Craft
A day at the forge
I signed up for a course in blacksmithing. I came home with a hook and a burn.
Tove Hallberg
The forge was in an old barn outside town. Coal fire, anvils, a teacher with forearms like bread. We made hooks, which is what everyone makes on the first day.
Heat, hammer, turn, heat again. My hook is crooked. The teacher said it had character, which is what teachers say.
The burn
A small one, on the back of my hand, from touching metal I thought was cool. It looked grey. It was not cool. I have the scar and the hook, and both remind me to pay attention.
