The shop with its walls displaying clocks, music boxes (with and without dancers), and other gearwork contraptions among its shelves, was quiet. An older man leaned against the frame of an open doorway into another room behind the shop. Customers could if they tried, glimpse into the interior if the door was open when they were present. Usually all that would be visible is a back wall, lined with shelves, except for a window at the top of the room. The wall opposite the tool and equipment laden shelves contained a workbench, behind which currently sat a dark-haired teen. Shelves and trays of small pieces requiring a magnifying lens to see stacked on either side of the middle of the workbench. The teen bent intently over the instrument in his hand. He checked its parts, ensuring everything was in its place and working. Satisfied, he handed it to the wiry man who had been watching him.
The man was older and more experienced, having just slightly more years on him to be the teen’s father. He looked impassively at the teen, then inspected the piece, first the front and the back. He opened the watch, closed it, then turned it over and opened the back to inspect its gears. He closed the back, took a cloth, opened the front again and began wiping it down. “Imbecile,” he finally said. “Always, always, always polish the piece when you’re done!”
He placed the watch carefully on a shelf, then strode to the teen and cuffed the back of his head. “How long have you been my apprentice?”
“Ten years, Sir.”
“Have you learned nothing? Are you so daft that you can’t remember a simple thing? No, I think you’re just too lazy! That, and you’re such a sloth!” He cuffed the teen again, managing to not strike the shelves. “Work efficiently! People want their items back quickly! You can’t sell product if you aren’t making it. You’ve got to move!” he bellowed.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Honestly I wonder sometimes if you’re doing things just to piss me off!” The older man cuffed the teen again. “For good measure!” He turned on his heel and left.
The teen massaged the back of his head. His eyes were slightly tired from the long hours of minuscule piecework, and now the back of his head hurt. “Ass,” he muttered and put away the tools on the workbench.
§
He had always been a bright child, and began his apprenticeship with watchmaker Claus Eberhardt when he was 5. After a few years of running errands and learning the parts and tools, eh was given a practice piece to assemble. There was plenty of room for improvement but Claus conceded that his apprentice had “surgeon’s hands” - one of two desirable features in the trade.
He was also quick to learn. An apprentice was expected to observe several times before the master would consider having them try something. Usually the first attempt would fail. Claus’s apprentice was ready to try something after seeing it once, or maybe twice; the fact that the first attempt usually failed was expected. After all, he was learning.
Oskar was fifteen when Claus gave him his first client to practice. The client was a retired doctor who brought what seemed like hundreds of trinkets. Each of them had some sort of mechanical function in need of attention. Oskar found that most of the pieces were in want of a cleaning and oil, while some needed a small amount of light maintenance.
Oskar worked fastidiously and as efficiently as he could. He finished the intricate pieces within a month. At the end, each piece looked and worked as it had when it was new. The metal bits which previously had a dull, darkened appearance now shone brightly with polish. Claus inspected the items as they were completed, saying nothing while Oskar labored. He inspected them all once more when Oskar finished, and rewarded him with the usual strike across the face for taking too long.
Nonetheless, the doctor was pleased when he collected his ornaments. He spoke briefly with Oskar while they waited for Claus. The old doctor examined them through spectacles placed at the end of his nose. “You worked on these?”
Oskar nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
“That’s some fine work. You’ll be on your own in no time.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
Claus returned shortly after carrying the last box of the tokens. He let the doctor examine them briefly. “Are they to your liking?”
“Yes, absolutely. I imagine it took some effort.”
Oskar watched as the doctor paid Claus handsomely. He worked on different tasks for the remaining hours that the shop was open. As Claus was closing shop, Oskar approached him. “Excuse me, Herr Eberhardt.”
Claus raised his eyebrows. “What is it?”
“I was wondering, Sir. Since I actually did the work on the pieces, if I could be paid something of the fee.”
“You think you’ve earned it?” Claus asked with a somewhat incredulous tone.
“I did give the effort and the customer was satisfied.”
“So? You’re my apprentice. You used my tools, my knowledge, my workshop to accomplish this. It is you who should pay me for the privilege of getting the knowledge and using my equipment.”
“Yes, an apprentice, I know. I’ve been an apprentice longer than any other. By now, you should have made me a journeyman and begun paying me.” Oskar glared.
