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“I love you, Father.” Boy patiently followed behind his father, trying to see everything at once.
“I love you too, Boy.”
“When do I get to meet my sister?” Boy almost plowed head first into his father’s back, having not realized he’d stopped.
Tinker turned and reached out to steady Boy, so he didn’t tip over. “I don’t know. Liberty comes and goes as she pleases. She’s still trying to keep to her father’s trading schedule so she’ll only stop here if she has the time.”
“Do you think she’ll like me?” Boy watched a bird hop by, chasing after a moth. Why did they do that? The question was answered a second later when the bird caught it.
“Of course she will. She’ll love you as much as I do.” Tinker patted Boy’s head and smiled.
“But what if she doesn’t?” Boy held his fingers in front of his face and wiggled them. “I’m different.” He reached out and took his father’s hand. “Your fingers are soft and mine are hard. Why?”
“Your fingers are covered in metal and mine are covered in skin.” Tinker patted Boy’s head again. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with being different. The world would be a dull place if we were all the same.”
“Does my sister have metal covering her fingers?” Boy rubbed his father’s arm. Skin was a wonderful thing. It was so soft and warm. He wanted warm skin.
“No. She has skin too.” Tinker knelt to Boy’s eye level. “You worry too much. Liberty will love everything about you.”
“But what if she doesn’t?” Boy didn’t want to leave his father and go live with someone who didn’t love him like he did.
Tinker rubbed the top of Boy’s head. “You worry too much.”
“But why can’t I stay here with you, or maybe you could come and live with Liberty too? You said her airship was big enough for her and me. Surely Liberty has room on Airus for you too.” Boy studied his father without blinking. Boy had discovered that if he blinked too much he missed important things.
Tinker opened his mouth to answer but was racked by a fit of coughing.
It was at times like this that Boy felt helpless. Father was slipping away from him. He could feel it.
“Father, are you okay? Would you like for me to go fetch you a cup of water?” It was hard to watch his father suffering so, but he had no idea how to fix him. Why didn’t he know more? There was so much to learn. Who would teach him everything he needed to know if his father didn’t? Would his sister teach him?
Tinker reached out and used Boy to steady himself, so he could stand straight again. “I’m fine.” He pointed toward Little Lake. “Come. We have much to learn today,” but those words ended in another fit of coughing.
When Tinker was able to get his breath back, Boy asked. “Why can’t I breathe as you do, Father? I would very much like to breathe.”
Tinker laughed. “Son, sometimes I wish I was more like you.” He patted Boy’s head yet again. “These days, breathing don’t come as easy as it once did.”
Boy fell into step next to his father. “What if Liberty doesn’t wind me up every night like you do? Will I die?”
“And here you are, worrying again. Why wouldn’t your sister wind you every night? Liberty has a kind heart and is a good person. Besides, she’ll love having you there to keep her company on her long voyages.”
Tinker stopped and leaned down, face to face with Boy. “You’ll get to see the world from her airship. Only she and her father have seen The Forbidden Lands.”
His expression turned pensive. “I would have liked to have seen them too but Aaepli had a hard and fast rule about no one setting foot on his airship – only he and Liberty could. He always said it was an important rule, to keep his home safe.”
Tinker looked off toward the lake. “I’m sure Aapeli was right, but it would have been such a great adventure.”
Boy watched his father in wide eyed wonder. Surely, if his sister was as wonderful as Father said, she would allow them to travel on her airship together. Father would then get to have his great adventure, and he would have both a father and a sister to teach him about the world and to love him. Love was such a wonderful thing.
Tinker grabbed Boy’s shoulder, his eyes large and imploring, but after only a moment, he closed his eyes and sank to the ground.
Boy touched his father’s shoulder. “Father, are you okay?”
Tinker finally opened his eyes. “Please help me get back to the house. There is much we need to discuss before I leave you.”