~~~~
“So, it’s safe?” Albert inquired as
he observed Joseph’s creation. It was a somewhat elaborate mechanism. A series
of pulleys powered by a hand crank that brought a set of wooden platforms up
and down. It stretched all the way down to the lake below.
“I wouldn’t say that, but as long as
we’re careful, nothing terrible should happen,” Joseph explained. “I did the
best I could with what we had.”
“I understand,” Albert sighed, “at
least freshwater and wood will be easier to acquire.”
“What too good for sewer water now?”
Joseph joked with his friend.
“Save your jests for later, Joseph,”
Albert rolled his eyes. “This development has come just in time, we need to
make some expansions.” The young man gestured to a rickety wooden structure
that was their home.
“Well, I guess the western side of
the arch could use a couple more bridges and platforms,” Joseph nodded.
~--~
“Have you ever considered naming
this place?” Gordon asked Albert. The two men had aged considerably fast, the
poor conditions catching up to them. Gordon had gone completely bald; his
beard, however, grew more wild and unkempt. Albert had kept a healthy body, but
his face had wrinkled slightly, and his hairline had receded.
“I never thought of such a thing,”
Albert dismissed the question. “This place was only meant as an extension to
our living space in the sewers and nothing more. However,” the man observed his
massive project. It had grown to the size of a large village, if not a small
town. Rows and columns of wooden platforms, bridges, and shanty homes lined the
giant stone arch they were built around. Yet, the whole structure was still
filled from top to bottom with activity. “It has proliferated so much, you
might have a point.”
“I only noticed it recently, but
have you been back in the sewer lately?” Gordon inquired.
“No, I’ve had no time,” Albert shook
his head, “the construction of Joseph’s third elevator consumed my whole week.”
“It’s practically empty in there,”
Gordon revealed, “only a few older folk and a handful of recluses. The new
arrivals skip the sewers and come right here.”
“It’s all happened so fast,” Albert
realized the extent of his work, “is this how villages are created?”
“I’d say we’re a unique case, but
yes, that seems an apt comparison,” Gordon agreed.
“Then our little shanty deserves a
name after all,” Albert smiled. “How about Edgetown? Or Arch Village?”
“I’m not sure,” Gordon scratched at
his beard, “maybe we should ask Joseph, he probably already has a name.”
“That’s a good point,” Albert
laughed as he looked up to the sky. The clouds swirled and danced above, and
his heart sank a little.
~--~
“It had all grown so fast,” Albert
panicked, “I knew we had to prepare for this eventuality, but I didn’t know
how.” Heavy rain poured in from above, soaking the wooden village. Thankfully,
most of their shantytown was covered under the arch; however, as the wind
picked up, the rain flew horizontally. A storm had come, and it was only the
beginning.
“I reinforced the supports, but I
have no idea how much they can take,” Joseph explained, “all we can do is wait
and hope.”
“Everyone is back inside the sewers
Albert, there’s no more we can do,” Gordon grabbed his friend’s shoulder.
“If something goes wrong, someone
needs to be there to correct it,” Albert declared. “You two go back inside,
I’ll keep watch.”
“You shouldn’t, there’s no telling
how flooded the sewers might get,” Joseph argued. “The outflow pipes could
overflow and blow you and the village away.”
“That’s a risk I’ll have to take,”
Albert countered, “now go.” Joseph moved to argue again, but Gordon stopped
him. The older man shook his head, and Joseph reluctantly accepted the
situation. The two left Albert to guard his project, fingers crossed they’d see
him again in the morning.
~--~
The winds raced, the water stung,
the thunder roared, and lightning struck, yet Albert stayed at his post. The
village shuddered, the outflow pipes threatened to overflow at any moment, yet
Albert did not budge. The heavens cried out, the storm grew wilder, yet Albert
did not lose hope.
The man was not young anymore, nor was he old;
in a short time, he knew his body would weaken, and age would cripple him.
Which is why he did the work now when he still could. As long as his body did
not fail him, Albert would stay at his post.
For a brief moment, the winds let up, the eye
of the storm was above him. He closed his eyes and waited, breathing in a sigh
of relief. Albert steeled himself for the next wave of weather, ready for
whatever nature may bring. His eyes scanned the shantytown before him, still
held together ever so slightly. The corner of his vision noticed a support
sliding out of place.
‘If the winds hit that support at
the right angle,’ Albert realized, ‘it could tumble over and take out a good
chunk of the village.’ His senses told him danger was incoming, it would only
be so long before the storm would resume. With no time to think and little time
to act, Albert ran for the support.
~--~
“Do you think he’s still alive?”
Joseph asked Gordon as the two were the first to come and check on Albert. The
storm had passed, the sewer had flooded, but they had avoided the worst of it
seemed.
“Only if he did nothing foolish,”
Gordon answered as they exited the outflow pipe that faced the village. By some
miracle, the shantytown was still intact, some structures had tumbled over, and
some bridges had fallen. However, the majority of the structure and its main
supports stood tall and mighty. Yet, Albert was nowhere to be seen.
“Heavens above, don’t tell me,”
Joseph panicked as he searched for his friend.
“Look with your eyes,” Gordon
exclaimed and point out below. Joseph’s eyes followed Gordon’s finger to find
Albert alive and well. The man was drenched to the bone, his clothes torn, and
his face exhausted. He sat beneath one of the village’s main supports, holding
it in place with his bare hands.
“There you two are, I was wondering
when you’d show,” Albert joked. “I’m quite tired, could one of you come down
and sure up this support so I may sit down for a moment?”
“I guess I was wrong, not even being
foolish will stop him,” Gordon laughed as the two friends climbed down to help
Albert.
~~~~
Things are looking up for a change, that can't be good.Jokes aside I hope you've enjoyed this story so far, the last part will be out next Tuesday.
Until next time, Read, Comment and Enjoy
~~~~
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