“So is that it? You think you can take my skill, use my tools, and use my workshop, and just because you did a little work for someone, that you deserve to be called journeyman and get paid?”
“That’s how it’s supposed to work! I’ve done your mindless errands and watched you for years! Even most masters give some allowance to their apprentices.”
“Then they’re fools. Paying apprentices – bah.”
“Sir! I did the work!” Oskar shouted.
Claus stepped forward and struck Oskar on the side of the head. “Impetuous and greedy! A little bit of work entitles you to nothing! It is expected of you!”
“Those were over a hundred intricate pieces! You said yourself, you may have been challenged!”
Claus backhanded Oskar. “Mind your place!” he shouted. Then he thought for a moment, and seemed to calm. “Still, I suppose I did say it would have been a challenge. And there were a lot of pieces. Hm.”
Oskar watched as Claus pulled some coins from a pocket. He sorted gold and silver, and drew a few copper pieces out of his palm. “Here,” he dropped the copper pieces in Oskar’s hand.
Oskar stiffened himself and was silent.
Claus looked at Oskar and narrowed his eyes. “Show some gratitude, you greedy boy. That’s more than what you’re worth.”
Oskar managed a “Thank you” through his grit teeth.
§
Ballerina is a generous term, Oskar thought. He studied the model on the music box. A round sinuous gear rotated in the normally hidden area under the box. A cog attached to the end of a rod was set on the gear. When the gear turned the cog turned and drove the rod to rise and fall in a relatively smooth motion.
He examined the ballerina that was attached to the rod. Joints were installed at the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees to allow the dancer to rise and fall with the rod. Most models used simple eyelets to allow the movement. This one had used washers and a pin so the movement was in one direction, rather than rocking back and forth sideways and in circles as the model went through the motions. Still, Oskar felt the overall movement was somewhat clumsy.
Oskar rechecked his sketches, comparing them to the model. He understood that the small size limited materials and methods that could be used, and this prevented a more faithful replication of movement. Oskar calculated and extrapolated from his sketches to a design. He worked during his spare time to assemble a preliminary model that hid the gearworks inside of the figurine while still allowing a range of motion. Once the figurine had all of its function and a semblance of form, Oskar brought it to Claus.
Claus regarded the half meter tall model dispassionately. Standing at a half-meter in height, the form itself was nothing more than an enlarged wooden model used by artists, showing a general shape of a human. “So this is what you’ve been doing?
“Yes, Sir.”
Claus narrowed his eyes. “I trust you did not do this on my time?”
“No, Sir.”
“Good. What does it do?”
Oskar detached a key from the platform and wound it. After a few turns, he flipped a switch. The model started dancing. Claus watched as the model began with the standard rise and fall motion of the smaller models. Then the model extended the limbs of one side and brought them down. The action was repeated, then the model extended and lifted the limbs on the other side. The figurine put its arms into a circle and twirled, moving its legs as a normal dancer would.
Claus let the routine finish, then handled the model and moved the joints. “Free movement, and you’ve applied real limits I see. It was remarkably near true to life. Was that your goal?”
Oskar held himself to a smile and answered appreciatively. “Yes, Sir.”
“I admit that you largely accomplished that. The doll moved smoothly. I did notice that when the limbs were lowered, they dropped a bit and it wasn’t as elegant as the rest of the motion. It’s an obnoxious distraction you’ll want to fix.”
Oskar cringed slightly.
Claus set the model on the counter. “Still, it’s already much better than anything else. A bit of fine tuning shouldn’t be hard. Show me when you’ve fixed this.”
The weeks passed while Oskar researched and made adjustments. He brought it back before Claus, and demonstrated again. The model repeated its routine. Oskar waited with anticipating silence after the demonstration while Claus handled the figure.
“Hm.” Claus set the doll on the table again. “Good.”
“Thank you.”
Later, Oskar contacted another apprentice. He had some plans for the model.
