The Blacksmith
helper · human
First up the hill both times, with a hammer, for a boy she barely knows.
What they are like
- Kind
- 8/10
- Brave
- 9/10
- Clever
- 7/10
- Honest
- 9/10
- Curious
- 4/10
- Patient
- 6/10
How we meet them
Coming up a hill at a run with a hammer in her hand, for a boy she barely knows.
Personality
Practical and steady. She never shouts at him, which turns out to be far worse than shouting.
What they want
You go when a child calls. That is simply what you do.
How they change
Runs the first time, walks the second time, and on the third does not look up from the anvil.
How they speak
Almost nothing. Her most devastating moment in the story is a long look and no words at all.
How the story treats them
The story never gives her a speech about trust. It measures her instead in distance: running, then walking, then not raising her head from the anvil.
One surprising thing
She never tells him off, not once. The second time she just looks at him for a while and walks back down the hill, which the story says was worse.
If they were real today
She would come the first two times without being asked, and she would not mention it afterwards.
Key moments
Up the hill with a hammer
First over the crest, out of breath, ready to fight a wolf with a blacksmith's hammer for a boy she barely knows.
She did not say anything
The second time she comes up walking rather than running, looks at him for a long moment, and goes back down without a word.
Not this time, lad
Her hammer pauses in the air for exactly one beat when the third shout comes down the valley, and then she brings it down again.
“Not this time, lad.”
Who they know
The Shepherd Boyneighbour
She came up the hill twice for him. The third time she did not look up.
Characters like The Blacksmith
Personalised stories are coming soon
A brand new story with your child as the main character, illustrated on every page. We are not taking orders yet. Join the waitlist and we will email you when it opens.