Thernza – The Country Of Tea & Teapots

Thernza – The Country Of Tea & Teapots

Teapots were famous all over the country of Thernza. Here is my story about tea and teapots...

A long, long time ago, Thernza was just a big, wide, plain country. Barring a few animals and insects, there was nobody. It was really peaceful then. God thought that something just wasn’t right. So, he made a new species called humans. God created his own child and thought of a great name. He called this child Lazarus. He created other children too—lots and lots of them. Years passed by...Lazarus grew up and became a teenager. He used to take care of the animals. One day, he found a leaf that he loved the smell of, and he named it Camellia sinensis.

God told him that it could become a drink: “Powder the leaves, put it into water and name your drink.”

Lazarus did as he was told. He too really loved the smell of Camellia sinensis. It took him years to discover how to make the powder. He found water, got his powder ready and mixed them together in a small hole in the ground. He closed his eyes, took a big, deep breath and blended the ingredients. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and saw a blackish liquid.

“Dad, is this the drink?” he asked quietly, with a sigh.

When God came in, he said proudly, “Yes, you did it!”

Lazarus smiled with a sigh of relief.

Many more years passed, more people came, more inventions were made, and Lazarus got married to someone named Cordelia; he had a son and daughter—Beatrix and Orestes. After eight years, Cordelia died. The next morning, Lazarus had to go to work, so he begged his father to look after Beatrix and Orestes but received no response. Lazarus suddenly remembered what his father said before the kids were born, “If you call me and there is no response, just know that I’ve looked after you for years and, now, you have to look after yourself.”

“Beatrix, Orestes, can you come with me to work?” asked Lazarus.

Beatrix and Orestes looked at each other and chimed together in excitement, “Yes, yes we will; we will!”

They walked to his workplace.

“So, what do you want to name the Camellia sinensis drink?” asked Lazarus.

“You haven’t named it yet?” yelled Orestes.

“Nope.”

“Hmm, a pea. Because a pea is the same colour as a Camellia sinensis leaf!” Orestes suggested.

“Did you say tea?” asked Beatrix, who was hard of hearing.

“Wait, tea is actually a good name, because if we name it after a pea, people will get confused’!” said Lazarus.

“Good idea!” Orestes agreed.

Thinking of tea made them want to drink some then, but they couldn’t.

“Dad, how will we drink this?” Beatrix asked.

“Let’s make....some pottery! Something to drink the tea in!” suggested Orestes.

They wondered what kind of pottery they were going to make. Days passed, and they figured out how to make the cup they’d drink in. It was a tiny bowl with a handle, but when they placed it on a wooden plank, it kept on rolling from one side to the other. That’s when they talked to Claiborne Anderson, the expert.

“Hmm…maybe try making the bottom flat,” Claiborne said in her’ hoarse voice.

So they did as told, and when they tested it, it worked perfectly! Then they talked to Adriela Campbell, the person who listed the announcers at the town square. Adriela took down their details and told them the time of announcement for their new pottery and that they were going to announce it next month.

Lazarus stared at Adriela. She looked just like Cordelia. Both of they had dark brown, wavy, medium-length hair, the same smile and brown eyes. He wondered, Were they sisters or something? Not that it mattered. They went home, and the twins got ready for bed, but Lazarus didn’t. It was Beatrix and Orestes’ ninth birthday the next day! Lazarus thought they would love a tea party as their birthday party. He asked one of his friends to look after the children while they slept. Lazarus went shopping for the materials he needed, wrote down invitations, completed a few more tasks and decided the time of the party. But there was one problem—they didn’t have a teapot to pour the tea in! Lazarus thought they could use another cup to pour the tea in. The party was going to be held in the flower garden. It’s a beautiful place.

The next morning, Lazarus told the kids to dress up in their birthday outfits. They obeyed him and asked, “Are we going to work in these outfits?”

“No, it’s a surprise,” Lazarus replied. He asked his friend to look after them and went off to get some Camellia sinensis. He quickly turned it into a powder and mixed it with water, repeating this a couple of times to make lots of tea. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a tea party! He also bought a wooden table to put in the flower garden.

He set up the other decorations and put the teacups on the table. Lazarus had even made a cake the previous day, so he put that there and covered it with a steel dish cover. It was 12:00 pm and the tea party would start by 4:00 pm, so Lazarus made some apple pie and many more scrumptious dishes to be had along with the tea. Finally, he went back home.

“Daddy, why did we change into fancy costumes?” asked Orestes.

Beatrix didn’t say anything because she had no idea what Orestes had just said.

“It’s a surprise!” Lazarus said.

“Wait, what did you say?’’ Beatrix asked.

“Ah, whatever. Let’s play a game!’’ Orestes proposed. They played their favourite game—Chopsticks. It was finally time! Beatrix and Orestes were delightedly surprised. They loved the pie and the cake and befriended the other children. It was about 6:42 pm by the time the party was over. When they reached home, they read books and drew pictures until it was 7:35 pm. They then ate the leftovers. When that ran out, they ate some mashed potatoes.

After dinner, they went to bed. The next morning was a Saturday, they brushed their teeth and ate waffles and whipped cream with berries. They drew on a piece of paper what the next pottery should look like. Orestes drew something like a jug while Beatrix drew a circular shape with a pipe and a lid. Lazarus looked at both of their drawings and thought that Beatrix’s drawing was better, but he didn’t want to upset any of them.

“What should we name the pottery?” Beatrix asked.

They wondered until they had an idea.

“Should we call it tea pottery because it is pottery for pouring out tea?” suggested Orestes quite loudly so that Beatrix could hear.

“Nah, let’s name it teapot!” said Beatrix.

They kept that name and thought of a name for Orestes’ pottery.

“It looks a teeny bit like a mug!” said Orestes.

“Should it be called a jug? What’s a jug?” asked Beatrix.

“This should indeed be called a jug!” said Orestes.

They named the pottery, read books and painted on a canvas, and after the weekend, they went to work and made the pottery. This lasted for two days, one for each pottery. There were only four days until the next month.’’

When it was finally the next month, they prepared to announce the new pottery. When they reached the town square of Thernza, they waited for their turn to approach—they had brought the pottery! When it did, they walked to the middle of the crowd and spoke.

“Hello everyone! I, Lazarus, and my children, Beatrix and Orestes, would love to show you the new pottery and some other things that are going to spread around the world. First of all, we have tea!” Lazarus said, taking a cup of tea and slightly tilting it so people could see. “Next, we have the teacup that holds the tea. Here, we have a teapot that my children invented! And finally, the jug too, which they created. We are really proud as we, Thernza, are the ones who invented pottery!” said Lazarus. There was roaring applause. Tea was then delivered all over the world, and that is my version of how tea was invented.

THE END!