But my fate was chosen before I grew wise, and my fate was to cook, to heat, and to give sustenance to the many. The pain I avoided a great many times, with prudence and alertness, I kept my fingers from the fire, but not every time, alas, so I knew the pain of perfect heat. What choice did I have but to choose to numb the pain with not only ice but with spirit? Only, the spirit’s cure is not, for it is but temporary and diminishing relief. So, thus, I chose a new profession. But the pain of that wrong choice was far greater than any burn. And so, I learned to withstand the pain in my fingers in order to ameliorate the pain in my soul.