Smallville

Chapter 3

 

 

  The winter was long but the nap was short.  There was much to do, there was firewood to gather and when spring finally came, there was an apple orchard to plant.  We enlarged the potato field and then divided it into two smaller 6x12 fields.  Waver took over my job as builder so I could farm the new field and be closer to home.  Our daughter, Maiyana, was the first child born at the North Pole Fishing Hole settlement.  

 

  No one had more work to do than Agusta, who was now the blacksmith.  He wasn't very happy with this bog iron.  It was easy enough to collect but not easy to work with, it needed processing before it could be made into tools, and we needed tools, and we needed charcoal to process the bog iron into iron bloom and more charcoal to process the bloom into iron before it could be made into tools.  Poor Agusta went from the charcoal pile to the bloomery to the workshop and often he even had to stop to make reindeer coats when needed.  We just did not have enough workers for all the work that needed to be done.  We considered closing the school but Agusta and Cariellee wouldn't hear of it.  Their oldest child was about to become the fifth student for our mini classroom, we needed to build a schoolhouse before the other children became of age.

 

  The school children watched as the foundation for their new school was laid.  They build a snowman out back and when the late afternoon sun broke through the clouds and the wind blew the branches above, it was as if the snowman came to life that day.  Must have been some magic, I thought I saw that snowman wave.

  It was magic that brought 2 of Santa's helpers our way in April of year 3, actually it was Santa's magic sleigh and reindeer who dropped the husband and wife off at our well.  Mrs. Claus sent them; she had the elf who exercises the reindeer team take a little detour. She would send more our way when she could.  Connell and Ressandi would become our forester and woodcutter.  We needed firewood for the charcoal pile.  Carielle had taken over as char burner & smelter to help her husband.  It was a dark snowy day when she died of smoking lung.  We did not expect to lose one of our own so soon, we had no cemetery in which to lay her to rest.  It was a dark day indeed.  She would be missed.

  It was that year that Mrs. Claus began sending an elf with treats for the children's stocking.  She didn't want our children to miss out on a visit from Santa but she didn't want Santa to know about her surprise at the Fishing Hole.  She borrowed his magic snow globe so he wouldn't see.  Until the project was done, she would be the one to keep an eye out for who was naughty and who was nice, she would make the list, since Santa was so busy.  It sure was nice to see the children's delight when they found their stockings stuffed with fruits and nuts and a cookie man made with gingerbread spice.

 

Chapter 4

 

 Year 4.  Our to-do list just kept getting bigger.  We had a town meeting to discuss all that needed to be done.  In order to build a village by the fishing hole to make Santa feel at home, we would need bricks and roof tiles.  We would need a trading post to get some.  We soon discovered we didn't have nearly enough iron to finish building the one we started, the work was put on hold. We only had one builder. We needed an iron mine and another blacksmith, and we needed a tailor. We had a good supply of wool in the storage barn.  More helpers arrived at the well but we needed more food.  Our first crop of apples was a poor one, even though the orchard was small, we apparently did not start the harvest soon enough.  We needed grain and seeds and milk cows.  We were beginning to feel like we were failing Mrs. Claus.  

  We built a mini trading post and in April of year 6 a commodity merchant arrived before we had any trade goods moved to the port.  We ordered bricks and roof tiles.  Two more helpers arrived at that same time, Kareeman was a tailor who could make some fine Nordic wool coats.  He and his wife moved in above the new tailor shop. There was an outbreak of influenza, we began building a mini hospital behind the orchard.  The illness past quickly so the hospital construction was put on hold. We had plenty of herbs but we would need an apple a day to keep the doctor away.  Despite all our problems we continued to marvel at the beauty of our surroundings and the changing of the seasons.  The school children continued to build snowmen and they collected pine branches and made decorative wreaths as a class project.

 

 

  The mine and blacksmith were built, and the trading post was completed.  Helpers and riverboat merchants arrived at regular intervals.  Norbertie the food merchant had a lot of goodies but nothing we needed.  Our food supply was holding steady and we sure liked the salmon being caught from the new fishing pier.  If we couldn't get sugar from the merchants to bake Santa's favorite cookies we now knew where we could get some gingerbread men. We also discovered that we could get a good trade value for Nordic wool coats.  We traded some to Rolon the commodity merchant for roof tiles.  Herbs and iron ore got us quite a few dalers and pennings from Kynda the export merchant, but not enough for dairy cattle or barley seeds when Kaelynett the seed and livestock merchant came to call.  No milk and cookies for Santa again this year.

  We suffered 2 tragic loses.  Ramie and Taney's son, Lyne, had just finished school and began work as a laborer when he died of a weak heart.  A newly arrived helper just began work at the mine when he was killed by a cave in.  Their graves were marked with simple white crosses in the cemetery.  

  Our final building project of those first 10 years was two bridges across the river, one to the east where Santa's castle and village would be built along with a workshop and bakery, and the other bridge to the north where we hoped to have grain fields and a mill and dairy farm.  We have yet to see a merchant with sugar or spice for the cookies but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. 

