Chapter 7 – A Silenced Typewriter
Bryce Munson’s fingers deftly twisted his tools as he fastened the spare fox head onto the torso of his bookstation’s Freddy Fox robot. He worked quickly to complete his repair before any of the children peeked through the curtain he erected to shield the children’s eyes from his efforts. The marketing gurus working in the bookstation franchise’s home offices possessed piles of data suggesting that demand for Freddy Fox books suffered whenever children had reason to believe their favorite automaton was hurt. Bryce feared any boy or girl peeking through the curtain would scream upon seeing him twisting his tools at the headless robot. The children didn’t know better. They believed the Freddy Fox was alive, and it was difficult for them to understand how oatmeal cookies and peanut butter sandwiches shoved into Freddy’s mouth jammed servomotors and clogged air filters.
Upon hiding the last screw beneath Freddy’s fur, Bryce opened the curtain and smiled.
“Freddy’s all better now, kids. He only had a stomach ache. Be sure not to feed Freddy any of your candy and he’ll tell you all the most incredible stories.”
The children applauded and made Bryce feel proud. The young smiles reminded Bryce that he made a difference in the world.
Bryce Munson didn’t write anymore. The image of so many of his neighbors leaping to their deaths haunted him whenever he sat behind his typewriter. The drones never came for him. No one in a state security uniform ever knocked on his door to drag him to prison. None of the bookstation’s corporate executives so much as threatened to release him from his post as a keeper of automata.
He didn’t understand why no one held him accountable for distributing his story through the automata. He couldn’t guess how much all those damages of the riot cost his city. He had nightmares about all the blood that flowed in the street after the crowds clashed with the security forces and their mechanized machines. He was responsible for all of it, and yet no one came for him.
Bryce was soldering on circuit boards when Rebecca arrived at his shop before making her way to another gathering of the keepers.
“Bryce, you told me you’d be ready when I arrived,” sighed Rebecca.
“Is it already time?”
“It’s two hours passed quitting time.”
“I suppose I just got caught up in my work.”
Rebecca shook her head. “I know better. You were hoping I would forget to come for you. You were hoping I wasn’t going to force you to attend another gathering of the keepers.”
“Perhaps you’re right.”
Rebecca unplugged the soldering iron to force Bryce to stop his fiddling. “All the keepers would march over here if you didn’t show up for tonight’s gathering. They’re all worried about you.”
“I’m fine.”
“Does that mean you’ve got a new story for everyone?”
“I haven’t written anything at all.”
Rebecca forced herself to smile. “You’ll write again, Bryce. You’ll see. You’re just not feeling inspired just yet. Maybe listening to a story from another keeper will get your creative juices flowing again. I’m sure it won’t be long until you’re back behind your typewriter.”
Bryce didn’t argue with Rebecca. She didn’t care to know how he felt, no matter how many times she asked him, no matter how often she pretended to listen to him as they rode on those busses that delivered them to the shops that hosted the weekly gathering of keepers. He wished the keepers would forget about him. He wished the keepers would leave him to his work on the automata. Most of all, he wished the keepers would stop asking him to write.
The keepers believed in so many fantasies. They seemed ready to believe in anything. Yet Bryce Munson wondered why the keepers were incapable of believing that his typewriter would never make another sound.
* * * * *
About the Writer
Brian S. Wheeler resides in rural, Southern Illinois with his wife Erin and his young daughter Kate in a home shared with three German shepherds and a small cat named Izzy. Brian has worn many hats to earn a living. He has worked as a high school English teacher and community college composition instructor. For many years, Brian worked as a marketing manager and a graphic designer for a very successful auction company. Brian has also freelanced as a designer and consultant, and he has just completed vocational training in the welding trade. Writing is Brian’s favorite activity, and he works to one day realize his dream of earning a living by crafting stories of fantasy and science fiction.
The rural Midwest inspires much of Brian's work, and he hopes any connections readers might make between his fiction and the places and people he has had the pleasure to know are positive. When not writing, Brian does his best to keep organized, to get a little exercise, or to try to train good German Shepherd dogs. He remains an avid reader. More information regarding Brian S. Wheeler, his novels, and his short stories can be found by visiting his website at https://www.flatlandfiction.com.
Visit Brian S. Wheeler Online
Find Brian S. Wheeler’s newest short stories and novels online by visiting his website at www.flatlandfiction.com. Brian always welcomes feedback and thoughts sent to his email at
[email protected].
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