Shows
The Plant - A Steampunk StoryChapter 20 - A Branch with a ViewNaturally, the librarian told the boys’ parents and teachers the good news that Richard and Jack had singlehandedly made the second dome happen, very excited about the spirit of adventure the two had displayed and praising the innovative approach they took to create something so extraordinary. To her great surprise, but not Richard and Jack’s, who wished they could have moved to a parallel universe where people didn’t disapprove of the plant and anyone associated with it, the boy’s parents didn’t take lightly to the news that their son, whom they trusted to know what he was all...2025-06-2013 min
The Plant - A Steampunk StoryChapter 8 - Working SolutionsIt's not that Richard wanted to get himself in trouble, but his curiosity always seemed to get the better of him, and since the plant problem was now the center of all the town folk's attention, which gave his parents little time to organize his schedule, he had plenty of time to dedicate to his research.In the meantime, the lab results were finalized, to be presented to an already weary audience who didn't think they were going to hear anything they didn't already know. The real surprise came from the X-ray scans. The plant's tuberous roots...2025-02-1013 min
The Plant - A Steampunk StoryChapter 7 - DebriefingOne thing was sure: Richard was terrible at hiding the truth, and the last drop of it was pulled out of his tormented psyche despite his efforts; it came out in painful, somewhat inarticulate blobs as Jack attacked the matter from all sides, placing strategic questions at the critical points of the story, to eliminate the possibility of any important details being left out. After he squeezed the whole truth out of his friend, like one would get the last glob of toothpaste from an almost empty tube, he seemed content with the results, and pondered deep in thought...2025-02-0612 min
The Plant - A Steampunk StoryChapter 6 - The Research TeamAfter hearing his story, strongly disapproving of his son's choices and discussing the situation with Carol, Tom agreed to lift Richard's punishment, even though very reluctantly.The boy counted the minutes until the following Saturday, when he expressed renewed enthusiasm for his rock collection and left for the factory as soon as the first rays of sun peeked over the horizon. He was so eager to see what the plant did in his absence that the half hour walk only took him twenty minutes.In his enthusiasm to get to the factory floor as soon...2025-01-1412 min
The Plant - A Steampunk StoryChapter 5 - Breaking and EnteringJack's plan was presented and analyzed for potential risks and flaws during the following week, over a few milkshakes at Jack and Richard's favorite hang out spot, and it was supposed to go like this: the boys were going to tell their parents they had volunteered at school to reorganize the supplies in the Art Studio, and since most parents had complained repeatedly about the mess their kids generated in art class, mess that always seemed to follow them back home, this was a very plausible reason to get out of the house, sure to meet with no resistance...2025-01-0612 min
The Plant - A Steampunk StoryChapter 4 - JackHe had to wait an entire week for an opportunity to visit the factory again. He anticipated with trepidation another one of his father's intrusions on his schedule, but when no restriction was placed on his time, he rushed back to his beloved factory, to see what happened to it in the meantime.No wonder his father was impossible to please lately, the scene he came upon was simply surreal. The plant was growing in several locations now, immediately noticeable by anybody blessed with eyesight, it was as if spring had sprung in the factory and the...2024-12-3013 min
The Plant - A Steampunk StoryChapter 3 - The BeanstalkThe next Saturday he skipped out again, in search of interesting rocks for his “geology” project. He arrived at the factory breathless and rushed to see if the plant was still there. It was. He couldn't tell if it was the same plant, or one that kind of looked the same, but it was definitely growing out of the same valve, wrapping around the steam pipe almost half way up now.Richard, who worshiped the scientific method, tied a little string around the plant and marked its height on the pipe. He tried to snip a little piec...2024-12-2310 min
The Plant - A Steampunk StoryChapter 2 - Home Sweet HomeHis mom wasn't in the house, so he went straight to the bathroom to put some toothpaste on the burn on his arm. Every single surface in the room was spotless and not a single object was out of place, which reminded Richard that he would be wise to keep it that way. Carol was a cleaning fanatic and gave the children the mother of all guilt trips if they made a mess, and her lectures on disrespect and parental disappointment could last for hours, depending on the amount of dirt and disorder that had been generated. By now...2024-12-1812 min
The Plant - A Steampunk StoryChapter 1 - Factory PlantRichard walked around the bend, passed the Belvedere point, without stopping to admire the view this time, and picked up the pace on the old cobblestones of the pedestrian trail that connected the town to the steam plant. Back in the day when everyone walked to work it used to be the principal thoroughfare to and from town, but since they had built the railroad for the commuter train nobody took the long walk along the side of the mountain anymore, and the trail hadn't been used in years.The path started literally within a few feet...2024-12-0911 min