The Clockwork House

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘Very cheerful,’ Ava shook her head.

  ‘Maybe an injured animal got in,’ he mused, ‘or maybe something leaked from above. Anyway, whatever it is there’s a good chance once we identify it, we’ll be able to clean it and restore the original tiles. If you just wait here a moment, I’ll grab Killian and get him to pack some protective layers down, so they don’t get damaged with all the foot traffic moving through here.’

  She nodded as he disappeared out the front door, dragging the old stained rug with him. She stood waiting patiently for him, staring absently at the peeling wallpaper, when a movement up on the second-floor balcony caught the corner of her eye.

  She turned to look but couldn’t see anything. Losing interest, she was about to head back out to find Drew when she heard a quiet patter, almost like a bounce. She shifted over, moving closer to the stairs and through the banisters saw a small round object rolling slowly down the steps. She watched mesmerized as it hit the ground, bounced a couple of times and rolled across the tiles, stopping when it hit her boot.

  Reaching down she picked it up and turned it over in her palm. It was the same brown leather baseball she’d left lying in the tall grass outside, she was sure of it. She lifted her fingers and traced the rough scarred letters burned into the skin of the ball. It had to be the same one. What were the chances of there being two identical balls? And what was it doing inside the house?

  She heard another noise, like a shuffle from the balcony above and looked up. For a split second she could have sworn she saw… suddenly she felt a hand grasp her shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

  ‘Sorry… sorry!’ Drew held his hands up as she spun around, grasping the ball in her fist. ‘I didn’t mean to scare you, I called but you were a million miles away.’

  ‘It’s okay,’ a half laugh rushed out on a heavy breath. ‘Do you know if there are any work crews upstairs on the second floor?’

  ‘Not that I know of,’ he shook his head. ‘As far as I know they’re all busy checking and re-enforcing all the rooms down here first. Why?’

  ‘Nothing,’ she shook her head glancing at the strange ball, ‘no reason,’ she frowned. ‘What do you want to look at first?’

  ‘Let’s start with the right wing,’ he nodded toward a door, before walking purposefully toward it and leaving her to trail along in his wake. ‘This would have originally been the front parlor, mostly used for receiving guests, although I can see that it was adapted as a school room.’ He wandered through the scattered rows of single wooden desks with hinged lids and attached seats.

  The flooring in this room was partially obscured by tides of dry decayed leaves which had obviously blown in through the broken windows sometime before the place was boarded up.

  Ava leaned down and picked up a small rectangular slate board. Eerily, it still had the first few letters of the alphabet scrawled across it in a child's untidy looping lines.

  ‘There’s quite a few damaged windowpanes,’ Drew studied the frames, ‘but I think they can be salvaged. I know a guy who specializes in these old sash windows.’

  ‘That sounds like a lot of work,’ she carefully set the slate board on one of the desks.

  ‘It is,’ he agreed, ‘but trust me, things like the windows and roof tiles you want to save if you can, so it’s in keeping with the period of the property. New ones just wouldn’t suit the aesthetic of the building.’

  ‘I guess,’ Ava hummed. ‘I suppose I haven’t really thought about it.’

  ‘Well now’s as good a time as any,’ he pulled out a small handheld object and pressed a small button, emitting a thin red light across the room to the opposite wall. He stared at it for a second then scribbled something in his notebook.

  ‘What’s that?’ she asked curiously.

  ‘A laser measuring tape,’ he replied as he continued to take different measurements of the room and scribble them down in his book along with a roughly sketched floorplan. ‘I’m still hoping to get my hands on the original blueprints, but if I can’t I’m going to have to try and make temporary ones. Anyway, you were about to tell me your plans for the building.’

  ‘I was?’

  ‘You must have some idea of what you want to achieve here,’ he stopped scribbling and looked up at her.

  ‘Not even in the slightest,’ she admitted. ‘This is all still pretty new to me. I didn’t even know this house existed until a month ago.’

  ‘Do you plan on living here?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ she frowned. ‘Sorry, I know I’m not being much help.’

