NOVEL NEXT Pull 31 Act 3 On the Road Again
“We don’t know where that carriage is going.” Luke observed.
“Wherever we’re headed… it would be easier to ride in a carriage.” Eins admitted.
*Put*Put*Put*Put*Put*
The carriage got closer.
The base of the carriage was a square box frame of wood. Two rolling wooden wheels with iron rims were mounted to the front sides of the carriage. A third, larger, driving wheel was attached to the back by a long axel that extended out of the body of the cart. The roof of the cart was angled to one side and covered with aluminum shingles. A door and glass paned windows were placed on the side of the carriage. On the front an unused animal yoke was tied up next to the reinforced road window. Two small wind turbines spun idly at the corners of the roof.
The sound of the carriage’s motor grew louder as the vehicle moved up the road.
*Put*Put*Put*Put*Put*
Luke looked at the others. “How does this work? Do we call out or wave?”
“Didn’t you ever take a carriage in the Capital?” Ash asked.
“All the time. But I never had to call them, or move them. That’s what the servants were for.”
“I’ll get it.” Ave stepped forward into the road. She raised a hand and whistled.
*FWwweeettt!*
“What now?” Luke looked on.
“Let's see if it stops.” she waited. “If it does then we will take the easy ride.”
*Put*Put*Put*Put*Put*
The carriage rolled right past the group.
Luke shrugged. “Right. So. We’re not going that way-”
*Creak*
*Grind*
*SPUTTER*
The carriage halted in its tracks.
*Fffsss*
The motor hissed out the last of its air.
The door on the side of the wagon *Clacked* open suddenly. Spoons, knives, and wrenches *Clattered* from hooks on the inside of the door. A tin cup bounced out and rolled into the road.
“Sorry. Sorry. Almost didn’t see you there.”
There was a *Rustle* from inside as the contents of the carriage suddenly shifted.
“This thing doesn’t stop on a hair either.”
A young woman leapt out of the wagon interior. She had short wavy hair held in place with a variety of barrettes. She wore a tank top and a sleeveless vest above loose denim pants lined with dozens of pockets. Her steel toed boots were laced taunt up to her shins. She flashed a wide, dazzling smile. And her skin, it was absolutely flawless. Not a wrinkle, crease, crack, or fold from her forehead to her knees.
“I’m Tasha.” she beamed. “Do you all need a lift?”
“Uh, yeah. Yeah we do.” Ave answered. “I’m Ave. This is Luke, and Ash.” she pointed to the others.
Tasha tilted her head to the side. “Is that short for Ashley?”
“No.” Ash replied.
“Really?” Tasha’s eyebrows raised.
“And this is our… dog.” Ave gestured at Eins.
“Bark.” Eins barked.
“That was a strange way of putting that.” Tasha smiled. “But don’t stand out here in the sun too long. Come on. Hop on into my carriage.” she performed a short bow and waved a hand at the door.
The group filed forward to step up into the cabin.
“She’s very enthusiastic.” Ash mocked.
“I like her.” Luke said.
“You like everyone.”
“Guilty.” Luke smiled.
#
Ave climbed up into the interior of the chaotic conveyance. She stopped cold. Boxes, bedpans, barstools, and bell jars were piled up in every corner of the cab.
“Find some place to take a seat.” Tasha called.
“Uuuh…” Ave stammered.
“Woof…”
Ave snowshoed her way deeper into the mess. Ash and Luke followed behind her.
“That’s right. Sit anywhere.” Tasha encouraged them from the doorstep. “You can move that birdcage, there’s nothing in it. Feel free to sit on that basket, it should support your weight. Just throw those blouses anywhere you want. I still need to wash them.”
*Clatter*Crunch*Shove*
Luke, Ave, and Ash crammed themselves into the packed corners of the carriage. Eins was folded in half on top of a bookshelf near the roof.
“Little tight.” The dog wheezed.
“Great. Everyone all aboard. Let’s get moving.” Tasha leapt back inside.
She took a seat on top of an empty butter churn in the back of the cab next to the engine. She put one hand on the driving wheel rudder and one hand on the brake, then she kicked open the release valve and the engine whistled to life.
“Here we go.” she shouted.
*Put*Puuut…*
The carriage shuddered forward a scooch and then died. The engine *Screeeaached* in frustration.
Tasha grinned sheepishly. “Quick question. Would you all mind getting out and pushing?”
#
Luke grabbed ahold of the doorframe of the wagon and pulled himself up. He turned around and held out his hand. “Come on Ash. It’s moving.”
