by A. E. Albert
As Archimedes told his story, he waved his hands about and darkened his face. It was as though he was telling a ghost story at a campfire. He then stood there smiling, appearing to be very proud of himself. Jeanie just gave him a watery smile and made a gulping motion. This guy should have been in theatre instead of science! Billy thought.
As Archimedes walked toward a table, Dickens smiled as he patted Jeanie’s green face and whispered, “History must be seen in its proper perspective, my dear. The Syracusian people have had trouble with Rome in the past and they were protecting themselves. Besides, the ancient world was riddled with war and strife. Archimedes has done what he believes to be a great service to his people.”
The old man motioned to a table, which was covered with papers and what seemed to be various devices in different stages of completion. Archimedes grabbed a wooden poll, about the length of a man’s arm. It looked like a big fork, but the prongs were curved.
“This superb little gadget is going to change the back scratching world!” he announced. “Nowadays, a man must rely on his wife to do the job. What about me! Do you know how many times I have had to interrupt my work in order to scratch my back on a tree or other such nonsense?”
Billy watched in wonder as the old man gazed as his invention as if he had just invented the wheel. “And when this little doohickey becomes the next rage at the markets, I shall introduce its counterpart.” Archimedes raised his hands in the air and parted them slowly, as he said in a hushed whisper, “The Butt Scratcher!” Oh man! Billy groaned inwardly.
“What’s that?” asked Jeanie, who was pointing at an odd contraption. It was a metal pole with long glistening blades protruding from the sides of it.
Archimedes immediately snatched it from the table, but his expression was one of annoyance. “Oh, just another ingenious work of scientific art that is not appreciated by the dunderheads around here! I mean, think of it! Why cut bread one slice at a time, when you could cut the whole loaf at once, right?” The old man looked at his audience, seemingly expecting them to wholeheartedly agree with him. The group just stared at the old man.
“But no!” he continued in a very immature voice, ‘Archimedes’ they said, ‘the bread will get stale faster’. I cannot think of everything now can I? Do you know how much time they waste! Why, the bakers of this town could be doing all sorts of things with the time they would save.” The inventor scrunched his face in thought and then smiled. “Like…goat racing. Who doesn’t love to watch a good goat race?” he said shaking his head with a smile as he walked from the table.
Suddenly, Archimedes stopped in his tracks, his face lighting up and he thrust a finger in the air. “I will be right back! You are going to love this one!” he yelled with excitement, as he ran from the room.
Billy’s eyes returned to the table filled with various inventions. His gaze fell upon an odd looking device and he picked it up to examine it. It was perfectly round and about the size of an orange. The curious object was made of some type of metal and holes were evenly spaced and spread over its surface.
At that moment, the strange old man came running back into the room. Without thinking, Billy put the strange contraption into his pocket as Archimedes began another one of his loud demonstrations.
“Ahhh, this will surely impress you!” He held up a diagram depicting burning boats in the harbor and what seemed to be mirrors posted around them. “This,” he stated proudly, ‘is the Heat Ray. As you can see on the diagram, we post mirrors around the bay area. As our enemies approach the beach, we point them at their ships and poof, a raging inferno!” Archimedes began laughing hysterically at his own genius.
Billy examined the diagram with an expression of confusion. “How long does it take to work?” he asked.
Archimedes's eyes darted from side to side. “Well...um...in no time at all,” he sputtered.
“Doesn’t your army have arrows? Wouldn’t it be quicker to use those? You know, arrows lit up with fire at the end?” At that point, Dickens pinched Billy’s back. “What!” Billy exclaimed. “I pay attention sometimes in school!”
“I don’t believe for a second you have ever been educated in your meager and insignificant life! Look at that uncut hair! You surely are a barbarian from the northern Celtic tribes! What would you know about true genius?”
“I, I only meant…” stammered Billy.
“He only meant,” said Dickens, who looked Billy hard in the eyes, then turned toward the enraged inventor, “that your mind is far more complicated and full of detail than ours. Besides, how can a helmsman steer with the sun in his eyes?” It annoyed Billy that Dickens was placating Archimedes and not defending him.
