Sarah and Crafting

There was no possibility for Sarah to discard

such a beautiful hazy day accompanied with a sonorous mild wind that wobbles the olive wood
boats and pushes ripples to the yellow coast, plain houses and mossy rocks yonder.

Grabbing the rope to tie the poorly decorated dull boat to the standing leg, the cracked palm
patted Sarah on the shoulder: "Do you want to visit the United States of America? It is a lively
country of business. I will sell off my products there and found my store. We all will leave our
country."
Sarah watched the lifeless eyes yearning to the" lively country of business".
She shook his holy dream: "No, I cannot, Uncle Sami. I cannot get along".
She does not intend to desert her beloved land.

His eyes shone menacingly and pointed to the crisscrossing patterns on his boat: "Carving is a
loss of time and I want you to help me regarding my business.No scratching on my boat is
allowed even if you are trying to carve. I noticed that man has an effect on you. Do not visit him
again."

Her carving knife would have slipped, had not she returned it to its proper hiding place: below
the first fold of her green dress.
Before he asks Sarah for the tool, she slid out of her block seat and ran.
Sarah treaded the glistening hazy stones to Kamu's shop.

"Uncle Kamu, can you teach me how to craft a catapult ?"She watched him working on a
masterpiece.
"Why?"
"I want to defend myself when I get hurt by someone "
She does not want to tell him straight ahead that she craves for wood crafting. She fears that he
might refuse.

Her plea worked: " Of course, we will work on crafting a catapult".

Kamu handed her a chisel gouge which she held admiringly, disappeared behind the dark
cement wall and returned with a peeled log to carve out from.

"She might cut her hand" the dull man, Tamir, leaned on the wall where the woodcarving tools
were hung.
"Nonsense. She is not a baby." Kamu discarded the pale advice.
"As you like it "Tamir surrendered to Kamu's insistence.
"To cut the peeled log, you need to use the saw I am holding now before you use the chisel and
carving knife in your hand".He laid it on the table.

After she cut a medium-sized section from the log with his assistance, he instructed her to
smoothen the edge and to sketch a catapult on the section with the ruler which she managed.

"How will we carve this shape?" Kamu asked Sarah.

"We need to use the chisel and Carving knife" she raised and laid them on the table
"Yes".

Carving,malleting and chiselling, they smoothened, ornamented and polished the catapult
structure.

"Done!" Sarah leapt out of her chair and raised the catapult as the adventurer holding the torch
to illuminate the dark dripping cave.

She added a rubber band to her catapult and hurried out of the shop "Thank you, teacher
Kamu".
His face lightened and eyes sparkled.
Avenging for herself from the mocking peers hitting them with chilly sauce through the catapult,
she entered the arched usher.

"How was the sea trip, Sarah? "

Her mother,Tania, is visible from the squared window holding a glass pitcher to water the potted
plants.

" interesting but too long, mom " she sighed.

"It was a tiresome day . Clients came and I took the measures" Mother Tania
informed ;measure tapes were tossed on the couch and bundle of fabric to sew.

"Mom , can you tell uncle I can no longer help him in his field? it is dull. I want to help you and
teacher Kamu".

"Ofcourse, dear, but If you tell him by yourself, it would be better. I always support you".

Every day, she grabs the deceased grandpa's woodcarving kit and heads to teacher Kamu, who
would supervise her training, while she was crafting a catapult and small wooden balls as an
additional lesson to complete the weapon.

Uncle Sami was not satisfied and she was wasting time and she was not helping him in his
merchant's work.

"Do not go to Kamu again. Is it clear? "

He told her off for being careless and also pointed out that "passion cannot make a living ".

"Who would help me clean my boat?"

"Your lazy colleague: Tom" she responded, not showing any sign of guilt.
"I am tired of cleaning your boat. I want to do something for myself . I want to learn wood craft
and embroidery from mother and teacher Kamu ".

Uncle wanted to hit her, but wisdom overwhelmed him.

"It will not solve the problem. It will make my sister angry...She and Sarah will neglect me again
and treat me as an intruder".

After three days...a storm came to whirl boats up and thrust them away. Uncle's boat was
smashed against the mossy rocks into floating foamy ruin.

When he came back the other evening to the house deteriorated, Tania made him carnation
tea.