When he showed Claus his project a month later, he brought a figure that was as lifelike as the wood material could allow. The figure had been painted a healthy, yet light skin color. A light blush was applied to the cheeks, and the lips painted a light pink. Blue eyes and a small blond wig completed the image. Oskar had also obtained clothes for the figure. He could tell that Claus was making an effort to remain impassive. Finally, he switched the doll on. He had added movements to the repertoire, some of which required moving limbs independently or standing on one leg. Oskar had designed the doll so the rod holding it was hidden and unobtrusive. The dancing figurine could jump and twirl just as a person could. When the dancer had run through its course, Oskar stopped it.
Claus was smiling. “Remarkable. Brilliant. I have never seen anything like this. You did well.”
“Thank you,” Oskar was relieved, and happy.
“Could you make more of these?”
“Yes, I could.”
“Good, good then. I’ll let that be your task now. Make about fifteen or twenty, sell as many as you can.”
§
Oskar spent a few weeks getting material. He made deals with other apprentices and smiths, running errands for them in exchange for material or a bit of labor if it was needed. He did this alongside his chores and errands for Claus. He was happy to not borrow anything.
He worked nearly nonstop, during his shop time and after. Nearly every day he was up until the early morning hours until he had made fifteen dancers. Satisfied with the efforts, Claus set two outside to display and instructed Oskar to hawk the product.
Oskar entered the shop at the end of the day. He held the cash box that contained the coin from his sales. Claus was tidying the display area, saw Oskar, and greeted him with an outstretched hand. He gripped the box firmly as Oskar placed it.
“How did you do?” Claus opened the box, not waiting for an answer, and looked inside to mentally tally.
“Not too badly, I suppose.”
Claus’s eyebrows raised slightly as he appreciated what he saw in the box. “I see.” He turned to his office, and Oskar followed him there. Claus emptied the box into a safe then set the box on top.
Oskar watched as Claus made some notes in the ledger. “Will you be making an entry in the ledger for my sales then?”
“For a while.”
“I’m sorry for being direct, but when will you give me the money from selling those items?”
“When you’ve earned it.” Claus glared.
Oskar was indignant. “What the bloody hell do you mean, when I’ve ‘earned’ it? I designed these pieces, created them, built them, in my time and with my effort!”
Claus had stood and approached while Oskar was speaking. He backhanded Oskar. “Mind your place! You miserable, ungrateful wretch! You used my shop, my tools, my equipment, and made improvements from my suggestion. The only reason you could make these is because I taught you. You should pay me for the time, effort, knowledge, space, and equipment!”
“I’ve run errands and worked for you for years!”
“Those were the lessons! Did you think they were free?”
Oskar fell silent.
“No, I should think not. Sell fifteen to twenty of those, at their current price, then we can see if that settles accounts.” Oskar started to leave when Claus added, “Also, I expect you’ll be as enthusiastic as you were earlier about selling your item. I should think you may be more so.”
Oskar glared at Claus as he stepped out of the office.
Oskar continued his efforts on the following day. Claus stopped him at the door when he stepped in at around noon. “How many have you moved, boy.”
“None yet,” Oskar grumbled.
“Then what do you think you’re doing? Get back outside!”
Oskar shoved his way through Claus and strode to the back. “I’m eating lunch.”
“You haven’t earned your lunch.”
“Oh shove it,” Oskar called over his back and soundly closed the door behind him. He took a few deep breaths and calmed himself, and started enjoying a quiet lunch.
Not ten minutes later, Claus burst in. Before Oskar could object, Claus led another man into the room. “He wants to talk to you about the automaton you made.”
Oskar’s expression had changed from annoyed to pleased as soon as he saw the other person. He wiped his hands, stood, and introduced himself. “How can I help?”
“My name’s Davis. I just have some questions.”
They went outside again, and Davis gestured to the model. “What, exactly, does this do?”
“It dances,” Oskar answered eagerly. “More than the simple clumsy circles made by the small models. It has more realistic movement. It performs actual ballet moves in a proper form. I dare say,” he added somewhat nervously, “it could be used as an instructional tool.”
“Hm.” Davis looked skeptical. Behind him, Claus raised an eyebrow. Davis spoke. “Show me.”
Oskar quickly took a model from the display and set it where it could be seen clearly, even by passers-by, and started it. Someone stopped and bought one while the display was running.
Davis watched the entire demonstration. “Is that all?”
Oskar looked at him incredulously. “What – what – just what do you mean, ‘is that all’? Are you insane? Do you know how much time and effort went into designing and making this?”
