The second segment in the story...
When Sora got back to the workshop, Kunio was already there and scribbling something down on some of the old robot plans. “Uncle…?”
“Sora, look at this!”
Sora scurried over to his uncle’s drawings and equations. “Look, it’s the same structure as a clock! The steam would be pushed through here and here… and instead of the arms operating here, the engines would be here…” Kunio pointed to each part as he said it. “Well? What do you think?”
After a long pause and careful scrutinizing of his uncle’s plans, Sora nodded slowly. “This could work. Yes, this could work!”
“Let’s get to work then, nephew! Put your goggles back on!”
Sora was slightly reluctant, since he just cleaned up, but he pulled his gloves and goggles back on and hurried over to the furnace with his uncle to start rebuilding the gears. While Kunio rummaged around the workshop for spare bits and pieces, Sora did the hard work of attempting to recreate the sketches on the paper by melting down old metal, each piece carefully measured out for him on the blueprints.
Hours passed. The sky outside grew dark and speckled with stars. When Sora looked next at the time, it was nearly midnight.
But Sora did not regret it. The impossible robot was nearly finished, much to Sora’s disbelief and his uncle’s excitement. Although they did not know much about steam technology, they had devised how to make the engine and make it move. One arm and both legs were done, as well as part of the chest.
“Well, uncle, you finally did it,” Sora said approvingly, standing back to admire their handiwork.
“Yes… Yes, I did!” Kunio sank into a chair with exhaustion. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“I suppose so.” Sora hesitated, but then said, “uncle, we’ve barely worked in the shop all day. I think we still have-” he counted quickly in his head- “four clocks to make tomorrow.”
Kunio sighed. “I’ll go and wash up. You should too, Sora. You’ve done well.” He got up and went up the stairs to the living quarters.
Suddenly, the phone rang. Sora wearily took off his goggles and answered. “Nakahara Clockmakers, how can I help you?”
“Are you Sora Nakahara?”
This was strange. Customers didn’t usually know who Sora was since Sora stayed in the workshop.“Yes… Who is this?”
“My name is Doctor Suzuki. I was told to call you from a Miss Akane Kato.”
“Why?”
“She is at Oshiro Hospital. She was in a fire at her house and was sent here less than an hour ago.”
“Is she alright?” Sora asked quickly. He was getting a sinking feeling in his stomach.
“She has serious burns… we may need to amputate some of her limbs to save her life. These wounds are beyond my expertise.”
“I’m on my way.” Sora slammed the telephone down and ran out of the workshop.
“Where are you going?” Kunio yelled down from upstairs, hearing the commotion.
“Oshiro Hospital,” Sora yelled before slamming the door.
It had started to rain. Sora hailed a carriage to drive him to the hospital as fast as possible. The rain hit hard on the roof, pounding in Sora’s head, along with Dr. Suzuki’s voice. “serious burns… may need to amputate…” When the carriage pulled up to the hospital, Sora gave the driver five shillings with a quick mumbling of “keep the change” and ran inside. He looked quickly around the hall of sickly-looking patients and saw a private ward where nurses were rushing in and out of.
“Excuse me,” he asked one of them urgently, “where is Akane Kato?”
The nurse gestured behind her to the private ward. Sora rushed in, despite some nurses saying, “no, sir, please don’t come in.”
Akane was lying on one of the threadbare mattresses of the hospital. Most of her was covered up by a thin blanket, but from what Sora could see, she did have terrible burns. The arm that was not covered with a blanket had blackened skin. She was asleep.
“Who are you?” one of the nurses asked Sora.
“Sora Nakahara, Akane’s… fiance,” Sora lied. “I heard from Dr. Suzuki that I should come.”
“Yes, he’ll be back in a minute, if you’d like to wait.” Sora nodded and pulled up a chair to sit down next to Akane’s bed. The nurses continued treating the burns, checking the condition of her burns, pressing a cold rag to her forehead. Sora sincerely wished they would do something that at least looked useful. He got up and found a telephone, where he called the shop.
“Nakahara Clocks, how can I help you?” Kunio said, barely stifling a yawn behind the telephone.
“Uncle, it’s me.”
“Ah, Sora! Why are you at Oshiro?”
“Akane was in a fire. She’s badly wounded and they might have to amputate something.”
“My God,” Kunio said. “I’ll be there soon.”
Just then, someone tapped Sora on the shoulder. “Dr. Suzuki?” Sora asked, hanging up the phone in the process.
“Yes, and you’re Mr. Nakahara?”
“Please, call me Sora. Tell me about Akane.”
