Starbridge fumed and cursed and railed againstthe vagaries of youth and teh world in general, and finally sat down thae workbench in a blue funk. HE slowly came to realize that he was not angry at the boy for running off with Soelle; Heck, he wasn't even really angry at all - he just felt a bit cheated, since he hadn't gotten a chance to say goodbye.
He wished he couldhave ... "hello, what's this?" a jumble of gears, springs, and recondine accoutrements in the boxlike body of a dismantled carriage clock on a shelf above the bench caught his eye. it was accessible to one seated at the bench, so he simply reached out and grabbed it, set it down on the bench, and began looking through teh makeshift box's contents. "Oh, yeah, this old thing," he said, teh light of recognition shining in his eyes. "Lessee, that bit here, this bob...there, press this in place over 'ere..." Slowly a strange construct of machinery, some of it appearing to not be located in teh same plane of existence as the rest, troo shape before him. "yeah... wonder if the lad'kk remember this? he designed half of it, after all." Time passed, and soon Wilhelmina was knocking on the workshop's door, asking to be allowed to being his supper in on a tray.
He got up, let her in, and stood aside as she set the tray down on the bench. "thanks, Willi," he said. "You're a lifesaver."
"Not 'a problem Mister Starbridge, no' a problem at all -- Oo, what's this? You making a clock, sir?"
"In a manner of speakin' Willi." Starbridge gentky put his arm arond her shoulders and gently but firmly guided her to teh door. "Messin with time ansd space again, I'm afraid. Moxon's going to 'ear from me whether he likes it or not."
"Oh, sir, don't scold the boy, he loves that girl-"
"more'n life itself. Yeah, I know that feelin'. I took a bicarbonate and it got better." he looked atteh expression n Wilhelmina's face, and said, "Now, now, I'm just tryin' to be funny, Willi, you know that. It's just to tell Mox farewell and come back soon, you're missed, and suchlike. You write a not on that pad, there, and I'll put it in, too."
"Will you, sir? Really/" teh housekeeper said with tears in her eyes.
"O' course I will!
Oh, Mister Starbridge, you're such a kind soul!" Wilhelmina write out the note, with a spcial P.S. to Soelle that she'd better treat Moxon right or she'd hear from the Housekeeper.
"after Wilhelmina left, Starbridge wriote a not of his own and put it in the message carrier.
To Moxon Praetorius
From Israel Starbridge
Lad, I don't know why you'd think you couldn't tell me you were going, but I wish you and your little lady all the best. treat her right, I might not know her very well, but her parents and siblings love the girl dearly so I hear, and that says a lot in it's own way.
Us folks here will welcome you if you should decide to return. You and Soelle'll be welcome here if you want to stay either as guests or as employees. The road's long and you never know what you'll find, take it from an old traveller. Just take what comes and enjoy it and your youth as long as you can, it don't last forever. We both know I'll never quite grow up, but that doesn't mean I'm young anywhere but in my head. I think that's the best way to stay, anyhow.
take care, lad, and come back anbd see an old farmer sometime.
Your former employer and a friend forever,
Israel Starbridge
Starrbridge wiped a tear form his cheek and complete teh device by adding a pair of beautifully metal-feathered wings, with a wingspan more than adequate to carry the weight of the device. A short test, and he took it from the bench, out the door of the workshop and through the barn to the the place in teh back where the hatch into that weird other world resided. He opened said hatch, cradled the device against his chest as he descended the ladder into a meadow full of sunlight, the smell of long hay and rain, and margarineflies dancing amid the buttercups. he took out the device, wound it up, flipped a switch, turned a dial on the back, and set it down amid a clump of purple winecups where slightly-druink pixies leaned against flower stalks abd gazed up at him in slightly terrified fascination..there was a series of blinding rainbow flashes, and suddenly the device was airborne on it's flashing metal wings, flying off into teh aftenoon sun, becoming transparent as it did so. The poxies all pointed, laughed, and in general made a big to-do over the event.
...A while later, teh device materialized in a certain place, beside a certain ship on a certain ocean, and entered said ship through a certain open porthole...
