Pliers

Hello there. My name is Pliers, and I am a super helper. Look at me. I have two long handles that fit perfectly into your hands. In my middle, I have a special joint that works like a knee, letting me open and close my mouth. Oh, and my mouth is the best part. It’s made of strong metal jaws, perfect for grabbing things. I thought to myself, 'I can be the strongest fingers in the world.' Human hands are amazing, but sometimes they need a little help. They can't hold onto something that is sizzling hot from a fire, or pick up a bead that is teeny-tiny for a necklace. And they certainly can't bend a strong piece of wire all by themselves. That's where I come in. I’m here to give your hands extra strength and keep them safe from ouchies.

My story starts a very, very long time ago, even before your grandparents' grandparents were born. Thousands of years ago, I didn't look exactly like I do today. My great-great-great-grandparents were called tongs, and they lived in a busy blacksmith’s workshop. The workshop, called a forge, was the most exciting place to be. It was so loud with the CLANG, CLANG, CLANG of a hammer hitting metal. It was warm and bright from the roaring fire that danced with orange and yellow flames, and it smelled like smoke and hard work. The blacksmith was my best friend and my partner. He would use my long handles to reach into the blazing hot fire and pull out a piece of metal that was glowing bright red, like a sunset. 'Got it.' he would say, and I would hold on tight with my strong jaws, never letting go. My job was very important. I had to hold that super-hot metal steady on the big, flat block called an anvil. I could feel the heat, but I was built to be strong. Then, the blacksmith would hammer the metal, sending little orange sparks flying through the air like fireflies. Together, we made strong horseshoes for horses, sharp nails to build houses, and even shiny swords for brave knights. Over many, many years, my family got bigger and we all changed a little. Some of my cousins grew sharp jaws, perfect for snipping wires with a little 'snip.' Others got flat jaws for pinching things tightly. And some of my siblings got rounded jaws, just right for bending metal into beautiful loops and curls for gates and fences. We all had different skills, but we were all part of the same helpful family, born from the blacksmith's fire.

Today, you won't just find me in a hot, noisy forge. I have traveled all over the world. I live in toolboxes in cozy garages, ready to help fix a wobbly bicycle wheel or tighten a loose bolt on a skateboard. I am in workshops where creative artists use me to bend and twist wire into amazing sculptures and shiny jewelry. I even get to go on incredible adventures. Some of my cousins are in the toolkits that astronauts use way up in space to fix their spaceships. Can you imagine that? From a blacksmith's fire to floating among the stars. I feel so proud. I love helping people with all sorts of jobs, big and small. I give human hands a kind of superpower, allowing them to grip, twist, and build anything they can imagine. It just shows that even a simple tool like me can help create a wonderful, working world.