Chapter 35
It was raining when Alex and Sarah collected Bernard, Lena, and Edgar.
A guard escorted the group to the parlor where Elsa and Anna were waiting. A blazing fire burned in the fireplace, helping to drive off the chill and damp.
"Good afternoon Alex, Sarah, Mr. Linder," said Elsa. "And to you as well, Miss Soderblum, Mr. Soderblum. I hadn't expected you today."
"They deserve to be here, Your Majesty," said Bernard, "I couldn't have written the report you asked for without them."
"Oh. And are the report and the preliminary design ready?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," said Bernard. He pulled the two documents from a battered leather carrying pouch and put them on the table.
Elsa picked up the preliminary design document and leafed through it. "Wait," she said surprised, "A wine bottle? Why did you pick a wine bottle as the enclosure? I would have thought a spherical envelope would use less glass and be less expensive."
"Um.. Your Majesty, I consulted with Ruth and she thought that wine bottles would be better because they're available from stock and wouldn't require an expensive rush tooling and glasswork job to have a chance of getting here before the fjord freezes. If we use wine bottles, we may be able to have lanterns ready for the winter solstice."
Elsa frowned. "I hadn't thought about that aspect of the problem. Hmmm. A wine bottle will make a rather larger lamp than I was considering. What's your estimate of how bright the lamp will glow?"
Edgar said, "We used conservative timings on the materialization and dematerialization of ice, Your Majesty, so we figure that the lanterns should glow with the light of about a hundred candles. It could go to one hundred fifty candles if we use a narrower margin of safety."
"Very interesting," said Elsa. "I look forward to giving your design a more thorough reading." She picked up the economic analysis report and looked over the table of contents. "I'm intrigued by the report as well." Elsa smiled. "Especially the section labeled 'Unintended Consequences'. Give me the bottom line. How many families could benefit from free light before it impacts the finances of the kingdom?"
Lena said, "Your Majesty, we estimate the best positive impact happens if fourteen hundred families throughout Arendelle receive magic lamps. If you give out too few you can't recoup the one time costs, and if you give out too many the losses to the economy outweigh the gains."
"And who will suffer?" asked Elsa.
Bernard said, "The tallow chandlers, Your Majesty. The beeswax chandlers and whale oil merchants don't sell to people poor enough to be getting lamps."
Lena said, "Although there will be impacts on the higher end light merchants if people rent out their magic lamps for parties or other gatherings."
"Thank you Mr. Linder, Miss Soderblum, Mr. Soderblum. I will read these today," said Elsa. "But you three look exhausted." She signaled to the guard who had escorted the group in. "Please take these three down to the kitchen to get something to eat and then get them home."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Bernard.
The guard led the students out of the parlor.
Elsa handed Alex the lab notebook. Sarah handed the family correspondence to Anna.
As Anna and Alex prepared to leave for the library, Elsa said, "Wait, Anna. I'd like you to take a look at the report and the lamp design after you read through the letters. I'm sure that Alex can answer any questions you have while you're reading them." She handed Anna the report and the design document.
Anna looked from the letters and seventy pages of report in her hands to Elsa and back. She opened her mouth to complain, then just shook her head and walked out. Alex followed.
"How'd it go with Sarah today?" asked Anna that evening in Elsa's office over mugs of cocoa.
"I won," said Elsa, proudly.
"Is she good enough that it's that much of a triumph?" asked Anna, a little surprised.
"Sometimes it seems like she's reading my mind," said Elsa. "She does this thing where she walks her fingers over her pieces every six or seven moves that's really unnerving."
"Why?"
"Because sometimes after doing it she alters her strategy and demolishes my deepest plans."
"I'm sure she's just watching your face for a reaction while she's walking her pieces."
"No, she's usually staring at the board."
"You mean the highly polished, mirror like marble chess board?" asked Anna with a smirk.
Elsa gasped. "Yes," she said ruefully, "That chess board." She chuckled. "Thank you, Anna. I'll bring out one of the older wooden chess sets. I suspect Sarah's won her last game."
"Good," said Anna. "We can't have her reading your mind. And speaking of that mind, can you tell me what it was thinking asking me to read those documents?"
"Were they that bad?" asked Elsa sympathetically.
Anna giggled. "No, not really. I just skipped all the appendices in the report and the heavy math in the design document." She grew more serious. "It looks like we could help a lot of families with a really small dip into the treasury, and it could be more than repaid after a year. I think we should do this."
"I'll make a decision after I've had a chance to read over the report and discuss it with the council."
"Ok."
"So what do the Morris family letters have to say?" asked Elsa.
"That they want you to go forward with the lamp project," said Anna. "There was a note attached to Alex and Sarah's letters that you'll want to read first for an explanation."
To Her Majesty, Queen Elsa,
I've read the Linder-Soderblum report and design documents. They are impressive pieces of work for the efforts of three college students in a single week. In their analysis, the number of families receiving lamps to maximize the return to the economy of Arendelle is approximately one thousand four hundred.
Ruth was planning on asking for price quotes from Corona's glass houses for the clear wine bottles necessary for that quantity of lamps. However, there is barely enough time to get requests for quotes sent to Corona, have quotes returned, order the bottles, and have them delivered before the fjord freezes. To be certain of delivery before Arendelle is cut off, the time must be halved.
Sarah and I offer the services of the Morris and Taylor families in Corona as purchasing agents for this endeavor. I will lend my brother and sister-in-law the money to purchase, insure and ship one thousand five hundred bottles (this will leave a margin for breakage and experimentation). When the bottles land in Arendelle you can repay this no interest loan. We ask that you provide three magical lamps as payment for these services (one each to the Morris and Taylor families in Corona, and one to King Philip).
