Another Meal

I had given up drinking the putrid water. It was foul stuff scooped up from the marshes. The smell and taste was awful. So I decided to maintain hydration from the rainfall. Vietnam got its share of rain, so I collected it the best I could. I was existing in a bamboo cage, a 4-foot cube that didn't give me a place to stand or stretch out. The VC had leaned on me the first two days taking me into their nightmarish hut where they tried to extract information. I didn't talk. My daily gruel would be coming soon. The VC guard slid the small bowl into my cage. It was a was a very watery bowl of very watery white rice. There were no bugs, not much dirt in the rice. Another day.