The Rusted Axe and the Breath of Renewal
The first morning in the abandoned cabin was far more comfortable compared to sleeping out in the open. Even so, rays of morning sunlight streamed through the holes in the roof, and a chilly breeze drifted in through the gaps in the walls. Akio, concerned that the children might catch a cold, stoked the fire a little stronger as he pieced together the day's work plan in his head.
“Alright, everyone. After breakfast, we’re starting with fixing up our tools for repairing this place.”
When Akio spoke, the children replied more confidently than they had the day before. It had only been a few days, but it was clear that Akio’s presence was steadily restoring a sense of normalcy and security for them.
After breakfast, Akio began carefully inspecting the rusted tools that had been gathered in the corner of the cabin — a hand axe, a two-person saw, a hatchet, and several iron wedges.
“This handle’s no good. Gonna have to make a new one. The blade’s pretty rusted too, but… well, I can work with this.”
First, Akio carefully removed the rotting handle from the hand axe, leaving only the axe head. Fortunately, the axe head itself still had decent thickness and only minor chipping. He selected a hard, flexible piece of wood he had found near the cabin and, using his knife and a sharpened stone tool from the previous day, began carving a new handle.
The children watched, wide-eyed, as the ordinary branch transformed under Akio’s hands into a smooth, curved tool handle, as if by magic. Alto and Kenta in particular leaned in eagerly, completely captivated by the skillful work.
Once the handle was finished, it was time to tend to the blade. There were no whetstones to be found, but Akio had picked out a suitably hard piece of sandstone from the riverbank and began grinding the axe head with patient, steady strokes.
Shhhk, shhhk—
The monotonous sound echoed through the quiet morning. From time to time, Akio would gently run his hand along the metal and murmur to it as if speaking to an old companion, Come on, partner. Let’s see you shine again.
Strangely, the rust seemed to flake away more easily, and the blade took an edge faster than expected. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but before long, a sharp silver sheen appeared along the dulled surface of the axe head.
“Whoa… it’s shining!” Kenta exclaimed.
Akio grinned, “We’re just getting started.” He moved on to the saw, which was badly rusted and had fine, delicate teeth. Using a handmade file — a thin, hard piece of stone he had shaped — he patiently sharpened each tiny tooth with the meticulous precision of a craftsman.
By early afternoon, the hand axe, the hatchet, and one side of the two-person saw were restored to usable condition.
“Alright, time for a test run. Alto, Kenta, give me a hand. Ayane, you, Miko and Yume go gather firewood a little ways off.”
With the refurbished axe in hand, Akio selected a young tree of suitable thickness for the cabin repairs.
“Hup!”
With a grunt, he swung the axe down. A solid thunk echoed as the blade bit into the wood. It wasn’t perfect yet, but the difference in power compared to yesterday’s stone tools was undeniable. The tree fibers were cleanly severed. After a few more swings, the tree creaked and tilted.
“Yes! We cut it down!” Kenta cheered.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Akio nodded in satisfaction. “Yeah, now we can really start fixing this place.”
Whenever he touched the wood or swung the axe, Akio couldn’t help but feel that the grain of the wood responded more smoothly than usual, or that the blade bit in more easily. He chalked it up to experience, or perhaps simply the thrill of using a proper tool again.
Alto and Kenta helped cut the felled tree into usable lengths with the saw. Since the two-person saw was difficult to handle alone, Akio took one end and Alto the other. Though awkward at first, they managed to steadily produce usable lumber. Their clumsy but determined effort was a clear sign of the first steps toward building a stable future.
Alongside the repairs, they couldn’t neglect food gathering. Ayane, recalling something the elders from her village had taught her, explained how to make a simple bird snare.
“Hey, that sounds handy. Show me.”
Using Ayane’s rough explanation and a diagram she sketched in the dirt, Akio refined the design for better reliability. With flexible branches and vines, they set up several snares along what looked to be animal trails near the cabin.
Meanwhile, Miko and Yume, with Akio’s guidance, foraged near the cabin and discovered edible mushrooms and hard-shelled nuts that resembled walnuts. Their small, diligent hands gathered the modest bounty that would slightly enrich their meager meals.
By evening, one of the larger holes in the cabin's roof had been patched with freshly cut branches and leaves, and several of the gaps in the walls were sealed. With proper tools, their work had become significantly more efficient.
Then came the moment the children had been waiting for.
“Akio-san! Alto Niichan! There’s something in the trap!” Kenta shouted excitedly.
Everyone rushed to the snare they had set. Caught inside was a plump, rabbit-like animal.
“Yeah! We’ve got a feast tonight!”
The children’s joyous voices echoed through the twilight forest. Watching their smiling faces, Akio felt a warmth blossom in his chest.
Life was still harsh. But with tools in hand, with knowledge, and above all, by working together with the children, they were steadily and surely carving out a future — one small step at a time.
What do you think about this chapter?
