The Time Mechanic Read online

  The truth was he rarely thought of her now. She couldn’t have been the woman for him if he forgot her so easily. He’d shut out any troublesome thoughts that might interfere with the new plan he’d given himself and ignored any broken bits of wreckage scattering the edges of his life. He’d moved from the two-bedroom set of rooms she’d made him rent and settled into the humbler room he lived in now. He sold the excess furniture he’d kept from his parent’s estate and started saving, for what he didn’t know. Yet, he should’ve allowed himself the luxury of perspective by now. He’d lost a fiancé and his dignity, but that wasn’t all. He’d chosen a lonely road and felt fierce in his determination to cloak himself in solitude. In the end it hadn’t changed a thing and he might as well admit it. The far greater loss had been the companionship of his best friend.

  A pain speared his brain at the thought. He fumbled with the door handle, thinking he’d better get back to work.

  Today he’d arisen as the new Time Mechanic. He knew this fact as certain as gold was soft and valuable. But after seeing all these truths about his life so clearly in the past half hour: the truth about his own shallowness and weakness, and how he’d thrown away what mattered to keep nothing at all, the only thing he could do was wonder why he’d been chosen.

  Chapter Two - (In Which Jeremy Learns the Rules)

  Later that evening in the growing darkness of his little room he sat in his big chair and watched the shadows moving around outside his window— sat while waves of tiredness rode over him. His room was on the ground floor of an old manse a mile away from the outskirts of Tonturin. The manse was ancient and had been one of the original buildings constructed during the beginnings of the city. The large home was sparsely populated now— just an elderly couple who stuck to three grand rooms in decaying luxury and the scant servants who served them. His room had been at one time the sitting room plus bedsit given to the head housekeeper. Stuck in the bottom corner on the other side of the kitchen he was so far removed from the other side of the house he almost never saw any of them, and certainly never heard them.

  He had a squeaky pump sink, a few shelves amounting to a kitchen, a small but adequate fireplace with a hook and pulley to put the pot out over the fire, and the main part of the room for his bed, dresser, books, and other possessions. The bathing room was the one concession to being connected to the main house- it was down a dark hallway and was only frequented by him. Being in the back corner of the manse the trees came awfully close to his room. On nights like this one when all was so quiet and the night came down so soon, he often felt as if he were the only man left in the world.

  He should get up from the chair and head to bed. The next day was his one full day off during the week and his boss had encouraged him to get some good rest. His dying fire did nothing to alleviate the shadows creeping across his walls; in fact they seemed to dance more by the fireplace than anywhere else. His half-closed eyes registered the skittering movement of the trees.

  A strange feeling came over him. He began to think he couldn’t move; that he was stuck in this moment. He was becoming a statue really, now that he’d perceived earlier the mistakes he’d made in his life. His past was tangled behind him, his future had frozen without any movement, and his present was a fence line between that which he’d been before and the advent of becoming a Time Mechanic. He felt cold as his muscles hardened into stone. His fingers clutching the arms of the chair were the only leftover indication of his humanity.

  The shadows around his fireplace thickened and circled while he watched. A form lightened and took shape, human-like but vague like the characters one meets in dreams. A leg stepped over the shadow wall coating the floor and the rest of the dream creature followed, solidifying into a being. If only the face would become clear or hair would grow; even if he could tell if the creature were male or female. An arm extended from the shadowed form and the fingers curled up into a gesture. He arose without physically unbending. He was just on his feet as if the vision now included him.

  Jeremy’s room behind him disappeared. The walls and the trees, the very atmosphere changed. He wasn’t standing on the earth, the ground or the floor. Weather didn’t strike here. Sound and vision— indeed all of the senses were muted. Suddenly he was standing in a line of other statues; two men and two women, all independent, all pleasant looking but no more attractive than the best of average, and all about his age. He knew instantly who those others were— more knowledge placed in his brain— and not based on what they were wearing or any other obvious clues. They were the four previous Time Mechanics that had arisen before him. He found himself able to move and he paced down the line studying the other mechanics.

  They were reproduced in incredible detail. Texture of skin, blush on the cheek, or perfection of eyelash, even he was able to smell the dust of the road on them or the lingering perfume that one of the women had on. He stopped and stared into the woman’s eyes and faltered when her eyes blinked.

  “Please stay for tea since I have many questions,” a voice from somewhere said, but none of these statues had moving lips. He blinked and looked behind him and the statues disappeared. His eyes widened in further surprise when he saw his own weary room at the back of the manse transformed into a comfortable sitting room of the distant past. A woman of about thirty-years-old stood there, with a simple dress of cotton and wool and her hair in a bun. Her fireplace sent a crack and a spark and a teapot pushed over the flame sizzled. She had a narrow bed, a wardrobe with one of the doors open to reveal her clothes, and a wooden chair in the corner near a chamber pot.

