"Dr. Von Heikenroter." I slid into the shop, flipping the closed sign to open. I felt my heart sink; coming into the shop with it all closed up was an all too familiar feeling. I would get a call before he boarded his airship to God knows were. Maybe he's sent a postcard with manic scribbles detailing the adventure he was on. On the counter Everett's Arm was on display, its dull porcelain shin reflected by the glass and mirror all around it.
All is repaired, as good as new. Return to Everett. The master's identity is in my grasp this time. I'll phone you as soon as I know more. All repairs are to come into the shop, no house calls scheduled for today. –E.
"A first initial signature," I commented aloud, "He's feeling worse than I thought."
I stood behind the counter and anxiously clicked my fingers against the glass. I wasn't nearly as tall and the doctor. From my reflection, I could tell that I looked unimposing and unprofessional behind the counter.
The peonies from Everett still looked lovely in the window right near the open sign. Next to them sat a stack of papers the doctor picked up from the library. Maybe I can find him if I retrace his steps I thought lightly turning through the pages. They were housing records and plots of the city, maps of who owned what land.
I looked up from my work feeling guilty to be preoccupied as customers came in. "Welcome," I greeted them, stepping out from behind the counter.
"Is the doctor not in?" The woman of the pair asked with a heavily accented voice.
"I'm afraid not," I replied, sliding a notebook out from under the cash register, "he isn't feeling well but I can take your name and contact information if you wanted to come back for a fitting and I'm very capable of repairs."
The woman gave me an incredulous look but motioned for the man beside her to come forward. The fingers of his arm were frozen in a half-grasping position. I tossed on the doctor's apron and hopped up on the counter so I was tall enough to reach the man's arm. I wasn't dressed to be covered in grease today. I rolled up his sleeve and popped off the side panel.
He exchanged nervous glances with his wife as I worked removing the first layer of gears to get a look at the cables underneath. "Here's your problem." I held up a gear to the light, one side of it was stripped so that it would pop out of the arrangement with its partner. "I'll fetch a new one and you'll be as good as new."
I slipped into the back room half hoping to find the doctor asleep in the bed in the back. Instead, I was greeted by another mound of documents, this time it was the shipping manifests from the great collapse he had mentioned. I held the gear up to the others strewn about his workbench until I found a match.
"All set!" I proclaimed hopping back up on the counter to reassemble his arm. He said a few things to his wife in a foreign language and nodded to me with a smile.
"What is payment going to look like?" His wife asked, as her husband flexed his fingers.
"10 commons," I responded, the pair passed me coins across the counter and went on their way.
I leaned against the door to the workshop and dialed the operator. "Hello, can you get me to Greene's Greenhouse? Thank you." I hung the apron back on its hook while listening to the phone ring on the other line.
"Greene's Greenhouse, Everett speaking."
"Everett, it's Ellowyn. Your arm is in the shop anytime you're able to pick it up."
There was silence on the other line. "Everett?"
"About what time is your lunch break? I need to replant the Library flower beds shortly but I can be by after that."
"Seriously anytime that works for you. It's horribly slow. I don't know how the doctor does it. We're on no house calls as long as he's out of town."
"So what you're saying is you're bored and you need your favorite florist to keep you company?" I opened my mouth to speak, "Consider it done." He hung up.
After another hour of slow traffic in the shop, Everett waltzed through the front door, covered in a thin layer of soil. His dark hair was tied back loosely, any stray hairs found themselves tucked behind his ears. "Afternoon."
"Good afternoon to you too."
"So, arm then food?"
"Agreed," I slid onto the countertop once more taking care of his dirt-covered spare arm, and presenting him with his original. His face lit up as it slid into place, though his joy was interrupted by the pain of his nerves attaching.
"Good as new," He grinned, admiring his hands, "Even though I can't feel with this technology, there is a better feel to having my own arm back. No offense to the doctor's handiwork but this is much more comfortable."
"I'm glad." I reach under the counter and set out the leftover noodles meant for the doctor's dinner, Everett did the same.
