Chapter 61: Tikka the Teacher
A full week had passed since Caelen opened the schoolhouse. Each morning, he stood in front of the old wooden board, teaching the basics—letters, numbers, how to hold a charcoal stick steady. The students were all young goblins, curious but a little shy. Except one.
Tikka.
She always arrived first, even before Caelen. She sat in the front row, notebook ready, eyes wide and eager. At first, she was quiet. Unsure. She stumbled through her letters and mixed up the alphabet. But day by day, that changed.
Now, just a week later, she could read short sentences. She could spell her name. She answered questions before the others even raised their hands.
Caelen noticed the difference right away.
"She's something else," he muttered one morning, watching her scribble neatly on bark paper. "A week ago, she didn't know the letter A."
That afternoon, after the other kids left, Tikka stayed behind again. She did that a lot now.
"Um... Caelen," she said, clutching her notes. "Can you teach me more?"
Caelen blinked. "More?"
"Like the things you know. How the world works. Not just letters and numbers."
He tilted his head. "You want to learn science?"