Before the katana had even stopped steaming, I flattened it against the anvil and pounded it with my hammer. Hard.
It was a very risky way to fix a bent blade, but it was either that or start over.
So each time my hammer struck the sword, I cringed, just waiting for it to shatter.
Clang.
Clang.
It’s nearly straight. I thought, examining my work. Just one more—
CRACK.
No. No!
I nearly screamed in anger, but then I realized my mistake when I dared to look at the shattered katana.
Only, it wasn’t shattered.
It was still very much in one piece.
I hadn’t noticed the thunderstorm that had started earlier, which was the real source of the loud crack.
After I had triple-checked that the katana was straight, I just sat there for a minute, soaking up the sweet moment of relief. Then it was back to work.
It was nearly dark, so I hurried outside to find the right wood for the handle before it was totally soaked by the rain. As I rummaged through the wood pile to find a block of Japanese maple, I realized just how far I’d come. I had made amazing progress on the katana, despite the bumps in the road. I actually had a shot at finishing it in time. No, I knew I would finish it.
My thoughts wandered. How had I not been burned when the flaming coal had dropped onto my hand? It should have been unavoidable. Right then, I realized that this was the first time I had been far away from the fire in nearly thirty hours. I hadn’t slept or eaten since before Ren had come into the Four Weapons asking me to forge the katana. I vaguely remember Nya coming into the shop at some point telling me that she was going to leave food on the desk. She had made me promise that I would take a break to eat, but I had totally forgotten until now.
My lack of sleep and food seemed to finally be catching up to me. I started to slump more and more as my tired eyes searched for the wood I needed. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me that it was not happy being empty. I always hated being wet, and the downpour from the storm only added to my discomfort. I finally saw a block of Japanese maple. I grabbed it and started to walk towards the shop. I let my eyes close for a half second, and the temptation of sleep grew to the size of a dragon. It was the thought of Nya and a loud crack of thunder that kept me awake.
As soon as I entered the fiery hot forge, I was suddenly awake and my hunger pains vanished instantly. The heat dried my clothes and hair more quickly than what should have been possible.
Sanding the stubborn block of wood took half of the night. The storm had long stopped thundering by the time I had crafted the wood into a rough handle shape, leaving me to work to the sounds of crickets chirping and the fire crackling.
I enjoyed the heat, sound, and smell of the fire as I worked. I always swore that fire had a smell, but no one really believed me except my father. It wasn’t the smoke that I smelled, but something different that not many others could sense. I could smell the flames’ warmth, their glow, their movements. I took my gaze from the now finished handle and stared into the fire. I remembered one time when I was little, around four years old, when my father let me light the forge. I’m not sure why, but the match just felt wrong in my tiny hand. Like it was some inferior tool.
I looked up to see Nya standing directly in front of me.
“What are you doing up so late, Sis?” I asked.
“Didn’t you hear a word of what I just said?” she accused, ignoring my question. Apparently, she had been there a while. “This is getting crazy, Kai! You’ve been working day and night, not even stopping to rest! When was the last time you had a meal?” She sniffed. “Or a shower?”
“I told you already, I’ve got to finish this. Otherwise—”
“Otherwise what? I’ll have to skip meals? I’ll have to get a job to support us?”
I grimaced. How did she know I was skipping meals to keep her from having to go hungry?
“Don’t pretend that I don’t know what you’re doing, Kai. You don’t have to be so self-sacrificing. Think of yourself instead of me for once.”
“How can I?” I finally said, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. “You’re all I have left, Nya. Mom and Dad are gone. I can’t lose you too.”
Nya’s expression softened. I knew she didn’t really remember our parents. She was too young when they died. But the few things she did remember, like our mother’s smile and our father’s eyes, she clung to.
“Look at me,” she said. I stared into her ocean-blue eyes. Same as Mom’s. “You will never lose me. You know why I know? Because you’re looking after me. You have for years, and I’m still here, aren’t I? When Mom and Dad died...” she paused, analyzing my reaction. I hid my grief for her sake. “...you raised me, even though you were nearly as young as I was.”
She suddenly threw her arms around me and pulled me close. “You’re the best brother I could ever ask for. You will never lose me.”
I hugged her back as tightly as I could without hurting her.
***
Convincing Nya to let me keep working took up precious time, but I eventually succeeded. The rest of the work that needed to be done didn’t require a fire anymore, but for some reason, I kept the forge lit. Dad always loved fire. I’m not sure why, but he always told me about how it lived. I always regretted having to put it out, and it was like I had a piece of my father with me, so I let it burn.
The hand guard was much easier to make. It was like a really tiny piece of armor, which I was much more skilled in crafting. Etching the brass was the challenge. My art skills were extremely limited, and my hand shook with each stroke of my etching needle. For some reason I kept going, even though I knew the image looked nothing like roses. I stared at my scribbles, putting down the needle. This was useless. While I had been etching, I didn’t realize that the fire had been dying. Finally, it flickered out.
My long hours in the forge caught up to me again, but now it was ten times worse. My eyelids felt as heavy as the anvil I had been pounding on for hours, and my muscles were so sore that the feeling of complete emptiness in my stomach was nearly unnoticeable. I shook my head, trying to force myself to stay awake.
You need to finish this. I told myself. For Nya.
I wasn’t even able to attach the mangled guard to the tang of the katana before I couldn’t fight anymore. I let my head fall onto the desk in front of where I sat, asleep before it even hit the wood.
Comentários