Leo put his camera away, rousted out his iPhone from his pocket, and checked his email. He scanned over the ones from school. All were confirmations of his courses except for the last email that caught his eye. It was for his geology book.
He started laughing to himself and clicked on the address, saving its location, Lakewood, PA. Leo looked at his last email; he wasn’t superstitious, but somehow, he had been emailed a weekly fortune, which said, “You will see a way.” Man, these fortunes are getting so lame they need new writers.
Chapter 3
Leo strolled through the garden to the parking lot. His car chirped as he unlocked it and he slid into his 2015 Corvette SS. He knew this purchase was a bit premature, but he was confident and eager to have a symbol of his impending success.
Before Flash Match became a success, he figured his monthly allowance would be enough to get by. He pushed the ON button and the car roared to life, sending nearby birds fluttering for safety. He pulled out of the arboretum, his dark metallic blue vehicle growling down the road.
He was quick to get home after the arboretum, as he had been gone all day. Back at the cottage, Leo parked and went inside. He put on something comfortable, grabbed a Pepsi from the fridge and went out on the porch. He crawled into his hammock and pulled out his iPhone, thinking of inviting a friend on the journey to acquire his textbook tomorrow.
He opened his map app and looked at his plotted route that indicated a string of tiny towns he had never heard of. He texted Anabelle, Tyler and another friend, Sarafina, gave them the address and sent them a second text inviting them to come along, tomorrow, anyone down?
Moments later, everyone chimed back. Tyler was a no go; he was finishing his PLC code for a touch screen project. Anabelle wanted to get a jump-start on an assignment she had due the following week. Sarafina said she needed to meet her mom for lunch.
“Oh well,” he muttered, “Guess I’ll have to go this alone.”
He sipped the last of his drink and relaxed in the swaying hammock. As every night before at this precise time, lights went on in the mansion. Leo wondered what sort of person lived there, where did they amass their fortune, and would he ever get the chance of meeting them?
The property seemed abandoned, but he could sense something, someone lived there, someone watched him.
Chapter 4
A stiff breeze pulled Leo out of suspended slumber, swaying him back and forth. He looked out, barely able to see the maze of hedges. Thick fog enveloped him, everything pitch-black and set in silhouette.
He looked at his watch, 2:00 am in the dead of night. His hammock suddenly stopped swaying in the breeze. Concerned but groggy, Leo sat up and noticed a muted glow flicking through the semi opaque fog.
He realized they were lights in the maze garden, followed by more coming from a far-away light source, presumably the mansion. The Illumination did not cast any light on his cottage, but instead reignited a spark of curiosity about who occupied that giant granite house. Why were theses lights on so late? Are they following my movements? Did he dare go and see if anyone was home?
Exhausted and his mind not quite working at full capacity, he tried gracefully to swing out of the hammock, but he over rotated and slammed his knee into the deck. Leo shot his hands down to protect his face from hitting the deck as well.
“Damn.” His empty can bounced off the deck and onto the cottage’s nearby grass.
The night was brisk and cold to his sockless naked feet. He scampered down the steps, only to be met by rain the minute his feet hit the lawn. He raised his hand to shade the light from his eyes as the house and garden blinded him with an intense light.
Leo’s eyes quickly adjusted as he heard a faint deep humming. The hum almost sounded like someone speaking, and it came from the direction of the maze.
Looking up, he saw the fog had parted due to the rain, deafening thunder rolled along adding to the sound of lightening crackling.
His soaked, cold clothing getting wetter by the second deflated his curiosity about the light. He brushed back his hair, getting it away from his face as he grabbed the can and sprinted up the steps into the cottage.
Leo dripped his way upstairs to put on his PJ’s. His hair was still damp from his brief towel-off when he laid his head on the pillow. He would visit the Mansion, for now he needed some rest. He closed his eyes as the rain kept pouring down and the thunder rolled again. The hum was now gone, and lights outside plunged the property back into darkness, the drops hissing on the hot lamps.
Chapter 5
Leo awoke just as he had fallen asleep, with the sound of thunder booming in the distance and rain pounding on the tiled roof. He had left the window open and the moist cool air enveloped him, making him want to draw the covers over his head and catch a couple more minutes of sleep.
Leo felt Willy uncurl himself by his feet and run up the covers to his face, followed by meows, loud purring and incessant kneading of his chest.
Leo groaned and forced his legs out of bed and onto the cold hardwood floorboards. He stood up, stretching his arms way over his head, walked over to the window and slid it shut. It was early, but the sun was up, even though it was partially behind the clouds. Excited to get going, he turned on the shower to let the water warm up and went down stairs to start a pot of hazelnut coffee. The scent charged him up just smelling it brew.
Leo made his shower quick. The day awaited him, the open road, fresh air, his textbook, Pennsylvania, and, not to be forgotten, his intoxicating cup of coffee. All of this pulled at him. The small bathroom stall like a sauna, he hesitated to open the door, knowing the cool air would dispel the warm comfort of his shower. He finally gave in, opened the door, and headed to the bedroom to select clothes for the day.
Dressed and invigorated, Leo glided down the stairs, entered the kitchen where he poured a full cup of coffee into his travel mug.
