A buzzing noise went off, and Oliver's head snapped up. He hid the goggles behind his back. On the opposite side of the room, two long tables stretched out with hunks of iron lying on top. Oliver moved closer. The inventions were shaped like animals made of metal, gears and bolts; one in the shape of a dog, the other an eagle. Both were a human length, and their orange glassy eyes stared up aimlessly, the sight of them stalling Oliver's heart.
"Oliver, what are you doing here?" his mother asked, and then he saw her. She stood against the wall, her fingers twisting around a long flat tool in her hand.
"What are you working on?" he asked.
"You always need to know, don't you?"
She smiled, but Oliver sensed something darker in that look. He'd seen it quite often when she noticed him or his brothers observing her work.
"So curious," she added. "I had to stop it."
"What do you mean?" he asked. "Where are my brothers?"
Her eyes trailed to the machines, and Oliver's blood went cold as he realized what she'd done. The metal machines - though animalistic - were also familiar.
"No one will steal my inventions anymore. Not even my sons."
His mother pulled a lever down on the wall beside her;?the orange eyes of the two metal animals blazed like fire and they rose from their tables like Frankenstein's creation, metal scraping the tables.
Oliver turned, sprinted from the room and raced out of the house. The doors slammed behind him as he gasped for breath. In the cottage he heard projects smashing?into the ground and his mother's voice growing louder.
"Oliver, come back," she called through the door. The words ran off her tongue like venom. "You can't just leave."
He scrambled away from the house and down the hill, never once looking back. He ran as far as he could, over rocks and fallen branches, to the only place he could think of.
The nearby village glowed before him like a beacon of hope. When he made it to the square, he exhaled in relief. The sounds of squeaking gears and grinding were gone, but above him a winged creature drifted through the sky and the tree line danced as something pushed against the branches.
He leaned against a wall as he trembled, imagining his brothers, whom he'd always been so close to, descending upon him with a remorseless force. As the minutes passed, his heartbeat slowed. For now he knew he was safe.
Oliver moved to wipe his tear-stained face. Only then did he realize what he still had, and he gazed at them in wonder. In his fingers were his mother's copper goggles, shining brilliantly in the moonlight.
###
Guests bustled through the small inn, drinking and laughing as the innkeeper shuffled around with their meals. Lantern light illuminated the pub, giving it a pleasant feel amidst the grimy tables and dirty crowd.
Oliver sat at one of the tables as the innkeeper set a plate of stew and potatoes in front of him. Heat drifted off the food and his stomach rumbled. Warmth spread from his stomach as he ate.
"-t's 'ery good," Oliver said to the innkeeper through a mouthful of stew.
The old woman laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm glad you like it."
Oliver had grown accustomed to the familiar faces at the inn. It had been two weeks and the nightmare of what he'd seen in his mother's workshop had not abated, but the familiar drone of the inn, the crowds and cheerful banter had almost doused his fear. The innkeeper had taken him in in exchange for his assistance with chores, and he'd been more than grateful. Most nights it was a peaceful reprieve and a nice distraction. Even so, he knew he could not return home.
As the evening wore on, the door of the inn slammed open and three men entered. Their chairs scraped across the wooden floor; their voices loud and hysteric. The innkeeper sighed in annoyance, snapping her rag, and moved to greet her newest customers. Oliver regarded them, swinging his feet under the chair as they spoke, their frightened tones swept through the room.
"-not going to be safe for long. The stairs are gone and the place will crash down at any moment."
"We almost died! It was the beast's fault!" The man held out his arms to describe something rather large. At first, the mechanic creatures had been nothing more than a remarkable sight in the village. But Oliver could tell from the men's expressions that something had transpired, and a rush of fear gripped his chest. He listened in. They had been at the clock tower waiting to see the beasts. At midnight, they'd appeared;?one a giant metal bird with iron wings, swooping and twisting in the air;?the other?a massive canine that pounded its way through the village woods, its gears groaning?and creaking. Then they attacked the villagers with claws and teeth. A boy with them had gotten hurt.
