A life long habit

Posted on 03 Mar 2018 @ 6:02pm by Lieutenant Commander Gemma Alexander

434 words; about a 2 minute read

Mission: History
Location: Earth
Timeline: In the Past

The sun shone on the flat, grassy field as the gentle, summer wind flowed lightly throughout the area. Trees were in the distance but 13 year old Gemma had to ignore the siren song of climbing something as she sat cross legged on the ground with other students. She dug in the pocket of her cargo pants for a protein bar, munching as the Archery Instructor walked in front of the group. He was an older man, average in height and built but he spoke with great authority.

“There are many types of bow, longbow, short bow, crossbows, recurve and compound among them. One or more will become your favorite but it’s important to note this doesn’t make one better than another, simply better in particular situations. These are tools and as you put your hands to them you will discover where your talents lie”

Gemma soaked up the information, she was fascinated by the whole process and couldn’t wait to try it herself properly. She had some lessons but her parents said if she took a formal class and got a certification they’d let her have her own bow. She’d been raised on stories of Robin Hood and the might of the English longbow from her parents and grandparents in her earliest childhood stories. It fired her imagination and felt like some connection to the long history of herself as a Britisher, a kind of grounding though these flew through the air.

She also thought she’d like flying but that was something for later. For now she focused on the instructor as he continued speak. “For advanced students we will have an additional sessions on bow/arrow creation and repair to make a note of where your interests lie. Now please stand, 3 to an assistant and we’ll find out your draw weight to determine bow size. How far you draw is how big of a bow and matching arrow type you will need.”

The other teens in the group stood and made their way to a small line of Archery assistants who stood near tables of unstrung, as one never string a bow they didn’t mean to use as it damaged the string, bows and arrows. Gemma quickly jumped up and made a beeline for the nearest, completely missing the proud smile of the instructor as he watched the eager students take their first steps in a life long hobby that went more than a millennia into the past in an nearly unbroken line. A hobby that would encourage discipline, hand/eye coordination skills, and patience.

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