The sun peeked through the forest trees, painting gold on the dirt paths and rooftops of the village. One by one, children left their hos, clutching handmade slates and chalk. Their parents waved, so half-asleep, others already off to work. But for the children, it was the most exciting part of the day—school ti.
Tikka stood at the front of the schoolhouse, opening the doors with a wide grin. Her green hair was tied up in a small ssy bun, and her simple dress had chalk smudges from yesterday.
"All right," she said, arms crossed as the kids gathered. "Let's see if you all rember what a straight line looks like today."
"We do!" shouted Mik, a goblin boy who always ran faster than he thought.
"Do not!" Loma, a young dwarf girl, shouted back.
"Do too!"
"Enough," Tikka sighed, waving them in. "Inside, now."
The classroom was simple. Wooden benches, one chalkboard, and a few shelves with handmade books and plant-based ink. It slled of wood, ink, and a little smoke from the torches on the wall. Sunlight poured in through the new glass windows that Caelen and the dwarves had installed. To the children, it felt magical.
Seri, a quiet elf girl, sat near the window. She liked the light. She liked watching the leaves move in the wind. But most of all, she liked listening.
She peeked at the blackboard. Tikka had written:
Math – Adding Bigger Numbers
Science – What Is Fire?
Writing – Our First Letter
Seri's stomach fluttered. Fire sounded interesting. Letters... not so much.
"Okay," Tikka began, clapping twice to get their attention. "Let's do so math."
She drew sticks on the board.
"One stick," she said, drawing it slowly. "Plus three sticks. Who can tell how many that is?"
Mik raised his hand and waved wildly. "Four!"
"Correct!" Tikka said.
Bren, a dwarf boy, yawned. "Can we do rocks again?"
"No," Tikka said, smiling. "Rocks don't add themselves."
Loma nudged him. "What's five plus seven, then?"
Bren stared at the board. "Uh..."
"Twelve," Seri whispered.
"Louder," Tikka said.
Seri blinked. "Twelve."
"Right again," said Tikka. "Seri, maybe you should teach next ti."
Seri blushed and looked at her shoes.
Next ca writing.
Each student got a slate and chalk. The room filled with scratching sounds. So wrote crooked letters, others scribbled drawings of fish, swords, or flowers.
"I don't like the letter 'G'," Bren mumbled.
"Why not?" Seri asked.
"It looks like it's trying to bite sothing."
Seri giggled. "Then what about 'S'?"
"It's a snake."
"You're weird."
"You too."
They both laughed and kept drawing.
Tikka walked past them, peeking at their work. "Letters are like tools," she said. "ssy at first, but if you keep sharpening them, they'll get strong."
By noon, the sun ward the walls and floor. Tikka lit a small clay bowl filled with straw and flint. A fla sparked to life.
"Today," she said, "we learn about fire."
The students gasped.
"Fire helps us cook. It warms our hos. But it can also burn them down," she said gently.
Mik leaned in too close. "Can I touch—"
"No!" half the class shouted at once.
Tikka chuckled. "Good. You already know more than so adults."
She blew out the fla after the lesson, letting the smoke curl into the rafters. The room slled like warmth and ash.
"Now," Tikka said, "everyone will say one thing they learned today—not from , but from each other."
The class went quiet.
Then Loma raised her hand. "I learned Seri is good at numbers."
Seri smiled, small but proud.
"I learned Bren sees letters as monsters," Mik added.
"I learned that fire is like a dangerous friend," said Bren. "Useful, but you gotta be careful."
"I learned that I like writing a little," Seri whispered.
Tikka grinned. "I learned that even quiet kids have loud minds."
After class, the children left in groups, chatting about numbers, chalk dust, and fire.
Seri walked with Loma.
"You really think I'm good at numbers?" Seri asked.
"Yeah," Loma replied. "Way better than ."
Seri smiled. "Maybe I'll teach you tomorrow."
"You'd really do that?"
"Sure."
Behind them, Bren threw his slate in the air and caught it. "I still like rocks more."
"Then start a rock school," Mik joked.
Bren paused. "Maybe I will."
Inside the schoolhouse, Tikka swept the floor slowly. Her arms ached, but her heart felt full. The kids were learning. They were growing. Even the quiet ones, even the loud ones. Even the ones who still saw 'G' as a monster.
Caelen had built the walls, but the kids filled them with life.
And that, she thought, was more powerful than any spell.
Reviews
All reviews (0)