TFI – Chapter 5
Twirling the carving knife between his thumb and index fingers as if it were a harmless pen, he moved his idling left hand to rest upon his chin. Jasper pondered a few scenarios in his mind for a way to get access to the dangerous tools he wanted. He wanted to reveal as little as possible.
People tend to believe what they wanted to believe so anything related to his ‘curse’ was out the window. They would think he spoke nonsense. He could wait till he grew older and ask to help out with the woodcutting, but Jasper doubted that his sanity could last that long without any distractions. The fastest way was to display some ‘talent.’
Not too much, not too little. Somewhere along the lines of “gosh, he’s really good with his hands” would be ideal.
Should he crudely carve something up and show it to his family? If so, what should he make? Something little boys would dream to have… A sword?
The moment the thought came up it lingered like clouds on a rainy day. A sword it is then.
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Grating sounds can be heard from the Palmas front yard. A thin slab of wood was being whittled away by a rather small carving knife on the tree stump next to their wood pile. The long slivers of shaved wood curled off the main block with every stroke of the knife, the rough shape of a sword and it’s hilt can be seen. At the moment, it looked like a rough shoddy short sword that had been vertically embedded into a conical piece of wood.
Happy with the overall shape of the handle and hilt, Jasper laid the sword on it’s side and began fashioning it’s tip off the conical base. This rough shape had been accomplished in an amazingly brisk one and a half hour. Expertly following the wood grain allowed him to cut with the least effort which was even possible for his currently small undeveloped arms.
However, even with his expertise, the body of a child wasn’t used to such exertion and his face was pouring with sweat. Jasper barely noticed it since he was engrossed in his handicraft. The sword finally had its edge complete after another half an hour after which he inspected his work. It was still rather shoddy but the hilt, blade and handle were perfectly aligned with each other, when seen with a cursory glance you might mistake it for one. The blade was rather short, somewhere between a short sword and a dagger but shaped like a classic double-edged iron sword.
Jasper had to remind himself not to add anymore detail which he nearly did out of habit since it was supposed to be his ‘first’ try. He tried swinging it around and found that the balance was slightly off so he frowned. Jasper was a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to crafts and not even this hastily made thing was exempt.
Trudging footsteps and crunching gravel can be heard approaching the entrance, which was actually simply a large gap in between the fence stakes. The men are back. Quickly pocketing the knife, he held the sword in his hands and waited for them to see him. Carefully observing that they have noticed him as well as his sword, Jasper exaggeratedly shouted.
“NO!!!”
After which he bolted through the small gap between his brothers and father, his small frame just enough to squeeze past their legs, leaving the three men mystified. They should notice the new sword and the loss of a carving knife soon enough. Jasper grinned to himself and now trotted in the direction of the town square.
The square was again filled with children as usual who looked at the latecomer with curiosity. Still sporting the grin, Jasper let them have a go with the two swords which plainly were very well received by both the girls and boys alike. He didn’t get a turn but neither did he insist on one, instead dropping hints that the new sword was something he made himself here and there.
Mission accomplished, he thought. Now he just needed to wait for their reactions. Jasper was ready to use all the liberties a child can take to try and obtain what he wants, and hopefully the spreading news will work towards his advantage. The smile he’s been wearing since the afternoon remained as the children kindly returned the two swords and pleadingly asked him to come again tomorrow and he caught himself humming to himself as he walked home.
This was exactly why Jasper desperately devoted himself into various arts. Books, writing, carving, mathematics, literature and martial arts were his escape from the ever present pain and loss. At least, like now, the pain is no more than a dull throb, like an empty space inside his heart and his guilt the fuel for his desperation. It was not as if he had forgotten about that incident, it was too much of a trauma, but now his emotions were at least not overwhelming him. Time did little to soothe the wounds and he found his guilt in letting Enid die grow rather than diminish with the years.
He found himself in front of the gate by the time he ended his reverie, holding a wooden sword in each hand. The windows were bright, the lamps inside glowing brightly, an invention discovered just 200 years ago which he had helped refine when he was living the life of a blacksmith. Slowly he walked towards the front door, slightly apprehensive of what awaited him. Gingerly he placed his palm onto the handle and timidly opened the door.
Rebirth Online World 