It’s just another uneventful day for me as I sat at the register of the local hardware store in the town of spirit Creek. The store is not that big, consisting of only twelve aisles and small display area. We might not have much in stock, but if you’re willing to wait at least 24 hours, we’ll get you anything and any brand you need within reason. That being said we carry plumbing, paint, building materials, flooring, electrical, garden tools, hardware and automotive parts & pieces. Business is unusually slow for a June weekend so I was writing notes down in for a couple of projects in my notebook when Marcus came over from the fasteners aisle, which is closest to the register, with a large box to the counter. “Peter, I need you to drop this off at the church now, after that you can go home,” said the old shopkeeper in a gruff voice. Marcus is an old African American veteran; he came to spirit creek after he left the military. The name of the store, the Supply Depot, reflects that. I often see Marcus as a hero but Marcus claims he’s no hero.
“Yes sir.” I replied after jumping out my seat due to a near heart attack from when the box clatters on to the counter. After hanging up my apron and grabbing my things and the large box, I said “Have a nice day Marcus,” and stepped out into the blinding sunlight. The day was gorgeous as I oriented myself before towards the church some four blocks away. The town of spirit Creek is a small town with businesses on or near Main Street that run through town. Spirit Creek is probably the most remote town in the state because it’s located in East River Valley between five mountain peaks where the only way in and out town is along the river downstream. Even so there are five factories in town because of the rich resources here.
I was out of breath by the time I got to the church from carrying a heavy box with all my things on top for 4 blocks. This is because I do not have a car. I notice my mother’s car, a Honda Odyssey sitting in the church’s parking lot. “Mom must be in her office. Maybe she could give me a ride home,” I said to myself as I climbed the steps and entered the building. The church is being renovated in one of the workers notice me struggling with my load.
“Thanks for running over with that. You can set down there,” she said pointing to a table. I couldn’t remember her name but Julie sounded about right, I did remember seeing her often at the supply depot.
“Thanks, Julie right?” I asked. I continued after getting confirmation, “have you seen my mom around?”
“Yes, she’s in her office.”
“Thanks again, bye” I headed down the hall to a door marked pastor Linda Smith’s office where I knocked on the open door before entering. “Hi mom. Came back to drop some things that I saw you were here.”
“Oh, well hello Peter. I wasn’t expecting you but nice to see you all the same. So how’s things lately?” Said my mother.
“All right for now, could I get a ride home?”
“All right but you really should get your own car one of these days. I’m just about done anyways.”
Normally I walk or take my bike the 4 ½ to 5 miles from my dad’s house where I live to work. Today is no exception, but my bike is broken and with the temp at 95 F. I am likely to get heat stroke since I have no water bottle today. My house is isolated, perch on top of a wooded cliff overlooking the valley with my only neighbors being my aunt and uncles’ family.
Once I got to my mother’s car, his mother asks “so what are you up to these days?”
Pausing to let some hot air out of the car, peter thought for a moment before answering, “Nothing really, just building a robot.”
“What for?”
“I found an abandon mine shaft. For some reason I feel like I’m being drawn to that mine.”
Linda pulled the car to a stop on the side of the road and turn to look at her son. “Please tell me you’re going to be careful, Peter”
“What do you think I’m building a robot for?”
“Alright she said before pulling back into traffic I hope you get Eli involved.”
“Oh I don’t know”
The rest of the trip was spent in silence as I try to collect my thoughts. Once we got to my house, I said thanks, and got out. The house is a modest two storied building with a front porch running along the whole front side of the house. There wasn’t much in the porches over hanging roof’s protection, just two chairs and a table. I often like spending my time here whenever I have a good book. Today I just walked upstairs to my room, completely ignoring my dog midnight, but decided let him outside anyways.
My room is a mess; I have a collection of papers and games around my computer which sits at a desk across from my bed. A TV and DVD player sits on my dresser with another collection, this time DVDs. And finally I have a large collection of books filling two book cases and in large stacks around the room. The room also has a nice view of the valley which helps me calm my thoughts. Dropping off my bag, I headed back outside towards the workshop he and his dad built a few years ago.
My dad greeted me from the garden. “You’re home early. Had a slow day at work?”
“You guessed it; looks like you could use a hand.” I replied, noticing a collection of parts at my dad’s feet.
“Yeah, the water for the tomato patch quit working.”
“I’ll help you.” I said and we got to work. An hour past before the problem was fixed, afterwards I enter the workshop covered in dirt and sweat. The workshop has three rooms to it with the third room added just that spring.
The first two rooms were a work area and a supply room containing tools and project materials that are often being use for multiple projects. Some projects are geared towards eco-friendly living while others are just for fun. The third room is a basic lab that contains a display of rocks and minerals, a microscope, a centrifuge, and a chemical analyzer that I bought online. There is also some stairs leading to a home built observatory that monitors both visible light and radio waves that’s hooked up to another computer. Much of the lab is a gift from family and family friends after listening to me complaining repeated about not having access to the school lab after I graduated nearly 5 years ago
Wiping the sweat and dirt off, I sat down at another computer to transfer a few notes from my notebook. I work late into night after noticing odd readings from my observatory. No matter what I did, the data won’t fit in the calculations. Frustrated, I called it a night.