by HopefulMonster » Tue Dec 18, 2018 10:50:28 am
Clockwork Conundrum - by Sandy
Gadget popped out of his stuffy shipping box and looked over his new surroundings. Lots of open space, good light..and many friendly wyrms to squirm with!
One wyrm in particular drew his undivided attention…the silver-furred Tesla that shyly huddled next to the larger lavender-colored wyrm who had released him and the other new ones. Gadget could hear the swift clicking and whirring of her gears, indicating her nervousness.
Several of the established house-wyrms came over to greet him, but the female Tesla hid behind some packing peanuts. He could not help but glance at her gleaming fur every chance he got, even as he was trying to make friends with the house-wyrms. He introduced himself and tried to remember names.
There was an emergency to deal with, as the last wyrm out of the box had lost her horn. As the squirm gathered around the distressed wyrm, trying to think of a solution, a very large, winged wyrm slithered over to the candy-striped mini whose sad cries had attracted him.
“Why, whatever is wrong, my dear? Surely you can’t be this upset over something as minor as a loose horn, can you? Why, that is such an easy fix! All you need to do is ask me for the favor….” The black-and-red wyrm’s voice was brash and deep, with an oddly accented cadence that was compelling.
Gadget watched the dark wyrm from a distance. The little brass Tesla could feel the power in the large wyrm, but he was frightening too. He was so big, and his teeth…..! But his blue eyes, so different from any wyrm Gadget had ever seen, were strangely kind. Could this fellow help the red-and-white striped wyrm?
Before the distressed wyrm could answer the dark one, a brightly-colored Phoenix flew into the room, alighting between the dark wyrm and the candy-striped one.
“Begone, foul one! These sweet wyrms do not need anything from you!”
The tatter-winged wyrm grumbled but quickly left, as the Phoenix worked her healing magic to heal the horn onto the head of the newest member of the squirm.
Everyone was happy as the wyrm was healed and whole, and ready to be a part of the group. Greetings were exchanged all around, noses touched, territories established. There was some floofing as dominance was established too. Gadget quickly learned that there was an order to the squirm, as his parents had told him there would be. He needed to establish his place in the squirm.
But most of all, he wanted to establish his place with the silver Tesla. She had retreated to her perch atop a glowing glass ball filled with purple and pink electrical arcs. He inched his way near her. She had not stayed to talk with the other wyrms, so he did not know her name.
He could hear her gears clicking and clacking. No…not a click-clack sound…more like a ‘tick-tock’.
‘Tick-Tock?” he said aloud. The silver lady perked up and looked down at him.
“How did you know my name?” she asked.
“Oh, I didn’t, exactly…it just seemed to be what your heart was saying to mine” Gadget replied, his brassy colored face growing more red. His fur floofed a little as he mentally kicked himself. What a silly thing to say!
Tick-tock smiled slightly and went back to her electricity-bath. “That’s….not really logical, you know. Hearts don’t talk. They just pump blood and oil. You probably just heard my servo-motor gears. They do have the rhythm of my name.” She shook her horned head gracefully and settled back into her basking. The sparking of the glass ball threw tints of purple and pink onto her silver fur. Almost as an afterthought she said; “Good luck in getting a nice hoard here. The Handlers treat their metal items with care and seldom let us near them. It’s so hard to make an impressive collection of parts.” She sighed and looked down at the brass wyrm again. “Parts are what we need, you know….to make new Teslas. Lots of parts.” She winked one dark eye at him and went back to her reverie.
Gadget was entranced. Tick-Tock was beautiful, smart, and definitely playing hard-to-impress. His father had warned him about the game that females played. Since new Teslas were made partly from metals and other tooled items, the ladies loved to make their prospective mates find the choicest bits of gear from which they would build their nestlings. Males vied for their ladies’ affections by finding the highest tech, the brightest metals, the smoothest, roundest gears and levers and bolts and screws. It was a fun contest among the males too, as each one got to show off his latest find, spurring on the others to try even harder.
Gadget knew what his mission was now; to find a hoard of metal tech that would impress the silvery Tesla whose name now whirred within his gears.
For the next few weeks the brassy Tesla squirmed around his new home. There was a large collection of paper blocks with pretty covers, but paper was useless to him. There was wood all over, and fur from the large mammals that padded about the house. Gadget did his best to avoid the furred mammals, as they might be tempted to bat him around, thinking him one of their toys. Although they were furred, Teslas did not use animal fur in constructing their nestlings.
