The Coffee Opinion

By Thomas G Robinson

When I stepped out of the tent, a supposed five-person tent that I remember getting online at Amazon, yeah, it was right after I got my second shot of the Pfizer vaccine. Not that that matters, because my only worry right now is if all the coffee is gone. I needed to get up and start this day. Still, it was kind of a shock to feel the cold of the forest grounds. Little rocks, sticks, blades of grass and weeds that were poking and tickling my feet were a cold awakening to the early morning sun blinding my vision briefly. 

I walked over to the campfire. It had a nice solid flame going, just enough to heat the old coffee pot atop the grill resting over the fire. You could see the dark brown liquid bubble into the glass percolator telling anyone who could see it, that it was ready. 

I grab the handle with the damp cloth sitting on the rocks surrounding the blaze, and lifted the pot off the grill pouring myself a nice cup.

The aroma of the boiled ground up beans smelled like heaven, and the taste, almost as good. I've often wondered aloud, on many occasions, why coffee doesn't actually taste as good as it smells. 

"That's a matter of opinion", one friend would state.

"I think you're right! It doesn't", another would agree.

"Oh, bullshit, open your mouth, nose and tongue ... or taste buds to a bigger world, a better palate", another one snorted. 

"Hey, this isn't rocket science", I responded, "It just happens to be my personal opinion on the matter. So, again, let me state in the interest of clarity, that in my humble opinion, that is if I may have one, I firmly believe coffee, when being slow roasted over an open flame, whether that be in the outdoors such as it is today, or on top of your stove or in a slow drip coffee maker at home, does not, or ever has, tasted as good as the aroma it gives off. I will believe this until I die, and I will not regret the words spoken here or anywhere else I have proclaimed this, and I know I have proclaimed this many a time, in many a different venue. Thank you, thank you." I returned the cup to my lips letting the magical liquid fill my mouth and restore my energy.

"Boo, hiss, it's bullshit", said one friend.

"Bravo, bravo, we are in agreement, said two others.

We all fell into a lighthearted laugh and more conversation about what tastes as good as it smells when cooking and what doesn't. The conversation was short lived, however, when the announcement came over the radio that was lightly playing "today's hits and yesterday's favorites" via fancy satellite, but softly in the background. 

"I'm sorry to report this morning, out of Washington DC, the virus seems to be spreading. Most infected people are dying in rapid rates at outlandish numbers. All hospitals are filled to the brink, and new patients are being turned away. Those who have had the vaccine seem to be uninvolved in this latest surge. The vaccine, which has been available for quite sometime is still available at government checkpoints set up in locations across the city, as well as some carefully picked rural areas. However, the amount of the vaccine available seem to be dwindling down at an equally rapid pace, and those that weren't used in the initial release of the vaccine, have expired and are being destroyed. 

Meanwhile, other countries are short handed, and some even expressing disgust and disdain over the United States having so much that they'd rather watch them expire than to send them as aid to other countries in need. They have blasted the U.S. in their written press as well as on their nightly news broadcasts. Russia, being the largest country to rally others against the U.S. 

As a result of the accusations against the U.S., President Biden has sanctioned all the countries involved in this hateful display of angry rhetoric and constant protests, campaigns and even physical harm to Americans living or visiting those countries at this time. Some have led to lynching the Americans on site. With shouts of hatred and anger, crowds can be seen via mobile phone uploads onto social media, American citizens being abducted while strolling, beaten, berated and then strung up and hanged right there on the spot while others chanted and cheered them on!"

"Oh my god, is this real?!" one friend shouted out.

"Oh Jesus, it can't be!" the other friend shrieked.

"This is a bunch of bullshit, I need to see the actual video footage before I believe in this crap!", another friend snorted. 

Just as he finished his snort, there were faint sounds of people coming from the main camping grounds in Chugach National Forest in Russia. Speaking in Slavic language and getting louder and angrier, and heading our way! 

In a matter of seconds they burst through the campsite, yelling at us and pushing us away from the campfire, some striking us, and suddenly one burly angry man grabbed one friend and hit him across the face with the butt of his rifle sending him crashing down onto a rock, which struck his temple and cracked his skull. He seemed to have struggled at first, trying to get up, actually making it to his feet, where he suddenly stopped in his tracks and fell over dead. 

Screaming and running from this mob, was in vane, as we fell to their force, having our hands tied behind us with thick and uncomfortable rope, so tight it slowed my blood flow, or felt like it did. Then one by one a noose placed around our necks to be strung up onto the branches of the trees we were so happy to see when we arrived. The irony that they would have a hand in our demise.

Just as the chair was kicked out from under me, I quickly fell like an anchor had been tied to my feet, and the rope gripped my neck as though it were catching a runaway cow from a country farm, and I felt my neck snap hard and to the left.

I opened my eyes with a start. I gasped aloud and suddenly was able to grab my throat, and there I was quickly feeling my throat for the rope, checking if I was dead, breathing so heavy that I almost passed out and finally taking a look real hard at my surroundings. I was inside a tent. the cool air of the forest mountains drifted into the tent and snapped me out of, what I can only surmise what had to be a horrific nightmare. 

I got out of my sleeping bag and stepped out of the tent to feel the prickly pokes of sticks and rocks against my bare feet. I could smell the coffee percolating. Mmmmm, wish it tasted as good as it smells I thought to myself as I looked over to the left. 

The bodies laid there in a pile rotting and decaying into themselves. Head wounds from shotguns and baseball bats visible, and their grey dead eyes finally displaying their true deaths, not the undead ones they have as Zombies that make them seem to glow almost.

There seems to be more and more of them, but it's cool. We got this. We've been really killing them for over six months now, and we're getting better and better at it. 

Ahhhh, I thought to myself as we were talking about the merits of my viewpoint regarding coffee smell and taste over the campfire. I'm so glad that was a dream. Man, that would be so scary if something like that were really happening.