There are so many places to begin; so many stories to choose from, and paths to take.

Let us begin on an ordinary path of soil and stone, through an ordinary garden of bushes, up to the door of an ordinary house. Well, perfectly ordinary for where it is.

In the garden, the sunlight glints on metal as the Mighty Teaspoon Hammer crashes down onto the Maplestump Mortar. A resounding CRACK rends the air. In a puff of pulverized dust, the last of the oats and beech nuts are vanquished, ground up fine.

The wielder of the Mighty Teaspoon Hammer is a gnome of tea, named Tonic Cuppa.

Tonic lives in a teapot house, with one cinnamon tree growing among the tea bushes out front, and a nicely tended tisane garden out back with pine, lemon, elder, sage, lavender, and many more good plants to steep.

Tonic and the house both waft of all things tea; the fresh of mint and orange, the warmth of nutmeg and clove, the uplifting of jasmine and peach blossoms, all swirled together. Near the front walk is a sturdy Maplestump Mortar. It is upon this mortar that Tonic uses the Mighty Teaspoon Hammer as pestle to crush and powder nuts, bark, and other tough ingredients for tea. After being ground and mixed, the ingredients are stored in a variety of neatly-labeled tins until they are ready to sip.

The ornate Passion Flower cauldron near the front door Tonic uses to brew delicate blends, and the sharp Chestnut Burr cauldron opposite it for tough, unruly blends. The blackberry by the cauldrons watches over the garden. Gnome and Bramble have been best friends since they were both new.

Once the Maplestump Mortar is clean and ingredients stored away inside the house, Tonic sits on a brightly colored cushion, buffing out dents in the Mighty Teaspoon Hammer. Looking into a mug of finished tea, Tonic notices the leaf dregs and perks up just before the garden bell rings. With sunlight pouring in through the saucer-shaped windows, the gnome’s house is steeped in light. Racing first to the ceramic kitchen, muttering, “Tea cups! Vaccinium tea cups,” and then walking carefully to the door, Tonic’s brown hair puffs and leafy-green tips seem to glow in the sun, and dirt smudges and tea stains show through the sturdy brown and green outfit’s brightly stitched leaf patterns.

Tonic cheerfully declares “Greetings and Hospitality!” while opening the green walnut-hull door of the house and walking out to offer the waiting friends a “fresh cup of Rosehip-Violet-Mallow tea for you; I made this blend for Port Manteau, to help the sailors stay healthy and keep way scurvy. What do you think?!”

A small pooka with spiky black hair buzzes up to Tonic first. Putting an acorn basket brimming with honey down on the garden table to sip the tea, Clover Miel dances with delight. “What a sweet concoction; I shall have to tell everyone back at the Bloomiery and Apis Distillery! I would like to trade some for our newest batch of honey.” Then Clover adds confidentially, “Today’s honey is primarily from blueberry, apricot, and thyme.” The two friends agree to trade a tin of tea for an acorn of honey.

The brownie sitting on the stone ties back long, quartzey hair and the playful garnet hues hidden in it, with willow reed and grape vine. Grey-green eyes brim with curiosity as Tonic passes over a cup of tea. Taking a big sip, Atcher Service makes a chirrup of delight, and humms so happily that some tea sloshes! With amethyst shirt and citrine socks now soaked, the brownie quickly pulls out an extra cloth from a pocket on the complex belt (which is full of tools for making jewelry, gadgets for fixing gears, and several Possibility Parts). While mopping up the spill, Atcher asks “What makes the blend so sparkly?”

As the tea gnome replies, Atcher takes out a birchbark journal (brownies highly prize these birch bark journals, because they keep the ideas inside fresh) and writes down notes including the question “Camellia sinensis; what makes white, green, and black tea?” then discovers a Sudden Idea while sketching a new wire design. Brownies often keep Sudden Ideas as pets; some even transform into Useful Creations and do heaps of good in the world. Sudden Ideas must be fed with research, exercised with practice, and given lots of attention. These cute critters might look like just about anything, they tend to have a snail or nautilus shell, and are most easily seen and identified by brownies and other creators.  