  ‘That’s okay,’ he shook his head. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. A lot of the time these kinds of projects are a work in progress anyway. How about we start with the basics? Do you want to completely modernize or stay true to the original building?’

  ‘A little of both I guess,’ she chewed her lip thoughtfully. ‘I want to save as much of the original features as I can, I think it would be a shame not to, but also it needs some modernizing. I doubt whoever ends up living here will want to pump water from a rather questionable well.’

  ‘Well you’re right about that,’ he laughed, ‘so we’ll restore the exterior, the windows and the roof and keep it as close to the original design as we can. Inside is a different matter. Once the building is weathertight, we’ll install electricity and plumbing. You’ll want modern bathrooms and half baths on each floor, depending on how many bedrooms there are. Likewise, you’ll want a new modern kitchen and heating. Once we’ve got a layout of the interior, we can have a look at each room. There is some leeway for moving interior walls and changing the layout but that will be up to you.’

  ‘Okay,’ she nodded.

  ‘Shall we continue then?’ he indicated toward a doorway at the far end of the room.

  ‘Sure,’ she replied following along behind him.

  For the most part she watched him work. They uncovered a scullery, a butler’s pantry, another parlor and a gorgeous metal framed sunroom with huge paneled windows reaching high above in a dome shape, not only letting in the light but giving an incredible view of the headland for miles in each direction and out across the ocean.

  Ava wandered from room to room, the curious little baseball clutched in her hand as Drew measured and muttered and drew rough sketches and illustrations in his book. Content to just wander through the rooms she was amazed at just how much of the original features had survived. It was like walking through a time capsule.

  ‘Ava!’ Killian’s voice called from one of the other rooms, ‘there’s another delivery for you!’

  Excusing herself from Drew who was still lost in his work she navigated her way through the confusing maze of rooms, and sub rooms, and adjoining rooms, and finally found herself back in the front foyer. Dodging all the workmen she hurried out of the main entrance and down the steps, to find herself standing in front of a small van with ‘Elodie’s Flowers for Every Occasion’ splashed across the side in delicate swirling baby pink lettering.

  ‘Miss Cortez?’ a gangly teenager asked, his voice a little squeaky as if it wasn’t quite done breaking yet. Likewise, his arms and legs seemed too long for his body and his face was scattered with fine red pimples.

  ‘That’s me,’ she nodded.

  ‘Sign here please,’ he thrust a clipboard and pen at her, dark crimson slashing across his cheekbones as he tried not to look at her long, tanned legs.

  Signing it quickly she handed it back and watched curiously as he leaned into the van and pulled out a huge bouquet of brightly colored flowers in shades of blue and green.

  She barely noticed as the embarrassed teen climbed back into the van and peeled out of the clearing. Her eyes were fixed on the flowers, a huge smile creasing her cheeks. Nestled between all the pretty flowers, mounted on thin sticks, were little cardboard cut outs of frying pans, fish heads and tails, and mermaids.

  She pulled out the card, although she didn’t need to read it to know who it was from.

 
‘Thinking of you X’

  She climbed up into the RV closing the door behind her, not wanting anyone to see as she pressed her face into the flowers and inhaled the sweet scent. She wasn’t sure what most of the flowers were, only that they were pretty and that no one had ever given her flowers before. Well other than the strange little posy of hand-picked flowers and seashells someone had left the day before.

  She set Kelley’s flowers down on the seat and reached for the wildflowers, frowning in confusion. The mug was still filled with water but the tiny little purple bell-shaped flowers which had been fresh and vibrant only the day before, were now brittle and dead. She reached out to touch one, watching as it crumbled against her fingers.

  Her eyes widened as she looked down at the table to find that the beautiful tiny seashells, she’d piled neatly next to the flowers, had crumbled away and were now nothing more than a pile of dust.

  10

  It had been two days and he hadn’t stopped thinking about her. He found himself slightly jealous that his twin got to spend every day with her while he worked on that huge creepy ass house of hers. The jealousy was only made worse when he found out Drew was back in town and that he was working on the Lynch house too.

