Coffee Grinder

The day started like just about every day started at the Bunker, with Leon knocking on every shed door with a broom to wake the boys up for breakfast. Unfortunately this month had been a hard month; the older boys hadn't had a good hunt and laying low for a while meant little funding from the Hunters' usual suppliers. They made sure the boys had enough to eat, though, even if it meant that what was available was as simple as oatmeal or rice.

Besides that, the morning ritual proceeded as usual, with Leon and Drake talking to the kids, with the usual morning wrestling matches between some of the older boys... And with Luke Alvarez, late as usual.

When the older man came in, he had an interesting burlap sack in one hand, a mortar and pestle in the other, and one of the younger Bunker kids tagging along behind him. The kid was picking up the little things that fell out of the sack and shoving them in his mouth, crunching away...

“Leon, Drake, y' best get me a pot f' water goin'. I think it's about high time I taught these boys some important things.”

Leon looked a bit doubtful of the “useful things” but after some prodding from his Copper partner, he gave in and helped haul in the water.

Sure enough, Luke was true to his promise. He taught the younger boys how to build a fire under the pot, taught them how boiling the water would make it clean and how they could make anything from soup to the oatmeal they were eating with it. When that lesson was done, he set the bag on one of the large tables. Dark little beans poured over one corner of the burlap, skittering across the table and some onto the floor. He took a hand full and deposited them in the mortar.

“Alright boys. Now I'm gonna' teach ya' how to make cowboy coffee.”

Leon groaned. Fifteen caffeinated little boys was just what he needed to deal with.