A streak of pain jolted Albert awake. His groggy eyes tried to focus. Not even a faint glimmer of light penetrated the darkness around him.

“Just don’t get killed trying it out.” His brother’s caution from fifteen years earlier flashed across his mind.

Albert had come close over the years. A broken leg and arm, the scar on his face were some of the results; but why remember it today? Could this be the result of another experiment gone bad? Am I blind? He twisted his head side to side in agony at the thought. That seemed to be the only part of his body he could move. Hands and feet were constricted. Even something was tight against his throat. Disoriented in the dark, he moaned and lost consciousness again.

The life-sized clown, its mechanical workings exposed to the world, winked and bowed. Albert pressed his face against the display window. His wide eyes studied the shining wheels and swirling cogs. Large ones moved slowly while small gears within them were fast. They all moved together with precision. What he would give to have one of those machines. Small for his age, not built like his tall father and older brother, many people took him for a younger child. But he would be thirteen on his next birthday. For his present, this was what he wanted. Albert favored his mother who was delicate. She died from influenza, and Albert almost succumbed as well. Since then, they treated him like a sickly child. His adventurous spirit and talented mind frustrated their attempts to control him. He was stronger than they knew; Father and brother would have to be convinced.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Come along Albert!" His older brother in full naval uniform stood at the open door of their carriage. Jack picked up his brother at school and then ran some errands. On leave from the navy, he was impatient to get moving.

"Jack, did you see that? The clown. Can I have one?"

"Hurry, we don't have time to visit the Emporium of Mechanical Wonders. You know father doesn’t like us to be late. Besides, it’s Dad you have to convince." Jack climbed in and pulled Albert up behind him.

As the horse clip-clopped along the cobblestones, he turned around and watched while the shop faded from view. His shoulders slumped for a moment. Father, a retired Admiral held him under tight rein. He knew what the answer would be, “No!”

Those turning gears called to him, almost in tune with his beating heart. There must be a way. Maybe research the mechanisms and design something better. The power to make it run could be compacted. That large steam system with pipes leading to a stove was cumbersome. This was the modern 1870s, there had to be a whole bunch of stuff written about it. Albert sat up and grinned. “No problem. I can build one of those in the carriage house."

Jack glanced over at his brother’s glowing face. Knowing his fondness for adventure, he commented, “Just don’t get killed trying it out.”

*****

Albert woke again. Where was he? The last thing he remembered was reaching for his front door, after that everything was blank. He tried to concentrate, but his mind kept drifting. Did someone drug him? Why the pain in his head? He shifted and tried to turn. With the movement, pain jolted through him and caused his stomach to heave. The hold around his throat hampered his ability to throw up, he would gag on his on vomit. Straightening his knees, the metal tightness eased around his throat. Deep measured breaths controlled the stomach contractions.