  They’d gone to school together, the three of them, Drew, Killian and Kelley. Only Drew had been captain of the football team and had a notorious reputation with the ladies. He’d been like love heroin to the girls of Midnight High back then; he’d gone through the entire cheerleading squad, the gymnastics team and half the swim team too. It seemed Drew had a type, and it was stunningly beautiful with a tight, toned, athletic body. Everything Ava was, dammit.

  He’d wanted to go see her since the moment he’d driven away wrapped in nothing but an old thin tartan blanket. That had sure given his neighbors something to gossip about as he’d strolled into his apartment, but every time he’d tried to get away his uncle had demanded his attention.

  He loved the man but jeez, he was obsessive about his beloved bar. He was only a week away from his surgery now, which meant he was in a lot of pain, he was frustrated and just straight up bad tempered. Everything Kelley did was wrong; despite the fact he was giving up all his free time to run the damn bar. Free time he could have spent with Ava; free time, that Drew was spending with her.

  His fingers gripped the wheel as he drove slowly up the winding road, pulling over as a truck ambled down in his direction. Once it had passed, he started back up toward the cliff top. Pulling into the clearing he eased his car toward Ava’s truck only to find there wasn’t much space.

  Now, instead of just the RV, the truck and the fire pit, there was a large square canvas canopy set up with tables covered with condiments, plate, cups and coffee urns. Dozens of mismatched plastic tables and folding chairs were set up like a little alfresco dining area, and over the fire pit was a metal stand with two huge flying saucer shaped pans sizzling side by side.

  His mouth was watering by the time he found a place to park and climbed out. The sweet and spicy scent of something wickedly delicious filled the warm summer air as he strolled over.

  Ava was standing in front of the fire her skin flushed from the heat, her midnight hair tied back with a lavender colored bandana and a chef’s apron tied over her trademark denim shorts.

  ‘Hey,’ he greeted as she looked up and smiled at him.

  ‘Hey,’ she continued to stir each of the pans simultaneously.

  ‘That smells incredible,’ he inhaled deeply as he peered over the edge of the nearest pan.

  ‘Today it’s burritos,’ she replied easily, ‘served with braised bean rice. You have a choice of chili or Cajun chicken as a filling, and there’s also fresh sour cream, fresh guacamole and homemade salsa. You hungry?’

  ‘Yeah,’ he murmured watching her as he unconsciously rubbed his belly, although whether he was hungry for the mouth-watering food or the temping woman serving it, he wasn’t entirely sure.

  ‘Take a seat,’ she nodded to a nearby table.

  He watched her as he slid onto the faded plastic chair. Gone was the guarded wariness she’d displayed since arriving on the island. He’d never seen her so relaxed and happy as she pulled tortillas wrapped in foil from where they were warming by the fire and began to load them with crisp salad, rice, meat and sour cream.

  ‘You want a bit of everything?’ she glanced up.

  ‘Please,’ he nodded.

  ‘Thanks Ava,’ a huge thickly muscled guy with a dark beard dropped a handful of bills into a huge can on a nearby table. ‘Best burritos I’ve ever had.’

  She beamed her cheeks flushed with pleasure.

  ‘You’re welcome Luke, tell Aiden he’s going to miss out if he doesn’t hurry.’

  ‘Will do,’ he nodded.

  ‘You’ve got quite a little industry going on here,’ Kelley nodded to the overflowing pot of cash.

  ‘What? oh that,’ she laughed. ‘They wouldn’t take no for an answer. I kept telling them they didn’t have to pay me, but they insisted on contributing toward supplies.’

  ‘Here,’ she slid the plate onto the table in front of him along with a soda. ‘I haven’t seen you around for a few days, you been busy?’ she asked casually as she threw a couple of empty plates into a huge trash can and began to wipe down one of the tables.

  ‘My uncle’s getting a bit antsy waiting for his surgery,’ Kelley cracked open the can of soda and took a swig. ‘He’s been micromanaging every single decision I’ve made regarding the bar. I think he’s just nervous about the surgery and riding me takes his mind off it.’

  ‘Yeah your dad said.’

