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Fortunately, the overnight storm didn’t cause any more damage to Airus. Some of the larger waves had, though, pulled it closer toward the water, which set Harmony to thinking that if they got hit by another hurricane whilst still stuck on the island, it was either going to smash the airship or drag it out to sea. Time was running out. She needed to repair Airus as soon as possible.
It was wonderful hearing Boy and Molly chattering away. While she’d slept, Boy had found and repaired the loose circuit that had caused Molly’s inability to form comprehendible words and sentences. Of course, Harmony had almost died from fright when she woke to two pairs of eyes peering at her over the edge of her bed. That unnerving surprise had, though, led to a better one waiting in the galley.
Still reeling from the astonishment of Molly being able to talk again, Harmony didn’t notice at first how clean the galley was. It wasn’t until she had already reached in and gotten an apple out its usual drawer, and taken a bite, did it register that she hadn’t had to search for it amongst piles of rubble.
“Well, I’ll be.” Harmony grinned as she chewed and swallowed.
“This is going to be a good day. Both of my friends are up and running. Now all I need to do is repair the friction engine and it will be like we were never trapped on this island. I’ll go home with a few new tales to tell, though. We’ll all just laugh about this little adventure one day.” Harmony again grinned at them. “Thank you, Boy and Molly. The galley looks great.”
With that happy thought, Harmony headed out to find her tool box. There was no time like the present to find out what was wrong with that damned engine.
The two robots following close on her heels made her think that maybe she should find them something to do. As happy as she was that they were both fixed, she knew herself well enough to know that sooner or later they were going to get on her nerves. It would be better to nip that in the bud before she hurt one or both of their feelings.
“Hey, guys. I’m going to work on the friction engine. As soon as it’s fixed, I want to get off this island. Could the two of you look the balloon over and make certain it hasn’t been ripped?” She walked to where the balloon was still hoisted above the starboard railing. “I’ll lower it onto the deck. Maybe you can clean the sand off while you’re at it.”
She eyed the crack in Boy’s head. Maybe this was a bad idea. What if he accidentally got some sand inside his head and it messed with his inner workings?
Boy must have sensed her hesitation and said, “Molly and I will take care of it. I’ll go in search of some rags to clean the sand off while Molly lowers the balloon.”
Harmony hugged him before kissing the top of his head. “Thank you.” Not wanting to leave Molly out, she hugged her too. “Okay. We have a plan. Let’s get to work.”
On the way over to dig her tool box out of the pile on the port side, she eyed the cloudless sky. Maybe the good weather would hang around for just a few more days.
“Damn it to hell!”
Harmony looked over in time to see the balloon crash onto the deck. She might have been worried had Boy not still been standing and cussing. All was well if he could still curse. She choked back a laugh when he kicked the balloon. Her contrary little friend was back with her. Life was good.
Seeing Molly and Boy had everything under control, Harmony grabbed the needed tools out of the toolbox and headed toward the engine. Daylight was a precious thing so she needed to get as much done while the sun was still up.
It was high in the sky and Harmony was knee deep in engine parts by the time she realized she was no closer to figuring out what was wrong with it. Too frustrated to curse, she kicked the base of the thing. That might have given her some relief had she not been sure she’d broken her big toe. Hobbling over to the captain’s chair – now cleared of guide wires – she plopped down.
“Are you alright?”
Harmony jumped – she’d closed her eyes against the pain and so had no clue Boy was anywhere near. She sighed. “I’m good. How is the balloon looking? Please, tell me it’s not damaged, because I don’t think I can handle more bad news.”
“So far, Molly nor I have found any tears. We still haven’t finished examining it but I’m hopeful.” He climbed into his chair.
A smile replaced Harmony’s scowl. Seeing Boy in his rightful place was reassuring. “I think I may have broken my big toe,” she said, raising her leg.
Boy stared at her bare foot before finally asking, “Would you like me to find something to wrap around it so you won’t accidentally stub it again?”
Harmony laughed. “I love you. Only you would give me the benefit of the doubt.” She stared at her throbbing foot before saying, “I kicked the engine.”
“You do know that my toes are metal and yours aren’t, right?” He stared at her without blinking.
“Wise Ass, of course I do.” She tried wiggling her toes but shooting pain stopped her.
“I just thought maybe we had spent so much time together you had taken to believing you were a robot, not a human.” He slipped out of his chair and headed back over to the balloon.
Harmony watched him go and whispered to herself, “I’m not certain I know the difference between us anymore. Except, maybe you have the bigger heart.”