He was distracted by Estelle bending her head low and moaning. He turned to her to see her rubbing her temples.
‘What’s wrong, Estelle?’
‘Nothing, just keep driving,’ she snapped.
They drove on for a bit, but didn’t see anybody until they arrived in a narrow street.
‘Stop here!’ Estelle shouted. ‘I see someone.’
There was a figure walking across the road, long and spidery-limbed. He turned to face the truck and Jack stopped a few feet in front of him. He looked at Estelle. She was rubbing her forehead now.
‘Everybody out,’ she said.
They all clambered out of the truck, and the watcher in the road loped towards them. Even with the sound of the rain they could hear the clank of his limbs. Jack stepped towards him.
‘Excuse me, do you know where we can find Philip Cormier?’ he asked.
Jack could see the figure’s long mournful face and his large round eyes. With a sinking sensation, he realized the mechanical he was addressing had no mouth.
‘It’s a Mute,’ said Estelle.
The Mute looked at them. His long legs were bowed and his back was hunched. His right hand was missing, and the rain plinked off his brass dome of a head. Nobody said anything, and the Mute continued to look at them with his doleful eyes.
‘What’s a Mute, Estelle?’ whispered Rob, without taking his eyes off their observer.
‘Mutes can’t speak. They’re used in factories, or by people who prefer to have servants they don’t have to listen to. I’m beginning to understand why.’
Jack shot her a look. He didn’t appreciate the sarcasm, especially if it was directed at Rob, but Estelle wasn’t paying any attention. She was too busy rubbing her temples again.
Jack stepped towards the Mute.
‘Cormier. Do you know where he is?’
The Mute looked Jack up and down. His neck squeaked on its hinges. He slowly raised his right arm and pointed at a shack across the road. There was a soft orange glow coming from its interior.
‘He’s in there?’ said Jack.
The Mute lowered its arm. It looked Jack up and down again, and slowly shook its head.
‘But—’
The Mute raised its arm again and pointed towards the shack.
‘I think he wants us to go in there, Estelle,’ said Jack.
‘Fine,’ Estelle growled, and she stomped towards the shack, splashing up water as she went. As they approached, they could see a tiny figure outside the shack. It was an old doll, no more than a foot tall. She was walking back and forth, a ragged wet bonnet stuck to her head, and she wore an old soiled pinafore. She was saying ‘Mama’ over and over again. She stopped for a moment and turned her head and looked at them. When she’d seen enough, she went straight back to marching back and forth and saying ‘Mama’.
Estelle stepped towards the doorway of the shack. It wasn’t much of a doorway, just a sheet of metal slanted at a precarious angle. Manda was gaping at a tree. She reached out and held a leaf between her thumb and forefinger. It was delicate and finely filigreed. ‘Oooh,’ she gasped, ‘it’s beautiful.’
‘Come away from there, Manda,’ said a scowling Estelle.
Estelle banged on the door. Jack winced at the sound and her ferocity. He reckoned it was a bit more forceful than was required, but he was surprised when he heard a rather calm voice from within say, ‘Yes?’
‘We’re looking for Cormier,’ said Estelle.
There was no reply.
‘Can we come in?’ she asked, looking exasperated.
A boy poked his head out the door so suddenly that they all flinched. Rob recoiled with such force that he had to spin his arms to keep his balance, and it was only the gentle hand of an attentive Gripper that stopped him falling into a puddle.
‘Did you know that the distance between John O’ Groats and Land’s End is six hundred and three miles?’ said the boy.
They all just looked at him. He only had skin on the right side of his face, and what was left of it was peeling away. His head was scuffed and scraped, but his eyes were bright.
‘Yes,’ he smiled.
‘What?’ said Jack.
‘You can come in.’
The boy stood aside, and Gripper held the sheet of metal to one side so the others could squeeze in. Estelle told him to wait outside. She took a deep breath and stepped into the shack.
As they entered, the boy turned around and said, ‘Loch Ness contains more fresh water than all the lakes of England and Wales combined.’