“I don’t. I might try to imagine, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that the end product is one that many people won’t buy. It’s a great toy for little girls, that’s all. Then they’ll grow up and the toy will break and fall by the wayside. Maybe a very few instructors will use it, and they’ll probably forget it anyway.”
Oskar wound his fists.
Davis continued. “I’m saying all this because I’m sure you want to actually sell something.”
Oskar relaxed slightly. “Go on.”
“Like I said, this appeals to a small portion of the population. If you can make this, though, you can make something else. Something with broader appeal. Something that appeals even to another part of the population. You get me?”
Oskar thought. “What should I do?”
Davis laughed. “Don’t ask for ideas, son. Look around. Explore.” He paused. “I will say: ballet isn’t the only type of dance.” He let a sly smile cross his face. “Look at the near East, I’m sure you’ll find plenty of … inspiration.”
Oskar was quiet.
“I knew you’d listen. Anyway, I think I will buy one of these. She does have a name, doesn’t she?”
“No. I hadn’t thought of it.”
“Here’s another tip. If you’re going to keep making these, you should give them names.” He paid Oskar. “People don’t want a nameless mechanical statue. So think of a name.”
Oskar examined his piece, and set it to play again. Someone passing remarked on its beauty. Oskar reflected a few moments. “Bella,” he answered.
Davis nodded. “From now on, make sure you have a name for your creations as soon as they’re on paper – before you start building.”
Oskar watched Davis leave. “Thank you.”
§
Oskar finished working on the mechanisms in the torso, then straightened himself and stretched. Davis was right, he mused as he stepped away to get coffee. He had been able to travel and meet people, see things, and gain experience. He made his way around by offering his services and performing odd jobs where he stayed. He necessarily worked outside of his normal area of expertise. Now, he was making his first full size model.
Evelyn, as he called the model, did have limits. Oskar had taken great care to not make this so similar to a dressmaker’s mannequin. However, the entire body was made of wood. The full size model brought to Oskar’s attention the limit of the material’s flexibility. He could not simply cover joints without sacrificing mobility. He also could not leave the mechanical workings exposed if he wanted to have the correct effect, as well as many other reasons. Oskar designed covers for the joints that allowed a natural range of motion. Sliding panels guided by wires allowed free movement, while the panels themselves kept the internal parts covered. As well as he did to hide the design and construction of the joint work, Oskar was happy that the clothes on Evelyn fully concealed the panels.
He finished his coffee and returned to the model. He re-opened joints and performed some minor tests. Finally satisfied with the mechanics, he closed the main compartment on the body.
Oskar looked on the face last of all. He had worked with a sculptor to learn carving techniques, then a painter. The proportions were correct. Oskar had given Evelyn a noble nose on an oval face. He painted the face a light color, to copy the white he saw on the skin of ballerinas. He painted deep blue eyes and a dark pupil in each eye; he did not forget to give the whites some fine lines. He carved fine lips onto the features, and upturned the ends ever so slightly. Even the small ears he carved, though hidden under a wig of dark hair, were carefully detailed. All together, the expression was pleasant while it still conveyed concentration.
Finally content with the model, Oskar laid down to rest. He woke a few hours later and started testing the model. He watched it perform classical ballet and Eastern dances. Oskar felt the model, ensuring and appreciating its smooth texture.
“Well, Evelyn, let’s see what you can do.” Oskar reached for a switch, and Evelyn began a dance sequence. Oskar was able to join. A good dancer may have been able to appear as though they were leading the automaton. He finished the dance, and smiled. Evelyn was ready.
Oskar had scheduled an appearance at the theater that night. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “I bring you something new tonight. Up until now, everyone on this stage has been a human being. Tonight, that will change. Many of you know that for years I have labored under the direction of a master clock-maker. I spent much of that time learning how to apply these skills in a new direction. I spent years practicing and researching to come at what I have, and what I will show you today. Years of progress and experimentation, months of effort were invested in developing and building this model. Tonight, I bring you something that is not only new: it is unimagined and has not been considered. Until now, that is. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you tonight not just a mere model or toy. I bring you the result of years of painstaking research and effort. This is the substance of my own imagination, the current product of my unsurpassed and still growing skills! Ladies and gentlemen, I bring you tonight: EVELYN!”
