NUTS AND BOLTS ¯ᶠʳᵉʳᵃʳᵈ

2. Boom!

Year 1724

MECHANIC REQUIRED
Must be skilled in the profession of ballistic machinery. Creating, fixing, replacing etc.
Must be able to travel.
Consistent wage of three gold coins to be paid each month.
Please refer to The Steam Circus currently located at Rose Lane Gardens.

The young man dropped down his heavy bag with a huff and squinted at the poster stuck to the wall of the train station. He had seen the poster everywhere around town but thus far hadn’t stopped to read it, but he had seen plenty of people who had. The poster had a different type of font used for each line to catch the eye and the young man’s curiosity had finally got the better of him.

Frank was not a fabulous reader, he had attended school until the age of twelve and then gone down to work in the mines as his parents had wanted. He had learnt the basics of writing and such before he had left the school house, but it still took him a long time to carefully break up each word of the poster, sounding out each part separately before he was able to read it fluently.

“M.... Mesh... Mec... Mec-hanic... Mec-hanic?... Mechanic! Mechanic... Re...Re... Rekwu... Rekw... uh... Err...D... Rekwuherrd... Re... Required... Mechanic required...” Frank frowned deeply as he concentrated hard on the font, people ignoring him as they bustled about, hurrying to catch their train or find loved ones who had just stepped off the steel creature onto the platform. Frank himself was due to get on the train but the poster had well and truly snared his attention.

He was a mechanic. A really good one too. He had become a locomotive engineers apprentice when he was sixteen and five years on he was one of the best mechanics around. Turned out he’d had quite the gift when it came to treating machinery, but sadly the old man who had taught him had died and Frank, unable to read and write enough to run the business had had no choice but to leave and find his fortune somewhere else.

So the young man had found himself in the city train station, due to leave for a different city where he would have to roam the streets until he found another job. But maybe this poster was his ticket to remain here, maybe it was just what he needed.

Frank struggled through the second line, biting his lip as he hesitated. Ballistic machinery... like guns and cannons and such. He had never worked with such things other than loading a pistol or two when he went with his master to other towns for supplies. He had been taught how to shoot a pistol should bandits or highwaymen attack but Frank hadn’t been trained in the skill of ballistic technology.

Just a little detail though. He thought to himself, shrugging it off. I can learn.

Frank had no doubt he’d be able to figure it all out, he was gifted in this he reminded himself. And he really didn’t want to leave for another city all on his own to try and find his feet in life. It was far too daunting for him.

“Mu – Must... Be... Abb... Leh... Abbleh... Abul... A.... Able to... Travel...” Frank huffed softly, the exhale of air sending his fringe up for a second. Able to travel? He wasn’t so sure about that. He liked this city, he was used to it. But then... he couldn’t stay here. He already knew there was nothing here for him, and if he was leaving anyway then wouldn’t it be better to travel around and see many different places, and at least if he took this job he wouldn’t be travelling alone.

Frank quietly spelt out the next line of words, grinning slowly as he realised what it said. Three gold a month was nothing to grumble at, hell that was... Frank closed his eyes and his lips mouthed words silently as he worked it out in his head. Thirty six gold a year? That was good, Frank could live with that. If he was roaming about he wouldn’t need a home to uphold, just food and clothing and such, three gold a month should be enough.