The Mystery of the Missing Clockwork Birds, by Deanna Baran

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     "These sandwiches are way better than black bread and fishpickles," I told the waiter, who was a boy about my age. "Can I have some more?"

     He seemed amused as he said, "Yes, sir." I felt a little embarrassed. The people who usually took tea in an Auraen airship were rich, important people, like ambassadors and nobility and industrialists. They wouldn't have to eat black bread and fishpickles unless they wanted to and would think that taking more than one or two sandwiches would be greedy. But I was hungry. And these sandwiches were amazing.

     The waiter came back with six more sandwiches on a silver salver, and I said, "Thanks!" Instead of hurrying away to the other tables, whose occupants were mostly done eating and were now reading or conversing quietly, he lingered around mine for a bit.

     "Is this your first time in an airship?" the waiter kindly asked me.

     "We've flown Paris to London a few times," I said. "And Dresden to Munich. And Frankfurt to Dusseldorf. But never this long of a journey. Rome, Athens, and Constantinople!" I felt self-conscious again. "But, um, I'm sure you've made the trip so many times."

     "My father's the elevator of the Nephele," the waiter told me, proud to share that information. "When I'm older, I'll get to join the crew, too. But for now, I get to wait tables."

     "The elevator?" I asked blankly.

     "Well, actually, there's two," said the boy. "There's two of everything for these long trips, because there are two twelve-hour shifts. Two captains, two elevators, two navigators, two coxswains. That sort of thing."

     "The elevator?" I repeated.

     "Oh. The elevator is the pilot who controls the altitude of an airship. The steersman is the pilot who steers the lateral direction. It takes a very strong man to be the elevator!" Now it was my waiter's turn to feel self-conscious. "I don't usually see boys my age traveling first class on these trips."

     And my turn for boasting. "I'm traveling with Professor Zoltán. He's only the greatest automaton engineer in Europe. We're delivering some of his automata, in person, to a client of his. I'm only his apprentice, but someday, I'll master all his secrets."   

     We grinned at each other. We traded names – he was William; I was Kázmér – and he soon disappeared back into the kitchen with a plate full of crumbs.

     Those sandwiches were amazing.

....to be continued in the Young Explorer's Adventure Guide!

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The Mystery of the Missing Clockwork Birds is a story from the Young Explorer's Adventure Guide, an anthology of science fiction stories for middle graders. We've got a great collection of 20 stories from amazing authors, ranging from Nebula and Hugo winners to relative newcomers to the field. 90% of the stories in the anthology are brand new, and 80% have central female characters. We don't have girls who are prizes to be won or waiting to be rescued. All of our heroines and heroes are on their own adventure, not a side note in someone else's. Our characters are white, black, asian, latino. Human and robot. Everyone belongs here.

To read more, check out our Kickstarter!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/815743020/young-explorers-adventure-guide-sf-for-young-reade

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⏰ Last updated: Nov 04, 2014 ⏰

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