Phoenix

Chapter 2:

Pending Winter Break

~an excerpt

I leaned harder into the clay, trying to shape it into a cylinder. But apparently I turned on the heat engines in my hands, because it dried out so quickly, the misshapen blob popped clean off the wheel. Growling, I took my foot off the pedal. The wheel stopped spinning. I scrubbed the surface off with a ragged sponge, smacked the clay back into a ball, then threw it down with both hands. For once, it hit dead center. I blew a strand of loose hair from my eyes, then eased back onto the pedal. The wheel started spinning again. I dunked the sponge back into the filthy bucket of water, gradually squeezed it over the top of the clay, then scraped off the drying chunks of clay on my hands before going at it again. The rough texture burned its way into my skin. But I managed to get it into a cylinder, then, over the course of ten minutes, something resembling a mug.

“Don’t forget, we’re doing our last bisque firing tomorrow!” Mr. Hendershot called over the clamor of tools and wheels and chatting. “So if you still have a throwing project that needs firing, get it done! Those are due before break–that means you have to turn it in by this Friday for full credit.”

Prying the throwing disc free of the wheel, I nodded heartily. “I’m on it, I’m on it.”

As my classmates wrapped up for the day–literally, as they grabbed all the spare plastic bags they could get their hands on–I rolled out a clay snake to make into a handle. Mr. Hendershot happened to stop at the sink next to me, fistful of caked brushes in hand.

“How you holding up, there, Mavis?”

“Got the mug done,” I replied, nodding to my disc. “Just need a handle now.”

“Good on ya!” he grinned. “See, I told you you’d get it done in time.”

“Yeah, thanks.” I smiled back as best as I could. “Is it okay if I stay a few minutes into lunch? I don’t think I’ll get it attached before the”–

The bell rang before I finished my sentence. I glowered at the ceiling, then looked back at Mr. Hendershot. He gave a jovial laugh.

“Yeah, that’s fine. Loraine asked to stay all through lunch, but I told her no; I’ve got to set up for senior design presentations. So as long as you’re out of here by quarter to 1:00, it’s fine with me.”