The Animal Carver

This is a story about a man seeking to find where he belongs.

The misty morning fog traveled slowly through the forest, claiming trees as it passed. In the middle of the forest was a single road that lead to a small port city. On this road, traveled a man who sold small wooden figurines of forest creatures. But life wasn’t always simple for this man.

“We, the land of Mt. Carmell, do hearby banish you to the forests of Edeline, where none have ever returned,” said King Carmell five years earlier.

The man with the claw was being punished, not for a crime but for being different. He was once the groundskeeper of the castle and spent most of his early days trimming the grass and weeds with his hand-blade. His name is Ivan Marks. Ivan spent years building the kingdom a perfect garden, and felt that he was serving faithfully. Until the day that a great inventor came and gave the king a great gardening invention that would easily replace Ivan as groundskeeper. And so, a machine replaced the man.

Without a home and without direction, Ivan tried to survive on the streets. He was quickly judged by the other town’s people. The mocked him, calling him a monster. The blade where his hand should be struck fear into their hearts.

“I am not a monster,” Ivan said. “I am but a gentle man. I could never hurt a soul.”

This was all very true. It wasn’t in his character to kill or harm anyone. One day, Ivan stopped in at a local pub to refresh from a long day of job hunting.

“Hey Mr. Claw,” mocked a man from the other side of the counter. “Have you found your missing hand yet?”

Ivan ignored him, having learned that encouraging a bully wouldn’t help the situation. His silence didn’t sit well with the man, and he made his way over to Ivan, shoving him from behind.

“I was talking to you Ivan the Claw.”

“Look, Gregory, I don’t want any trouble. I’ve had a long day, so please leave me be.”

“Ha, you here that boys? He doesn’t want any trouble,” he said turning Ivan around. “That sounds like a threat to me.”

“You’re drunk, Gregory. Maybe we should talk about this when you’re feeling better.”

Something Ivan said seemed to push Gregory beyond his limits. He shoved Ivan against the bar. In an attempt to protect himself Ivan put up his hands, shoving Gregory back. However, in this split reaction, Ivan forgot that his right hand was a blade, stabbing Gregory in the shoulder. For this reason, Ivan was labeled a monster and unsuitable for human interaction. And so, the king had no choice but to banish his once faithful groundskeeper to the forests of Edeline.

When he first got to the forest, Ivan found that it was home to many peculiar things. Having not left the kingdom for most of his life, he was only accustom to seeing smaller animals like rats, dogs, and cats. The forest, on the other hand, was home to some of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen.

There were many pathways in the forest, and in his the first couple of months Ivan had explored every one. Most of them lead to nowhere. Ivan found a particular path quite enjoyable and had started making the end of the path his home. At first his home was made from a few large branches and covered by leaves. Having a blade for a hand had its benefits after all.

At the end of his first year, Ivan discovered one more path and decided he’d follow it. This path would finally lead him to his next purpose in life. As he wandered on this path, the air became colder and salty. Then, when he came around a bend, he saw a small port village at the bottom of the hill. Reluctant that the people would judge him, he refused to enter. However, he did get close enough to observe what the people were doing. The people in this village were much different than those in Mt. Carmell. They seemed happy, even free. It was as if everyone had found something they enjoyed to do and traded it with the others.

Astounded by this principle of mutual respect, Ivan wandered back home, pondering about what type of trade he could share with the villagers. That night, as he sat by the campfire. He looked around the forest for a clue about what he could do. All he saw were trees. He could hear the silent whisperings of the animals hurrying back to their homes. Then, he had an idea.

For the next few days, Ivan took pieces of branches from his collection and observed the animals in their natural habitat. Using his blade his carved every detail of the deer, rabbit, and bear into the wood. Before long, all he could picture were the images of the animals. He had found a new passion.  He would be a wood carver and trade his figurines with the villagers.

And so, every day as the misty fog consumes the forest trees, Ivan Marks packs his bag and trades wooden figurines for all sorts of goods. He is no longer a monster or an outcast. He is a human and has finally found where he belongs.