‘That’s really interesting,’ said Rob. ‘Isn’t that really interesting?’ he said, turning to his friends.
‘Marvellous,’ said Estelle. She was wincing and rubbing her right temple with the heel of her hand.
‘He’s not here,’ said another voice.
They all peered into the depths of the shack. A lamp on a low table threw a soft glow around the interior. The voice belonged to a mechanical boy who was standing to the right of the table. He looked to be in reasonable condition, but he had several legs rather than two. He had two heads on either side of a chain draped around his neck. They were both similar in shape and look to the head of the Mute they’d met outside.
‘This is Billy,’ said the boy with many legs, pointing to the boy with half a face. ‘He knows lots. He used to dispense facts at a carnival.’
Billy gave a small bow. ‘Did you know that Big Ben started working on the thirty-first of May 1859?’
Rob shook his head in amazement.
‘And I’m Sam Six Legs,’ said the boy.
Rob’s lips moved soundlessly, and his index finger jabbed the air as he counted the boy’s legs. ‘You’ve only got five.’
Sam smiled. ‘I used to have six. I’m hoping to get a replacement.’ He pointed at the head on his right shoulder. ‘And this is Tim.’ He pointed to the other head. ‘And this is Tom.’ He frowned, and his voice was slightly downcast. ‘Or is it the other way around? I can never remember.’
Both of the heads rolled their eyes.
‘Anyway,’ said Sam, brightening up and clapping his hands together, ‘what can we do for you?’
‘We’re looking for Philip Cormier,’ said Estelle. ‘Can you tell us where we can find him?’
There was the sound of an approaching ‘Mama, Mama’ and the doll walked into the hut and continued to pace around.
‘And this is Daisy,’ said Sam, with a big smile.
‘Philip Cormier is known as the father of engineering, and is considered by many to be the greatest engineer of any age,’ said Billy.
Estelle winced. ‘Where is he?’
‘In the iron house,’ said Sam.
‘Mama, Mama.’
‘What’s six times six?’ Rob asked Billy.
‘Thirty-six,’ said Billy.
‘He’s very good, isn’t he?’ Rob grinned at Jack.
‘I knew that one,’ said Jack.
‘Mama, Mama.’
Estelle closed her eyes, as if she was having problems concentrating. ‘And where is this iron house?’
Sam and Billy pointed in two different directions simultaneously. Daisy was now walking in circles around Estelle, who looked like she was about to explode.
‘Mama.’
‘Where . . .’ Estelle began, but she stopped and grimaced as if in pain.
‘ . . . Mama.’
‘Where is this—’
‘There are five oceans,’ said Billy.
‘Mama, Mama.’
‘Which is it?’ said Estelle.
‘Which is what?’ asked Sam.
‘The way to Cormier’s house?’ Estelle shouted.
Two arms immediately went up again. This time in two new directions.
‘Mama, Mama,’ Daisy bleated, now looking up at Estelle.
‘Why do you want to find Cormier?’ asked Sam.
‘Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world,’ said Billy.
‘Mama, Mam—’
<
br /> An enraged Estelle suddenly picked Daisy up and flung her out the door. She balled her fists together, crouched down and roared:
‘The trees are screaming!’
There was a stunned silence. The only sound was the rain falling on the tin roof. All eyes were on Estelle. Billy could be heard softly whispering, ‘The capital of China is Peking.’
Estelle groaned and fell to her knees with her hands over her ears. Rob put a hand on her shoulder:
‘What’s wrong, Estelle?’
‘It’s the trees,’ said Sam. ‘Mr Cormier made them. They make a sound that only proper people can hear. That’s why you’ll only get mechanicals in Ironhaven.’
Sam started to rummage among some jumble in a wooden box. He took out a pair of earmuffs and handed them to Estelle. When Estelle looked up, Jack could see the agony in her eyes. Her skin had a grey pallor, and she looked nauseous. Estelle took the earmuffs and put them on, and immediately looked grateful. Her tightened brow finally slackened, and her face looked a lot less strained.
‘We need to find Cormier,’ Estelle shouted. Jack signalled to her that she was shouting a little, so she lowered her voice. ‘We need to find his home.’
