by Jason Letts
“What is it? What’s got you going on like this?” Jeana asked, glad to see her daughter so excited.
“That shock, that’s my defense! I can give myself an electrical charge just like I did on your carpet and it’ll shock people when they try to touch me. I just need a few things to give myself a charge like that. If I have two insulating materials and a way to rub them against each other so they give off a charge, I’ll be set. I’ll need to find a way to attach it to myself with a power source, but I think I can manage that too.
“All I need to make a piece of copper wire spin around in a circle is a battery and a neodymium magnet. It’s called a homopolar motor. If the magnet is circular and hollow and I extend the positive end of the battery to a piece of conducting metal of the same shape and size then I could fit it around my arm!
“I mean, it’s a little more complicated than that. But basically I’ll wrap the wire in cloth and my arm in another material, have something underneath it all to protect me in case it gets too hot, encasing it all in something so nothing can disturb the rotating wire from the outside. Oh! It’d be great if I built an on/off switch into it too. This would be so simple and so perfect!”
Digging through the drawers in the basement, she pulled out some wire and her batteries. She found some magnets too, immediately grumbling that they were too small and would not work at all. She found some materials for the interior and exterior casing and dumped them onto the table.
“I just need some materials for generating the charge,” she said, turning to her mother. “You know what would work great? A piece of that carpet. If I could cut just a little piece, you’d never know it was missing. Please, please, please!”
Jeana had an amused look on her face.
“That’s crazy talk. You’ve lost your mind if you think I’m going to let you cut up my new carpet! You’d better find something else.”
“Alright, alright,” Mira caved without a fight. “But where can I find a big neodymium magnet? And it’d be great if I could get my hands on some zinc too so my batteries would be stronger. Do you know where I could get this stuff?”
“I have no idea. The only place to go when you want something you can’t get is the Darmen Exchange at the outpost. You’ll be luckier than I ever was if they have any of the weird stuff you’re looking for. Darmen is the biggest city though so it’d be somebody there if anybody has it.”
Reminding Mira not to neglect essentials like food or sleep, Jeana left her to her mechanical endeavors. For her part, Mira began making more plans, but this time she felt confident her idea would pan out. She bit her lip though when she realized it would all be for nothing if she couldn’t get her hands on the right parts. She planned to try her luck in Corey Outpost the very next day.
***
Time dragged suspiciously slow during her lessons, and Mira knew it would be a long afternoon as Fortst worked his way into another tall tale. It didn’t help that the other students also appeared bored and chilled too. His story competed with thoughts of warm fireplaces and hot soup at home, and he found himself in a battle for their attention that he was not willing to lose.
“After I’d been out there in the wild for a few years, I met a couple of like-minded guys and we formed a sort of band. We traveled the eastern wastes together, taking on adversaries that would be too much for any one of us and taking turns keeping watch while the others slept. You never know when something is going to take shape in the darkness arround you.
“I remember one night in particular we were all sitting around a campfire, telling stories and comparing wounds, when we heard the sound of feet scuffing against the rocks and sand in the distance. Coordinating ourselves around the area, we suspected a toothy beast with horns and hair ambled its way to a hidden lair with prey. Waiting for it to turn the corner, I gripped my weapon tight and prepared myself to deliver a mortal blow.
“Whirling out from behind a rocky crevasse, I swung intently, confident that if things got out of hand my friends would intervene. But through the darkness my eyes barely made out the shape of a cloaked figure. I had a split second to decide if he too warranted a devastating blow or if he should be spared. I checked my swing, and it’s a good thing too because the information he carried proved more valuable than we ever could have suspected.
“We ushered him back to our camp, still wary and ready for action at a moment’s notice if he decided to turn on us. Removing his hood, he made a ghastly sight. Burns covered the skin on his face, and he looked thin, close to death. Still, his eyes showed some wisdom and even a little hope. We told him to tell us why he wandered the wastes, and he had a story of his own to tell.
“The old man spoke with an impediment, but we understood that he searched for the ruins of an ancient civilization, a kingdom that united all the peoples of the world. A king with a power of such magnitude that its extent was unknowable ruled this kingdom. His name was Hakotin, and legend has it that his body was sewn together with the threads of the holy web. He was the first being and all powers were contained within him. Rather than consciously manipulating his countless abilities, the spirit of the universe acted through him as was necessary. He created other beings, transferring a shard of his power with each new life. He populated the world even though it decimated his strength.
“He kept all life in peace and harmony with the one, last power that he retained for himself. But it was the will of the universe that Hakotin should die. Knowing his soul would soon separate from his body, Hakotin collected his last power in a diamond carafe that had both a beauty and a perfection that seemed beyond this world. A moment later the force of his life extinguished and that last power was lost to the universe.
