Complex simplicity- Missy's Tail

As I walked into the Berkshire Carousel workshop yesterday, I spied Phil who was smiling holding an object that he described as one of the strangest things he had ever produced in his workshop. I suppose it would have produced some curious answers at a "What's this" forum.
It was a small piece that was a series of glued up 3 inch blocks, lapped together, and twisted, the rough carving as it turned out, for Missy's (the donkey on the Carousel) tail. He demonstrated how this was going to work. It was about a 3 inch square piece , that twisted out to about 18 inches long. It would be mortised into the back side of the torso, with the twist going to the right, and anchored at the other end to the donkey's thigh. It is difficult to conceive, let alone write about.
I asked about the mortise, "Would that be square as the block is currently?" He demonstrated that there were several possible ways the tail could go. "I think it will be round, so it can be adjusted easily. A square mortise would not allow any room for adjustment." And I remembered the first rule of shop class, plan ahead.
I left that to him after a while, and proceeded to work on Malinda's head. Jim gave me some perspective on how a horse's head was designed by its creator, with a jaw bone that was "D" shaped, and prominent in the carousel horses, and the face which receded a bit behind the jawbone. Respecting the line distinguishing the two gave depth and personality to the horse, not to mention realism. That's the way horses are.
As I chipped away, carving Malinda's face, a co-worker was at the table near me. I was not paying attention to his project, intent on my own efforts, realizing that the chisel was very sharp. A real face of a horse was beginning to emerge as I carved. I felt pleased with this. And then I got distracted. A twinge of pain, and blood seeped from my thumb. I had not noticed before the large box on the counter in the center of the work area  that contained a supply of band aids and other first aid equipment. Several other people who  already knew where it was, perhaps victims also of a wayward chisel, directed me to the box, and offered to help.
After I had applied the band aid, I looked around at some of the other projects. But it was the one next to me that caught my eye. That glued up twisted block that was Missy's tail had been shaped, and rounded and flattened near the end so that it really had become a serious looking tail. It was miraculous. From concept to reality, almost in a matter of hours.
In a few days, the tail will be sanded, and inserted in its proper place. Missy's tail, not as large or ornate as the horses on the carousel, but certainly distinctive in its complex simplicity.