When Sora got back to the workshop, Kunio was already there and scribbling something down on some of the old robot plans. “Uncle…?”
“Sora, look at this!”
Sora scurried over to his uncle’s drawings and equations. “Look, it’s the same structure as a clock! The steam would be pushed through here and here… and instead of the arms operating here, the engines would be here…” Kunio pointed to each part as he said it. “Well? What do you think?”
After a long pause and careful scrutinizing of his uncle’s plans, Sora nodded slowly. “This could work. Yes, this could work!”
“Let’s get to work then, nephew! Put your goggles back on!”
Sora was slightly reluctant, since he just cleaned up, but he pulled his gloves and goggles back on and hurried over to the furnace with his uncle to start rebuilding the gears. While Kunio rummaged around the workshop for spare bits and pieces, Sora did the hard work of attempting to recreate the sketches on the paper by melting down old metal, each piece carefully measured out for him on the blueprints.
Hours passed. The sky outside grew dark and speckled with stars. When Sora looked next at the time, it was nearly midnight.
But Sora did not regret it. The impossible robot was nearly finished, much to Sora’s disbelief and his uncle’s excitement. Although they did not know much about steam technology, they had devised how to make the engine and make it move. One arm and both legs were done, as well as part of the chest.
“Well, uncle, you finally did it,” Sora said approvingly, standing back to admire their handiwork.
“Yes… Yes, I did!” Kunio sank into a chair with exhaustion. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“I suppose so.” Sora hesitated, but then said, “uncle, we’ve barely worked in the shop all day. I think we still have-” he counted quickly in his head- “four clocks to make tomorrow.”
Kunio sighed. “I’ll go and wash up. You should too, Sora. You’ve done well.” He got up and went up the stairs to the living quarters.
Suddenly, the phone rang. Sora wearily took off his goggles and answered. “Nakahara Clockmakers, how can I help you?”
“Are you Sora Nakahara?”
This was strange. Customers didn’t usually know who Sora was since Sora stayed in the workshop.“Yes… Who is this?”
“My name is Doctor Suzuki. I was told to call you from a Miss Akane Kato.”
“Why?”
“She is at Oshiro Hospital. She was in a fire at her house and was sent here less than an hour ago.”
“Is she alright?” Sora asked quickly. He was getting a sinking feeling in his stomach.
“She has serious burns… we may need to amputate some of her limbs to save her life. These wounds are beyond my expertise.”
“I’m on my way.” Sora slammed the telephone down and ran out of the workshop.
“Where are you going?” Kunio yelled down from upstairs, hearing the commotion.
“Oshiro Hospital,” Sora yelled before slamming the door.
It had started to rain. Sora hailed a carriage to drive him to the hospital as fast as possible. The rain hit hard on the roof, pounding in Sora’s head, along with Dr. Suzuki’s voice. “serious burns… may need to amputate…” When the carriage pulled up to the hospital, Sora gave the driver five shillings with a quick mumbling of “keep the change” and ran inside. He looked quickly around the hall of sickly-looking patients and saw a private ward where nurses were rushing in and out of.
“Excuse me,” he asked one of them urgently, “where is Akane Kato?”
The nurse gestured behind her to the private ward. Sora rushed in, despite some nurses saying, “no, sir, please don’t come in.”
Akane was lying on one of the threadbare mattresses of the hospital. Most of her was covered up by a thin blanket, but from what Sora could see, she did have terrible burns. The arm that was not covered with a blanket had blackened skin. She was asleep.
“Who are you?” one of the nurses asked Sora.
“Sora Nakahara, Akane’s… fiance,” Sora lied. “I heard from Dr. Suzuki that I should come.”
“Yes, he’ll be back in a minute, if you’d like to wait.” Sora nodded and pulled up a chair to sit down next to Akane’s bed. The nurses continued treating the burns, checking the condition of her burns, pressing a cold rag to her forehead. Sora sincerely wished they would do something that at least looked useful. He got up and found a telephone, where he called the shop.
“Nakahara Clocks, how can I help you?” Kunio said, barely stifling a yawn behind the telephone.
“Uncle, it’s me.”
“Ah, Sora! Why are you at Oshiro?”
“Akane was in a fire. She’s badly wounded and they might have to amputate something.”
“My God,” Kunio said. “I’ll be there soon.”
Just then, someone tapped Sora on the shoulder. “Dr. Suzuki?” Sora asked, hanging up the phone in the process.
“Yes, and you’re Mr. Nakahara?”
“Please, call me Sora. Tell me about Akane.”