“Why, yes,” Archimedes said, appearing to think very hard. He then looked back at Billy. “That’s right, don’t question my designs again, you rag tail Celt!” he yelled, sounding very sure of himself again.
Billy wasn’t feeling in the least bit generous and mumbled, “Well, at least I know how to dress myself when I go to the supermarket.”
Archimedes, who obviously heard the little jibe, puffed out his chest. “Sometimes, boy, a little eccentricity is the price one must pay for great illumination.”
“What? Are you talking about the sun shining off of your backside?” retorted Billy. He thought that one was pretty good, only to receive a dirty look from Jeanie.
Archimedes narrowed his eyes at the young boy and turned to Jeanie and smiled. “My dear, you must get a better handle on your servants,” the catty old man said. He looked back at Billy. “Quite frankly, you have quite the smart mouth for someone who can be beaten for such insolence. I don’t know much about how the Celts treat their slaves, but around here, we know how to keep them in line!” he snapped.
Archimedes turned to Dickens and Jeanie and exclaimed in an excited voice. “The truth is, on this very day, I have solved a riddle that has plagued the world since the beginning of time. I, Archimedes, am on the brink of my greatest discovery.” Billy looked at Jeanie and then at Dickens, both undoubtedly mirroring his own confusion.
Dickens then said slowly, “You mean you solved a problem for the king?”
“No, no, no,” Archimedes stated impatiently, waving his hand in the air. “Today is actually my day off working for the king, so I like to coincide it with my bathing day.” He stopped, began to smile and said dreamily, “It was quite wonderful actually. There were so many bubbles! I tried to calculate how many there were, when it hit me!”
He bent his head down and leaned in toward the confused trio. In a low and conspiratorial whisper, he said, “I have discovered how to eradicate dandruff!” Billy, Jeanie and Dickens stood there, their mouths hanging open, but not a word finding its way out.
Archimedes let out a giggle. “Olive oil and bee’s wax!” he said, gesturing to the mess in his hair. “I haven’t figured out the oil to wax ratio yet, but oh my, yes soon.” Archimedes just sat back, smiled and appeared, overall, very pleased with himself.
Very slowly Dickens broke the silence. “You mean your little jaunt outside and in the bath, had nothing to do with the king?”
“I told you, this is my day off. I don’t lend the king my brain on my day off!” Archimedes began to sound very annoyed at repeating himself.
“Um, and a crown?” inquired Jeanie, seeming afraid to ask.
Archimedes sat up straight. “What do you know about that? That is a secret mission given to me by the king!” He began to wriggle in his seat. “I, I am on the verge of completing it, I just needed a day off!” The inventor was sounding more and more defensive.
“Wait a minute. You told us at the door you were doing the king’s business,” accused Billy, eyeing Archimedes suspiciously.
“Oh, I just said that so you would leave me alone! I was about to enjoy a lovely lamb sandwich! I do make a mean one and with olives I might add,” said the strange man in a pouty voice.
Billy just rolled his eyes. This is the guy that is supposed to help us! This is the ge
nius that the history books go on about! Billy was starting to get real angry when there was a pounding at the door. Archimedes ran to his window and then looked nervously at the little group in his workshop.
“Oh dear me!” He started to pace in circles and began to talk to himself. “‘What is that lug head doing here? The king must know I could not have completed his mission so soon! And you!” Archimedes raged in a loud whisper, “You cannot be found here! Strangers in my home! Oh, what will the king think?” he exclaimed.
Suddenly, the wooden door of the inventor’s tiny home slammed open. All of Billy’s quick and witty comments flew out of the window. Before him stood, possibly, the most terrifying looking man he had ever seen.
He wore a gold breastplate over a scarlet tunic that fell just above the knees. Dangling from his belt were leather strips that came to a point at the end. On his head was a golden helmet, with scarlet feathers protruding from the top.
Billy could still see a vicious and crude scar slicing through his eye and down his right cheek. As Billy continued to observe this man, he could see a myriad of scars crisscrossing down both of his powerful arms. But the most frightening part of this man was his cold and penetrating black eyes.
