Jal returned to its computer and decided to work ahead to the next day’s lesson. It was mid-way through when there was a knock on the door. “Have you been sleeping in here?” Tarryn stood at the door.

“No. I did science; history and writing this morning, took a short break; then I did horticulture before you called me down to eat. I studied research skills and started again with science.”

“You’ve studied long enough for one day. It's a nice spring day. Let’s go for a walk. You haven’t been down to the creek, have you?”

“I haven’t. I don’t know how to swim.”

She laughed. “It’s not deep enough to swim in. It only goes up to my knees.”

“Should we look for edible plants to dig up and bring back?”

“Why in the world would you do that?”

“I’d give them to my uncle. He wants edible perennial plants and herbs that he can use. He’s a doctor.”

“I see. We can do that.” Jal grabbed its gardening tools. Soon they were walking through the meadow. Jal found several plants on the way, and while it dug them up, it explained the ways that each one could be used for various healing purposes.

“Did you know that using plants to make potions, salves, tinctures, and teas is a craft? You could be an herbalist!”

“Is there someone around here who teaches such a thing?”

“Let me think about that and ask around. I’m sure there are books available.”

“My uncle might have some. My aunt was a holistic doctor. She used natural remedies and had put some plants around their house before she became sick.”

“You could work with her.”

“She died last year. If we could find someone to teach me, I would really appreciate it.” They stopped near the stream at the cattails. “Did you know that you can eat the roots of these?” Jal asked. She shook her head. “They taste sort of like potatoes.”

“I don’t know what those are.”

“Some people call them spuds.” She knew what those were. “Boil or bake them?”

“Yes.”

“Look! Water lilies! I’ve heard these are very good.” As Jal stepped to reach the plants, it slipped. It reached out to steady itself and ended up with a handful of mud. "Brrr!"

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Tarryn laughed as Jal landed on its butt in the creek. "So much for being afraid of water!”

Jal was trying to not get upset and realized how funny it must look. It started to laugh when it tried to crawl out of the water and slid on the muddy bank. Taryn laughed at the mess it had made. After a few more tries, Jal sat in the grass by the edge of the creek. It looked down. “This isn’t dirt. It’s clay, so I guess the mess could be worse.” Jal rubbed the clay between its fingers thoughtfully. “I saw a man in Dagmon on the one trip that I ever made there. He was making a pot on a wheel. He kicked something and as the wheel turned, he used his fingers to make the pot taller.” Jal looked at Taryn. “Is that a craft?”

“It is.” She thought for a minute. “There might be one of those wheels in the supply room. There are all kinds of stuff in there for different crafts.”

“It looked like a lot of fun. There’s a lot of clay here. Can we dig up a piece and take it back with us?”

“How would you know what to do?”

“I could go to the community center with my uncle and look it up on the computer.”

“Hm. Let’s look to see if there’s a wheel, and if there is, you can find information on what to do. I wonder if there’s a potter in Kauflen. I’ll look at the shops the next time I’m down there.” The clay clung to Jal as they went along. “Those clothes are going to be a challenge to get clean.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll help you. I’m the one who made the mess.”

“I know how to get them clean," she assured it.

Back at the dwelling, Tarryn found a bucket for Jal’s sloppy clothes and it tracked mud up the stairs, again apologizing. After it had showered and put clean things on, Tarryn led the way to a room that Jal hadn’t been in. It was filled with boxes for all kinds of trades. Bolts of clothing, furs, leather for making shoes, and various kinds of leather were stacked in piles. There were frames for making quilts, sewing machines, and various kinds of yarns, ropes, and string. Lumber and wood crafting tools were lined up along one wall. Jal couldn’t believe how many supplies for various crafts were in the room. They wound their way through the collection. “What exactly are we looking for?” she asked several times.

“It has a flat wheel on top and maybe a seat attached?” he suggested.

“Of course! It’s in the very back corner.” She looked at the things around it. “I’m not sure what other things you need. We’ll have to figure out what those are and search for them.”

"I could learn how to blow glass and make my own bottles for potions!"

"Or you could learn how to sew and make magic capes and clothes like the ones we saw in the shops."

“I’ll do some research this weekend,” Jal said. “It’s kind of crowded in here. We’ll have to move some things around if I’m going to work here.”

“We’ll take things out. There’s a different space where you’ll work.” They went down the hall. “Treave worked in here. He was our last apprentice. He was a weaver.” Jal looked at all the kinds of yarn that were stacked around the room. Strings and yarns were lined up on the shelves. There were several types of looms in the center of the room. “I’ll ask Jan if we can go into its room. Jan has a weaving that Treave made hanging on the wall.” She went on, “We’ll carry all of these things into storage and set up things for your craft. We’ll talk more about it later, after you’ve made a decision.”

Jan’s voice came over both of their communicators, “I’d like to see both of you in the sitting room.”

Jal followed Tarryn down the hall to the sitting room. “What are all these rooms for?” it asked curiously. “I’ve not been in this part.”

“I’ll show you another time. Let’s go see what Jan wants.”