  ‘My dad?’

  Ava nodded across to another table and as Kelley glanced over her shoulder, he saw his father sat comfortably, his hat resting beside his plate, his hands filled with a burrito and his cheeks puffed out like a squirrel as he chewed. He managed a half grin and a thumbs up in Kelley’s direction before he turned his attention back to his lunch.

  ‘He hasn’t missed a meal,’ Ava laughed, ‘I’m beginning to think he likes my cooking. Yesterday it was Tuscan chicken with Italian herb rice and warmed ciabatta. He had two helpings.’

  Kelley shook his head, a smile curving the corner of his mouth as he lifted the tightly packed burrito and took a huge bite, moaning in appreciation as a myriad of flavors instantly burst across his tongue.

  ‘Marry me,’ he mumbled around his mouthful of food.

  Ava laughed in amusement.

  ‘I hate to burst your bubble there, pal,’ Killian slid onto the seat next to him, ‘but our Ava here gets twenty proposals a day around here.’

  ‘Our Ava?’ Kelley’s brow rose.

  ‘We’ve staked our claim, she’s ours. She has to stay here and cook for us forever.’

  ‘How’s it coming along?’ Ava asked in amusement as she slid a loaded plate in front of Killian.

  He leaned in and breathed deeply, before lifting the huge cigar shaped roll and biting out a massive chunk.

  ‘Ummm,’ he chewed slowly, ‘I think you’ve outdone yourself this time.’

  ‘Wait till you try my chicken Po’boy with Asian style vegetables.’

  ‘Now you’re just teasing,’ he took another bite as she laughed. ‘It’s coming along well. All the supports are in place on the second and third floors, and the scaffolding’s complete. She’s sturdy as a rock now. We’ll be back up on the roof taking a closer look at the damage this afternoon, though we were up there this morning and found something strange.’

  ‘What?’ Ava asked in interest.

  ‘They look like air shafts,’ he replied with a slight wrinkle of his forehead. ‘I’ve never seen anything like it on this type of building. We can’t figure out where they run to or why you would need them.’

  ‘That is a bit weird I guess,’ Ava mused.

  ‘Anyway, I want to go back up and get a closer look, see if I can figure it out. We’re going to start removing the roof tiles to get a better look at what’s underneath, but it look
s as if the whole roof will need to be replaced. Most of the beams are rotten. While we’re doing that, we’ll also begin to cement back in any of the loose bricks in the exterior façade. Some of the mortar has crumbled away on the topmost window arches of the tower.

  We’ll start removing the windows and packing them up for transport. It seems Drew’s window guy has just taken on a partner which has freed up some of his time, so he’s agreed to restore all your windows. But given the sheer number of them, it’ll take a while and we really need them back in before the weather turns.’

  ‘Can I get back in the building this afternoon then?’ she asked as she continued to tidy away plates and wipe down tables.

  ‘You actually spend time in there?’ Kelley asked.

  ‘Most afternoons,’ she nodded, ‘if I’m not in the way. Drew’s in the middle of drawing up the plans for the build and I’m looking for inspiration. At the moment the interior is divided up into lots of smaller rooms and we’re toying with the idea of opening a few of them up into larger living spaces.’

  ‘Uh huh,’ Kelley replied slowly.

  ‘You should come with me,’ she told him. ‘You need to get over this fear of yours and realize there’s no ghosts.’

  ‘That’s what they want you to think, then they wait until you’re alone…’

  ‘You should have been writing novels rather than teaching English with that imagination of yours,’ she shook her head. ‘I mean if you’re too scared…’

  ‘You calling me chicken?’ his eyes narrowed.

  ‘If the feathers fit.’

  ‘Fine,’ he replied flatly.

  ‘Fine,’ she repeated in amusement, ‘you can come trash picking with me.’

  ‘Trash picking?’ his brow rose questioningly.

  ‘There’s loads of stuff left in the house,’ she explained, ‘a lot of it damaged to varying degrees. So, I’ve been collecting it all up and sorting what can be saved or not.’

  ‘What sort of things?’