Gathering a bag of trail mix, his camera and keys, he headed to the front door, where he took up a blue umbrella that hung from the hall tree. Willy made noise, pleading with Leo to stay, nearly escaping as he left.
“I’ll see ya later bud. Take care of the house fur ball.”
Leo stood on the porch a minute, and watched the rain come down. He took a deep breath and enjoyed the peaceful scene before him, time seeming irrelevant. A squirrel broke his moment of peace as it scampered across the deck, nervous due to Leo’s human presence, but not enough to leave the protection of the warm dry porch. The squirrel was a regular visitor and had become quite comfortable around Leo over the last week.
Leo left the squirrel to himself, grabbed the wooden handle of his umbrella tight as he extended the large folds of fabric snapping it open. He strolled down the path protected by his mobile canopy, not letting the rain bother him even though it was a tight squeeze through the maze hedge, his umbrella barely clearing the maze walls. He arrived at his car and used his remote to gain entry.
He slid in behind the steering wheel, folded the umbrella and shook it to remove the water, then stowed it on the passenger’s floorboard. Leo placed his coffee in the cup holder and his trail mix on the seat beside him.
He pulled up the directions on his iPhone and synced it with his car’s Bluetooth. He only wanted the general route as he wanted to take all the back roads, so he could enjoy the sights you could only see on small country roads.
Putting the car in reverse, he muttered to himself, “Pennsylvania here I come.”
He rolled along the drive and pulling through the archway, he glanced in his rearview mirror at the mansion and the grounds. That moment, the lights shut off.
He thought back to the previous night and the strange illumination when he had stepped off the porch steps. Was I dreaming? Did the lights ever brighten? After all, the fog did clear.
Figuring he probably had been dreaming, Leo dismissed the thought and headed toward the covered bridge and the road leading out of town. The Corvette growling down the country road, he could not quite shake th
e feeling that someone…or something…was watching him.
Chapter 6
The windshield wipers worked overtime and the cows stared at him disapprovingly as Leo passed them. Fence posts dotted the remote country landscape, marking off the various farmlands. As the clouds began to break up a little the rain slowed from a downpour to a trickle, and then sunshine replaced the dark clouds. Wild flowers covered the rural roadside like a thick blanket as the sunshine warmed their petals and coaxed them skyward.
Leo stopped the car, took out his camera and got out. He figured he had some extra time to kill. He could not resist getting a shot of the green farmland, fences, flowers and perfect shadows created by the clouds and early morning sun. He snapped several shots showing different viewpoints and enjoyed the scene for a moment.
His coffee was calling to him, so he hopped back into his car, leaving the door wide open. As he enjoyed his coffee Leo looked at the dashboard clock and figured he should get moving again, he put his camera away and shut his door.
Raindrops sprinkled the windshield as Leo kept to the back roads, cruising through all the small downtown strips of a dozen tiny country villages. There were surprisingly many people walking in these towns despite the hour and the rain that had fallen all night.
Most carried umbrellas and bustled along sidewalks in front of small shops that lined the downtown streets. There were small cafes, art galleries, woodcraft shops, clothing stores, bakeries, all with iconic large windows for passersby to gaze through, catching their attention.
Leo glimpsed loaves of bread, shirts, cookies, menus, wood carvings, all displayed to dazzle the local folk who turned their heads to stare at the shiny blue Corvette moving down their town’s main street.
Leo was nearly to the Pennsylvania-New York border when a small shop caught his eye, a metal workshop that sold ball sculptures. He had seen one of these in the movie, Fracture, and ever since wanted to own one. He parallel parked his Vette and got out. Leo loved physics, probably as much as computers and he looked over the display. The sign over the shop door read, Marty’s Metal Mayhem.
Once inside Leo went straight for the window piece, larger than it looked form the view outside, about six feet by four feet tall, the tracks rose and dipped, leading to twists and curls taking it down to the next level below. The ball was the diameter of a quarter. Leo had only seen coasters with much smaller ball bearings, nothing the size of this hefty sphere. It even had a trigger operated lift to bring the ball back to the top using a small electric motor. He wanted it! His eyes grew larger as he saw $5,500 written on the price tag. Leo thought about the bills he had to pay and realized this coaster would set him back too much.
His focus moved away from the window piece and the whole shop came into view along with the sounds, clicking, tick and tock. The store had all the sounds of a clock shop, but the sights were of glimmering, shiny metal-motioned art. He took it all in, carousels with bearings popped and hopped as the piece turned in continuous motion. A Ferris wheel held several bearings at a time in each of its carriages, in groups the others disappearing in the mechanism and coming back out into the carts.
He saw perpetual motion contraptions of every kind, ranging from the regular balls on strings clacking back and forth to many others with metal spindles sliding back and forth with each balance shift. Leo saw one sitting still, he pulled back the outside ball and released it; it clacked behind him as he continued.
He even saw a clock section; the mechanisms already making them fit into this shop their pendulums keeping time. Some of these wood giants were magnificent grandfather clocks that sat on the floor the rest being wall clocks that hung neatly beside them.
