by her feet. It was difficult to peg the girl’s age. She had her hair
tied back and covered with a red bandana; her face was plain and young-looking with
no makeup.
“Can you hold something for me?”
Daniel shrugged. “Sure. I guess.”
He bent down and studied what she was doing. She immediately
went back to work, not bothering to introduce herself. Daniel found the
behavior odd and somehow intriguing.
“There’s not enough wire to twist together, so I need you to
hold it while I solder them.” She pointed to the two pieces of wire, one of
them sticking out of the base of the solar panel, the other coming from a
stripped wire that led to a small black box.
“Okay,” Daniel said. “I’m Daniel, by the way.”
“That’s awesome,” she said. “Just hold that one right there
so it overlaps with the bit of wire coming out of the red part.”
“What’re you fixing?” Daniel grabbed the one wire and held
it close to the small piece of wire coming out of the solar panel. Tracing the
severed cord leading away from the panel, he saw that it headed out toward a
row of landscaping lights scattered among the bushes and aimed back at the
house. He wondered why it would be urgent to get the mood lighting going in the
middle of the morning, right after a major storm.
“I’m not fixing anything,” the girl said. “I’m making something.” She held up a small wand-like device that had a butane cartridge
shoved in one end. The thing hissed, and smoke curled from the tip. With her
other hand, she held a coil of silver wire, one end of it straightened and
sticking out like an index finger from a fist. She dabbed the smoking tip of
the wand against the coil of wire and some of it melted and coated the end of
the device. She then bent close to the solar panel and touched the wand and the
wire to the connection Daniel was making. With a few deft touches—her hands
were much more still and confident than Daniel’s—the joint was made solid, a
bright touch of solder reflecting the morning light before it cooled and lost
its sheen.
“See if that’s gonna hold.”
Daniel tugged the wires, and they held fast.
“One more,” she said, pointing to another pair that had been
stripped back. Daniel was sad there was only one more to do.
“What exactly are you making?” he asked.
“A very weak power station. I think.” She smiled up at him
before leaning close and coating the wires with another neat connection. Daniel
waited for the solder to dull as before, then tested it.
“You’re good with that.”
“My dad’s into radios,” she said, as if that explained how
she had become proficient as well. She twisted a knob on the soldering iron and
set it on a stand propped up in the grass. She pulled out a roll of black
electrical tape and began covering the new connections with tight coils. “My
name’s Anna, by the way.” She smirked up at him. “I’m thinking of changing it.”
Daniel laughed. “Yeah, that’s not gonna be the most popular
of names for a while.” He rested back on his heels and watched her work.
“What’s your middle name?”
“Florence.”
She laughed, and Daniel joined in.
“That’s no good either,” he said.
“I know, right? That’s a name I’m keeping in the wings until
I’m seventy or something.”
“Definitely a name to grow into.”
She put the tape away and moved to the small black box.
After adjusting a knob on it, she flicked a switch and a dim red light glowed.
She pulled a multimeter from the toolbox and unwrapped the pair of red and
black wires from around it.
“What’s this gonna do?” Daniel asked. He couldn’t see the
solar panel running anything huge, like a fridge or a coffee maker.
“The panel puts out twelve volts for the lights,” the girl
said. “There’s a voltage regulator and a battery in that box mounted below—the
one with the wires.” She pointed with one of the leads from the multimeter to
the new connections they’d made.
tied back and covered with a red bandana; her face was plain and young-looking with
no makeup.
“Can you hold something for me?”
Daniel shrugged. “Sure. I guess.”
He bent down and studied what she was doing. She immediately
went back to work, not bothering to introduce herself. Daniel found the
behavior odd and somehow intriguing.
“There’s not enough wire to twist together, so I need you to
hold it while I solder them.” She pointed to the two pieces of wire, one of
them sticking out of the base of the solar panel, the other coming from a
stripped wire that led to a small black box.
“Okay,” Daniel said. “I’m Daniel, by the way.”
“That’s awesome,” she said. “Just hold that one right there
so it overlaps with the bit of wire coming out of the red part.”
“What’re you fixing?” Daniel grabbed the one wire and held
it close to the small piece of wire coming out of the solar panel. Tracing the
severed cord leading away from the panel, he saw that it headed out toward a
row of landscaping lights scattered among the bushes and aimed back at the
house. He wondered why it would be urgent to get the mood lighting going in the
middle of the morning, right after a major storm.
“I’m not fixing anything,” the girl said. “I’m making something.” She held up a small wand-like device that had a butane cartridge
shoved in one end. The thing hissed, and smoke curled from the tip. With her
other hand, she held a coil of silver wire, one end of it straightened and
sticking out like an index finger from a fist. She dabbed the smoking tip of
the wand against the coil of wire and some of it melted and coated the end of
the device. She then bent close to the solar panel and touched the wand and the
wire to the connection Daniel was making. With a few deft touches—her hands
were much more still and confident than Daniel’s—the joint was made solid, a
bright touch of solder reflecting the morning light before it cooled and lost
its sheen.
“See if that’s gonna hold.”
Daniel tugged the wires, and they held fast.
“One more,” she said, pointing to another pair that had been
stripped back. Daniel was sad there was only one more to do.
“What exactly are you making?” he asked.
“A very weak power station. I think.” She smiled up at him
before leaning close and coating the wires with another neat connection. Daniel
waited for the solder to dull as before, then tested it.
“You’re good with that.”
“My dad’s into radios,” she said, as if that explained how
she had become proficient as well. She twisted a knob on the soldering iron and
set it on a stand propped up in the grass. She pulled out a roll of black
electrical tape and began covering the new connections with tight coils. “My
name’s Anna, by the way.” She smirked up at him. “I’m thinking of changing it.”
Daniel laughed. “Yeah, that’s not gonna be the most popular
of names for a while.” He rested back on his heels and watched her work.
“What’s your middle name?”
“Florence.”
She laughed, and Daniel joined in.
“That’s no good either,” he said.
“I know, right? That’s a name I’m keeping in the wings until
I’m seventy or something.”
“Definitely a name to grow into.”
She put the tape away and moved to the small black box.
After adjusting a knob on it, she flicked a switch and a dim red light glowed.
She pulled a multimeter from the toolbox and unwrapped the pair of red and
black wires from around it.
“What’s this gonna do?” Daniel asked. He couldn’t see the
solar panel running anything huge, like a fridge or a coffee maker.
“The panel puts out twelve volts for the lights,” the girl
said. “There’s a voltage regulator and a battery in that box mounted below—the
one with the wires.” She pointed with one of the leads from the multimeter to
the new connections they’d made.
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