“Vita. Thank you so much.” Tamra came out and hugged her. “And you Lister. Thank you.” she came around the cart and was about to hug him but Lister pretended not to see the motion, turned and retrieved his backpack.
“My pleasure Tamra.” he said not looking in her direction.
“Lister…” Goran began “what a strange name. Where do you come from?”
“He is my guest Goran and he will be interrogated.” Vita rounded the cart near the man and though she stood a couple inches shorter she seemed to tower over him. Her presence and self confidence was very domineering but Goran was not cowed. Lister guessed this was not the first time the two had butted heads.
“Well it is my job to keep this village safe and we need to know who is coming and going do we not?”
“I don’t mean to cause any trouble.” Lister said with a sly smile on his lips. Vita already knew Lister could be quite smart mouthed and the look she gave him warned against picking a fight with the man.
Goran stepped up to him and took measure. He looked Lister up and down, then made eye contact.
“You are dressed strange and you taller than any in the village. Are you an off worlder?” Lister was taken aback by the question.
“Of course Goran, he is an off worlder.” Vita followed up immediately not lying. The idea seemed to soothe Goran a bit and Lister was glad for it. “He needs to see Merrill right away.” Goran looked to her and nodded in acquiescence.
“Well then by all means.” he moved away from the cart. “Just know, I am keeping an eye on you.” Lister was about to speak and it was going to be a scathing retort but Vita spoke quickly before he could.
“Thank you Goran.” she grabbed Lister by the arm and began pulling him away before he could say anything. They rushed to get out of earshot of Tamra’s home.
“What was his problem?” Lister looked over his shoulder to see Goran staring after them.
“He is just overprotective. His father and mother were killed by bandits when he was young so he takes village security very seriously.” Lister was glad he had not made his rude comment or perhaps he could have started something which might have gotten out of control.
“Oh.” Lister said plainly not wanting to get into the particulars of the subject of death. He found himself wondering if he should make Goran’s life easier and just go back to his world and not return. One look at the sky provided the only answer he needed. Wonders lived in this place and he needed to see them.
Soon they were out of the village and the lights coming from windows had become small. The place where they were headed, Vita assured him, was just outside of the village.
“Pappy likes to live out here just in case.” Vita said cryptically.
“In case of what?” Lister was looking at a three story metal structure bathed in the purple ambient light of night which stood before them as they approached.
“In case…” she paused for too long. “in case one of his inventions were to explode or something.” Vita’s finished quickly. Had Lister not experienced his share of failure with his own inventions he surely would have been more worried by the prospect of an explosion. He could see the wisdom in choosing an out of the way area for experimentation. Perhaps, he thought, he should make the same move from the crowded city once his schooling was done.
“Does it happen often?” Lister asked as they approached the door.
“What?”
“Explosions?”
“Not anymore.” Vita said with a smile as she lead the way into the big building.
Once inside he found himself in a large open area which seemed to take up the entirety of the structure. Off to the right was a comfortable looking room which Lister assumed must be part of the living area but Lister was far more interested in the giant room they found themselves in.
The walls were not decorated with paintings but instead all manner of mechanical pieces were hanging on nearly every square foot. The furniture was sparse and made up of mostly stools and workbenches scattered throughout the area at non uniform intervals. Lister made note of the seating… none of them had backs. It seemed Merrill was of the same mind as he.
All manner of objects were arrayed upon the tables, racks and benches. The larger items were set on the floor. Items were hanging from the ceiling as well in various states of disrepair and though Lister could not recognize any of items he was sure with closer examination he could identify what they might be used for. One glance had told Lister this was a workshop. The workshop of his dreams.
“Wow, this place is great.” Lister whispered.
“I knew you would like it. When I saw your home I knew you and my grandfather would have a lot in common. He’s a wizard too.” pride was evident in her voice when she spoke of her grandfather. “I know he will love to meet you. That’s really why I brought you here.” If Lister had been paying more attention he might have been upset she had been hiding her intention from him but he had already begun wandering around in a state of mechanical inebriation.
He approached a big six wheeled vehicle. It had no cabin or seats so it had to be either unfinished or autonomous. The wheels were large, squat and thick like the residents of the world and the hull was made of metal. Lister put his hand to it and felt along the surface. It was smooth, cool to the touch and seamless like the structures he had seen. From the look of the village and the outside of the workshop Lister found it incredible such machines existed here. The vehicle had a large mouth at what he assumed was the front. It yawned soundlessly at him. Another at the back was flatter and wider. Then it came to him:
“This is the machine that laid the path we were on.” Lister said this quite loud though he did not notice. The thrill of discovery was in his voice and he had gotten carried away but Vita did not seem to mind.
“Yes it is. How did you know?” Vita sounded impressed but Lister turned his attention back to the vehicle.
“It’s what I do.”
“Vita? Is that you?” A scratchy, aged male voice came from the depths of the the workshop.