 

 

Chapter 5

 

  In spring of year 11, 7 helpers arrived.  Among them was an elf named Denningsley, a botanist.  He brought seedlings with him; he would need a greenhouse.  We had been hesitant to build one.  Felecta, back in Smallville, raised seedlings in a greenhouse and got a very good trade value from the riverboat merchants, seedlings were in demand.  Here, however, almost every boatman that came to call already had seedlings.  We did not know if they would take any more in trade.  We took the chance and built a greenhouse near the trading posts.   Denningsley said his seedlings were for magically colored impossible trees, he would plant Santa's favorite reds and greens.  We were impressed with the vibrant colors.  He said he would plant some of the other colors over by the new clay pit for us to see.

 

  The riverboat merchants accepted our seedling worth 8 trade units each.  We soon had the bricks and roof tiles we needed to construct our own brickyard.  We traded seedlings and dalers for cabbage seeds and planted them in spring of year 13. We had a good harvest that year except for the apples.  The harvest was started a month early but produced our smallest harvest yet, nowhere near an apple a day for 75 townspeople.

  In April of year 14 the brickyard was complete and construction began on another bridge across the river.  The leaves opened on the impossible trees and they were such pretty colors and really brightened up the clay pit area.  That month 5 helpers arrived and we needed laborers and another builder for land clearing and new construction across the river. Even with the extra laborers, wild foods and other resources were not being collected.  In October Allington the miner was killed by a cave in, one of the new laborers took his place.  The cave in triggered the beginning of our downfall.

 In spring of year 15, cabbage and potatoes were already planted in the new fields before the boat merchant arrived with barley seeds.  We finally would have grain.  He also had pear and walnut seeds, we hoped to have enough seedling to trade for at least one of them before he had to leave. We failed to notice our shortage of tools until it was too late. Our trader, Haskellyn, who had been working at both trading posts, felt responsible for what was to happen because there were tools sitting in the trading post for years.  Haskellyn got the tools out and to the workers as soon as he could but the damage to our production had already been done, and the boat left before we could trade for pear or walnut seeds.

  The harvest was a poor one even with the new fields.  The new barn and several houses were complete.  It was a cold snowy winter, Oliver the fisherman appreciated the covering built over his trout fishing spot.  With new tools hunting and fishing improved but our food reserve was critically low in spring of year 16.  To make matters worse, Waver and I discovered our 19-year-old son, Rosendon, was living with the 49-year-old woman and 2 children.  We assumed the youngest was our first grandchild.

 It was a child who was the first to die of starvation.  We traded for food when a food merchant came to port, but it was not enough.  We lost 2 students, 2 miners, the smelter, a farmer, and our botanist.  A child was the last to die of starvation in August of year 17.  Our small cemetery was full of simple white crosses, our town full of mourners.  We were short of food and workers.  We needed help.

Chapter 6

 

  In May of year 18, 13 helpers arrived.  We again reevaluated our work assignments, production of food, tools, and trade goods taking priority, then building materials.  Everyone loved the new red houses across the river but were anxious to see red cottages built with our bricks and roof tiles instead of stone and iron.  We now think building those first two red houses by the barn contributed to our tool shortage.  We planted another field of barley hoping the extra grain would improve our failing health.  Our food reserve was good before the harvest of year 19 was even finished.  After the apples were harvested, the trees were cut.  A larger 13x13 orchard was cleared and planted.

  Our food supply was again low by spring of year 20.  We ran out of potatoes to bake at the new brick-oven snack stand.  Hopefully, the new orchard would supply enough apples to bake.  Roasted chestnuts and corn would also be nice.  We will have to see if the next food merchant has any, we bought cabbage last time he came to call.  We bought 3 dairy cattle and rye seeds from the seed and livestock merchant, we had a pasture ready and waiting for them.  We were surprised when Elainey, the herdsman, said the 10X20 pasture would only hold 5 dairy cows.

  The following year we built an apothecary and the townspeople lined up in the rain to visit the herbalist. The schoolhouse was filled to capacity so the outdoor classroom was reopened.  We needed educated workers. We planned to build a little red schoolhouse over by the new rye field and mini gatherer.  A flour mill was built by the creek, we planned to build a bakery, we looked forward to rye bread.  We wondered how we would be able to bake cookies for Santa when we were struggling to feed ourselves.  At least we would have milk.  

 

 

 

Chapter 7

  By spring of year 23 we had several more educated workers. The outdoor classroom was closed and the new school was completed and ready for its first students. We built several storage sheds hoping to shorten travel distances.  We had no markets yet. Without enough markets and merchants we feared some areas would be left with shortages.

  In August the first apple harvest began in the new orchard.  We were eager to see the harvest total, and it was a good one, far more apples than we got from the small orchard.  We were dismayed to find the farmer, Harvid, one of our original educated settlers was in such poor health.  When questioned he said there was plenty of food at home in his pantry, a good variety but no grain or herbs.  We built a bakery over by the mill, but were waiting for our order of salt to come in.  Going into winter our food supply was the best it has ever been and it remained so well into spring of year 24. Thanks in part to our best hunter, Amelana, educated in outdoor classroom.  An educated herbalist across the river was ready and waiting to get out to collect more herbs.