“Rather than seeing that power live on in a new host, selfishness, greed, and fear overwhelmed all those who had never felt them before. Without a successor in place, the kingdom collapsed and was buried beneath the rubble of destructive wars. The population declined and all those powers returned to the great web until they could be reborn. The weakened remnants of humanity eventually forgot why they fought and settled into tiny kinships.”
“Did you ever find the diamond carafe?” Mira asked.
“No, you’re skipping way ahead! The old man said he came from a village in the east that had passed down the legend and the whereabouts of Hakotin through the generations. But a severe drought had long ago threatened the existence of the village, and this old man had set out in the hopes that this ancient relic would save them all.
“Though he had little strength, he was the only one who could possibly find something that hadn’t been seen or heard of in centuries. Touching the preserved bones of the founder of their tribe, he gained the knowledge of all of that man’s steps. Setting out to retrace those steps, zigzagging through the desert, and walking in circles, he waited for the invisible path to lead him to salvation.
“My friends and I listened to this story with an increasing amount of wonder and anticipation. Too much of it fit in with what we already believed, and the thought of such a fabulous and potent treasure mesmerized us. We shared our small stock of food with the man and let him rest, immediately sensing that his health would make or break our mission. Without him this story was nothing but a fantasy in a dream, but with him we could find the truth in it.
“Though the old codger protested our joining him, we made it clear he didn’t have a choice. We told him he needed protecting, and we would help him fulfill his quest of rescuing his village. Making tracks at the first light of dawn, our strange but driven new companion led us on a journey that became the focus of our lives and brought us to the solemn center of humanity.”
Fortst then looked over his shoulder and touched the scars that stretched from his cheek down to his neck. It seemed the reverie had overtaken his mind fully, but then just as quickly he snapped back to the present and tried to laugh it all off.
“Good story, huh? Well, that’s the end of it. I guess next time I’ll be telling you about the time I
got struck by lightning and accidentally burned down an apple orchard.”
But a sudden outcry erupted from the students.
“That can’t be the end of the story!” they shouted, giving way to calls and questions from around the room. “What happened to the old man?” “Did you ever find the diamond carafe?” “What did your imaginary friend think about this?”
Dismay shot the face of Mr. Fortst, who seldom looked so pained and vulnerable.
“I can’t…I just can’t tell you anymore. I should have never started. It’s not for your young ears.”
But the calls kept coming and Fortst’s gaze darted back and forth.
“Oh, look! What a shame. Our time is up for today. You’d better all get going, because who would ever want to stay late at school, right? Certainly not me!” And with that he broke for the door, brushing past the students still in their seats. A few wondered aloud whether he would come back the next day. Though another conversation had begun about the validity of his latest yarn, Mira did not stay to take part in it. As much as the story intrigued her, she had something important to do.
***
Slipping out the door before any of the other students, she briskly trotted down the path and over to the outpost, intent on getting her hands on a neodymium magnet and the other materials she needed.
Corey Outpost seemed busier than usual. Mira took that as a good sign. Perhaps someone would have what she wanted. Taking the advice of her mother, she headed straight for the Darmen Exchange.
Inside, she realized the office was the front for a trade caravan that traveled back and forth along a specific route. A large map on the wall, not too different from the one in her schoolhouse, showed that Corey Outpost lay somewhere between Darmen to the north and a few coastal locations farther to the south. She calculated that this was the reason they had tropical fruit in the market that couldn’t grow in this climate. A few visitors haggled with a large, tan man behind the counter.
She listened in on their transaction. Regardless of who got a bargain the price seemed colossal. It made her aware that she had almost no money to speak of. The pocket change her mother gave her might not be enough if she saved for her entire life. But before she could formulate a solution, the tan man hollered at her and she realized that he waited impatiently for her to present her business.
“Hi,” she said, stepping forward. “I’m hoping you can help me with something. I need to get my hands on a neodymium magnet and some thin zinc plates. Are those things you can come by?”
“Possibly,” the man said, scratching his head. “How badly do you need them?”
“I need them really badly,” Mira replied with as much emphasis as possible. “I can’t tell you how important they are to what I’m doing. Everything would be ruined without them.”
“Is that so?” the man said, staring down at the little girl before him. “I’ve heard about magnets, but never the one you’re talking about. Do you have one I can see?”
Mira pulled a little silver disc from her pocket and showed it to the man. He took it, looked at it closely, and attached it to a pair of metal scissors he had handy on the counter.
“What’s the difference between this and a regular magnet?” he asked.
“This kind always retains its charge and gives off the strongest magnetic force. I need a bigger one though, one that is wider than my fist,” she said.
“I don’t think getting the zinc would be a problem, but I can’t make any promises about that magnet. It could be difficult and maybe even dangerous,” he said with concern. He then went on to quote a price so high that it made Mira lightheaded. She had never heard of that much money before.
“Is that a joke?” she asked, half serious and half indignant.
“I think that’s a fair price for what you’re asking for. We’ll have to search for it, do research, and bring it back to you.”
