As I walk into the shop, I can still taste the breakfast my mother had prepared: hot  cornbread just out of the oven. She had been working on it all night. Today I had just turned fifteen and I was starting to get to the shop before master. I remember hugging her and walking to the door. Outside I saw my father working with the slaves on the plantation field, farming tobacco for the winter.

When I first entered  the shop, I saw on my left the line of tools, unorganized and unpolished. It will be my job to fix that. To my right, I see all the works in projects and the cold forge. Today I arrive at the blacksmith shop early today, it is my job to start up the fire so when Master Johnson arrives he can start the pounding  of metal and I can start the pumping of the bellows.

I first start by blowing air on the hot coals, still hot in the hearth. They glow a ruby red before they burst into flame. I load the hearth with timber to keep the fire going. Meanwhile, I pump the bellows a little bit more before I fall to the cold,dry  floor of exhaustion. When I awake, Master  has still not arrived and the fire has stopped  burning.  I wait a couple seconds to catch my breath, then with all my strength I stand up and repeat the process.

As I stand up I am reminded of the first time I fell in this shop, the first day I was here. I was so used to playing all day with my friends, i had never understood how tired you could get after a day of pumping the bellows. Once my feet are stable on the ground decide that instead of blowing air, I would pump it through the bellows and watch once more as the ruby, red coals spark than burst into a hot, bright flame. This time  I pull up the old, rickety rocking chair in the corner and sit down. Every minute or two I stand up and load a plank of birch wood into the fire, then I sit back down to rest.  As I sit there, I gaze into the flame, and then turn my head to look out the large window.

The precious sun is starting to rise. This means that Master has most likely woken up and is on his way to the shop right now. I once more stand up  and load the heavy logs into the fire. Just as I sit down and close my eyes, the door flies open. Master has just arrived. As he walks in he says,”Christopher, let’s get started.”