Tonic hands a cup of tea to the water sprite, who is happily splashing in the stream. Prism Cirrus swishes the delicate cup joyfully before gulping the tea down, while an ever-present breeze ruffles the sprite’s short, wavy hair, making the ends foam and curl like ocean waves. Offering the last bit of tea in the cup to the whirling wind, Prism’s smile shines. “A delicious blend, Tonic. Thank you!”  

With a hiccupping buzz, Clover puts down an empty tea cup, and zooms away down the path. The pooka’s rich voice echoes back “Sorry I cannot stay; I’ve got to fly back to the Bloomiery or the Marzipandas will be ravenous! Well met, and meet again!”

The three remaining friends enjoy time in Tonic’s garden sipping tea, tasting honey, and discussing their upcoming Craft Course Conclusions. They bask in the sunlight that idly frisks through the tea leaves, dappling the garden, and enjoying the cool breeze that always floats around Prism. While quietly relaxing, each friend considers the upcoming Conclusion Day.

Tonic worries: Am I good enough? Strong enough? Can I brew and smash and blend the way they want? What if I have to grow a plant? That takes me ages… Will anyone like my tea?

Prism frets, flipping frothing locks of seafoam away: Who will I be? Conclusions determine our work and our future. We chose our Craft Courses, and our future is firm. Will I wither without Weather? Can Tides truly turn a task terrible? Conclusions are the Culmination of our curricular career! Oh, I’m so scared I’m ailing with alliterations…

Atcher sketches furiously, channeling nervousness into productivity: Am I inspiring enough? How many nibs will I break? Do I have the charisma to influence others? Does anyone really enjoy my art? What if my mechanics are all wrong? Will I trip and spill and break everything?

After this thought-filled pause Prism pipes up, “Is it really, though? I mean… I was just thinking about our upcoming Conclusions. And, well, they always seem so important. I just wondered if they are, really? We get evaluated on our skill in the crafts we chose to take, that is true. But do the Conclusions actually determine who we are? Do they dictate what we do, or set our worth?”

Atcher encourages the friends with a smile. “Conclusions are just one teacher’s perception, on one day. As tests they seem so big and important, and very scary. But really, Prism is right. We will do our best, and no matter what our Conclusions turn out to be, we will still be exactly who we are.”

Feeling better, Tonic adds “Did you know that Clover never took a Craft Course or Conclusion? Clover is great! And entirely self-taught. The honey from the Apis Distillery wouldn’t be half as good if Clover weren’t there. That pooka knows efficiency!”

Dusting speckled, moss-bark hands together after washing up the dishes, Tonic asks “How would you like to help the world? What are your favorite skills? How far have you traveled? Do you ever wonder what other places are like? Do you think there could be different jobs and needs in other places?”

Prism’s answer is breezy, “The water is my passion. I would like to work with tide and current traffic and schedules. Or possibly have a tidalpool farm, where I could keep a fluffle of Wind Rabbits. It might be interesting to work with my cousin on Storm Runs too.”

After some thought, Atcher answered with an avalanche of words, “I love working with metals and stones; it is so satisfying to find a fascinating stone, polish it, research it, learn about it, and combine it with a beautiful metal to create meaningful jewelry! Did you know I’m researching a Stratigraphy Skirt? Beauty and expression are so subjective and definitive of who we are; I want to keep creating things that help people express their emotions and their core. Of course, I enjoy inventing and tinkering with gears too. I wonder if I could make beautiful, wearable items with metal and stones and moving gears? Ohhh, what if...” and here Atcher’s words tumble to a halt as the birchbark journal is brought out again. The brownie takes time to capture some questions and thoughts on paper, while Prism and Tonic explore the streambank.

Then the three friends laugh and play and forget their worries for a bit; it was soothing to let out their fears, and comfort each other with kindness and silliness. The Conclusions still loom large, but their looming seems a little less ominous with the support of friends. Still, the trio will face their Conclusions one day, and sooner than they might want.