“How could I ever have that much money? I’m only fifteen years old!”
“I think if you need it badly enough you’ll be able to come up with it. Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to do something…creative to get the money,” he said, clearing his throat.
“I don’t think I can. I’ll come back later if I change my mind,” she said. She could no longer hold back her disgust so she stuck out her tongue as soon as she turned around. Anxious to leave, she went for the door.
“Do you know what your mistake was?” a thick and heavy voice said, startling Mira as she exited the Darmen Exchange office. Her head jerked and she jumped back when she realized the man stood just inches away from her by the door. He wore metal plating, armor apparently, that built him up and made him look intimidating. Despite his serious and intense look, Mira sensed that she didn’t need to be afraid. While she took a breath and returned to her senses, the man repeated himself.
“Not being born into a rich family?” she said, grumbling about the trader’s unfair prices.
“You let him know how badly you wanted it. Now you’ll never get anything from him without paying a king’s ransom. But you shouldn’t feel totally defeated yet. I can still help you.”
Mira eyed him warily.
“If you know how badly I need it too then how’s it going to be different?” she asked.
“I certainly couldn’t charge you as much as he did or you would walk away from me as well. And if I try to charge more than you have, then I’m certainly not going to get that either.”
“I don’t have very much,” Mira admitted.
“Maybe it’s a good thing then money isn’t the only thing I’m interested in.” The metal plates clinked as his hands moved along with his speech.
“What is it that you want?” she asked.
“Depends, what do you have that you can give me?” Mira met his glance with her own narrow and focused eyes. She brought an unflinching attention to this negotiation.
“Who are you and what do you do?”
“Call me Yannick. I can find like things and so I work at locating and retrieving things for people. Sometimes those things can be found and acquired for free but sometimes they cannot. I live in a tent outside of town on the way to Darmen. There is a stream, but the water is very dirty and I can’t drink from it, so I carry my water from here.”
It didn’t take Mira long to find a solution to his problem.
“Oh! What you need is a filter. I can make one of those. Then you’ll be able to drink the water from your stream and you won’t need to carry water all the way back to your…tent.”
“Yes,” he said, nodding thoughtfully. “I can see the value in that. Ok, explain to me what you want.” Mira told him about the neodymium magnet. She put the one she had in his hand and told him she needed a much bigger one. As soon as he touched it, he turned his head to the side like he was listening for something in the distance. He began nodding his head again and turned his attention back to Mira.
Mira also told him about the zinc, and Yannick showed her some he had on his arm. Seeing it right in front of her, she wanted to snatch it up as if it were on the shelf at a store. The thin plate would be perfect and she could cut it into tiny discs and make a battery or two out of it.
“You’re doing it again, with your eyes, letting me know how badly you want something. You’ve got to control yourself. For your water filter, I’ll find what you’re looking for and give you the zinc plate. Do we have a deal?” He extended his hand.
“Give me this and this plate too to make the filter with,” she said, pointing to steel plates on his body. He nodded and they shook hands.
“How will I know when you’re back?” Mira asked. Yannick looked her up and down, frowning at her clothes. He looked up above her eye line and then his hand shot out at her, grabbing a single strand of hair and ripping it from her head. He looked at it in his hands and then looked back up to Mira.
“You could have warned me first,” she grumbled. Understanding that he would find her upon his return, Mira took her plates, which were not light, an
d she left to go home. She couldn’t wait to fashion the zinc plate into a battery, charge it up, and see what kind of devices she could power. She felt less enthusiastic about the steel plates and the chore of making a filter for her new supplier.
Still, it dawned on her that she had made this trade entirely by herself. She wouldn’t have to ask her parents for any money, and she would be able to earn what she wanted by her very own hands. Satisfaction bloomed inside of her because of it, and she thought making the filter wouldn’t be so bad after all.
She went down into the basement as soon as she got home and got right to work.
***
Ogden Fortst surveyed the unruly and rambunctious class that sat before him. The students seemed to him so much more intimidating and loud on this day, he thought. He tried to rally himself and stare down at them, but he couldn’t match their intensity and fervor.
“Silence! Silence all of you!” he shouted. “Let’s practice our mathematics. Can anyone tell me what seven times seven is?”
“No! We don’t want to do that!” a voice rose above the general outcry of revulsion.
“Come on now. This is important. You never know when you’re going to be bored and want to do some multiplying.”
“No!” the students shouted in a chorus. They went back to chattering with each other, and Fortst felt like he had lost all control.
“Ok! I just had an idea. Let’s play that game you like. The one where you put your heads down and try to guess who tags you.”
“No!” The students cried again. “That’s not what we want to do either. You know what we want!”
A sudden fearful chill took root in Fortst’s heart. It paralyzed his limbs and forced him to start breathing deeply. He looked away, shamefully, and felt himself sink further inside his skin. The students called to him, forcefully, aggressively, and unendingly.
