Hammer Train
I hadn’t realized in the pre-dawn the impact my sudden decision to change the method of preparing the court would have, not having foreknowledge of the Dauphin’s arrival. Although I felt a bit of fear at the time, and the air was strange, all things considered, if I had known the Dauphin was coming, I would have stuck to the usual, maybe going over the rakelines double, fussing to make it the best raking ever.
I was heartened by the Dauphin’s approval and Master’s comment. My uneasiness was gone. But suddenly Kotto-Re’s emblem was changed to that of a mallet, and the whole monastery and region was elevated in the status of the order. We made up little mallets to sell to the pilgrims who came, where only vagrants came before, and the pilgrims bought the little mallets and replicas of sand courts, in which they could hammer out sand hammerings in their free hours.
As for me, the monastery booked me on sand-hammering demonstrations throughout the countryside, and a grand assembly of carriages were commissioned to carry me and my entourage. The carriages walked on a system of crawling hammers, and had swinging hammer whirlygigs on the top. Precious tool-quality hickory was used throughout the carriages’ construction. We carried temporary sand courtyards which could be reconstructed anywhere there was room, and always, hammers. I was given charge of numerous young apprentices, especially bright, strong, and resourceful, and I was no longer ever alone, unless I ran into the woods to find aloneness, and even then, I was spied on to see if I would reveal the secret of that was manifest that early morning. As much as I needed this time, I had to learn to have a light hand with curious and audacious young interlopers, especially when they approached at the wrong times.
Several other hammering troupes sprung up, and all manner of other daily ceremonial court preparation methods were tried. Proposals were made to write sand hammering into the canon. Alternate sand hammering canons, none by me, were put before the Dauphin, who requested my review of them. My life had altered considerably, from quiet contemplation to the center of hubbub. Sometimes I felt I’d never want to see another hammer again, nor the road, or the coterie of companions. I practiced raking to relax. I could never let anyone catch me doing this; they would think me a hypocrite. In fact, my road manager didn’t allow rakes on the procession, but I had my own compartment where only I was allowed to store things.
I was heartened by the Dauphin’s approval and Master’s comment. My uneasiness was gone. But suddenly Kotto-Re’s emblem was changed to that of a mallet, and the whole monastery and region was elevated in the status of the order. We made up little mallets to sell to the pilgrims who came, where only vagrants came before, and the pilgrims bought the little mallets and replicas of sand courts, in which they could hammer out sand hammerings in their free hours.
As for me, the monastery booked me on sand-hammering demonstrations throughout the countryside, and a grand assembly of carriages were commissioned to carry me and my entourage. The carriages walked on a system of crawling hammers, and had swinging hammer whirlygigs on the top. Precious tool-quality hickory was used throughout the carriages’ construction. We carried temporary sand courtyards which could be reconstructed anywhere there was room, and always, hammers. I was given charge of numerous young apprentices, especially bright, strong, and resourceful, and I was no longer ever alone, unless I ran into the woods to find aloneness, and even then, I was spied on to see if I would reveal the secret of that was manifest that early morning. As much as I needed this time, I had to learn to have a light hand with curious and audacious young interlopers, especially when they approached at the wrong times.
Several other hammering troupes sprung up, and all manner of other daily ceremonial court preparation methods were tried. Proposals were made to write sand hammering into the canon. Alternate sand hammering canons, none by me, were put before the Dauphin, who requested my review of them. My life had altered considerably, from quiet contemplation to the center of hubbub. Sometimes I felt I’d never want to see another hammer again, nor the road, or the coterie of companions. I practiced raking to relax. I could never let anyone catch me doing this; they would think me a hypocrite. In fact, my road manager didn’t allow rakes on the procession, but I had my own compartment where only I was allowed to store things.
posted by Constance X at 10:21 AM
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