"And that stupid girl!" the one man said. "She hid up in the tower. We tried to get her out but it's impossible."
Oliver's eyes widened. The men's voices quieted, and Oliver hopped off the chair, ducking under the table nearest them.
"How long has she been up there?" one of them asked.
"Two days. Dumb girl's probably frightened out of her mind."
"Hopefully, the monsters disappear so we can get to her."
"We'll be lucky the tower doesn't topple before that."
Oliver's hands turned to fists and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Excuse me," he said, popping up and alerting the men. They stared at him with open mouths. "Where is she trapped?" he asked.
"The old clock tower," one said, dumbstruck.
"Thank you." Oliver nodded and raced out the door, ignoring their calls to return.
The old clock tower loomed over the edge of town. The ancient brass hands progressed steadily as Oliver crept up to it, gazing up at it in wonder. He was surprised the clock still functioned properly, considering the wreckage the metal beast had caused. It looked as though the building would tip over any moment, back into the woods where nature could finally reclaim it.
Fear ran rampant through his heart. His legs felt like jelly, and he had the urge to run back into the village and continue hiding at the inn. But he knew he had to remedy the chaos his mother had begun. The creatures were looking for him, after all, and he'd done nothing but hide. Now a girl's life was involved.
The clock sounded eleven times, leaving only an hour until the beasts appeared. He could make it up there in time, if he tried.
Setting his lantern down, he grabbed the amber goggles resting on his head and placed the large lenses over his eyes. As soon as he did, a whizzing noise picked up, steam blew off above his head, and suddenly the glass inside the goggles changed, illuminating his way with green symbols and instructions.
Bits of debris covered the ground and walls of the floor of the tower. Nothing remained of the staircase that had existed to his left, and there were still two levels above. The goggles pinpointed an object in sight with an emerald arrow. If he shoved the fallen wooden beam to the right two feet three inches, he could secure what remained of the stairs above. Then he had to move the rubbish and use a stack of crates to reach the rest of the stairs.
Smiling, Oliver pushed the wooden beam as the goggles instructed. It moved easily. He tossed bits of wood and metal out of his way and stacked the crates until they were sturdy enough to climb. When he got to solid ground on the second level, the remainder of the stairwell rested before him. He stepped lightly onto the first quivering step. Then he gripped the railing on both sides and ventured up.
The clock ticked much louder at the top of the tower. He stepped off the stairs and saw the darkened village through the face of the clock, covering everything in an amber film. On the floor lay scattered pieces of metal and wires. Two miniature bronze boxes sat in the center with large knobs and rusty silver claws attached. A thin wire linked them.
Hunched over those boxes sat the girl he'd come to rescue.
Golden strands of hair fell down around her ears and the rest was haphazardly tied back. Her red dress was covered in dirt and dust, but she didn't seem to care, gazing down at her contraption with every bit of concentr
ation.
"Hello?" Oliver asked, and the girl's head shot up. Her mouth dropped open.
"Stop! Don't move!" she shouted, holding out her hand. Oliver paused mid-step.
"Who are you?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm the rescue party, of course."
She scrutinized him with narrowed eyes. Oliver raised his foot but the girl held up both hands.
"I said stop moving! You need to be careful!"
He glanced at the floor. A green line ran across the lenses of the goggles, directing his safe passage, but Oliver didn't know what the girl was capable of, so he remained still.
Anger and curiosity flitted across her face. "You look odd, like an automaton. Take off those glasses so I can see you."
The room darkened significantly as he pulled the goggles off, and he noticed a small bout of light from the girl's lantern on the floor.
"You're practically working in the dark!"
She tilted her head. "My father would have never sent a grimy boy like you. What's your name?"
"Oliver. You?"
"Aileen." She rose from her spot. Specks of dirt hung in the air as she tiptoed forward to give him a better look. "Aileen Codges. How'd you find the entrance?"