The audience clapped politely as Oskar stepped aside and the curtains drew back to reveal the model. He held up a hand. “Now, I need two volunteers.” He selected two audience members and escorted them to the stage. “I invite you, before this audience, to examine this model and confirm for them that this is nothing more than a mechanical object, that there is no human controlling it.”
The members examined Evelyn closely. The felt the outside, looking for wires that might control the model. “You’ll notice that the model is made of wood,” Oskar commented.
“Smooth wood,” one of the people examining replied.
The other knocked on the model. “Sounds hollow, but not like someone is hiding.”
Oskar turned Evelyn sideways to the audience. “As you can see, this is not such a size that would let anyone hide within. BUT! To remove all doubt, I will prove that nobody is inside.” He turned Evelyn to face away from the audience to remove the dress, then the back panel. He invited the two guests to see and confirm the only thing inside was gears.
Oskar confirmed they were satisfied that Evelyn was not in any way being controlled by anyone or anything outside the internal parts. He replaced the panel and dress, then turned Evelyn to face the audience. “Now then,” he said, “Let me show you what Evelyn can do.”
The dance routine went as planned. Evelyn showed many ballet moves, even complex ones. Oskar was able to demonstrate the model’s ability to dance with a partner. To end, “as a special treat,” Oskar said, Evelyn demonstrated some Eastern dances.
The applause at the end of the night was enthusiastic. Oskar bowed, and Evelyn curtsied – to which the audience cheered.
§
Davis appeared at one of the shows at the end of the week. Oskar finished celebrating his success with the theater attendants and owners on the last night of Evelyn’s showing. Davis sought him as he left, and Oskar invited him inside.
The two sat at a table in Oskar’s upstairs workshop. “I see your efforts have been finally recognized, Herr Grossen,” Davis began.
Oskar nodded. “Thank you. Even Claus came to see what I could do.”
“He may have known anyway.”
The room was quiet. Oskar considered what Davis said. Maybe Claus had been pushing him to achieve more.
“Enough on that, though,” Davis interrupted his thoughts, “about Evelyn.”
“Yes?” he immediately focused back on Davis.
“I’m pleased what what you’ve done. You worked out movements, made it as lifelike as you could, and gave her a name.” He stopped for a moment. “She dances well.”
“Thank you.”
“Can she walk?”
Oskar glowered silently, then remembered that Davis’s advice had carried him to this point. “No.”
Davis nodded. “What if she walked on her own before launching into a routine? I think it would definitely make a big impression.”
Oskar nodded. “I agree.”
“I’m curious. When you were designing and sculpting her, what did you reference?”
“I did work for a doctor once, he let me study his books. I took notes, drew sketches, and worked from that.”
Davis raised an eyebrow. “Really? I would like to examine her closely – would you mind?”
Oskar stood and invited Davis to follow. “Not at all.”
Downstairs, Evelyn was on display. Davis looked Evelyn up and down, then examined the face. “I like what you’ve done,” he said as he brushed the wooden cheek. “This does look a bit life-like. Too bad she can’t close her eyes, but that’s not something anyone is noticing now.”
Davis removed the clothing and examined the body. “True to form,” he noted. “Could I move the joints?”
“Yes.”
Davis moved as many joints as he could. Shoulders, elbows, hips knees, and ankles. “Ah,” he said finally, looking again at the hands. “I thought something seemed a bit off.”
“I know it isn’t perfect, but it is a close approximation.”
“Agreed! Work on the wrists and see if you can do something with the fingers and toes. I’m pleased with your work, and I think especially after working on the toes that you’ll have a model that can stand and walk on its own.”
“Thank you, Davis.”
§
Oskar spent a few days gathering information and designing a model that would move its fingers and toes. After he examined Evelyn’s components, he realized that replacing the arms would involve too much effort to incorporate into the existing structure. He decided to build another model.
Oskar spent months working on the new model. He improved the movement on the wrists and ankles while he introduced new joints in the hands and feet.
Once again the model was wood, and Oskar invested more time in painting the body. He found a suitable color and applied it. Once again he colored the face a lighter shade on top of the flesh tone. He applied a layer of blush on the cheeks. The face on this model was still oval, but more round. That, with the hazel green eyes that blinked, gave her a friendlier appearance. Oskar carved more of a smile on the face so it gave more of a pleased expression.