Rob went outside.
‘I can show you,’ said Sam. ‘But I have to warn you, he hasn’t left his home in years.’
‘Why’s that?’ asked Jack.
Rob walked back in with Daisy in one hand, and his other hand laid gently over her mouth as she continued her muffled ‘Mama, Mama.’
Sam shrugged. ‘Nobody knows.’
‘Even I don’t know. The square root of one hundred is ten,’ said Billy.
‘We’ve been here a long time,’ said Sam. ‘We haven’t seen him.’
‘There were plenty here before us too,’ said Billy.
‘Not so much now,’ said Sam. ‘Some have gone. Some thought it wasn’t worth it any more.’
‘Some thought what wasn’t worth it any more?’ asked Jack.
‘Waiting,’ said Sam.
‘Waiting for what?’ asked Estelle.
‘Waiting to be fixed,’ said Sam, and he shared a look with his friends that implied he couldn’t believe he’d actually been asked that question. Even Tim and Tom rolled their eyes.
‘That’s why we’re all here,’ said Billy.
‘We came here to be fixed,’ said Sam. ‘Mechanicals used to come from miles around. Cormier used to fix anyone that needed fixing. He wasn’t just the most renowned engineer of all time – he actually cared about mechanicals.’
‘He hasn’t been seen in years, but we wait anyway. Whales are the largest mammals known to man,’ said Billy.
‘Take us to him,’ Estelle shouted.
‘Do you know the way?’ Jack asked Sam.
Sam nodded, ‘If I’m outside I can walk there. Just don’t ask me to point out where it is.’ He tapped the side of his head and grinned. ‘I was hoping to get this fixed too, you see.’
Sam led them outside. He told them it would be best to walk. The rain had eased off a little, and he led them down some cramped side streets. Rob marvelled at how Sam walked. ‘You’re like a centipede,’ he said.
As they made their way through the town they picked up stragglers along the way. Some mechanicals came out of their huts and houses and started to follow them like dark shades in the rain. It was as if they knew something was about to happen.
They finally arrived at the end of a street which opened out into a square. At the far end of the square was a large black wall with a gate in the middle of it. Both wall and gate were made from riveted steel.
‘He’s in there, behind that gate,’ said Sam, pointing in the opposite direction. ‘No one ever comes out, and no one ever goes in.’
Estelle walked across the square and started to bang on the gate.
Sam looked shocked. There were some mechanicals hiding in shadowy doorways and corners behind them. They retreated slightly when they saw what Estelle was doing.
‘I don’t think . . .’ began Sam.
But Estelle wasn’t listening. She continued to hammer on the gate with her fist, until finally she couldn’t do it any more. She stopped to rub her hand, and turned towards Sam. ‘Is there another way in?’
Sam shook his head.
Estelle looked at the gate, as if trying to discern whether there were any weaknesses in its surface. When she turned around she had a hungry grin on her face. She looked at Jack, and Jack read her mind. They both turned their eyes simultaneously towards Gripper.
Estelle moved aside, and she motioned towards the gate with her right hand. ‘Grip, if you wouldn’t mind.’
Gripper looked from Estelle to Jack. He turned to look back at Rob. In the darkness behind them, shadows shifted uneasily.
Sam looked on anxiously. ‘Is he going to—’
Gripper put his head down and ran full pelt towards the gate. There was an almighty clang as he hit it. Gripper bounced off, but there was now a large dent where he’d collided with the gate. He looked pleased with his first attempt, and set to work.
He jammed his claws into the edges of the gate, and commenced peeling it back like the lid of a sardine tin. Wrenching, screeching sounds filled the air as Gripper ripped the gate apart, until finally there was a great serrated gash right down the centre of it.
‘Good on you, Grip,’ Jack shouted.
Gripper’s jaw moved and he emitted a loud scraping sound.
‘That’s right, Grip. I couldn’t have put it better myself,’ said Rob.
Estelle gathered them together, and she looked at Sam and the others huddling in the shadows. ‘Do you want to come with us?’ she asked.
