘I have to go to bed early today. That way, I can go up the mountain early tomorrow.’
Hendrick looked around, and then went back inside the hut. He closed the side door and fell asleep more comfortably than usual upon the satisfaction of a complete meal.
It was the helper’s voice in his ear that startled him. It was still dawn. Hendrick quickly got up and focused. He heard the voice again.
―There is a new help item sent.
―Do you want to confirm?
Hendrick quietly exited the hut. It was still dark and misty outside. However, there were already a few lights that could be seen from the inner town further away. He looked around carefully and then returned to the hut to check.
The new arrival was there. But it was not the same bread or milk. The helper said it was ‘Soonsal Chicken’, a dish made from ‘chicken meat’.
―Sorry for the leftovers
The voice of God conveyed remorse. But Hendrick could not understand why God was saying sorry for ‘a meat dish.’
There were tiny soft lumps in the ‘chicken box’. Unlike bread, this smelled quite aromatic, such that the siblings, who were sleeping soundly, awakened.
“What is that?” They asked as they gathered next to the package.
“God gave it to me.”
Explaining that the dish was made of meat, Hendrick carefully picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.
It was rare to eat meat. They hardly ate any, even when their parents were alive. They had lived in a poor village. Hendrick remembered an experience he had at a meat feast in a different village. There were so many individuals, but he was lucky to get a small piece. He cherished the rare opportunity. People always said that if you wanted to eat meat, you’d rather be a hunter. But even hunters did not have a high success rate.
“What is that?” Dorothy asked, pointing.
It was then that Hendrick realized that there was something else besides ‘Boneless Fried Chicken Leftover’.
“It’s the egg of the animal,” Hendrick said. “It was cooked with smoke.”
“The egg of the animal?”
“The animal is called a chicken- the owner of this meat. You’re eating its eggs and meat.”
The tray was loaded with had 30 spaces, but nine spaces were empty, and the rest were filled. So there were 21 ‘smoked eggs’.
“We will eat five each and one will be left.” Hendrick had calculated. But Dorothy shook his head.
“We shall have three each. You shall consume twelve.” She told Hendrick.
“Why?”
“Because you have to go up the mountain. You will need something to eat there.” She said.
“I am full. I don’t have to eat it.” Belter added.
Hendrick would not agree with them. While it was food given to him by God, Hendrick did not consider it his own. Eventually, he gave in. Maybe God knew everything about his situation, thus giving him so much in order for him to take care of his younger siblings. He decided to take the twelve eggs with him.
“But, do I have to eat these right away?” Dorothy inquired.
“Well, these eggs are said to be more storable. Nonetheless, I don’t think they should be noticed by others.” Hendrick told the siblings, who were listening keenly. “It’s a gift from God.”
“Is it from the god we know?”
“Of course, it has nothing to do with the temple over here.”
The priest of the temple in the village was not a bad person. However, the denomination to which the temple belonged was very exclusive to other religions. The war that made them lose their parents was actually started by the religion. Hendrick thought because of that, it wouldn’t be so good to announce their luck.
“I just need to cover one person’s mouth.”
At Belter’s words, Dorothy turned to see Tian. He was licking the fat inside the chicken box.
Tian was young but smart. In fact, all of the four were. They all knew that if it was known to others, God would no longer give them anything to eat. They knew that they had to wash their mouths first lest the aroma lingered.
“What about the shell?” Dorothy asked.
“Give it to me. I will go to the mountain and take care of it.” Hendrick answered.
“Wouldn’t it be better to burn it?”
“No. I will handle it.”
They collected the eggshells and placed them all in the chicken box. Hendrick wrapped it up in a jacket, as he did with the bread the previous day.
“I’m so full,” Tian said as he stroked his protruding belly.
Come to think of it, the amount they ate in those two days was more than they ate in the past week.
They had heard stories that eating too much could get someone sick, but they ate anyway.
“Can I help you today?” Asked Belter as he returned to the hut after washing his mouth.
“Not yet. You need to take care of our other siblings.”
“I know.”
They needed Dorothy to take care of Tian, and Belter to protect them all.
“If Mark makes trouble today, inform me.”
“Do not worry. I can deal with him.”
Belter was younger and smaller than Mark. However, Mark was not quick to provoke him since he had been beaten so hard in the past.
“Be careful. He has a gang.”
“I am careful.”
“Okay.”
Hendrick nodded as he looked at Belter. He was not their real blood brother. He was an orphan their parents had adopted. Everyone knew about it, but they lived as though they were a real family. There was no discrimination or complaint.
“I trust you,” Hendrick said as he patted Belter’s shoulder.
Belter nodded without reply.