Oskar tested the new model to ensure the joints would work properly. Since he used the same basic schematic on the new model as he had on Evelyn, he was sure the dancing functions would work. Years of working under Claus had taught him not to assume, so he tested the dances anyway. He watched as the automaton went through its paces. “Very good, Anna, I see that you’re ready.”
The following week Oskar stood to the side of the theater stage again. He left plenty of space in front of the curtain while the audience waited. He observed while the audience talked among themselves. He checked his watch. When it was time he moved closer to the center of the stage. He held his hands up and the audience quieted.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I feel somewhat remiss. When you last saw me, I demonstrated a model which to be fair represented my abilities at that time. However, there was no music.” He called to the side. “Gentlemen.”
At Oskar’s call, a small orchestra filed in from the right side of the stage and took its place in the pit at the front of the stage. They quickly tuned their instruments.
Oskar spoke again. “I’m sure you remember Evelyn!”
The curtains opened and revealed Evelyn, resting on a stool The stool moved forward on the stage as it had last time. Oskar once again invited audience members to examine Evelyn and confirm nobody was inside. The he set his creation dancing, this time to music.
The audience applauded politely and appreciatively while Evelyn was set on the stool and moved to the side.
“Thank you, thank you,” Oskar began. “I’m glad you liked that. However, I did promise you something new, did I not?” Oskar nodded at the applause. “Thank you. Make no mistake, Evelyn is a beauty and work of art. To say otherwise would deny the labor and craftsmanship invested in the creation. However, I am after all a master of my trade and I can also acknowledge opportunities to improve. There were a few things I noticed with Evelyn, not to affect the dance, mind you. So I researched and worked some more. Ladies and gentlemen, when I introduced Evelyn I said that my skills were growing. Allow me to show you evidence of that in the form of what may be called a sister to Evelyn. Ladies and gentlemen, tonight I bring to you: ANNA!”
The curtains pulled back to reveal Oskar’s latest work. Anna stood, head slightly down and hands clasped at the stomach. Oskar turned from the audience. “Come, Anna, meet your audience.”
On cue, Anna’s head lifted and the eyes opened as the arms fell alongside the body, held slightly away from it. Then Anna stepped forward, walking to the middle of the stage.
“Now this is very important. I need once again two people to please come up and examine this model to confirm for everyone here that Anna is in fact a machine, rather than a person, and does not have anyone hiding inside.” He looked sideways, hiding his surprise when Anna’s arms raised and pointed at someone, then to another person. He ushered the members to the stage, thinking he must have wound something up for that to happen.
The examination was similar to the one given to Evelyn. The audience members confirmed that Anna was “nothing more than a well constructed automaton.”
Anna’s routine went as planned. Both Evelyn and Anna danced individually, then the pair performed a synchronized routine. After that Oskar had them dance together. Finally, he ended with some Eastern dances again.
Eager applause followed the performance. Anna gestured to Evelyn as though in invitation, and both of them curtsied as the audience once again cheered.
§
Davis visited again, this time after one of midweek shows. He examined Anna in the same way he had Evelyn. He manipulated the joints in the fingers and toes on Anna.
He stepped back and looked Anna up and down again. “I see you’ve taken my suggestions. She definitely looks more lifelike, and definitely moves in a more lifelike fashion. It’s much easier to imagine since she blinks and stands on her own.”
“Thank you.”
“And the way you had Anna interact was a great touch. Selecting the audience members to examine her, then working in pairs with the other model. It gave a great appearance.”
Oskar nodded somewhat uncomfortably. He didn’t remember setting Anna to behave as though she were interacting. “Thank you. I thought it would be a nice touch since I referred to them as sisters.”
“I noticed. That was well-played, moreso when you consider that you made both of them, so are a figurative father to them. Of course, I think there are still a few things that can be done.”
“Oh?”
“You have a great handle on the form and you’ve done a great job with realistic joint articulation.” Davis absently flexed Anna’s fingers and hand. “Smooth movement,” he muttered, then said, “and still somewhat mechanical. Just think, what if your audience were able to dance with the automata? And what if instead of wood, there was something soft?”