  Other than the helper, Migdalena, dying of old age, things seemed to be going well.  We had thought to use the old orchard site as a second graveyard but the old one still had room.  We found that the simple white wooden crosses did not last long.  We had other plans now for the old orchard site.  When the next group of helpers arrived, they only stayed long enough to give us recipes for fruit cake and other baked goods from Mrs. Claus.   It seems that wise Nordic woman, @Nilla, paid her a visit and explained our situation to her.  Mrs. Claus understood completely, she would not be offended if we returned the helpers to her.  Wise Nordic woman has stopped by our town several times on her way south for respites from the harsh Nordic cold.

  It was nice to see people starting to enjoy themselves a bit, decorating with plants and color roads, even taking time to do some crayfishing, actually wading out into the sun warmed stream.  Not a bad catch, 48 crayfish.  Upstream the mill and bakery were producing flour and rye bread after our salt order came in.  The first red cottage with tiled roof was built.  One of the builders said the roads he started experimenting with were CC color roads. He said he had 9 colors and CC stood for color clay but I don't think he really knew what CC was.   

  Our second apple harvest was less than the first one due to an early snowfall but it was still a very good one.  We got walnut seeds from the boatman but did not get the orchard planted yet.  When wise Nordic woman stopped by on her way south, we thanked her for the orchard size advice and gave her a large sack of apples to take with her.  I wish we would have had some nuts to give her, I heard a rumor that she took nuts from the squirrels but I don't like telling such tales.  You didn't hear it from me.  Ho Ho Ho

 

Chapter 8

 

  That December we trimmed a pine tree that sprouted where the old apple orchard use to be.  Everyone in town just loved it and said it should stay that way all year round.  Santa was sure to love it too.  It was December of our 24th year, we had hoped to have his vacation village completed by the 25th.  We would now concentrate on building Santa's village at the North Pole Fishing Hole, but it was sure to take a few years longer to complete than we had anticipated.

  We realized that we should have built Santa's workshop a lot sooner.  Santa's Elf immediately began making gifts for us, tools, coats, firewood, and alcohol. We built a house above the workshop for him and his family.  We had a lot to do but we added a tavern to our to-do list.  That year the schoolchildren decorated a tree over by the schoolhouse.  It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  Even the new red-looking creamery added to the holiday spirit, and tasty cheese was added to our diets.  One of our very skilled blacksmiths made the weathervane for the roof peak, everyone in town loved that weathervane, and the cheese. There was a lot of talk about how good that cheese would go with a thick slice of rye bread and a mug of beer.  

  Construction of the brewery and the dairyman's house was put on hold for lack of iron.  We began building Santa's Fantasy Castle which took a good deal of logs and stone and 60 iron.  We had to keep a close eye on our iron and tool supply while working on these 3 building projects.  We did not want another food crisis this close to completing Mrs. Claus's present to Santa.  The extra tools from the Workshop Elf sure helped.  Completion of the 3 buildings called for a festive celebration in the new tavern and beer garden.  We drank to the health and happiness of our building designers and builders, and tree trimmers, and wise elders, and everyone else we could think of at the time.  

 

 

 

 

  Chapter 9

 

  No time for a long winter's nap now. Mrs. Claus wanted to give Santa his gift this year. She would be sending plum cakes and gingerbread men cookies our way via the river boatmen, and the elves would make sure there were enough fruits and nuts on the sleigh.  Did she mention we needed to build a landing field for the sleigh and reindeer?  Oh dear, there were only a few months left before Christmas and there was still so much to do.  We had a list and we were checking it twice.

  Finishing touches were added to the Castle.  The school children made pine wreaths.  The builders paved the way to the fishing hole and added a covering. The red and green trees were doing well and a set of garden furniture was in place.  A large field was cleared in front of the workshop and new warehouse with a designated spot paved for the miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer: Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen.  Oh no, we forgot about the most famous reindeer of all, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.  Hopefully, the good weather will hold and Rudolf's very shiny nose won't be needed to guide the sleigh that night.  The hunters were given strict instructions to lay down their bows whenever Santa and his reindeer team were present.  There was bound to be some summer reindeer games out back behind the castle where the new walnut grove was planted.  Santa's elves worked late into the night making last minute gift for all the townspeople and it had begun to snow.  There was little doubt that it would be a white Christmas here at the North Pole Fishing Hole.

 

  Yes, weary traveler, everything appeared to be ready.  Mrs. Claus would use Santa's magic snow globe for an overview of our settlement just to make sure.  Yes, twas the night before Christmas, and the children were nestled all snug in their beds, and their stockings were hung by the chimney with care. Plenty of plates of cookies and milk were ready and waiting there.  Some claimed that during the night they heard the jingle of bells and others said they heard noises on their rooftop.  Waver and I heard a Ho Ho Ho and a:

Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night