The other wyrms, though friendly, were not much help. None of them cared for electronics or gadgetry, and had no suggestions for his search. There was a very large machine at one end of the main living area, but it projected huge images of strange things late into the night. The Handlers watched it often. They probably would not like the little wyrm pulling pieces off their favorite machine. Besides, it was entirely closed up, and the tiny horn on Gadget’s head was not strong enough to open any of the screws holding it together.
After quite some time, Gadget was about to give up hope of ever amassing a hoard worthy of his treasured silver Tick-Tock.
And then he remembered the dark wyrm who had offered to help Candy Cane. Yes, the Phoenix had shooed off the large fellow, called him ‘foul’, but what had he actually done? Most days he merely sits curled up on the tall lamp that gives off daylight. He smiles his toothy grin at the wyrms and the Handlers as they go about their business. The female Handler who brushes them and gives them good noms enjoys petting the large wyrm, and calls him Crowley. He never seemed to cause any one any harm.
He said he could help Candy Cane…maybe he could help Gadget?
Late one evening, when most of the wyrms had curled up in their various cubby holes, the brassy little wyrm squirmed his way up the lamp that held Crowley.
“I wondered when you’d be by, little Gadget.” said the black-and-red wyrm. “I was getting tired of waiting.”
Gadget floofed. How did he know?
“Well, out with it, boy. Did you want my help? I may look like I have all eternity..and well, frankly, I do…but I don’t want to spend it waiting for a Tesla who can’t even find the ball bearings to talk to me!”
“I…I want to impress Tick-Tock…you know, the silver beauty who lives on the glowing glass ball…” meeped Gadget, staring into the disconcertingly warm blue eyes of the large wyrm above him.
Crowley rolled those blue eyes as he said condescendingly “Plasma globe. It’s called a plasma globe. Interestingly enough, it was invented by Nikola Tesla, for whom your breed is named.” The tatter-winged wyrm smirked as his eyes took on a distant light. ‘He shouldn’t have made that deal…..”
He shook he head as he refocused on the little brass wyrm. “But that’s neither here nor there. So, what say you, my little clockwork friend? Do you want my help?”
“But…can you help me? I mean, help me to find some gears and bits of electronics that will really impress my silver Tick-Tock?”
Crowley smiled, his many teeth gleaming whitely in his midnight face. The red swirls decorating his facial ridges gleamed with ruby sparkles. “Of course I can help you, my little tin soldier! You want special kibbles n’ bits, and you will get them!” He leaned down to where Gadget curled around the lamp post and looked into the wyrm’s dark eyes with his mesmerizing blue ones. “Do we have a deal?”
“Y-yes” stammered Gadget. “I would be forever grateful for any help you could give me in finding special parts to impress my lady.”
“Well then, just sit back and let old Crossroads Crowley work his magic! Go back to your cubby-hole nest and dream sweet dreams. When you awake, you’ll have your special parts…and your lady’s heart, I’m sure.”
Gadget happily squirmed back to his little nest of wires and loose screws. What a nice fellow that Crowley was! He couldn’t understand why the other wyrms ignored him.
The next morning, when he awoke, he found scattered around his nest a collection of the oddest electronic pieces and doo-dads he had ever seen! Some of them were flat wafers of metal, with tiny lines of gold and even smaller dots of colored enamel. Some bits had glowing squares of glass, while others were wires twisted together with colored plastics. There were pieces of metal shaped like tiny rods, and they glowed with an eerie green light. They were warm, too.
No other wyrm had a hoard like his, he was sure! What a hatchling he and Tick-Tock could make!
He squirmed over to the silver Tesla’s nest and motioned her to follow him. When she saw his collection, she was delighted.
“Oh, Gadget! What an amazing hoard! I’ve never seen anything like it! These glowing warm things are delightful!” She wiggled closer to the brass wyrm, letting the static in the dry air make sparks along their fur where they touched each other. “You have done the Tesla proud, my dear. Shall we start putting these bits together and see what we can come up with…?” The silver wyrm winked one dark eye and touched her nose to his. A spark flew, making both of them laugh.
Gadget purred happily as he began sorting through the pile of treasure with his love. He glanced across the room in Crowley’s direction, and saw that the dark wyrm was once more smiling his toothy grin. “I’ll have to do him a favor someday” thought Gadget. “To repay him for his kindness….”