Dreams of Twelfthtide

University of Spoons

It's a vast and flat countryside with fields, forests and small villages. Few people live here. But the huge university campus right in there contradicts this notion of the land. Yet, it tries to fit in. With simple buildings that are at best two levels.

I signed in for a particular study here and as this place is far off from any city, I need to reside in the dormitory halls like everyone else.

So, when I arrive here, one of the older students shows me the dorm rooms and guides me to my bed. "This is yours. As you can see, there are several vacant beds but I recommend you one that is closer to the others."

"Yes, really? I prefer privacy."

He shrugs. "Yeah, we all do, but here conditions are different. You need to get organized with others because sometimes there are raids in the night."

"Raids!?"

"Yeah, that can happen. The doors are always open, you know."

And then he leaves me alone in my bewilderment.
I take care to place less valuable stuff on my bed and get ready to attend the first courses of the day.

The workshop hall is cramped full with various materials for models, wooden constructions and other weird stuff created probably by the students. In the center, a huge assembly of desks and stools provides working spaces, and somehow, I recognize my study group at one corner there. It's a small group and the instructor explains to me that we do spoons today. She hands me a piece of wood and some carving knives.

"Just carve the spoons you need for yourself. Spoons for soup, for dessert, and you might want to make two kinds of ladles. A flat one and one that can really take lots of liquid."

Eagerly, I start carving and indeed, it works out fine. Soon, I make a flat ladle and a spoon for soup. The rest, I will have to do it next time.

As I trot from the workshop hall to the next destination, I suddenly wonder which kind of study I have actually signed in. Honestly, I have no idea. It all seems so familiar and then it does not. Why am I learning here?

Finally, I arrive at the garden where my next teacher explains with a loud and serious voice, "Everybody needs to listen closely! Today we will check out the most poisonous plants in these regions. You must memorize them well!"

Side-eyeing another student next to me, I pat him on his shoulder for attention and whisper. "Psst! I am sorry, but can you tell me for which study this course is running?"

Still focusing on the teacher in front of us, he answers,

"Why? This whole university campus has just one subject:

Civilization skills for survival."