GERTRA OF THE GRINDSTONE

GERTRA OF THE GRINDSTONE, by Scott T. Hutchison, art by Gary McClusky

 

 

Everyone in Rayjbaer delivers their blades to Gertra.
No one hones with a finer edge. She has all day
to achieve cutting perfection; her axeled sandstone
turns like a cart wheel sparking road rocks
behind the dash of mad horses. Our women love her work–
they marvel at the speed of slicing onions,
how sharpened slash-strokes and swiftness
done well can sometimes avoid tears. Our men love
the opened wounds of their victorious weapons; we all
fear and respect Gertra of the Grindstone.

She came from the ruins of another village. Our enemies
proved careless in their leaving. Everything–overrun, consumed.
Gertra as well. One of our scouts brought
the barely breathing crumple of girl to our healers.
After weeks, she broke through the crust
of her eyes as well as her silence. She asked for water,
pressed us for a whetstone. She spit her ache and fester
and blood upon it. Demanded all of our blades; we could not refuse.

Gertra did not mend well. She cannot carry the cooling water
she keeps beside her for quenching, cannot chop wood
for the heat and flames she requires. One leg works
fair enough to pump the grindstone, while misshapen hands
grasp points and pommels with the bite-strength of wolf-jaws
as she manipulates the edge to its thinnest. Gertra
gives clean warning: keep the weapons in their sheaths
until needed. Once close and engaged, avoid contact
with vile oils of the apricot kernels Gertra has kissed into them–
no running of finger along the henbane, the venomous
fang-bleed of snakes sought out at her command.

Gertra grinds beneath sun and moon, stopping only
to paint the war blades with Death, or to drag herself
to the stable’s edge as we begin our preparations
and departures for the lands of our enemies. Gertra
chooses an angry young man, pushing upon him
a cinched and sloshing pig’s bladder, charging don’t forget
their well—before she goes back to her grinding.

 

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Scott T. Hutchison’s work has appeared in Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Massacre, and Weirdbook. New work is forthcoming in Reckoning. He works as a Mentor in a public high school’s Academic Learning Center (i.e. Study Hall Monitor).

Gary McCluskey has been a professional artist for more than 20 years. He’s done book covers for every genre imaginable from fantasy, horror, romance and sci-fi to an afterlife memoir, as well artwork for children’s books and RPG games. Recently he completed 4 issues of comic book about a vampire-shark and several interior illustrations for a new hardcover version of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ ‘The Oakdale Affair’. He’s currently working on a creator owned comic book ‘The Dawn Hunters’ for the near future.