Merry christmas readers... Unfortunately I'm having doubts about this fic... This was a trial and error thing and I'm guessing its not working... I thought about stopping it since the last chapter but since its christmas, I'll give the third chapter a shot... Pls leave some reviews! GOOD ,BAD ITS FINE...Your reviews will be the best christmas presents I can ask for this year... so please? Well thats it enjoy :)
"Father?" Beau called worried as he wrenched open the doors to the basement only to cough heavily as more thick smoke exploded in his face.
"Father..."
"I'M DONE WITH THIS HUGE HUNK OF JUNK!" came an angry yell followed by a thud and a howl of pain.
"Father... Are you alright?" Beau asked helping his portly father, Maurice back onto his feet.
"I'm perfectly fine...No more inventing from now on..." Maurice declared giving the strange contraption next to him a hearty kick only to yowl in pain again. Beau rolled his eyes.
"You always say that..." he reminded the grumpy old man.
"I mean it this time! My God! I'll never get this boneheaded contraption to work!" Maurice ranted angrily pointing an accusing finger at the machine like it had done something terribly wrong. Beau patted his father on the back.
"Yes you will... What was wrong with it anyway?"
"I don't know... It started up fine but hallway it just exploded... It runs on kinetic energy you see...starting from the boiler which provides the energy which turns the gears, which moves the ropes thus moving the axe..." Maurice explained.
Beau took a closer look at the machine and upon closer inspection he smiled. He knew what was wrong...
"Father... the steam has to come from the steamer and travel through other sections in order to power the gears...
"Yes... I believe I just told you that... Why?"
"Well let's say there's a loose link... Which..."
"Which breaks the conversion of energy! Thus resulting in... I think I've got it!" and with that Maurice slid back under the machine.
"Pass me that dog-legged clincher there..." he called. Obediently, Beau fumbled around in the toolbox before handing his father the tool.
"Thank you... So... How was town today?" Maurice asked casually.
Beau shrugged. "Same old I guess..." before an uncomfortable feeling settled over him...
"Father? Do you think I'm... Well... Odd?" Beau asked uneasily, dreading the answer.
"My son odd?" Maurice asked in disbelief as he poked his head out from under the machine, looking ridiculous with a pair of oversized goggles.
"Where would you get an idea like that?"
Beau chuckled, unable to bring himself to state the obvious.
"I don't know... I just feel like I don't belong... That I don't have anyone to talk to here..." Beau admitted in almost a sad way.
"That's because you haven't done a great deal to make yourself accessible..." Maurice thought but held his tongue. It was true... Beau had always been much of an introvert... Not that he was unfriendly... He just didn't fit in the mold of what villagers thought a young man like Beau ought to be. Beau didn't like to hunt, he didn't like to fish, he wasn't a sodomite but he had no interest in chasing girls his age either...
"How about Gaston? You two were like brothers..." Maurice suggested, remembering the latter as children. Beau grunted.
"We were... But he has... responsibilities now... Providing food for the tavern is no easy task... And I certainly don't want to be a cause of distraction..."
Maurice racked his brains...
"His sister, Guinevere... She's quite a looker... Very attractive girl..."
Beau snorted loudly.
"She's attractive alright... And arrogant, self centered and so incredibly conceited... Father... She's just not for me..."
Maurice sighed and shook his head, but he knew by Beau's tone that his son no longer wanted to continue with this conversation. So, being the understanding father that he was, Maurice didn't press on. Instead he reached for the lever.
"Right, I think I've got it! Shall we give it a go?" Maurice chuckled, faking enthusiasm. Beau nodded; before hastily making his way behind a table should anymore explosions occur... With a quick yank, Maurice joined Beau behind the table... Father and son watched in both fear and anticipation as the machine gave a few quick jerks before the axe raised itself and to Maurice's delight sliced a block of wood into half...
"It works..." Maurice whispered, hardly believing his eyes...
"It..."
"IT WORKS!" Beau yelled happily while wrapping his father in a proud hug.
Quickly the two men cheered happily before rushing over to shut the machine off as one of the blocks missed Maurice's head by millimeters...
The next morning, Beau awoke only to hear loud crashes and thuds coming from the basement. Worried, he threw aside his sheets and ran to the basement not caring if he was still in his night clothes...
"Father? Father What in the world?" he exclaimed when he saw the basement in a state of pandemonium and also, his father's invention had been sloppily loaded onto a cart.
"Ahh good morning Beau!" Maurice waved from a corner. He was dressed in his finest breeches, a cloak and his favorite hat...
"Father? What are you doing? Are you going somewhere?" Beau asked slowly, picking random blocks off wood from the floor, worried that the old man might trip on them. Without warning, Maurice ran up to Beau and joyfully grabbed his hands,
"Hitch Philippe up! I'm going to the fair!" he announced proudly. Beau dropped the blocks of woods he was carrying.
"WHAT?!" he asked in disbelief.
"You heard me boy! I'm going to the fair!" Maurice repeated cheerfully... A little too cheerfully...
Beau couldn't believe his ears... Was his father being serious or fooling around... "But father don't you think that's a little well... brash? I mean..."
"Beau, I have a feeling that this chopper could be the start of a whole new life for us... Isn't that a good thing?"
Beau was lost for words. "Of course this is a good thing... Except... You should have told me earlier we were leaving to go to the fair... Otherwise I wouldn't have packed all my belongings to go to university..."
Maurice laughed loudly like the whole situation humored him.
"Only I'm going silly! I'm not going to stop you from going to university! I'd be crazy if I did that! I only asked you to hitch up Philippe... Ahh Beau always jumping to conclusions..." Maurice clicked his tongue disapprovingly...
"But... but...You never travelled alone before..."
"Pish posh, there is a first time for everything!"
"But..."
"Beau... You need to stay here... The fair is a day's travel... Do you want to go to university on time? Dou you even want to go at all..." Maurice asked, his tone serious.
Beau sighed. "Yes..."
"Good! So, don't worry about me... I'll come visit you after the fair alright?"
Unwillingly, after a lot more bickering and attempted reasoning, Beau caved and in a matter of hours, he found himself bidding his father farewell...
"Please be safe..." he prayed, watching Maurice's and Philippe' silhouettes
disappear into the dark mysterious woods...
