She sat by the fire and tended the coals. She swept the floors and put away the tools that the rest of the apprentices left lying around. It wasn’t because she wanted to be noticed, but because they were jobs that needed to be done.
The smith was reluctant to take on a female apprentice, stating it ‘wasn’t women’s work.’ But her arms were strong and her resolve was stronger, and if he wouldn’t let her hold a hammer now, she could keep the fire burning until he did.
She would make sure that hammer had someplace to strike home.

“Blacksmith’s shop” by prague.czech.photo is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Everyday Drabbles © 2026 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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