Twisting the Pole by Viola Grace

 
     
Twisting the Pole
     
     
    Cora Metzger worked in the front of the silver shop, melting and pouring metal with a skill that her father had possessed.
    Her skirt brushed against her legs as she moved around the shop, and she smiled at the familiar feel. It had taken her less than five minutes to put the information in her mind together to realize that she was inside a renaissance festival, but she was content to be in familiar surroundings, even if it was fake.
    For this one moment in time, she was back where she knew how to do things, knew what techniques and materials were needed and all communication was done face to face.
    She had a shop girl named Vivienne with a pierced nose and anachronistic hairstyle, but she was a whiz at answering the questions from the public while deftly parting them from their money.
    Cora was left with her work and her metal.
    She listened as Viv sold another of her stylized reindeer pendants. Next to the snowflakes, it was the bestseller in her booth and had already paid for the rental of space and materials for a year.
    She finished pouring another casting, and the faces around the open workshop window were fascinated as she set the cast to one side and she poured another.
    The wood of the carved mould smoked as the liquid metal touched the surface. The leather straps buckled the two-part mould tightly together.
    It wasn’t the best mould she had ever carved, but the folks here seemed to enjoy it. Growing up in her father’s workshop, she had carved moulds out of any material she could find. Stone was always good, but for speed, wood was definitely easier. Cuttlefish bone was fine, but they were trying to stay within the confines of a historical period that no one could define, so she stuck with wood. For those making the purchase, it meant that only twenty or less of the pendants would ever be made.
    So, she was going through the different reindeer and snowflakes that were definitely different from those sold in other shops at the faire.
    With her metal hardening, she took her seat at the workbench and started carving her next design.
    After about an hour, Viv came up to her, “Well, we have sold out today’s castings and gotten a hold on the two you just poured. What are you putting in those things?”
    Cora chuckled and kept working with picks and files. “Holiday magic.”
    Viv snorted. “You know I don’t believe in religious holidays.”
    Cora smiled. “Did you know that in the old days, the solstice celebrations were essential to survival? The food that was brought forth gave a much needed calorie boost to get through the coldest days of winter, it was completely consumed. Lords gave their servants a set of clothing and gifts of preserved food. Everyone focused on survival and getting to the next year, but they shared what they had so that they would survive as a community. Now, this wasn’t the case everywhere, but in some places, it took on heady significance. It meant crossing the line between life and death and moving into the future. If that isn’t magical, I don’t know what is.”
    Viv stared at her with wide eyes. “Wow. That was... intense.”
    Cora grinned. “The holidays usually are. All this gift giving is a serious matter. Folks forget that it used to be about survival.”
    “I never thought of it that way. What are you working on?”
    “Oh, the baron asked for some charms to give to the new knights entering the barony. Each one is slightly different.”
    Viv chuckled. “Freaky snowflakes.”
    “You betcha.”
    More patrons came to the shop, and Viv showed them their wares. Cora’s ears perked up when the woman wanted to see the elven coronet.
    This was either going to be a sale or an attempted theft. Sadly, Cora didn’t know which one she was pulling for.
    She finished her mould and blew the shavings out of the design before using a fine brush to remove all small bits of wood from the design.
    When Viv’s voice called out a panicked, “Cora!”