Coalesce – Aarushi Shetty

“I didn’t mean to touch anything, Sir,” says the boy.

“How are you this morning, Peter?”

“Very well, Sir.”

“Good. We have an appointment with Doctor Stephen Byron today.”

“Oh yes, I remember. Your breakfast will be served in an hour.”

Alfred nods then says, “You will have to pass me my leg.”

Peter walks towards the object made from iron which is leaning by the right side of the bed. He sees a steel rod between the circular rim which he must fix under Alfred’s knee. The intricate clockwork arranged on the shin of the prosthetic leg looks like it is made of bronze. Two elastic strings made from leather have thick steel pins attached to them, which protrude from the rim. Peter folds them into a coil. The foot is made of a black leather shoe, which looks freshly polished. The smooth iron feels cold in his hands as he faces the shin away from himself to avoid any damage to the clockwork. The artificial leg feels heavy in his arms, so he takes slow, careful steps back to his guardian. Placing it in front of him, Peter waits. Alfred moves to the edge of the bed to wear the fake limb. Opal jumps and stands next to the mechanical body part, watching it with suspicion. She likes the smell of the leather boots and tries to bite it but Peter shoos her away.  He picks the leg up and brings it closer to the knee. First, he inserts the iron rod into a cavity under the knee, then he inserts the pins into the mass beneath the kneecap. He adjusts the elastic strings to the correct position for the leg to move with ease. The steel rod and strings are covered with a leather belt that he ties around them.

“Turn the key to the clockwork three times,” says Alfred and Peter follows. “Thank you,” he says and the pins from the synthetic augmentation move inside his skin, as he stands up. It aligns with the nerve-endings in his knee. Now he is whole again. Alfred walks towards his bookshelf and says, “So, which one would you like to read?”

“That one.” Peter holds the hardbound of Cityscapes close to his chest and smiles then says, “Thank you.”

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