Very Early Morning — Headwall Station
The sun had barely peeped above the headwall, when Charlie woke. The house was still dark and quiet, as Charlie pulled on some clothes and headed downstairs to the kitchen. The light Rebecca had left on the night before was still burning as he crept in. He took in the scrubbed wooden table in the centre, the gleaming pans hanging from hooks on the rafters and the enormous range still faintly warm from the night before. Everything ready for another day of feeding a house full of hungry mouths.
A voice came from behind him.
Rebecca: Good morning, Charlie.
Charlie jumped a little as he turned around to see Rebecca standing behind him, her tail gently waving from side to side, her mouth and pink tongue completing her warm smile.
Charlie: Oh… good morning!
I came to help with breakfast.
Rebecca: Your apron’s on the hook.
Dining Room — Breakfast
The table in the dining room gradually began to fill as people arrived in ones and twos.
Seb arrived with Hamish. Hamish was holding Seb’s hand, or maybe — it was the other way around. Samson arrived looking like his hair had developed a mind of its own and had decided to stage a follicular uprising.
Breakfast consisted of a huge tureen of scrambled eggs and a stack of toast that would rival the height of the headwall itself, assembled with the structural intent of someone who cared about feeding others, and feeding them well.
Soon the table was full of hungry boys, and slowly but surely the stack of toast was reduced to crumbs.
Shortly before everyone had eaten their fill, Grandma Bella raised her glass and tapped it a few times with her fork. The room fell silent.
Grandma Bella: Well good morning again, everyone.
We are so pleased to have you all here and we want you to feel at home.
Now that you have all had a good night’s sleep—
She paused and looked with a knowing twinkle in her eye at Hamish, who for his part looked back at her so serenely and innocently, that anyone would have thought he had absolutely no idea what that look meant. However, Bella was not fooled for a moment.
We need to talk about the things that keep everything running smoothly here at Headwall. There are things that everyone can do to help and contribute.
Grandma Bella paused for just a moment and looked around kindly at every face in the room.
Grandma Bella: Charlie. I see you have been busy again helping Rebecca. Thank you.
Rebecca acknowledged and affirmed with a slow wave of her tail.
Grandma Bella: So. First, eggs. I need someone…
Hamish: Me! …and Seb!
Seb just gave a small smile and nodded in agreement, as if he had any choice in the matter.
Grandma Bella: Lovely. Thank you Hamish—
and Seb.
She smiled at Seb with a “I see what happened there” look.
Next, Rebecca will need some peaches picked from the orchard, it’s going to be peach cobbler for dessert tonight!
Raven: I will Grandma.
Grandma Bella: Thank you, Raven.
Bella consulted her list.
I will need some more quilts brought down from the attic. Who would like to do that?
Lewis: I’ll do that Grandma!
Grandma Bella: Wonderful!
Let’s see…
Samson, I wonder if you could…
Grandpa Jake quietly interrupted.
Grandpa Jake: I have something for Samson, if you don’t mind.
Grandma Bella: Of course Grandpa, as long as that’s okay with Samson?
Bella looked in Samson’s direction for confirmation.
Samson responded enthusiastically, despite having no idea what Grandpa Jake had in mind.
Samson: Yes, of course I will help Grandpa!
Angus: What about us? Me and Fuggus?
We wanna help too!
Grandma Bella: Hmm.
How about feeding the chickens?
Angus: Yay! We can do that!
I’ll be in charge, cos I’m the oldest!
Fergus: Nah uh! I wanna be in charge!
Bella decided a quick intervention was in order.
Grandma Bella: Seb, would you mind keeping an eye on the boys feeding the chickens?
Seb: Yeah, no problem Grandma.
And so, on it went. Soon all the jobs on Grandma Bella’s list had been allocated.
The Workshop
After breakfast Jake collected Samson and took him outside and across the yard at the back of the house.
Grandpa Jake: So, Samson, I have a feeling that maybe you like fixing things and seeing what makes them work?
Samson: Well… Yes. I do. How’d you know?
Grandpa looked at Samson with a knowing smile.
Grandpa Jake: Oh, maybe just a question or two that you’ve asked.
Across the yard stood a building made out of the same stone as the house. It had a couple of open bays filled with various forms of farm equipment and a door that led into a small workshop.
The scene that met Samson stopped him much like Charlie in the hallway. Yesterday he had arrived on Hundeerde after a week in hyperspace on a capital cruiser spaceship. Today he was looking at a waterwheel turning slowly in the millrace fed by the Greyfalls.
Samson: Wow.
Grandpa Jake: Come.
Jake led Samson over to the workshop door and he opened it. Inside, Marta was busy pulling apart a cast iron housing the size of a cooking pot, its workings spread across the bench in a sequence that suggested she knew exactly what order they needed to go back in.
Grandpa Jake: Morning, Marta.
I have someone here that might be interested in what you are doing.
Marta sized up the someone that Jake was referring to.
Marta: Oh, is that so.
She waved an oily paw towards the bench of parts.
What do you make of all this then?
Samson looked at the bench for exactly three seconds before he knew what it was.
Samson: It’s a pump.
