Mister Chamberlain's Workshop

Prologue

Narrow, long buildings lined the uneven pebbled streets, closely packed together as if they were huddling to stay warm. The dimly lit walkways of the Sector 1 residential area seemed empty compared to the bustling market district just a few alleyways down. A young boy looked out the warped, beveled windows smeared with rainwater. Memories of playing with his brother, Taylor, in the street after a fresh rain and losing their ball down an old cluttered alleyway flashed through his mind.

His dark eyes were focused on a creaky old shop marked only by a tarnished iron sign he knew that read Chamberlain Workshop-If it's broke, we'll fix it! He loved to watch the shop: if he sat in just the right spot, he could see it through the narrow alleyways that connected the main streets in the district.

The boy watched curiously as the workshop door opened and a little girl in a yellow dress stepped out. She had a bright smile on her tanned face as she waved goodbye to the older man standing in the doorway. As the girl skipped gaily away on the other side of the fogging glass, the door behind the young boy opened with a slight creak.

"Cory, come quickly. It is time."

The little boy by the name of Cory quickly rushed past the familiar old woman with a kind face and into his parents' room. Mona McCullun lay on the modest double bed, with only a small oil lamp lighting her paled, clammy features. There was a intelligent-looking man with his arms around an older boy whose face was stained with tears and twisted in despair.With tears of his own in his eyes, Cory stood at the foot of the bed.

Despite her sweaty dark brown skin and obvious pain in her expression, nothing was out of order about his mother's appearance. She was coughing into a blood-covered cotton handkerchief. Mona reached out her hand and he hastily grabbed it, not caring it was covered in sweat and blood droplets. She smiled at her son, her eyes vacant and mouth beginning to form words,before her hand slacked.

"No!"

The man in the room knelt beside his wife and cradled her as he cried.

"Mona, no," he choked out through a tightened throat.

Cory's tear-filled eyes overflowed and soon he was sobbing as his father held him. The second woman in the room quickly pulled the man and children into her comforting arms as she addressed the blond stranger in the red cape.

"Thank you for your help, doctor, but I think it's best you leave."

The doctor curtsied respectfully and left without another word.

----

The day of the funeral, Cory, wearing his brother's stiff suit that was too big for him,sat on the study's creaking windowsill once more and watched far down the street at the old workshop. They could fix anything. Cory wanted to fix things. He wanted tomakepeople happy.

A flash of yellow caught his eye and he turned his gaze to see the young girl in the yellow dress. She held a basket of food and smiled at Cory when he noticed her. She waved kindly and mouthed "I'm sorry" with a sad grimace. He had almost forgotten he was mourning just then as he returned the smile and wave.

"Cory, my boy."

Tearing his vision away from his distraction from the surrounding overwhelmingly somber mood, Cory looked up at his father.

"There's someone at the door for you," he said with a hopeful glint in his gray eyes.

Cory frowned,confused, and walked to the front door. There stood a man in a rubber apron and gloves with a utility belt around his waist which sported various tools.

"Hello, Cory." The strange man smiled.

"My name is Tiberius Chamberlain andthis is my daughter Grace," he gestured to the girl in the yellow dress, whom was now rushing up the front steps.

"Your father told me that you have an interest in tinkering. Is that true?"

Cory's jaw dropped open when he realized that this was the man he'd admired from afar all these years. He was so... incredibly ordinary. The only distinctive feature he possessed was his frazzled graying hair which stuck out as if he had been electrocuted many a time.

"Yes, sir! I do want to fix things. I can even take apart a pen and put it back together, sir," the young boy stated proudly.

Mr. Chamberlain chuckled.

"Well, my boy, you'll be able to do so much more than that if you'll let me teach you."

Cory's eyes lit up with excitement. "Can I, papa?"

His father smiled gratefully.

"Of course you can. Thank you, Tiberius."

Tiberius smiled. "No problem at all, Cyrus. Anything you need."

Grace stepped out from behind the man and held out her basket.

"Papa and I baked you some pasties."

Cyrus smiled gently as he took the basket of poorly formed pasties in his hands.

"Thank you,madam."

She giggled and ran back to her father. Cory looked up expectantly at Mr. Chamberlain.

"When can I start?"

"Well, law forbids I take on anyone under the age of sixteen as my apprentice, but you are welcome to come over and... experiment if you like."

-----

The young boy grew in many areas: both physically and mentally. Cyrus became more withdrawn, locking himself in his study for days at a time. Cory's caretaker, Irene tended to keep him busy during these bouts of depression from his father.

The following years after Taylor left to get married, Cory spent most of his time in in Cyrus' library if he could, either reading or drawing like Taylor had taught him, or in Mr. Chamberlain's workshop, watching him and his current apprentice fix broken items back to being usable again.