"A bit of luck and some magic."
She scoffed. "Luck sounds about right."
For just a moment, Oliver considered walking out the door. His own eyes narrowed. "Everyone in town is worried about you."
"I don't need saving." She crossed her arms. "I could have easily made my way downstairs. I hid the entryway on purpose."
"You hid it? Why?"
"It doesn't matter." She waved her arms. "You can go back and tell everyone I'm perfectly fine. They don't need to worry."
His eyes lingered over her project. As crude as it was, he wanted badly to know what it was. "What are you doing up here?"
"Saving the town. Stopping the monsters." A spark shot from the metal box, causing Aileen to cry and wince. "Darn it!"
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "It looks like you may need help."
"I'm perfectly fine. Please go back now. Step lightly."
He held out his goggles, and Aileen paused. "I know an unfinished project when I see one, and according to what I've heard, you've already been here two days. The goggles can help you finish it."
She hesitated, biting her lip, but Oliver felt her resolve cracking. "Why should I trust you?"
"Why wouldn't you trust your rescue party?" Then he added, more seriously, "A boy was hurt. I want to help stop them before it gets out of hand."
She leaned over and grabbed his goggles, placing them over her own eyes, the strap bunching up her hair and the lenses giving her an alien look. As soon as they were on, the gears in the glasses hummed, puffing out more smoke. Her mouth opened in awe, and she looked around.
"These are magnificent! Where did you find them?" All the menace in her voice had vanished. A smile lit her dirty face.
"They're mine."
She plopped herself on the wooden floor-her dress sending even more dust into the air-and grabbed one of the metal boxes along with a small wrench. "Those beasts outside the village. They're on a timer if you haven't noticed. Midnight is when they'll arrive for an hour doing who knows what. There has to be a way to stop them, and I believe I can make their internal clock stop."
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"By short-circuiting them." Her fingers moved quickly, threading wires and screwing bolts into place. She held up one of her bronze boxes. "I've created this with the things I've found. We'll have to connect it to the monsters, unfortunately, but once that's done it'll shut them down. These goggles will help me finish it in no time."
"You're quite good," Oliver said, watching with interest. "Doing all of that on your own."
Aileen shrugged. "Thanks. Although I doubt I'm as great as the person who owned these goggles. They must have invented some marvelous things."
The rumbling from outside grew louder and she paused. Oliver kneeled in the doorway and watched. Aileen worked diligently, only stopping to switch tools.
"So where did you steal these?" she asked, tapping the lens. "You couldn't have made them. In fact, I don't think anyone could have. They're too perfect."
"I didn't steal them," he muttered. "I borrowed them."
Aileen's mouth formed a thin line. "Sounds like stealing to me."
He frowned and was about to reply when the clock struck twelve. The building shook, consuming every other sound.
"Oh no."
He glanced at the window. A shadow passed and a darkened creature rushed down in the moonlight. Terror built in his chest.
"We're out of time."
Aileen's goggled eyes looked down as she twisted a screw into her box. "I have to finish this."
"We have to go. If it hits the tower-"
"But I'm not finished!"
"Finish it on the way down."
He rushed forward and grabbed Aileen, pulling her up. They ran. Aileen led them out and down the stairs, Oliver following blindly until they reached his stack of crates. The lantern he'd left behind illuminated the ground as they climbed down.
When the final chime struck, they tumbled out the door. The winged creature made its final attack on the building, diving into the tower like a torpedo. Seconds later the tower smashed into the woods with a loud crash, taking trees down like a line of dominoes.
The creature rose again and circled above. Then it dived. Oliver pulled Aileen and himself out of the way, and they tumbled into the grass. Aileen toyed with the screw and the boxes in her hand, her head still bent down.
"Aileen, we have to go!" Oliver cried in between breaths. He grabbed her arm and tried to wrench her away but she refused to move.