“Yes Pappy, it’s me and I have a surprise for you.” Vita held her finger up to her lips mischievously. When she did so Vita appeared very much the child to him.
From around the paving machine a man appeared. He was short and stocky, like all of the denizens of this world, with a short gray beard and a bald head. His eyes were furrowed with too much gray brow. Beneath those untamed caterpillars his blue eyes were piercing. The thing or rather things which stuck out to Lister were his right arm and leg. They were both made of metal and glinted even in the sparse light of the workshop. When he saw Lister he slowed his approach.
“Well, who do we have here?” He wiped his thick hand and metal one on the blacksmiths apron he wore, a look of distrust crossing his face. Vita jumped up and down excitedly and made her way to his side.
“Pappy, may I introduce Lister Crowe. Lister, this is my grandfather Merrill.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you sir.” Lister stepped forward and extended his hand. Realizing he had extended his right hand to Merrill’s prosthesis and balked. “Oh… sorry.” Lister made to pull his hand back but Merrill smiled and took it before he could retract it.
The metal was not cold as was the paving machine but seemed to have some sort of internal heat. The fingers were dexterous and gentle as they wrapped themselves around Lister’s hand.
“No boy, it is fine.” Lister could not help but look down and examine the prosthetic.
“That is really amazing.” Lister took the hand in both of his and began turning it this way and that. He was studying it with a look of intense interest on his face.
“He is a wizard too Pappy.” Vita exclaimed with pride in her voice.
“Well are you now.” Merrill cut his eyes at him for a moment and looked him up and down.
“No sir, not a wizard. An engineer.” Lister noticed he still held Merrill’s hand and let it go with an apologetic look.
“An engineer? I
have not heard that word for many years. Let me guess. You are not from around here are you Mr. Crowe.”
“No sir, I am from a long ways away… and please call me Lister.”
“Then you shall call me Merrill and we will get along just fine.” There was a pause and it seemed Merrill used the time to take measure of the man before him.
“You two must be hungry.” Merrill put his arm around Vita’s shoulder. “My father used to say if you really want to get to know someone you should share a meal.” He smiled at Lister and Lister nodded back:
“I am famished.”
He turned with Vita under his metal arm and began walking toward the living area at the front of the shop. Lister could see the two of them were looking at one another in an odd way. Something was off and he was sure there was more to these two than met his eye.
Chapter Eight
During dinner Vita told the tale of their meeting. From her appearance in Lister’s living room to the moment he dropped through the portal. Lister did not mention his own feelings of doubt as he stood peering into the gateway to another world. He did not speak much at all as Vita seemed to have it under control. More than once he could see a question form behind Merrill’s eyes but the old man did not loose it. He was enthralled by the telling and seemed loathe to miss a syllable. Once Vita finished the telling the obvious question came.
“Just what are you doing jumping through portals in the forest girl.” his tone was harsh but Lister knew it came from a good place.
“I…I…I don’t know Pappy. It seemed like it would be a great adventure.” she was obviously taken aback by the harsh tone.
“You could have ended up in some serious trouble. You really need to think before you act Vita.” Vita looked down at her plate feeling the weight of her scolding. Merrill took her hand in his flesh and blood hand and squeezed it gently. “I don’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to you girl.” she raised her eyes and met his. He was smiling at her and it seemed to make her feel better.
“I know Pappy. I am sorry.” she said meekly squeezing his hand back.
“Everything turned out alright.” Merrill said dropping the subject. In the short time he had known her Lister could guess with a high percentage of certainty this was not the first time something like this had happened and he had a feeling it would not be the last.
“How long are you here for Lister?” Merrill asked as Vita got up and started clearing the dishes from the table.
“Only for another thirty-five hours I am afraid.” Lister answered looking at his watch.
“Well, that is a good amount of time. You can stay here and get to know our village a bit.” Merrill said wiping his mouth.
“If it would be alright I would love to look around your workshop?”
Merrill’s eyes lit up at his request. The question, if asked to Lister, would have garnered suspicion but this man seemed all too happy to share his knowledge and the work which so obviously consumed his life.
“It would be my pleasure.” Merrill stood and Lister followed suit. “Come with me.”
The two of them began to wander around the workshop at a leisurely pace. Vita had decided it was not something of interest to her so she made herself scarce and left them to their business. Lister was shown so many strange and advanced devices he found himself in a bit of a daze as they walked. From the automated paving machine to an underwater drone of a sort. Down to the tools Merrill used to ply his trade. Lister was in awe of the things this man had collected over the years.
“One of the many things I don’t understand…” Lister was not at all being flippant when he spoke. There were a whole host of things he did not get about the situation. “is how do we speak the same language?”
Merrill rubbed his chin as he thought about the question. Judging by the look he was giving the ceiling Lister rightly assumed he did not know what to make of it either.
“I guess I hadn’t thought about it.” his host answered. “Lucky I guess.”