  And yet this room had far more order and life than he’d ever dedicated to it. It was new, fresh with white paint and some flowers in a vase on the little set table. The food there next to the serviceable white teacups and saucers looked and smelled delicious. Soft buns oozing an off-white cream, mismatched strawberries sliced and bright reddish-pink, and crunchy toast moist with melted butter. Folded napkin, shiny silverware, and pride in her small domain- this woman had earned the right to be here and the title of housekeeper. She nodded and he stepped forward into the room yet back in time. He found that he couldn’t sit at her table; there was some sort of boundary there that he couldn’t cross. She took out the pins holding her bun in place. Her hair curled and he recognized her as being one of the Time Mechanics, in fact the first statue in the line. He watched as she made herself comfortable, untying her apron and hanging it in the wardrobe and removing her work shoes and replacing them with hand-knitted slippers.

  “But I don’t understand,” the woman went on, and he realized with a start that she had a guest although he hadn’t noticed the person before. In fact, try as he might, he couldn’t notice the person now, he just knew there was someone there that she was talking to.

  “What don’t you understand?” the disembodied voice of the guest said.

  “You’ve called me a Time Mechanic; such a strange term! And you’ve shown me so many places I’ve never seen! I won’t ask how it’s possible, for the fault must be with me!” She stopped and gave into a gasping giggle that he thought was very appealing. “I’ve often wondered if I weren’t begging for a little more sanity!”

  The guest protested but mildly, she made Jeremy smile too.

  “I guess my biggest question is this,” she went on, now pouring the piping hot tea into two cups.

  “What question then?” said the guest.

  “Why me?” she demanded, straightening with the tea pot in her hand. “My goodness there must be others far more qualified than I, head housekeeper though I am in this tiny manse in the woods.”

  The guest murmured again that she had many strengths and a bright and quick intelligence, in fact she was smarter than almost anyone in Tonturin.

  “Come now,” she protested. “I may be smart enough but so are others. I’ll have the truth, if you please, while you’re sitting on my chair in my abode!”

  “There are four rules you know, to being a Time Mechanic,” sai
d the guest.

  “Truly? And what are these rules?”

  “You’ve been chosen for your ability to abide by the number one rule.”

  “And what is that ability?”

  “Your ability to keep a secret.”

  “Ooh,” she gasped. “What a wonderful rule!”

  “For some people keeping a secret is nigh impossible.”

  She laughed brightly.

  “Oh, but, I’ve been trained. How else do you suppose I attained my position? A housekeeper must see, but never tell!”

  “True but you hide many other bits of knowledge, don’t you? You’re a mysterious woman, Time Mechanic,” the guest said.

  “Of course, I am,” she dimpled. “All women are mysterious, isn’t that so?”

  “Quite. To go on I’ll tell you about rule number two.”

  “Yes, do.”

  “No one can save time on their own. Others will arise to help you, and when they come and say they are compelled to stay by your side you must accept them.”

  “I foresee that rule to be less entertaining than the first,” she sighed.

  “Even with these companions you must keep some of our secrets,” the guest cautioned. “Keep them until your death.”

  “And how will I know which secrets those are over the ones I am allowed to confess?”

  “You will know. The third rule is very important. In all your adventures you must cherish human life. Even amongst villains you must try very hard not to kill unnecessarily. You must insist upon this rule to your companions as well.”

  “That one I accept. And the last rule?”

  “You’ve been given a new set of skills. Your body now understands how to do things it didn’t know before; how to brandish a weapon, for instance, or scale a cliff wall. You may know a new language or how to excel in tumbling. These skills will remain with you for the rest of your life— but you must never use them to further yourself by harming others. Do you understand and agree to these rules as they’ve been set forth?”

  “Just out of curiosity, what will happen if I don’t agree to the rules?”

  “A fair question. If you don’t agree you will cease to be the Time Mechanic. The skills you were given will disappear and you’ll wonder if I was the one who was insane.”

  She laughed again.

  “So, my choice is to agree to this impossible situation or beg for my sanity and find it?”

  The guest nodded.

  “Well how simple after all. Choosing to be a Time Mechanic is so much more interesting!”

  Jeremy started breathing hard as the scene illuminated before his eyes began to fade. Soon he was in his room but it had aged a few hundred years, indeed he could feel the weight from age the heavy old stone walls were carrying. He was still unable to move though, and in fact the shadowy form still stood amongst the shadows. He understood the correlation at once. The scene had been played out for him because he needed to realize something. The rules for Time Mechanics had not changed.

  “Rule one,” he said. “I must keep certain secrets until I die. Rule two,” he went on, his voice gaining volume, “I must accept any companion that arises who insists they must stay by my side. Rule three,” he went on, “we must try very hard not to kill anyone, even the villains responsible for threatening time. The last rule has to do with any skills I may’ve been given. I’m not to use these skills to benefit myself at the cost of others.”

  He saw the form more clearly than before. Almost there was a face, surrounded by a cloud of white hair. He took a deep breath and made his choice. If there was a huge threat against his city and the world about to be released, he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t try to do something to save them.

  “I agree to all of it,” he stated, his voice clear and certain. The form stilled and then bowed. The shadows circled and then dissipated. Stiff, his muscles began to unstick from his chair. His head ached and he was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. He decided he would sleep right there. Even before he completed the thought he caught himself snoring. He smiled to himself as he gave into slumber. He had to wonder if all Time Mechanics were begging for sanity.

