A Saved Fragment

A passage worth saving



Then he persevered, wondering if he’d ever be allowed to make anything.


Four months into his apprenticeship, Gobber began letting him handle tools. He got through studying his first tool—the punch—before injuring himself. After that, Gobber handed Hiccup the broom and told him, “Start sweeping. We’ll try this again when you’re done slicing yourself open.”

Three months later, Hiccup had studied the hammer, file, and whetstone. He felt their shapes, their textures, and their weight. Gobber repeatedly instructed him to carry them, lift them, and set them down. He still swept floors and hauled wood, but now he knew every speck of that floor. His body knew where everything was, and he unconsciously turned or bent or slid into place. Hiccup moved through the smithy with confidence now, his former awkwardness gone. He worked faster, sliding naturally into the rhythm of each task. He observed everything Gobber did and said. He focused when Gobber taught him something new. He did all that was asked, and waited for the day he could use the tools he’d been studying.