“What is the meaning of this, Archimedes?” asked the soldier in a flat and low voice.
“Nothing, captain!” Archimedes cried in a defensive tone. “These strangers just knocked on my door! I have never seen them before and I have told them nothing!”
“I never implied that you did. However, your strong denials make me wonder, old man.” The captain turned to the little group. “The king demands to meet all newcomers. He will be very interested as to why you are in the home of his prize inventor.” The captain then motioned to his guards, “Take them,” he brusquely ordered and turned to leave.
“Wait, we haven’t done anything!” Billy cried as a guard seized his arm. He whipped around, looking for Jeanie and Dickens. They too had been seized by the guards.
Patches leapt up at the guard holding Jeanie and latched onto his leg. The guard screamed in pain, trying to shake the dog off. He finally succeeded by kicking the little dog against a nearby wall. The dog dropped and didn’t move again.
“Patches!” cried Jeanie.
Billy stared at the still dog and looked in horror at his friends. His mind raced to think of some way to convince the guards to release them. But from what he learned so far of the laws of this time, he knew their rights were whatever the local authority deemed them to be.
Just then, an idea popped into his head. He craned his neck around. “Archimedes! Tell them we haven’t done anything!” Billy shouted, as he dug his heels into the ground. As the guards pulled the travelers from the home of Archimedes, Billy continued to yell, “Archimedes, we can help you!”
“You help me?” asked the inventor with disbelief.
“The thief! We can help you catch the thief!” But Billy could say no more, as the soldier grabbed his other arm and began to march toward the citadel.
Chapter 9
Billy followed behind Jeanie and Dickens, who like him, were being firmly held by the Syracusion guard. They were roughly escorted up a stone walkway toward a large walled edifice, which overlooked the smaller harbor.
The main citadel was about five stories high, cylindrical in shape, and boasting no ornamental design. As they entered the front entrance, two guards flanked it on either side and saluted the captain as he entered.
That all too familiar fury towards Dickens began to resurface. They wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for him, Billy thought! He closed his eyes. No, it wasn’t Dickens fault. He knew where the fault lay, but he couldn’t let his mind dwell on his parents right now. They had bigger problems.
Billy looked around until he found Jeanie. Why did he have to pick that fight with her after school? If he just nodded his head and shut his mouth like he usually did, she wouldn’t have come to his house that night! She wasn’t there because of his parents or Dickens; she was there because of him. If not for any other reason, he had to figure a way out of this for Jeanie’s sake. He had some semblance of a plan, but in order to see it through, he needed to talk to Archimedes. Billy didn’t see how that was going to happen in here.
As Billy continued to frantically think of a solution to their growing problem, all three were led into an immense hall. Seated at its end were a man and a woman. Billy assumed that this was King Heiron and his wife.
They were attired in classic Grecian style, but the material was obviously much more costly than their own. Their garments were held together by golden pins and a purple fabric was draped over the king’s shoulders. His wife had golden ribbons in her hair, a gold belt around her waist and golden earrings dangling from her royal ears.
“Ah, welcome, Lucius,” said the king motioning to the captain of the guards. “I hear you have brought me some guests.” At this comment, all eyes in the chamber set upon Billy, Jeanie and Dickens.
The King cocked his head slightly to the side and in a quiet voice asked, “Why have you disturbed one of Syracuse’s most valued citizens?” He leaned forward, his gaze hardened as he questioned his new prisoners further. “In fact, I would like to know what you can possibly want from him.” Gone was the king’s deceptively cordial tone and was increasingly being replaced by a more suspicious one.
Dickens stepped forward. “I assure you, my king, we are only friendly travelers. We were looking for nothing more than the generous hospitality famous to your great city,” he stated as he bowed low to the king.
“Well, of all of the dwellings for you to intrude upon, you choose the famous Archimedes?” The king’s eyes turned to slits. Gone completely was his soft inquiring voice and he shouted, “Where are you from? You present to be northern Celts! Are you emissaries from Rome? Is Rome employing your kind now? I have heard there is nothing a Celt would not do for Roman gold!” The king slammed his fist down onto the arm of his throne. “If so, then only say so! I rule here, not Rome. I command you!”