  Chapter Three - (In Which Jeremy Learns to Appreciate his Former Solitude)

  He slept all night, right through the dawn and much of the morning. As far as he knew he slept without even moving once in his big chair. The sound of someone pounding on his door is what brought him out of it, and he awoke and tried to unstiffen his neck.

  “Ouch,” he grumbled. His door was pounded on again.

  “Hello, Jeremy!” yelled a voice. He frowned. He knew who that was.

  Pound, pound, pound.

  “Go away,” he muttered under his breath.

  “Jeremy, are you all right in there?” Mars sounded angry. With a huge sigh Jeremy got up, crossed the room and spoke through the closed door.

  “What do you want?” he demanded.

  “Stubborn dunce!” Mars bellowed.

  “Why are you here?”

  “Why am I here— do you think I know?”

  Jeremy yawned.

  “If you don’t know then go away,” he said. Seemed reasonable to him.

  “Blast it, Jeremy; open this door before I splinter it and then your head after it!”

  He pulled his door open and Mars, leaning forward mid-pound, almost fell into the room. The man righted himself and then glared at him while an awkward moment crawled by. Jeremy sighed again.

  “You may as well come in,” he said, “since you’re here.”

  He moved out of the way and Mars stepped into the room. Jeremy looked around its corners with him. The walls were uneven stone, patched here and there with a coat of dull gray paint. His belongings were all put away in cupboard or shelf, but no paintings adorned the walls except two; the large portrait of his grandparents, and the smaller oval-framed picture of his mother. On his kitchen shelves were three plates, two bowls, several glasses, a mug, some silverware, and a bag of nuts, a few apples and a half-eaten loaf of bread. His bed was made, unslept in. His new coat hung from his coatrack and his boots leaned against the wall by the door.

  “Have a seat,” he grunted, indicating the big chair which he’d just vacated. Mars crossed the room and sat in it. “You want some water?” Jeremy asked. “That’s about all I’ve got right now.”

  “No, thank you.”

  He sat on the edge of his bed and the two of them stared at each other, eye to eye like they hadn’t done in over a year. Mars spoke first.

  “Pretty rough this room of yours,” he said. “Nemeth should pay you better.”

  “He pays me fine. He’s a good boss. I keep this room so I can save my money.”

  “What are you saving for?”

  Jeremy opened his mouth in surprise, for all of a sudden he knew what he hoped for.

  “A journey I’m soon to take.”

  Mars raised an eyebrow.

  “A journey you say?”

  “Yes, a long one.”

  Mars grimaced and ran a hand through his thick hair.

  “Not such a good idea, Jeremy, if you’ll allow me to say so.”

  Jeremy snorted.

  “You can say so all you like as you head back to Tonturin.”

  “Wait a moment before you kick me out, will you?”

  “What then? Why are you here? And don’t tell me you don’t know.”

  “Well I don’t know. I can’t seem to help it. Couldn’t sleep, or relax, till I came to check on you. It’s a dratted annoyance.”

  A surprising realization occurred to Jeremy.

  “You mean you… felt compelled to come here?” he faltered. “To stay by my side?”

  “Don’t say it like that, I beg you,” Mars growled. “I’ve got better things to do I tell you!”

  “Then off you go and do them. I’ve got plans to make.”

  “Argh!” Mars roared. He leapt to his feet, grabbed his head, and then roared again in frustration. Jeremy rose and pointed
at the door, and Mars, with the most miserable face he’d ever seen him give, shook his head.

  “You do feel compelled to stay here, don’t you?”

  “Can’t seem to help myself,” Mars repeated. “Wherever it is you’re going I’m supposed to… well, blast it! I’m supposed to…”

  Jeremy couldn’t help but laugh. He felt the tension lift from his shoulders. All the Time Mechanics of the past had certain helpers. Had he forgotten the legends entirely?

  “You’ve been appointed,” he explained to Mars. “You’re the Guardian.”

  “The Guardian? Of what?”

  “Of our group- not just me, don’t worry.”

  “You mean on this journey of yours that you’re taking? What group? Who else is going?”

  “I’m not sure, but I think we should go find out. Come along.”

  Jeremy pulled on his boots and put on his coat. No breakfast but his stomach could just wait. He’d go to the bank in town and remove a large amount of his savings so they could begin to pack for their journey. He wasn’t quite certain yet exactly where they were going but he started planning the moment they left the back drive of the Manse and started walking down the road. The air was brisk with early autumn scents and his mind was as restless as the speeding sparrows that flitted by on their way to the tree tops. He had to settle his old belongings and think of supplies to purchase. His savings would cover it, except that buying too many horses might stretch his purse a bit. Yet it felt exciting to travel away from here no matter what danger and uncertainty might await them. How had he not gone to explore the rest of the world before? The other great cities of the country called to him as necessary destinations. He would see them all- if not in this particular mission, after that if he survived. Working in Nemeth’s shop had fulfilled him and kept him comfortable. But all that was about to change- he’d have to stop in and explain to his boss that he needed to quit his job as soon as possible. He rubbed his chin and pondered what excuse he could give as they walked.