• Everyone knows the story of Elwood J. Blues. How he, a young orphan from St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud became an infamous blues musician with his brother Joliet Jake Blues. There are numerous reasons as these two came about and met and all that jazz but there's one story that no one knows. The story of Elwood grew attracted to the taste of white bread dry and toasted.

    Now once upon a time in Chicago, in an orphanage there was Elwood doing his usual routine on a typical Saturday late morning. Playing the blues on his harmonica, the very same harmonica that Curtis had given him. Curtis was almost like a fatherly figure to Elwood and had taught him songs of great blues and jazz musicians known at the time and of the past behind them. So many songs and so many artists that have given life to them through the power of vocals and instruments. Even Curtis knew there was so much more to teach Elwood but they had time before life separated them by age or demise.

    Curtis had taught Elwood (and was still teaching the young blues fan) how to play the blues and show him as to what they were. The blues were defined as music with an intense release of emotion and passion that many had but often were unaware of or never attempted to work with it. However, Elwood did. All thanks to Curtis of course.

    By now, Elwood was on a random verse of a random tune that he was spilling out into the blues harp. God only knew how long he was playing in the midst of the summery Chicago day. But he didn't care about the heat or how it irritated him sometimes, all he cared about was his music. The very same music that connected very deeply with his youthful soul.

    But Elwood wasn't the only fan of the blues, there was his brother. Joliet Jake Blues. Jake was slightly older by Elwood (by one or two years at least) and had worn the same outfit as Elwood every day. A simple white short sleeved button down shirt with black pants, black shoes, a black fedora with sunglasses, a pair of black shoes with white socks, and a black tie. Occasionally they wore a black jacket but that was only if the weather was freezing like in the middle of December. Jake had also been taught by Cutis of the songs and the artists as well as the blues. He also knew what the blues were and often times when him and his brother could think of a few good songs, they would perform them for the other children at the orphanage.

    However, there was one person that disliked it. The Penguin aka Sister Mary Stigmata of St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud. As much as she was a devoted woman to all things of justice and religious mannerisms, she was also devoted to the orphans. Yet she managed to keep her eye mainly on Jake and Elwood because she knew their ways. She knew that Jake was the leader and Elwood was the follower in both pranks and music. The duo were often known for playing pranks around the orphanage. Their most recent one being removing the crucified Jesus that scared them to death and placing it outside the orphanage. If anything it almost got taken away as garbage but the Penguin managed to grab it before it was taken away. And as usual she gave them their punishment; whacks of a meter stick on their knuckles which often turned their skin red with pain.

    As for music, well as much as she enjoyed them being greatly involved with music (which often led to spurts of creativity) she wasn't too fond of the blues. If anything she was more of a gospel, holy song person. From time to time she did catch the young Blues' performances and yet...she never stopped them. The blues was something they believed in and even though she acknowledged that they should believe more in God (yet somehow she knew that they did so) she knew that the blues was something that they held very near and dear to them. According to her, to stop it would be like stopping time and removing the minutes that kept it all together.

    But this one typical Saturday, Elwood had changed his appetite for forever.

    So as stated before it was the typical late morning on a summery Saturday. There were no religious classes or Latin classes for the day as Elwood sat on the edge of his bed playing random music on the blues harp as he recalled the events of the day so far. At seven he awoke and dressed in his usual outfit as he and Jake ventured down to the dining hall where they feasted on something that looked like oatmeal but tasted like a mix of leftover dinner from the night before (which tasted like burnt chicken) and something else that was unidentified to both their taste buds.

    Jake and Elwood then returned to their quarters were they practiced a few songs before they went down to Curtis and socialized with him about music as usual. But now, it was Elwood. Sitting alone at the edge of his bed blowing on the harp and thinking of random little melodies that made their way to the instrument in his childish hands altogether forming a song that only he knew. He also acknowledged the fact that it was a half hour until lunch was served. Joy. He couldn't wait to see what was on that menu. Probably something that tasted like crap or a strange new food that would hardly be considered edible. However, what he didn't know is that today would be different. Today would be the day where Jake pulled off the greatest thing in any location of eating.

    Even Elwood didn't know about it as the half hour ended quickly as Jake met up with him in the room they shared with other boys their age. Elwood played his harmonica a bit more before ending his little secret song and joined Jake as they once again went down to the dining hall. As usual they took what they were given only today Elwood took something he had always ignored before; a few slices of white bread dry and toasted. Something simple he had always brushed off his shoulder as nothing but today he figured it would be better than what was served. Why on this particular day? Well God and only Elwood knew for reasons they both could understand but not understand.

    What was served for lunch that day? Well, it was a bowl of...something but it sure wasn't oatmeal or soup (even though the nuns did call it soup). So as the two young blues brothers took their usual seat in the center of the room at the center table, Jake for sure had something up his sleeve. Elwood could tell this by the mischievous glint Jake got in his eye before a prank was performed.

    "Jake," Elwood started, a bit nervous as he usually was before tricks that he took part in, "what are you going to do?"

    Smirking deviously now, he stood up before all the children who dined on their mysterious lunch as Elwood felt his heart skip a beat. This, as usual would result in a ruler beating from the Penguin on the knuckles turning their normal colored skin to a reddened shade. By now they both had gotten used to the beatings but still it hurt every time she struck the ruler down on their flesh as if it were a memory of a past beating resurfacing and joining with the one they were receiving at that moment.

    Elwood swallowed now as he watched his brother take in a deep breath and yell two words that triggered it all, "FOOD FIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Jake instantly threw his lunch at a random kid which set off a chain reaction of lunch throwing. Before the two knew it the once peaceful dining hall was turned into a survival of the fittest of a food fight. The hungry Elwood took to the floor only taking his white bread dry and toasted with him as he crawled under the table. Jake on the other hand led the food fight as he was hit himself a few times with the mysterious lunch as well as other numerous objects as he noticed that the food fight had broke into a slightly violent break out of older children picking on younger ones with random punches and fighting moves. Slightly alarmed by this, Jake was about to make a break for the nearest table when he was punched in the jaw by an older kid. Jake wouldn't allow himself to be bullied or even beaten as he fought back and soon knocked the kid on his back.

    Elwood on the other hand was feeding his appetite with the white bread toasted dry that he managed to snag. If anything the bread tasted alot better than what he was served in the past. It tasted better than the "oatmeal" served that morning and the "lunch" that was served just recently. Smiling just a bit amongst the chaos he decided that he would eat this from now on because he thought of something; if all the food in the world tasted horrible like the food served at the orphanage then there would be only one thing he would ever eat and that was white bread dry and toasted.

    It was funny he would think that now as he ate more of it and whatever ones that remained untouched on the tables that hadn't been knocked over. It was funny as to how he would only eat that and only that until he grew older and tried shrimp cocktail....especially the one at Chez Paul. But for now, he ate his toast and attempted to avoid all chaos of the food fight.