tightening the whole assembly.
“That should do it.” Charles lifted the mechanical hand as Jacob released the tensioner. The hand curled into a fist as it slid off the tool. Charles stared at the hand and slowly raised his eyes to Jacob. “It’s a magnificent design. Simple but effective. Did you sketch it out?”
Jacob shook his head.
“All in your mind?”
“It just made sense. It works like a real hand. Mostly.”
“How do you open it?” Charles asked.
Jacob was pretty sure Charles could tell and was just humoring him. “Turn the big knob.
Charles lowered a lens on his glasses and turned the hand over. He twisted the brass knob on the back of the wrist, and Jacob watched the line of gears mesh and twist, easily opening the hand. “Magnificent.”
Jacob sat up a little straighter, unable to stop himself from smiling.
“If you put a glove over this, one would scarcely know it was mechanical.”
It sounded like Charles was talking about hiding the hand. Jacob wasn’t sure why at first, but then he asked, “Do you think people will make fun of him for it?”
Charles nodded. “Not for this hand, mind you, but just for being different. It’s the way of the world.”
Jacob thought back to all the horrible things his classmates had said to him when his dad first got sick and couldn’t join them for Cork on family day. His dad had just started having trouble breathing. People could be mean, and some of the kids he knew were the worst. Jacob’s hand clenched into a fist until he remembered something else Charles had said.
I have no use for cruelty.
He watched Charles for a moment while the old man poked and prodded at the bindings on the glove and checked each gear in the mechanism. Charles eventually smiled and looked up.
“Couldn’t have done it better myself.”
“Really?” Jacob asked.
“Well, except for the thumb spring, but you already fixed that.”
Jacob smiled and took the hand from Charles. “You don’t think it’s silly?”
Charles shook his head. “No, my boy, I think it’s a gift. Now, I’ll tell you, when you first give it to the injured child, he may not know how to react. Don’t think that’s a judgment on you or your work. It’s going to take time for him to understand his injury. It always does.”
“You’ve known people like him?”
“Yes, I knew many soldiers in the war. A lot of them died, but some survived without legs to carry them or arms to hug their families.”
“Did you ever build them new arms?”
Charles nodded. “In some ways, yes. I never thought to make such a simple design though, Jacob. I built powered limbs with Burners and actuators. They were far more complex, and a great deal of work to maintain. I suppose I felt a need to show off when I was younger.”
“Now you just build steambikes,” Jacob said.
Charles narrowed his eyes and laughed before he slapped Jacob on the shoulder. “That I do. That I do.” He dug through the other saddlebag and pulled out a black glove. “Here, see if this will fit over that hand.”
Jacob held the arm up while Charles pulled the fingers down snugly over the mechanism. Jacob set the hand on the workbench and they both stood back. Jacob couldn’t help but smile. It looked like a real gloved hand, aside from the knob that stuck out to adjust the tension.
Charles put his hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “You’ve done a good thing here. Pack it up and take it down to the hospital. Those people need some good news.”
* * *
Jacob tripped and cursed before Charles caught his arm. “Careful now. We don’t want to be in need of the hospital’s services by the time we get there.”
Jacob glanced back at the metal plate in the street he’d tripped on. A simple square seemed an odd shape for a sewer cover.
“You know what those holes in the street are for?” Charles asked.
“The sewers, you mean?” Jacob said. “Everybody knows that.”
“No,” Charles said. “I mean the holes
“That should do it.” Charles lifted the mechanical hand as Jacob released the tensioner. The hand curled into a fist as it slid off the tool. Charles stared at the hand and slowly raised his eyes to Jacob. “It’s a magnificent design. Simple but effective. Did you sketch it out?”
Jacob shook his head.
“All in your mind?”
“It just made sense. It works like a real hand. Mostly.”
“How do you open it?” Charles asked.
Jacob was pretty sure Charles could tell and was just humoring him. “Turn the big knob.
Charles lowered a lens on his glasses and turned the hand over. He twisted the brass knob on the back of the wrist, and Jacob watched the line of gears mesh and twist, easily opening the hand. “Magnificent.”
Jacob sat up a little straighter, unable to stop himself from smiling.
“If you put a glove over this, one would scarcely know it was mechanical.”
It sounded like Charles was talking about hiding the hand. Jacob wasn’t sure why at first, but then he asked, “Do you think people will make fun of him for it?”
Charles nodded. “Not for this hand, mind you, but just for being different. It’s the way of the world.”
Jacob thought back to all the horrible things his classmates had said to him when his dad first got sick and couldn’t join them for Cork on family day. His dad had just started having trouble breathing. People could be mean, and some of the kids he knew were the worst. Jacob’s hand clenched into a fist until he remembered something else Charles had said.
I have no use for cruelty.
He watched Charles for a moment while the old man poked and prodded at the bindings on the glove and checked each gear in the mechanism. Charles eventually smiled and looked up.
“Couldn’t have done it better myself.”
“Really?” Jacob asked.
“Well, except for the thumb spring, but you already fixed that.”
Jacob smiled and took the hand from Charles. “You don’t think it’s silly?”
Charles shook his head. “No, my boy, I think it’s a gift. Now, I’ll tell you, when you first give it to the injured child, he may not know how to react. Don’t think that’s a judgment on you or your work. It’s going to take time for him to understand his injury. It always does.”
“You’ve known people like him?”
“Yes, I knew many soldiers in the war. A lot of them died, but some survived without legs to carry them or arms to hug their families.”
“Did you ever build them new arms?”
Charles nodded. “In some ways, yes. I never thought to make such a simple design though, Jacob. I built powered limbs with Burners and actuators. They were far more complex, and a great deal of work to maintain. I suppose I felt a need to show off when I was younger.”
“Now you just build steambikes,” Jacob said.
Charles narrowed his eyes and laughed before he slapped Jacob on the shoulder. “That I do. That I do.” He dug through the other saddlebag and pulled out a black glove. “Here, see if this will fit over that hand.”
Jacob held the arm up while Charles pulled the fingers down snugly over the mechanism. Jacob set the hand on the workbench and they both stood back. Jacob couldn’t help but smile. It looked like a real gloved hand, aside from the knob that stuck out to adjust the tension.
Charles put his hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “You’ve done a good thing here. Pack it up and take it down to the hospital. Those people need some good news.”
* * *
Jacob tripped and cursed before Charles caught his arm. “Careful now. We don’t want to be in need of the hospital’s services by the time we get there.”
Jacob glanced back at the metal plate in the street he’d tripped on. A simple square seemed an odd shape for a sewer cover.
“You know what those holes in the street are for?” Charles asked.
“The sewers, you mean?” Jacob said. “Everybody knows that.”
“No,” Charles said. “I mean the holes
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