"My boat was ruined ...from what I can make a living? "He stuttered griefly.
In the morning, Sarah set her foot into Kamu's shop and told him about the problem they face.

He sat quietly to offer his solution to help them.

"We will craft toys and sell them to make money for your uncle to buy a boat".

"Why? Can you craft a boat?"Sarah leaned on the edge of the desk
"No, I cannot." He raised his brows ."We will settle on crafting toys and selling them hoping your
uncle might agree".

Returning to home, Sarah heard her uncle asserting his own decision: "I will go to my friend and
ask him for a loan ".

Mother Tania stood in front of him: "It is better not to decide recklessly, especially when you are
not in a good mood".

Uncle Kamu followed Sarah and greeted them calmly. He offered his help to uncle Sami, who
refused: "What your masterpieces will do to me? I do not want your help".

Mother Tania explained further to him: "It is better than borrowing money. Sarah, Kamu and I
will help you. Appreciate our help, brother."

He agreed because even if he gets a loan, there is a possibility of inability to return it, especially
when he lost his only source of living. He might also fall into harmful debt. Besides, the help of a
caring family is usually safer than a friend.

Uncle Kamu, with his waist-tied axe, was collecting logs for their project.
Sarah had sketched a catapult on the thick board before she smoothened it .

She cut the structure carefully, used the carving knife to get rid of the lump around the sketch,
polished it, adorn it with ornamentations and crafted small wooden balls.
Uncle Kamu crafted the abdomens, legs, arms and the heads. By the time he was adding the
eyes, and ears , Mother Tania had knitted the braided hair and the toy's clothes after she took
their measures.

Tamer sketched the small boat on the board

to saw, carve and polish. The result was a horse-headed and tail-curved boat waiting to be tied
with fabric sail.

Uncle Sami, sitting on the chair, could not do anything, but marvel at the slender and expert
movements Sarah had gained. He saw her carve with the grain and across it slapping slender
blonde curls on the floor and the wall. She is no longer the rascal kid, who is crisscrossing every
interesting merchant's boat she saw.

Even Uncle Kamu, he is no longer the man who crushes himself in business of others. He is
now the hard worker and skilled Kamu sawing and cutting with all his might .

Also, Mother Tania grew more courageous, intelligent and independent designing the dresses of
the dolls and the style of the hair. She instructed Kamu which body fit the style of the dress and
which shape of head and face fit to the haircut to craft.
Or have his own thoughts and his views of them changed?

Uncle Kamu invited Uncle Sami to add the prices he would find suitable so that all members
would have collaborated into the project.

Finally, they opened the shop to sell off the toys to the interested clients.

To conclude, all had infused their skills: the merchant's, the embroider's and the woodcrafters'
into the project achieving material gains to make a living for them.

Mother Tania had founded her own embroidery shop and bought new looms, wheeling frame
and kit after she collected the money from the mutual project and her prior embroidery projects.

She gave Sarah fascinating lessons about doll embroidery, knitting dresses and braided hair.
Uncle Sami, who collaborated with his commercial expertise in the project, bought a larger boat
he liked to load with his products.

It was lovely and curve-ornamented, not dull .

He no longer thinks of the United States of America ,only of his own beloved land.
Sarah vowed to herself that she would excel in wood craft and embroidery and found a shop
which would grow famous. She no longer hates the selling and buying operations. She will use
her uncle's skills and teachings.

Pictures are retrieved from:

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/ancient-sidon.html

https://pngtree.com/freepng/cartoon-wooden-boat-illustration_4753845.html

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vector-21776509

https://www.pinterest.at/pin/318911217363012542/

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32861580479.html

https://www.amazon.com/AceCamp-8400-Sling-Shot/dp/B00ARF7NJY

https://www.clipart.email/clipart/roman-boat-clipart-207358.html

https://pin.it/3aQGGJE

https://www.lornabatemanembroidery.com/product/embroidered-country-gardens-needlecase-
pdf-pattern/

https://www.vecteezy.com/vector-art/551908-hand-saw-construction-tool-for-cutting-wood-
cartoon-illustration

https://www.shutterstock.com/search/cartoon+knife+carving

https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vector/chisel-icon-in-cartoon-style-vector-9318016
https://pixabay.com/vectors/gouge-chisel-wood-carpenter-tool-29753/