"It's finished!" She held up her device. "We need to attach it to its back!"
They looked up just in time to see the creature. Aileen waited patiently, staring it down. It lunged again, missing her by inches, and she threw her device.
They heard a loud thump as metal claws pierced the beast. Cheering, Aileen pressed down on the button of the box she still held. Electricity surged through her device, through the wires and into the claws attached to the beast. The machine's gears halted. The beast juddered and hit the ground with a large thud.
A grin spread across Aileen's face as she tore the goggles off and jumped up. "We did it! These goggles are brilliant!"
Oliver raced over to the machine, falling beside it. He seized bits of bronze and iron sheets covering the creature and pulled at them. Aileen kneeled beside him to help, unscrewing bolts with her wrench. She pulled at a wing and fell back with a start as the piece she tore off revealed a human hand.
"Is that-" Aileen began, eyes wide as she leaned back.
"He's my brother."
They disassembled the beast until only his brother remained, his eyes closed and skin pale. Oliver felt his breath on his hand and sighed in relief.
"How did this happen?" Aileen asked, observing Oliver's brother and the scattered pieces in astonishment. She gritted her teeth.
"My mother ? she used those goggles to invent the creatures." He gazed down and closed his eyes. "She did this."
"Why would she do something like this? To her own sons?"
Oliver shoulders sagged. "She was afraid." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I should have done something or told someone about them."
Aileen stepped closer. She held out her hand and smiled at him, warming his heart. "It's okay, Oliver. We stopped them in time."
The trees rustled, and they both looked up. Two amber globes burned before them in the darkened woods.
"We only stopped one," he said, slowly rising. "The other one. It's here."
Aileen took his hand and squeezed it. Her gaze was steely. "Let's stop this one too." She handed Oliver the goggles and her own device. "It's all yours."
He placed the goggles over his eyes. The fog cleared, and the lenses told hi
m what he needed to do.
Aileen moved the unconscious boy out of the way as the second creature stumbled out of the woods on its thick legs. Its bronze nails dug into the muddy ground. Steam rolled out of an iron snout with every husky breath it took, and it stared Oliver down with blazing eyes.
He waited as instructed. The large creature pounded closer. Then it charged. He chucked the wired device at the creature and ducked out of its path. To his surprise, the metal connected with a clink, and the claws pierced the beast. He pressed the switch. The machine halted in its tracks, smacking the junk-covered ground with a great crash, spurting up even more dirt and spare parts. Smoke flowed from its engine as the gears cooled down.
Like the first, Oliver and Aileen tore it to pieces until nothing remained except a pile of junk and his other brother, unconscious and thin, yet unharmed.
When they finally finished, their hands and faces were covered in grease and dirt. Aileen wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Oliver smiled in relief. A quiet night had settled around them and Oliver recognized the sound of the clock tower, still ticking even though it had crashed.
Pulling off the goggles, he held them out for Aileen to take. "For you. And everything you did."
She shook her head, grinning. "They're yours, Oliver. You keep them. Besides, I think you'll need them."
His brothers awoke and Oliver told them what happened, and who saved them. The town spoke about the beasts for weeks, but there was no mention of Aileen Codges, the miller's daughter, who disappeared into the background just like the fallen clock tower.
Town saved and chaos averted, Oliver had one last thing to do.
###
When the bell rang and the inventor opened her door, her three sons stood before her. She looked at them from within her cottage, where her inventions had remained untouched. Revulsion filled her eyes. Oliver and his brothers knew there was no love remaining in their mother's heart; something evil had taken root there.
Her eyes locked on the goggles resting on Oliver's head. She lunged at him, shouting, but his brothers held her back. Oliver clutched Aileen's shiny new device, then tossed it into her home. Wires sprung out of the device and clawed ends connected to the metal husks in every room. He pressed his switch, and the inventions it had attached to fizzed to life, sparking and whirring until they sputtered out and became nothing but junk.