"Any news on where our dear doctor is?"
"Nothing yet. He mentioned the Great Collapse and something about S.E.B on a shipping manifest." I pulled over the stack of papers from the library, "S.E.B." I tapped on one of the properties on Main Street that had been lightly circled in pencil, "maybe it's here."
Everett took a hasty gulp of his sandwich, "You aren't suggesting breaking and entering are you? As your friend, and the voice of reason I will have to advise against it."
"I don't know what I'm thinking." I sighed, "Would you come with me?"
"I'm sorry Ellowyn but I can't afford to get in legal trouble." He furrowed his brow.
"I'm sure I'll be fine. It's in the housing district so maybe whoever lives there knew the previous owner."
"You will call when you get back?" he dusted crumbs off his shirt, "I need to know if I need to pay bail for you or not while the doctor is out."
"Shush. I'm going to be fine." I jokingly punched him in the arm, "I just have a bad feeling every time he leaves like this. Like one of these days, he's going to get in over his head and not come back."
"Just how often does this happen?"
"Probably once a year, starting when I was about 16, he wouldn't leave me here alone before I could take care of myself."
"That's a relief, the thought of him leaving toddler you with the neighbors to go off on some wild goose chase was going to make me lose respect for him." He got to his feet, "I should probably head back. Call me and let me know if you decide to do anything illegal."
"Can I have your number?" I passed him the notebook from under the register, "I hate to become a regular with the operators.'
He shook his head and passed me the notepad once he was finished. "I'll hear from you tonight." He waves good-bye, and caught the streetcar, leaving me alone in the shop once more.
#
I fed Capricorn and traced over the map from the shop once more. When heading for the West End for deliveries I cut through the park. I rarely took Main to the end where this house was located.
"I'm about to do something really stupid, Cap." I ran my fingers through his silky black fur, "I just hope I can find the doctor." He meowed in response, I'm certain it was a thoughtful answer even though I couldn't understand it. "I need to call Everett before I go."
"Greene's Greenhouse, hopefully, this is Ellowyn."
"It would be rude if it was anyone else." I responded with a laugh, "I'm going to head out; I'll call you when I'm back."
He took a long pause, "You're sure about this?"
"Sure enough to go for it."
He paused again, "It's three from the end of Main?"
"Yes."
"Be safe."
"I will," I responded listening for the soft click on the other line before I hung up.
I changed into dark clothing and headed out for the night. There were no streetcars out at this time and there was nothing but streetlights and stars lighting my way. Most people had gone to bed and their houses were in shadow. Three from the end of Main, I chanted in my head as I approached my destination.
The house was hard to miss, the property was sectioned off by a chain-link fence with more "Danger" and "No Trespassing" signs than were probably necessary. I wasn't about to leave my bike in front of the building so I walked it to the Library and the end of the street. Everett's flowers were in full bloom and really brightened up the place since I had last been there. You do good work, Everett Greene, I thought, admiring my friend's craft.
With my bike stashed away in plain sight I was able to slip under a bent section of the fence, left by some trespasser before me. The house may have been beautiful once. It was yellow like my own home but very little pain still clung to the wood-paneled outside. The front porch had so many rotted boards that I nearly jumped from the steps to the entryway. I cranked my flashlight and gave shape to the objects around me. The wallpaper sat in curls at the corners where the wall met the floor. The furniture, as dusty and grey as it was seemed to wait for company to join it for tea and conversation. I was in a home that died waiting for its inhabitants to return.
Minding the rotten floorboards I started my search for the doctor. It was near impossible to tell if footprints had been left in the dust when so little of the floor remained. The staircase to the upper floor was completely capsized, rendering it off-limits. Could this house really have fallen in such a state of disrepair during the collapse I wondered, it looks like it was abandoned long before then.