If there was one thing Lister did not put much faith in it was luck. Sure at times it would seem like luck had some role to play in the way things worked out but this was not one of them.
“The odds of your people and mine speaking the same tongue must be astronomical… if not impossible.” Lister had been trying to figure out the conundrum since they had met Tamra and her kids on the road. “It is like our two worlds are connected somehow. Not just our worlds but our ancestors.”
The idea of there being some common kinship between Earth and this place was something Lister could not imagine.
“Well, as my father used to say… you can beat your head on a rock all day but all you are going to end up with is one hell of a headache.” Merrill answered then continued on about the the shop. Lister still could not shake the oddity of the world he found himself on.
As they made their way around Lister asked many questions about their technology and Merrill was excited to answer them. The world on which he stood was called Talcho and everything Lister would identify as technological they would call magic. Lister had always thought of science as more than just the facts so the idea of calling it magic and being referred to as a wizard did not displease him. It was still not correct in his eyes tough.
The metal the buildings were made from was, as Lister had guessed, very malleable but once it was tempered, using a beam technology of which Lister was wholly unaware, it became stronger and lighter than steel.
”What I don’t understand is how do you power these machines?” Lister asked as he was turning a metal rod which Merrill assured him would locate underground water sources. “When I fixed the wagon earlier I found a crystal within. I can only assume, it is the power source.”
“Ahh, now we get to the meat of the meal.” Lister was quite impressed by Merrill’s constant turn of phrase which seemed to speak more clearly than a longer explanation could. “Our autonomous devices and really, any device having magical properties will contain at least one Singing Stone.”
“Yes, Singing Stones?” Lister’s excitement was palpable as he replace the dowsing rod he had been examining and looked at Merrill.
“Yes. They are the backbone of nearly all I do here?”
“What are they? How do they provide the energy?”
“No one really knows what they are made up of but they are very powerful. One can accomplish all manner of wizardry with them. The paver…” he said indicating across the workshop with a metal thumb at the big six wheeled vehicle “contains four of them and each one controls a separate function. Some of the more amazing creations I have seen contain thousands. It all depends upon the size and complexity of the machinery.”
“I have never heard of such stones. We have crystal where I come from but nothing can compare.” Lister was truly interested and it showed in the eager look on his face.
“Well I have two in my arm and two in my leg.” he raised his metal arm and flexed the fingers. “The first is to power the unit and the second allows me to communicate with it using my thoughts.”
“Telepathy?” Lister asked agog.
“Of a sort I suppose.”
Lister then thought about quantum entanglement and the idea did not seem so far fetched. He was not a physicist but he had read a few papers on the subject.
“There are some issues with the stones though.” Merrill continued. “Once you prime and attach them to a device they can only be used for that sole purpose. If we could find a way to reprogram them I could have a near unlimited supply of stones. It is one of the things which has really caused me no end of frustration.” Merrill picked up the dowsing rod and with a twist he opened it and removed the crystal. He handed it to Lister.
Lister took it and began an examination. It was very smooth but translucent and was not as large as the one he had previously seen. A small amount of heat was emanating from it and it glowed like some cave dwelling fungus he had read about in books. Lister then had what seemed to him be a revelation.
“Is it alive?” he asked.
Merrill looked at Lister with raised eyebrows and respect in his wrinkled visage. A living power source was something Lister could never have imagined.
“It’s a subject which has been debated for a long time but no one has been able to come up with a suitable answer. A few groups believe so strongly in the thought they refuse to use any magic. Some factions are more violent when it comes to their usage. Those folks call for nothing less than the destruction of all magic and the liberation of the stones. They are few and far between though, luckily for civilization.”
“We have people like that on my world too. They would see us all living in caves rather than using the resources of the world to make our lives better.”
“Well I am not going to say they are wrong but I do feel that if we use them responsibly then we are doing the work of nature.”
“What can they be used for.” Lister said returning his gaze to the scintillating colors shining from within the stone.
“All manner of things. One thing I have been working on is long range communication. The stones are great for anything using sound and vibration. Though we use them for nearly everything there are certain areas where they really shine.”
Merrill showed Lister the machine which was used to prime the stones. It was large and could fit stones of various sizes. The idea of a stone the size of a football and the potential energy contained made Lister’s mouth water.
“Once the stone is inside you set the resonating frequency you want and press the button.” Merrill did so but without a stone to prime the machine just hummed. “Finding the right frequency is the tricky part. On some occasions I can find the perfect tones. Once you do then the stones power for the application is increased ten fold.”
Lister’s mind spun with the possibilities of such a find. He wondered at the things he could do with them. His own research up to that point had been based on sonic technology so the lure of such a power source was something he was pondering as they spoke. If it was zero point technology and could be entangled in a quantum fashion he wondered if he could design a way to operate his portal device from Talcho rather than setting a timer. The applications he imagined were limitless.
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