Billy could see tears forming in Jeanie’s eyes, so he edged closer to her side until their shoulders met. Jeanie looked up at him gratefully.
Billy looked into her fearful eyes and then turned to the king. “Your Majesty, we’re really sorry we came to your city. We heard about the inventor Archimedes and thought we could just stop in and say hello.” Billy gave the king a small smile and a short bow. Judging by the King’s glacial expression, Billy realized very quickly that he was not helping the situation.
“Say hello?” the king asked softly, “to the man who fortifies this city’s defenses? You tell Rome that I signed that treaty and I will honor it. Syracuse’s military ability and my annual tributes maintain the peace with Rome. I have nothing to hide. So why does Rome come here cloaked in secrecy and deceit?”
“We’re not Roman!” implored Billy, his voice betraying his feelings of fear and frustration. “In fact, we’ll leave right now.” At that moment, Billy looked toward the doorway, only to see that it was blocked by a royal guard.
Billy’s mind was racing. What could he say to convince the king that they meant no harm? He couldn’t tell him the truth! “Please, just let us go.” But Billy knew that pleading was useless as he looked into the determined eyes of the king.
“This is what I shall do. I will send a messenger to Rome. Until then, you may stay as my ‘guests’.” The king made this last remark with a smirk. “If you are Roman I shall let you live, but only because I will not provoke my ally.” He then leaned forward. “Pray that it reaches my ear that you are NOT who say you are. For I have no issue making war with any other kingdom sending spies to my city. No one will steal Archimedes from me! NO ONE!” the king shouted.
Billy could feel Jeanie tremble at his side. The truth was, he was terrified himself. He glanced over at the silent Dickens, who was looking about the room. He was examining it as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Great, thought Billy and he’s what we’ve got for adult sup
ervision!
“Look at her hair, my dear,” said the king, gaining Billy’s attention. “How rare it to see such beautiful scarlet locks in these parts. None of your red wigs are so lustrous and vibrant. Perhaps you would like a new one?” the king sneered, looking straight at Jeanie as he said this.
Billy took her hand in his and squeezed. He was about to open his mouth to speak when the king threatened, “Do not say something you will regret, boy, or I may take more than her hair!”
The King turned to the captain of his guards. “Take them to the dungeons. I want Archimedes protected by your guard at all times until I commune with Rome.” The king’s eyes hardened as he looked at his captain. “Do not fail me, Lucius.”
That evening, Billy found himself sitting on the hard and cold floor of the palace’s dungeons. The sounds of mice scurrying about kept its newest occupant from falling asleep.
Jeanie huddled next to Dickens for the added warmth, while Billy sat in a corner, chilled to the bone and alone with his thoughts. He wasn’t sure if Jeanie or Dickens were asleep or not, for no one had said a word for hours.
He looked up at the stone ceiling, listening to the muffled sounds of some kind of celebration happening above him. They were fed old bread and water. Billy didn’t know what sound was worse, the sounds of the mice or his hungry stomach.
Billy didn’t know how he was ever going to get any sleep. The walls were made of stone and water was continuously sliding down its surface. There was fuzzy green vegetation growing everywhere.
The worst part was a skeleton sitting against the opposite wall. It had not been there long, judging from the bits of flesh still clinging to its bones. Just then, a mouse chose to push itself through the still mushy eye socket, causing the jaw bone to jar, dislodging it from one side of the skull. He closed his eyes as a shudder ran through his body.
Billy wrapped his arms tightly around his knees. All he kept thinking was how did he get into this mess? All of this was happening because his dad invented that stupid Device. Really, what did he have to do with any of it? It wasn’t his fault that his dad was some kind of evil scientist or something. All he ever wanted was a family and it turns out that he had one and they’re a bunch of psychos. At that very moment, Billy didn’t care about the future. He only cared about going back to his time, where everything was normal and safe.