A hopeful but nervous-looking Sam shook his head and took a step back. ‘I’ve been here this long. I’d rather wait.’
Estelle nodded to show that she understood. ‘Right then,’ she said, and she marched up to the remains of the gate and climbed through it.
A rough path led to a sharp, angular building which looked as if it was made completely from metal. It was less of a house and more of a citadel. There were windows in the building, but there was no light coming from them. A steel staircase climbed to the front door. Estelle promptly stomped her way towards it and up the steps, the others running to keep up with her. Estelle got to the door and started to beat her fists on it as the mechanicals clanged up the steps behind her. Estelle kept banging for a solid two minutes before she stopped. She stood there exhausted, panting and pale.
‘Can you still hear the trees, Estelle?’ Rob asked.
There was no reply. Rob tugged at her elbow and shouted, ‘Can you still hear the trees, Estelle?’
Estelle turned to him and nodded. Jack could see her face. It was hard to tell where the perspiration ended and the rain began.
Estelle raised her hand again. Jack grabbed her arm.
‘Let Gripper do it,’ he said.
Estelle stepped aside and Gripper rapped on the door.
BOOM. BOOM.
Nothing happened.
A couple of minutes passed and Jack nodded at Gripper. Gripper knocked again.
BOOM. BOOM.
Jack could see Estelle gritting her teeth – she was breathing hard. He had to remind himself that she felt the cold and the rain, and that the screaming trees must be maddening, despite the fact that her ears were covered.
Another couple of minutes passed.
‘Maybe he’s gone out,’ said Rob.
Jack was about to say something to Estelle when the door was opened with such violence that the shock of it almost sent Gripper reeling off the top of the stairs.
‘Yes?!’ shouted the man standing there.
He was tall and old and straggly. His unruly grey hair stuck out at every angle from his head and was matched only in its utter untidiness by his beard. He was wearing a vest made of criss-crossing leather strips, leather trousers and large black boots. His arms were wiry and surprisingly muscled for a man of his age. He scanned them all quickly with his p
iercing blue eyes and shouted:
‘WHAT?’
‘Mr Cormier?’ asked Jack.
‘Who’s asking?’
‘We are,’ said Rob brightly.
‘Who’s we?’ growled the man.
‘Us,’ said an unperturbed Rob.
The man’s face contorted into a snarl. ‘Go away, US,’ he said, and slammed the door shut.
Estelle blinked slowly. Then her face hardened and she started pounding on the door.
‘Mr Cormier! Mr Cormier!’
The door flew open again.
‘What?!’
Estelle snorted fiercely. ‘You are him, then.’
Cormier glared at her, then he looked at them each in turn. ‘I said go away, but that obviously didn’t work. I’m a very mild-mannered and polite man, so I’m going to say it again, but this time imagine I’m using swear words. GO. AWAY.’
He slammed the door shut so hard this time that Jack felt a draught rush past him.
Estelle was furious. She bludgeoned the door again and started shouting.
‘We need your help, Mr Cormier. We came a long way, and we’re not leaving until we speak to you.’
The rain was coming down in torrents, and it was spilling and sloshing down the steps.
Eventually Estelle stopped her pummelling and just stood there panting, her wet hair plastered to her face as she clenched her teeth and seethed at the door.
‘He won’t answer,’ said Jack.
‘Then we’ll wait,’ said Estelle.
‘We’ll wait somewhere dry, then,’ said Jack.
‘Here!’ Estelle shouted, pointing at her feet. ‘We’ll wait right here.’
She turned back to glare at the door. Jack sighed and looked at the others, and they followed his silent signal to move away. Perhaps we can go back and shelter with Sam and the others, he thought. Cormier obviously wasn’t the friendly type, but maybe they could wear him down. They started down the steps. Estelle shook her head furiously, and reluctantly started to follow.
As Jack stepped on to the first step, he heard a creaking sound behind him. He looked back to see that the door was slightly ajar. Cormier’s eyes blazed out from the darkness within. He looked furious.
Tin Page 8