§
After Evelyn and Anna were introduced, Oskar received enough work and found himself enough funds to move out of Claus’s small shop. He purchased a large house with a spacious front parlor and generous downstairs. He remodeled the home to turn the parlor and downstairs into a large display area with a kitchen and storage area. A small work area was in plain view, in the back.
Oskar tried to minimize expenses, and as of yet had no apprentices, so he went out to look for and purchase some furnishing for the house. He walked and tried to think of what he needed. A new bed, some bedding, a table, and he had thought only that far when a teen girl crashed into him.
“Oh! I’m terribly sorry, Sir …” she began wringing her hands.
“No worries, Miss. I suppose I was thinking to myself.” Oskar looked at her. Her clothes were well worn, torn in some spots, and her face was covered with dirt.
“Thank you sir, here, let me …” she brushed his coat with a hand, as though any additional dust from her would have stayed on him and been noticed.
Oskar held his arm out, motioning her away, then continued on his journey.
Once he completed his errands, he considered himself fortunate that much of what he wanted was available. He checked his wallet, paid, then asked for everything to be delivered.
Oskar was watching for the girl on his way back to the house, and saw her down an alley. He checked both sides, then jogged down a few meters before he slowed and called to her. “Excuse me, Miss!”
The girl turned to him. “Who, me?”
Oskar nodded so she could see it.
She approached him cautiously. “Do I know you?”
“You don’t recognize me from earlier this morning?”
“I can’t say I do,” she answered carefully, and with a guarded posture.
Oskar made sure his hands were visible. “I’m sorry, Miss, you bumped into me this morning and I would just like to talk for a moment.”
“Nothing to talk about with you.”
“I think you do, Miss.”
“Like what?”
“A tenner that just happened to disappear from my wallet this morning.”
The girl hesitated, but was still ready. “Why you bothering me about it? Sounds like your problem, not mine.”
“You’re right, it is. And I don’t want it to be your problem. Care to talk?”
She was silent.
“Look, I really don’t want to get the police involved, that’s why I’m here.”
“Fine.”
“I have an offer for you, can we go someplace more quiet?”
She agreed and they walked to the house. They spoke at a counter that oversaw the display area. The girl looked around. “Alright, what’s the offer.”
“You keep the ten. In exchange, you work for me. You work for free, for two months, then I pay you ten a month. Five in the middle, five at the end.”
She looked around skeptically, and raised an eyebrow. “Doing what, exactly?”
“My housekeeping. Until you get a suitable uniform, what you’re wearing is good for cleaning the upstairs rooms. Take one on the third floor, I’ll see to it you have a bed. After we get you something more suitable to the station you’ll have here, you’ll be responsible for maintaining the downstairs, cooking, and eventually managing day to day things here.”
The girl laughed. “And you’ll pay me ten a month?” She gestured around the empty room. “Just how do you you propose to do that? Or is that something you’ll suddenly find you don’t have, and ‘well, sweetie, we’ll find another way to pay you’ right?” Then she wilted slightly; Oscar wasn’t laughing, and his look conveyed some displeasure – not at having been discovered.
“Miss, do you know who I am – who it is that you pickpocketed?”
She blanched. “I don’t know who you are, Sir.”
“Oskar. Oskar Grossen. You know the name?”
“The Oskar Grossen?”
“Yes.”
“So if I take this offer, we’re even?”
“Yes. And what is your name?”
“Emma, Sir.”
“Do we have a deal, Emma?”
“Yes, Sir.” The two shook hands.
“I have one more rule, Emma.”
“Yes?”
“You may go anywhere you like within the house, even my quarters in the basement as you will need to. I absolutely forbid you to go into the basement beyond my quarters.”
“Thank you, Sir. I can manage that.”
§
The basement area of the home was finished and dry; at the same time it was an incomplete project. One wall had been set up in the basement to provide a living area that Oskar found sufficient as a small apartment. He separated the bedroom and toilet from the rest of the space, which served as a kitchen, dining, and living area. One door in his bedroom opened to the kitchen, a second opened to the toilet, and a third opened to the opposite side of the wall.