It’s a water pump.
Marta’s tail waved once in approval and she looked at Jake.
Marta: He can stay.
The Chicken Coop
Seb had spent the last ten minutes attempting to keep the pups, well Angus and Fergus at least, from starting a minor battle of the bucket, over who was going to carry the chicken feed to the coop. They managed to arrive at the chicken coop with the feed still intact, a minor field victory in itself. Hamish very sensibly stayed out of the skirmish and was quite content to carry the wicker basket that Rebecca had given him for the eggs. That was his job and he took it seriously.
Seb left Angus and Fergus to feed the chickens out in their yard, while he took Hamish into the coop to collect the eggs. The eggs were still warm to the touch as one by one Hamish carefully placed each one in the basket. The last egg was just a little further than Hamish could reach and he had to stand on tippy-paws to get it. Just before he managed to put it in the basket, it slipped from his paw and it broke on the ground.
Hamish burst into floods of tears.
Hamish: I broked it!
Can we fix it Seb?
Seb looked at the broken egg on the ground, and slowly shook his head.
Seb: No Hamish, sometimes things break and we can’t fix them.
He scooped Hamish into his arms and hugged him tight.
Seb: But it’s okay. It was just an accident. And we have plenty.
Hamish looked at the broken egg on the ground for a moment longer, then back up at Seb. He wiped his eyes with the back of his paw. Then he held up the basket carefully with both paws so Seb could see how many they had collected.
Seb looked at the basket and then at Hamish.
Seb: Good job, Hamish.
Hamish wagged his tail once, and then very carefully he carried the basket back to the house.
The Orchard
On the way to the orchard Raven needed to cross the small stone bridge that crossed the Grey River. At the crest of the bridge he stopped and looked down at the water chattering its way across the myriad of smooth rounded stones in its bed. There was something comforting about it that he couldn’t quite explain, even to himself. He continued on to the orchard and filled the basket to the brim with firm round peaches. He tried one. It was soft, tender, and sweet. The juice dribbled down his chin and he wiped it away with the back of his sleeve.
Returning to the bridge he again stopped at the crest and looked down at the water. He took the small stone from his pocket, the same one he had brought all the way with him from Barking Green. He turned it over in his fingers and he could see that it was different to the ones he could see in the stream. Pocketing the stone, he picked up the basket of peaches and crossed the bridge and walked down to the river edge. Carefully and deliberately he started to select various small stones from the river. He considered each one, and put some back. The ones he kept, just felt right. Again, he could not have explained why.
He sat on the bank of the river and looked at the stones he had selected. He took the stone from Barking Green out of his pocket and compared it to the ones he had just collected. One from there and these from here. He counted them carefully, one from Earth and twelve from the river.
Raven: Thirteen.
Why he had collected them and what he would use them for he didn’t know, but for now — he had enough.
The Attic
The stairs creaked as Lewis climbed up the narrow staircase that led up to the attic. The door swung open, the hinges making a mild protest. He pulled the cord hanging from just inside the door to turn on the light.
The attic contained most of the assorted items that tend to be put up there, boxes of things that someone thought might still come in useful — one day. Lewis found the old sea chest that Grandma Bella told him contained the extra quilts. He opened it up and scooped out a handful to take back down. It would take more than one trip.
Lewis was just about to take the first pile of quilts down when something caught his eye, glinting in the pale light of the single bulb hanging from the rafters. It was covered in a sheet. He pulled back the sheet and took a few moments to process what he was seeing.
A solid brass telescope.
Old and manual, not like the modern ones you plugged into your computer. Lewis stood with it for a moment longer and he made a mental note to ask Grandpa Jake about it later. He carefully replaced the sheet over the telescope, picked up the quilts for Grandma Bella and took them downstairs.
Evening — After Dinner
That evening after dinner Lewis and Grandpa Jake were helping to dry the dishes.
Lewis: There’s a telescope in the attic.
Grandpa Jake didn’t answer straight away.
Grandpa Jake: Yes there is.
Lewis placed a plate on the stack.
Lewis: Whose was it?
Jake was quiet for just a moment longer than the question required.
Grandpa Jake: It belonged to someone who isn’t here at the moment.
Lewis: Oh.
Another plate was added to the stack.
Grandpa Jake paused drying the plate he was holding.
Grandpa Jake: You can bring it down if you like.
It will need a clean and I’ll show you how to use it.
Lewis’ eye widened just a little behind his glasses.
Lewis: Are you sure? Do you really mean it?
Grandpa Jake: Yes, Lewis.
Yes, I do mean it.
Night — Jake and Bella’s Bedroom
In the dark of their room, Jake and Bella had not long turned out the light.
He spoke to Bella softly.
Jake: Lewis found the telescope.
Bella rolled over in the dark towards Jake.
Bella: I know.
Jake: I told him he could bring it down and use it.
Bella: Good. It’s time it was used again.
Jake: Yes.
You’re right.
Bella: He would want Lewis to use it.
Jake found Bella’s paw and gave it a little squeeze.
Jake: Yes. Yes, he would.
The sound of the Greyfalls coming through the open window, seemed to agree.
Screw Pile Developments 