Page 53 of Icebreaker
Quinn and Nala wrapped each other up in massive hugs. "Bring it on in," she insisted as she looked at me. "I've heard so much about you."
Sheepishly, I joined them in a hug. "I hope it's all good things."
"The best," she assured me. As we each stepped back, a tall, wiry young man appeared sporting electric blue hair in wild, gravity-defying spikes. Nala gestured toward him. "This here is my partner in eco-crime, Ziggy."
Ziggy offered his hand for a firm shake. "Great to meet both of you. I don't think I've ever met a professional hockey player up close and personal before. Moose talks non-stop about the two of you. He's got big plans for you guys."
Quinn laughed. "That's our Moose. So, in terms of the plans, what's on deck for today?"
Nala reached for one of the mysterious brown squares. "Take a good look at these. Moose made them himself."
I eyed the square suspiciously. It looked a bit like a brownie sprinkled with brown and black flecks. "Should I ask what's in it?"
"Of course, you should," declared Ziggy. "It's cricket protein. One of the world's best sustainably sourced proteins packed full of nutrients. You can taste the future right here."
Never shy about something new and unusual, Quinn grabbed one of the squares and took a big bite. "Yum," he mumbled as he chewed. "Tastes like progress to me."
They all looked at me, and I couldn't back away. I broke off a tiny corner and nibbled at it. Surprisingly, it tasted nutty and slightly sweet. The texture was much better than I expected. "Hmm, not too bad. Are these our victory treats?"
"Another convert," declared Nala, and she high-fived Ziggy. "The revolution is here!"
We spent a few more minutes talking with Nala and Ziggy. They were more than happy to share details of their firm's latest projects and what was coming soon. It was impossible to resist being impressed by their passion for their work.
When we entered the locker room, buzzy with banter and the sounds of skates clacking on the concrete, I felt proud of Moose. Almost singlehandedly, he'd launched an effort to get the Lumberjacks to adopt a more responsible relationship with the planet. With people like Moose, Nala, and Ziggy leading the way, we could save the world, one cricket brownie at a time.
Quinn and I had just finished lacing up our skates when we heard a commotion at the locker room door. Moose burst through it, wearing a bright green Lumberjacks jersey and a matching bandana tied around his forehead. He looked something like a hockey pirate with unbridled enthusiasm in his eyes.
He pushed a cart ahead of him. When I looked closer,I saw a collection of organic snacks and drinks.
"Hey there, fellow eco-warriors! I come with gifts for all of you direct from the green gods!"
The guys all looked up from their regular pregame rituals. I saw both amusement and trepidation in their expressions. I'd told stories about Moose's culinary experiments, and they didn't all have happy endings. His "gifts" from the kitchen had a checkered history.
Refusing to be impacted by the lukewarm reception, Moose steered the cart around the room, passing out snacks this way and that. "Gather round everybody. This is the future of sports nutrition. Give your taste buds a treat."
He stopped directly in front of Quinn and me. "I have a special treat for my two favorite lovebirds." He pulled on a cloth napkin draped over a plate in the corner of his cart. What appeared to be dark green chips lay arranged in a neat pile. "It's the wonders of seaweed. Take a bite."
Adventurous Quinn immediately reached out to take a chip. "Seaweed? I like kombu in Japanese food. Let's give it a go."
I watched as he popped the entire chip in his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully and then swallowed. "I'd say unique, not quite as instantly exciting as the little cricket brownies."
Moose beamed. "Care to give it a go, Axel?"
As I reached out, the pungent aroma of salty seawater wafted up to my face. "I…don't know."
"Go on ahead," Moose insisted. "Those brownies were pretty great, weren't they?"
I sighed and picked up the smallest of the chips. Immediately after taking a tentative bite, I knew I'd made a mistake. The flavor was fishy and overpowering. It was something like how I imagined licking the bottom of a dirty aquarium would taste. I tried to chew, but the texture was rubbery and unyielding.
Without waiting for my assessment, several of my teammates gave the chips a try. I heard various stages of distress around me. They coughed, gagged, and moaned as they tried to swallow the dreadful snacks.
"Oh, man," one of them whined, "it's like kissing the bottom of a tide pool at low tide."
"I think my tongue is starting a revolution against my brain," another groaned.
To his credit, Moose took everything in stride. "Well, I see some of you have rather unrefined palates." He chuckled softly. "Fear not, men! Seaweed is an acquired taste like fine wine and rich, gourmet coffee. Did you like either of those the first time you tasted them?"
My eyes watered as I finally managed to choke the rest of the chip down. "Moose, love you, man, but that…please, no more."