The other side of the wall was a spacious littered with long tables and shelves, forgotten by some previous owner. Before meeting Emma, he spent two weeks in spare time and late nights to clean up the area by dusting, sweeping, mopping, polishing, and organizing the contents. Empty specimen jars lined shelves, parallel electrical wires lined the ceiling. In some spots a wire hung down to extend a socket. While the wires going to the rest of the house were new, Oskar noticed the shabby condition of the wires in the basement. They were well worn and in some cases the wiring was exposed, but never in a location that would be hazardous to material. He realized he would have to replace the wiring at some point, and continued with other matters.
During the day, Oskar opened the large downstairs as a shop with a wide open floor. As months passed, he added to the tables and chairs, inviting customers to sit and examine his work. He hired a worker to tend shop, and Emma suggested that he hire different children to run errands as he needed. She gathered a few at the start of the day, and saw to it that any work she could arrange for them was distributed among them so they could each have a few pennies.
§
Once Oskar had things sorted, he set a sign outside the house, to officially indicate that the floor at street level was, in fact, his workshop and storefront. He extended small shelves from the walls as a resting spot for his pieces, whether they were trinkets or watches. As months passed he added tables and chairs, inviting customers to sit and examine his work. He set up a system so his apprentice could press a button to signal his basement and living quarters. Once that was installed, he would leave his apprentice in charge early in the afternoon and retreat to the basement, locking it behind him.
Oskar hovered over his latest creation, Celeste, while it rained outside. The overhead lamp shone on the face of the model, which was attractive, and different from the others in having more of a squarish form. To give the body a soft look and feel, he set a layer of leather on the wood, then covered it with wool, using adhesive on each layer so it would not slide across the wooden body. He followed that with a layer of smooth cotton. Once he did that, he flexed the joints and limbs, feeling everything as he did so. The “bare skin” as it was supposed to represent, had almost the look and feel of human skin – at least in Oskar’s estimation. The skin-like feel was not the only new thing on the model. It would compliment the other feature that Oskar developed, which was that the model was more anatomically correct than his previous models.
Oskar stood Celeste on the floor and worked on the routines. He danced close to the model, thankful that the basement was dry even as water flowed in small rivers around the house. He remembered that even Claus’s shop, though considered watertight, occasionally had puddles in the basement.
Satisfied with Celeste, Oskar returned to Anna. He couldn’t add flexibility to the hands or feet on Evelyn, but he could make Anna more anatomically correct, and give her the additional functions that he had given Celeste. Anna was laid on a table with the body open and gears exposed. He added mechanisms for Anna’s added functions, and connected everything. Once he finished working inside Anna, Oskar realized he needed better light to recheck connections. Without thinking, he kept his finger on the gears in the main body while he grabbed a movable lamp. While he moved it, he unknowingly struck a bare wire with it, which completed a circuit as a lightning bolt struck the house.
Oskar struggled to regain consciousness. He had a blurred field of vision, which contained Anna’s face, seeming to float in front of him. He heard, “Master! Master” being called out. It sounded like a distant echo, then faded again. When he regained consciousness, this time he recognized Emma’s voice. “Master! Master Grossen, are you alright?” He opened his eyes and saw Emma’s face, full of concern as she leaned over him.
Oskar blinked. He was in pain, but he knew it would pass. “Yes – I’m fine.”
Emma sounded as though she had been holding her breath for the answer. “Oh good. Rest there for a while.” She sat with a respectable distance and posture.
Oskar sighed. His chest hurt so he did as he was told. He moved his head to look around. Anna was on the floor beside him, and he took a moment to confirm as much as he could there were no pieces on the floor. He didn’t see any damage, either. He frowned as he realized he would have to examine the gearworks closely to be sure nothing internal had been harmed.
Minutes passed, and Oskar stood up. He noticed he felt a bit weak from the shock. “Emma, can you please help me set Anna on the table.”
She hesitated momentarily. “Yes, Master,” she decided, then helped Oskar with the automaton. Both of them caught their breath after Anna was placed, Oskar more so than Emma, and Emma noticed him trembling slightly. “Master Grossen, I’m sorry to say this, but I think you’re done for the day.”
Oskar looked at his stands, still unsteady. “Well, shit.” He decided to look and see what he could inside of Anna. After examining, he concluded that there was no harm. He left the room, with Emma following him, dismissed Emma, and went to bed.