Chapter 18

The Blessing of the Earth and the Joy of Creation
After returning from the depths of the forest, a sense of excitement and anticipation filled the air around Akio's cabin. The high-quality clay and the reddish-black rocks they had brought back held the potential to drastically change their future.

“Wow, what an amazing soil, Akio-san! What are we going to make with it?” Kenta asked, eyes sparkling with curiosity. The children hovered around the new materials like they were precious treasures.

“Alright, let’s start by making the things we need for daily life with this clay. First up… tableware. The wooden bowls we’ve been using aren’t bad, but for hot food or soups, sturdy, fired earthenware is much better,” Akio suggested, and everyone in the family agreed enthusiastically. Sylvia, inspecting the clay sample with her fingertips, added with a specialist’s air, “The particles are fine, and it seems resistant to heat. This is excellent pottery clay. The old records of the elves mention firing vessels from soil like this.”

They began with a simple test to assess the clay’s quality. Akio kneaded a portion of the clay with water, shaped small lumps, and left them to dry in the sun to observe their strength and drying properties. Sylvia occasionally offered precise advice like, “There’s a bit too much water,” or “You have to knead it thoroughly, or it’ll crack during firing.”

After several days of testing confirmed the clay’s excellent quality, they finally began proper pottery-making. Akio explained the basic steps: kneading the clay well, removing air pockets, and shaping it into even thicknesses by hand. He demonstrated first, showing how it was done. The children, eyes shining as if it were an extension of playing with clay, eagerly got to work. But shaping it as they envisioned proved harder than they expected.

“Waaah! My cup turned all wobbly!” Yume almost burst into tears.

“Hey now, nobody gets it right on the first try. Let’s give it another go,” Akio encouraged gently.

To their surprise, Ayane and Miko turned out to be quite skillful with their hands. Using Akio’s examples as a guide, they shaped slightly uneven but charming bowls and small plates. Alto and Kenta struggled with making large jars and pots but seemed to be enjoying themselves regardless.

Sylvia, at first only watching from a distance, approached with interest when Akio whipped up a simple rotating platform like a makeshift potter’s wheel. She suggested pressing leaf patterns onto the plates Ayane made, adding delicate decorative touches with her refined sensibility.

Over several days, they produced dozens of earthenware items in various shapes and sizes. After carefully drying them under the eaves for several more days, it was finally time for firing.

Akio dug a shallow pit at a safe distance from the cabin, lined it with stones to create a simple kiln, and carefully arranged the dried pottery inside. They piled firewood around and over the pieces and set it alight.

The wood crackled as flames roared to life, engulfing the pottery. Akio and Sylvia took turns tending the fire, maintaining it carefully day and night. The children, torn between excitement and nervousness over how their creations would turn out, anxiously waited for the flames to die down.

After more than a full day of firing, the kiln finally cooled, and the moment of truth arrived.

“Alright, let’s see how they turned out…” Akio carefully cleared away the ash and leftover charcoal, revealing the fired pottery within. Most of the pieces were covered in the characteristic soot of open-pit firing, and some were misshapen compared to professionally made wares. A few had cracked or broken during the process.

But amid them, unmistakably sturdy, functional, and charmingly rustic vessels lay scattered. They had done it.

“They’re finished…! Our very own dishes!” Akio declared, holding up a soot-stained bowl with pride. The children erupted in cheers, and Sylvia watched the scene with quiet satisfaction and unmistakable pride.

That night, their dinner table was lined with their brand-new pottery bowls and plates. Ayane served a hearty vegetable soup into the warm vessels they had crafted with their own hands. It had a special flavor unlike anything they had eaten from wooden bowls.

“Akio-san, I made this plate!” Miko pointed proudly at her handiwork.

“You did a great job. Food tastes even better from it,” Akio praised, and Miko beamed shyly, her face glowing with pride.

The joy of enriching their lives through their own ingenuity and effort filled the hearts of the entire family with warmth and a sense of accomplishment. Feeling the solid weight of the pottery in his hands, Akio’s thoughts turned to the next challenge. With this clay, they might be able to make bricks. And one day, they might even take on the reddish-black rocks and forge iron.

Sylvia, too, quietly marveled at Akio’s boundless creativity and the unwavering unity of their family in the face of hardship. With that, she felt a quiet, certain hope for the future they would walk together.

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