A large clock on the wall caught his eye. Shaped like a banjo, the rounded top had the face and an intricate ball bearing system that astonished him with its complexity. Bearings rolled back and forth on a track underneath the glass case. At the top of each hour, a stream of balls spewed out a hole in the center of the face, falling and striking the metal cords hidden below, chiming pleasantly.
Leo could only imagine the gear work necessary to accomplish this. I gotta have this! He reached for the price tag. $525. Considering the purchase, he scratched his neatly trimmed blond goatee. He wanted to ask a store clerk about its artisan and pricing but had yet to see any employees inside. He would contemplate buying that timepiece also. He saw a ball sculpture that was perfect, three feet by three feet with a dime sized ball.
He glanced at the clock. It’s getting late, 11:15. In his haste, he decided to get both the clock and the three-foot-size coaster. As he approached the counter, he saw a young woman greeting him with a smile.
“Wow you have such an amazing store here. Who makes all this stuff?”
“That would be my dad. It started as a hobby between his full-time job. Now this is all he does. Well almost, anyhow.”
“Awesome. A hobby career. Doesn’t get any better than that. I may want more at some point; can I get a business card?”
“Sure can. His stuff ships all over the world, so you won’t hurt our feelings if you order online next time.”
The woman handed him their business card, it had their web address and stated they even had mechanical creatures and soldiers that crawl and walk when wound. He smiled back at the counter girl and grabbed his awkward sized purchases. She had boxed them to protect them from being damaged. Leo loaded the boxes, taking up all its cargo space. He could not believe he spent $1,150 within minutes.
“Flash Match better pay off,” he muttered as he shut the trunk’s lid.
He looked up at the shops sign before getting in his car. My father sure would have liked to meet this Marty Of Metal Mayhem. His dad always appreciated a precise craft, no matter the application.
Leo wondered what the man’s background was. Marty’s inventions did not just feel like art, they were so precise they were flawless. An almost unreal perfection like this rarely came along.
Chapter 7
The open road called to Leo but not before he satisfied his stomach with a nice lunch. He found a café just after crossing the Pennsylvania state line. It was a small place with a large porch that wrapped around two sides of the building.
Finding a table, he sat back and enjoyed the view of the countryside. He ordered smoked turkey on sourdough with mayo, lettuce, and the local extra sharp cheddar, which he could not resist that was made just down the road. He also ordered a cream soda in a bottle and sipped the ice-cold drink before deciding to call ahead about his textbook to verify the location and hours for his pickup.
A young woman answered. “Good day, this is Evelyn speaking.”
As Leo stated his business and details of the book, she cut him off and said, “Sir, I think you misunderstood. The item you are speaking of is available, and we’re here, anytime. However, this is a private purchase and you are calling Mr. Sullivan’s residence. The book just arrived last month into his collection. We can discuss the purchase further when you arrive.”
Leo was confused by these details but said he would be there in about an hour. “Will Mr. Sullivan greet me, or will you be there?”
“No, sir,” she replied. “Mr. Sullivan is out on business, I will take care of you. Your first name is Leonard, correct?”
Leo laughed, “Yes I haven’t been called that for years, but that is correct.”
“Okay great, see you soon. I hope you are not afraid of the dark.”
Click went the line. Leo sat there wondering about her last comment, thinking Mrs. Sullivan must start her drinking early. He chuckled to himself as he devoured his delicious sandwich. He was very hungry, and his ample sandwich was quickly gone.
Heading back to his car, the breeze chilled his skin as he fished his keys from his pocket. He unlocked his car and watched in the distance, the blur of the coming rain and the lightening flashing frequently.
Large drops of rain splattered the windshield as Leo accelerated on the road that paralleled forested hills. He quickly roll
ed up his windows, as the onslaught of rain hit his windshield and roof with a constant barrage of noise. Leo set his wipers on medium and sat up, so he was more alert, his attention on the road.
As he passed barren countryside and towns, water flowed in the gutters and streams, swelling with the increased water. People were nowhere to be found. Even the cows were finding shelter by nearby trees. As barren as it is, it had a beautiful mystique, as if he were the only one on this stretch of road.
Now in Amish country, Leo crossed over several bridges, with billowing streams running underneath them; some of them were beginning to overflow their banks. He was nearly to his destination, only a few more miles.
The rain was still constant and as he crossed over another stream he could see his destination down below set in a valley of dense forest so thick it looked black from afar. He spotted two large beige turrets barely visible above the tree line.
At the tip of each turret rose a flag, not of country or state, but a crest he could not quite make out. The home was at least five miles from the main road, down a narrow dirt road. The only thing Leo saw for miles had been Amish farmlands.
Rain was falling hard and heavy now, with thunder booming and lightening cracking. He turned onto the dirt road, his wipers on high battling to clear away the horizontal rain.
The wind whistled around his car and he flipped on the defroster to try to get rid of the fogged windshield impairing his view. The Vette’s tires sank into the wet dirt, leaving ruts behind so he tried to keep moving to avoid getting stuck. He plowed through, making his way toward the tree line, slowing before entering the umbrella of the pines and maples mixed with a few birch.
Dawn of Tomorrow Page 2