I made my way into the kitchen, on the far wall there was a great tapestry, a floor to ceiling work of art. Vines reached for the sky and in their growth wrapped up all sorts of objects. A mirror, a bonnet, pots pans, house pets. At the top, the tendrils reached for the sun and succeeded. I reached for it without thinking such a noticeable artifact wasn't in the dining room without reason. I thought maybe there was something behind it. I wasn't going to find out tonight.
As I pulled at the edge I felt something rush past my ankles. In my panic, I forgot to crank my flashlight blind I stumbled towards the door. I forget the missing floorboards. I'm not sure if the crack I hear is my ankle or the floor. I make it to the doorway the pain shooting up my leg tells me the crack was from my ankle.
"Ellowyn?" Everett was on the other side of the fence with his own flashlight, shining it in each window.
I ran for the fence and dove for the gap between the ground the chain link. I felt Everett's hands untangling my dress as a crawled through.
He hadn't stopped repeating my name but it had become more of a texture and less of my name. He rubbed my shoulders, "You're okay."
"There's something in the house, it ran past me. I don't think it was an animal, I don't know what it was."
"You're safe." He repeated, "I brought my bike, you don't need to worry about your ankle." Attached to the back of his bike was a small, flat, wooden wagon probably intended for transporting flats of flowers. "I'm glad I didn't take it off the back." He steadied me with his good arm and helped me into the wagon.
The night air seemed far too cold to me, I couldn't stop shaking.
"I'm glad I went against my better judgment and rode over here." He glanced back at me. I was hard to focus with my heart thumping in my ears.
"Me too," I answered after some time.
We stopped in front of my house. Everett helped me to my feet and into my house.
"There was something in the house. I'm almost certain it wasn't an animal," I sat on the couch while Everett worked my boot off my swollen ankle, "It was too small to be a human but I'm certain it wasn't an animal."
I gasped as my foot was freed from its boot my white sock was stained red from the ankle down. "I'm bleeding."
"Do you have a first aid kid?" He searched the kitchen cabinets.
"Check the bathroom," I instructed, working off my soaked sock.
"Got it," He called emerging with a damp towel and bandages.
"And there was this tapestry, with vines crawling up the sky and eating the sun." I continued, feeling more like myself and less panicked.
"That's oddly terrifying." He looked up at me, brows furrowed, "You think he's in there somewhere."
I nodded, "There was something behind the tapestry. It looks like there was the house was abandoned long before the great collapse. I think there is something more going on here."
Everett's eyes hadn't left my face, "If you're certain about this then I'll go with you this next time."
"You really don't have too. It's dangerous and he's my father, my responsibility."
He let out a dry laugh, "This weekend then when the shops are closed and your ankle feels better. Plus it'll give the doctor the chance to reappear."
"It's settled then?"
"If you think it's a good plan."
"I do," I took his hand and got to my feet, or foot to be more accurate, "could you help me to my room? I think I can get the rest after that."
He nodded we resumed the awkward movement that was balancing me with our height difference. I wanted to ask him if he would stay, not in my room but on the couch, just so he would be nearby if I needed him, but that would never be appropriate, not in a million years.
I leaned on the edge of my bed. I felt inappropriate just having him in my room. "I'm assuming you can let yourself out?"
"I think I've done that before. If you hear screaming it means I've forgotten."
I laughed, "Goodnight, Everett."
"Goodnight Ellowyn."
I did not move until I heard the door lock and click shut. My clothes were filthy. My ankle and my heart ached. I shook my head. I needed to stay positive, we were going to find him if he didn't reappear all on his own.
*
I was suddenly grateful for no house calls with m ankle out of commission the way it was. More customers flooded in than usual for repairs, I even had a few custom orders. Everett joined me for lunch each day on his way back from his own deliveries. Mr. Humphrey even joined us on Thursday bringing with him tales of Fairburg's "Glory Days."
Through all of it, there was no sign of Dr. Von Heikenroter. Friday morning Everett took his borrowed materials back to the library. I made final deliveries and made a notice in the paper stating we were backed-up on orders and we be closed until mid-next week. My ankle was still swollen but not painful. We were ready.