~~~~
Sanson never liked visiting the old
tinkerer’s workshop, but his boss always sent him over to pick up spare parts
and “tools.” It wouldn’t be so bad, the tinkerer himself was a nice old man if
a little creepy about his work. Which brought up the subject of the “tools” as
his boss liked to call them. They weren’t tools like a hammer or wrench, no
these were autonomous machines, robots.
Now robots were a rare sight in his
county, although not unheard of. The skill and education to craft them were
rare and expensive, buying them was equally so. Even the company Sanson worked
for could only rent them for a few days at a time. Thus the tinkerer who lived
just down the street was a godsend for his workplace, and they had a good
relationship as a result. Now, if the robots were like the usual boxy clunkers
that Sanson saw in other cities, he wouldn’t have a problem.
As Sanson entered the workshop, he
was immediately reminded why the old man disturbed him so. The tinkerer was in
the back, as usual, so the shop was being managed by his “daughter.” She was a
perfectly nice-looking girl, even if she appeared on the extremely young side.
Her dress was perfectly tailored, almost fit for a princess, and her blonde
hair was done up in extravagant curls. Most found her cute as a button or, at
the very least, an interesting curiosity. Sanson found her creepy, especially
as she stared at him with that painted on smile.
“Father, Mr. Sanson is here,” the girl
shouted to the back. “He’ll be with you in a moment,” she tilted her head to
the side, with a sudden jerky motion.
Sanson felt a shiver up his spine
while she watched him unblinking. Even from this distance, he could hear the
tick of her “heart.” He breathed a sigh of relief as the tinkerer emerged from
the back of the shop. The old man smiled at his presence while he patted his
daughter on the head.
“Ah, Mr. Sanson, you’ve arrived right
in time,” the tinkerer stated, “I just finished what your boss asked for.”
“That’s good,” Sanson nodded, trying
to avoid gazing at the girl, “do you want the money now?”
“There’s no need, consider this a
favor for your boss being such a loyal customer,” the tinkerer shook his head.
“I’ll bring her out right now,” the tinkerer ducked his head into the back
room, “my dear, it’s time to come out.”
On cue, another girl emerged from
the back. She wore a dress equally as fancy as the other, but her black hair
was done up in a fancy ponytail. She curtsied as she entered and looked up at
Sanson with the same unwavering gaze and an unbroken smile.
“Her name is Delilah, and she’ll be
more than perfect for your boss’s needs,” the tinkerer explained. “Now have her
back before dark young man, do you understand?”
“Yes sir,” Sanson nodded while
restraining his expression.
“Excellent,” the older man smiled,
“now then, Delilah, go with the nice young man.” As commanded, the young girl
walked up to Sanson and gripped his hand. Sanson immediately noted how cold her
touch was, but her grip was firm, just short of crushing. The tick of her
“heart” was uncomfortably loud this close, but Sanson knew he had to endure.
The two exited the workshop and began on the path back to his workplace.
“Let’s be over with this then,”
Sanson tried to hurry his pace. However, the girl’s grip only grew tighter; the
faster he attempted to go. Sansonlooked down at her and swore, he saw her smile
widen as her vice-grip grew stronger. Finally, Sanson slowed back down to a
more leisurely pace, and her hand loosened back to a firm hold. Sanson sighed,
he never liked visiting the old tinkerer’s workshop, and this was but one
reason why.
~~~~
It is very possible to become too invested in your work, to produce and create wonderful creations that offer a disturbing insight into your psyche.For reference, I was imaging a Victorian, steampunk-ish environment while writing this story, but it could really go anyway the imagination wants it to.
I'm looking for feedback on my stories, so if there was anything you liked or didn't like about this story comment below.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy
~~~~
Support me on Patreon: [link]
No comments:
Post a Comment