In looking at the report, you will encounter a section labeled 'Unintended Consequences'. Do not let it deter you from pushing this project forward. I have an idea that could mitigate many of the effects explicated, which I intend to explore in our next lab session.
If, after having read the report and design document, you decide not to go forward with the project, or are unhappy with the number of bottles, let us know and Sarah and I will rewrite our letters.
Alex Morris
Alan Morris
26 River Blvd
Springtown
Corona
Dear Alan,
Do I need to remind you that you owe me a significant favor for nearly getting us ejected from Arendelle? Here's your opportunity to do that favor. I need you to purchase, insure, and ship one thousand five hundred (1500) empty clear glass wine bottles (and corks) to Queen Elsa in Arendelle. Sarah assures me that her sister's family will be glad to help in this endeavor. We need you to get on this fast. Those bottles have to get here before the fjord freezes and Arendelle is cut off. They'll be used in a very intriguing public works project, and a lot of people's lives will be improved because of it.
Ruth says that empty bottles shouldn't cost more than two skillings apiece wholesale. A shrewd businessman such as yourself ought to be able to do better than that. I've appended a letter to my banker which will allow you access to my accounts to pay for all of this. Make sure you send the receipts along with the bottles.
Your (grateful) Brother,
Alex
P.S. - Ruth is feeling better and says to get Roger Hamilson to do the repair on the solvent condenser.
Miriam Taylor
237 Equinox Blvd.
Capitol City
Corona
Dearest Miriam,
I need a huge favor from you. There's a public works project going on in Arendelle that requires fifteen hundred clear glass wine bottles. But there isn't time for a lot of communication back and forth before we're cut off from the rest of the world. I need your family to work with Alan's family to quickly coordinate the purchase of the wine bottles. Ruth assures us that no single glass manufactory will have a large enough inventory to cover the need at this time of the year. But if the purchases are not coordinated, the word will go out that someone needs clear glass bottles desperately and the price will go up. Please work with Alan to get this sorted out. I know he's rude and annoying, but we need this favor. If you can pull it off, I promise you a very unusual and useful birthday gift. Thank you Miriam. I know I can depend on you.
When your first letter arrived, I didn't read out the paragraph about Fred to Ruth. That came back to bite me when she found out about it. The atmosphere around our cottage has been tense for the past week or so. I think it's going to be a while before I earn back Ruth's trust. It may never happen.
The days keep getting shorter. There're only eight hours of daylight now, and I'm told the days'll get as short as six hours. That's going to be a lot of evening time in close quarters with a moody teenager.
Fresh food selections have been getting narrower as Autumn closes in and Winter prepares to grip us. I miss the fruits of Corona's autumn: pomegranates and oranges. At least they've got apples here. And I can't get the herbs and spices I'm used to cooking with. Please send me spices and dried herbs!
The status of my chess games with the Queen is currently: one game to Queen Elsa, three games to me, and one draw. We're playing about once a week.
Give our love to everybody back home, stay well, write back, and send bottles to
Your Loving Sister,
Sarah
"They certainly seem ready to leap into action don't they?" asked Elsa. "I wonder why?"
"So did I. So I asked. Alex and Sarah both grew up in families with shaky finances. They're really sympathetic to making it possible for people to improve their lives."
"Why didn't they want a lamp for themselves?"
"Maybe they want to play by the rules while they're in Arendelle? Only the poor get the lamps?"
"Hmmm. Maybe." Elsa thought for a few moments. "Anna, would a magic lamp be an anti-status symbol in Arendelle?"
"Anti-status symbol?" asked Anna.
"Since only the poor have them, having one means that you're poor."
"Oooh. I don't know, Elsa, that's a little twisted."
"Yes, it is." Elsa giggled. "But we're talking about Sarah. Twisted is almost an understatement."
"I guess the lamps we're planning could be anti-status symbols. After all, they're going to be made out of wine bottles and held in the cheapest framing we can have built. To be a status symbol a lamp would have to be beautifully supported and have a more elegant shape."
"We may want Ruth to put together three lamp envelopes in the shape of the Corona sunburst for Alex and Sarah to send home. Was there a letter from Ruth this time?"
"No. I think she's still sorting herself out."
The next day at the crack of noon Bernard was awakened from a deep and dreamless sleep by his mother shaking his shoulder and calling his name.
"Bernie? Are you awake?"
He groaned. "I am now, Ma." He opened his eyes. His mother was beaming at him. That was odd enough that he asked, "What's going on?"
"Why didn't you tell me you were working this past week? I thought you were out running around with your friends."
"How did you know I was working?"
"Your pay arrived while you were sleeping."
"My pay?"
"Yes, enough money for food for a month! And thirty beeswax candles!"
"Was there anything else?"
"There was a note, but I didn't understand it."
"Let me see it. And you shouldn't be reading my mail."
The note read, "We are pleased with your analysis and preliminary design. The candles should tide you over until they are no longer necessary. Your colleagues have received similar payment."
"So? Is there any chance of getting more of this work?"
Bernard grinned. "Professor Morris would say I'd passed the first hurdle, so chances are pretty good."
"Is he the one you call 'Old Bore-us'?"
"Not anymore, Ma. Not anymore."
A/N - The output of a 100 Watt incandescent bulb is approximately 1600 lumen, or the light of about 128 candles. The wine bottle based magic lamp would have about the output of an 80 Watt incandescent bulb. Not a lot by today's standards, but at the time it would be incredibly bright.
I want to thank the reviewers of Chapter 34: new reviewer burbobah, Concolor44, guest reviewer kuraby, PascalDragon, and ptahaegyptus2. Lots of good discussion came out of the chapter and the reviews.
I want to thank all of you, my readers, and remind you that this story is going on hiatus until January 18th so I can refill my story buffer.