Over Cross

Chapter 7

Seven

 

The next few days, Toby was busy helping out around town. In the castle, there were deliveries for wine in kegs. When they arrived, they had a hard time removing them from the vehicles until he suggested moving them using inclined planes: wooden boards placed from the vehicle to the ground. Pretty soon, most of the activities involving transfer were done in inclined planes.

Another thing Toby did was helped out at the local inn. He taught the nurse, (and everyone who was there) how to sanitize themselves by using boiling water in drinking when sick, washing the sick patients, and making new medicine. Sickness took a dive afterwards.

During his free time, Toby made tools like the screwdriver, wrench, hammer, using the materials he asked the townspeople for. Life in the village improved steadily for everyone.

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"Okay, so this is called a slingshot." Toby pulled out from his bag a standard-looking slingshot. "So basically you get a small object--hand me a rock, thank you---place it on this rubber thingy, stretch it," he aimed at a nearby tree, "and release it." The rock shot to the tree, which scared a few birds away.

"Witchcraft! I-I mean, that's so cool!" Sam gazed at the slingshot."Can I try it?"

 "Sure," Toby handed it to Sam. "J-just be careful, it's kinda dangerous,"

                "Okay so rock...stretch it out...aim and..FIRE!" Sam released it, sending the rock flying into the forest.

 "That's wicked for a first try! High-five!" Toby raised his hand but Sam just stared at him.

"A high-what?"

"Oh, oh, right, sorry. A high five is something you do when you did something great, or when you're exited." Toby reached for Sam's hand and raised it like his. "You hit my hand like this," he slapped it. Sam slapped back. "We slap at the same time, okay? One, two, three HI-FIVE!" Sam missed and hit his face.

"OUCH!"

"Oh gosh sorry!"

Toby rubbed his face. "It's fine, we'll work on it."

“Hey, whatever happened to your time-machine necklace thingy? Were you able to fix it?” Sam asked Toby .

Toby kept quiet after a while. “Uhm, yea, it’s halfway finished.”

Sam stepped in front of him. “ ‘Half-way’ huh? Whatever happened to Toby the Boy Genius? Whatever happened to ‘Mr. I-Know-Everything’ hmm?”

He let out a fake gasp. “ *Gasp* Was the countryside finally able to melt your cold heart? Toby, Toby!” He grabbed his face, “Is it still you? Tell me, are you still alive?”

Toby shoved him off, laughing. “Knock it off man.” They continued to laugh.

“Alright, alright,” Toby said after a while. “The truth is I’m almost done with the machine, it’s just that…” Toby scratched his head.

“Weeelll?” Sam looked at him hopefully.

“I’d decided to stay here for a week more,”

 Sam jumped and skipped. “Yippeee!”

The days that succeeded could have been Toby’s best day yet.