Ash pushed with both arms against the rear of the carriage. He pumped his legs. The vehicle was picking up speed. The frame of the carriage started to pull away from him.
Ash switched from pushing to running. He panted with exertion. The carriage was starting to move further away from him. He was having difficulty keeping up.
“Can you slow down?” Luke shouted to Tasha.
“Not unless you want to get out and push again.” she shouted back.
“You’re almost there. Keep going.” Luke stretched his arm to the limit.
Ash flailed his tired arms. With a desperate *Grunt* he threw his body forward the last half meter.
Luke caught his wrist in mid air. With a mighty heave he pulled Ash into the doorway.
Ash slammed against the door of the carriage.
“Ah! My tailbone!”
“Sorry.” Luke apologized.
The two boys climbed back into the cab. Luke held the door. Ash sat down carefully on his backpack.
Ave came running around the side of the carriage at a steady pace. With a quick hop she leapt up, grabbed the door, and swung into the cab.
“Show off.” Ash grumbled.
“Good job everyone. Here we go.” Tasha hit the throttle.
The Carriage took off down the road.
*Put*Put*Put*Put*Put*
“Aaah.” Ave sat down with a *Thump* on a bench inside the cab.
“How’s the foot?” Ash asked.
“Good actually. I think Belbuk must have slipped me a potion a couple of weeks ago. It healed very quickly.”
“Then why did you stay in bed so long?”
“Sure is a lot of junk in this carriage.” Ave looked around the interior.
The carriage puttered off down the road.
#
“So what do you do Tasha?” Luke asked. He raised his voice to speak over the sound of the engine.
The Carriage rumbled along down the road. The assorted piles of cookware, tools, and sundries bounced and rattled with each divot and pebble.
“I’m a trader.” Tasha answered from the back next to the engine.
Ash, Luke, Eins, and Ave gave each other confused looks.
“A what?” Ash asked.
“I’m a traveler. And a trader. I make my living going from place to place buying and selling different goods. I try to find exotic things, see if I can sell them somewhere else.”
“You’re saying you go to one town. Buy something. And then try to sell it in a different town?” Ash wrinkled his nose. “Why?”
“It’s how I make my living.” Tasha replied.
Ash looked around the inside of the wagon. “It’s obviously not very lucrative.” He mumbled.
“It’s true that I don’t make a lot of you know… money. But there are rewards greater than money.”
Ash looked around again. “Really?”
“Do you all want to see my apocrypha?” Tasha asked.
“Huh?” Ash replied.
“Hold on. Let me get it.” Tasha moved to the center of the wagon.
The carriage lurched. Ave reached over and grabbed the rudder.
“Don’t you need to steer?” Ave asked.
“It’s fine. This is a straight road.”
*Thump*
*Thump*
*Thump*
*Thump*
Ave quickly corrected their course as the wagon veered briefly into the grass on the side of the road.
“Here it is.” Tasha announced. She pulled a large leather bound tome. The exterior of the tome had been weather treated. The pages were made from rag paper. Tasha set the tome on her lap and carefully opened the front cover. The pages of the book were blank. But pressed between them were layers of cutouts, pamphlets, cards, and other assorted documents.
The others leaned over to take a look.
“What is all of that?” Ash asked.
“Papers of some sort? I can’t read any of them. Are they written in Franzés or something?” Luke tilted his head.
Tasha smiled. “I have no idea. They’re all small bits of apocrypha that I’ve collected over the years.”
“Where do they come from?” Luke asked.
“From all over. Sometimes when someone summons something there will be something extra with it. A book with pages they can’t read. Or a notecard with an unknown diagram.” Tasha traced her fingers over the pages of the tome. “So I go around and I collect those things. I trade for loose screws, extra papers, broken tools, whatever this thing is.” She held up a small piece of bent wire. Each end of the wire had been shaped so that it had six sides. “Got loads of these things.” she tossed the bit of wire back over her shoulder.
“I collect them all. In here.” She slammed the pages of the tome shut. “My Collectopedia.”
“Okay, but why?” Ash asked.
“To find the next big thing of course! Imagine if I was the first person to summon a clock, or a mechanical carriage, I could change the world. So I gather every idea I can find in my Collectopedia. And one day I’ll discover something incredible. That’s why I’m always traveling from one city to the next. It’s why I’m on my way to Kaseihgaeu right now.”
“Did you say Kaseihgaeu?” Ave chirped.
“That’s right. A huge town. They always have new things that I can add to my collection. Have you ever been there?”
“Once.” Ave groaned. “It’s my home town.”