Chapter 58: “Caleanise”
Caelen stood in front of the table, holding a piece of white chalk. The classroom was quiet, full of small goblin kids sitting on wooden benches, some fidgeting, others trying their best to look serious. He drew a big "A" on the board.
"This is A," he said. "It sounds like 'ah' or sometimes 'ay'. It's the first letter of the alphabet in my world."
The kids blinked up at him. He smiled and added, "The language is called English where I came from... but here, let's call it Caleanise. Since, well... I'm the only one who knows it."
One boy raised his hand, confused. "Why make us learn this? We already speak normal."
Caelen chuckled. "That's true. But writing and reading—those are tools. They help you remember things. They help you learn faster. And someday, they'll help you talk with people far away."
The same kid squinted. "Talk far away? How?"
Caelen pointed to the half-finished telephone on a nearby desk. "With that. We're building something that lets people speak without shouting across mountains. But to use it well, you need to read and write."
The room grew quiet. That idea sounded like magic to them.
Caelen went on, drawing B next. "This is B. It sounds like 'buh.' Like 'bread.' Or 'bite.' Or 'Borin' when he's angry."
A few of them laughed.
He handed out chalk and slates, showing them how to draw the letters. Some struggled, holding the chalk wrong, drawing backwards shapes. Caelen crouched and helped them one by one, never rushing.