My Home City of Fairburg had two ends, aptly named east and west, as divided in class as much as purpose. The west housed our factories and tenements. The east end, with pastel houses and apartments, was home to shops and people. We faced the sea as a shining example of all the New World could be. We were the first stop for travelers to New Ellington and we needed to make a good impression. 

As poor as the west end was, it was home to my work, the people their with their coal blacked faces were ever in need of the good doctor's services and as his ward, I was more than happy to oblige. 

"Hello, Ellow" He called, beaming as I came crashing through the door, the bells ringing repeatedly as I came in, "First delivery of the day, Bernard Humphrey, West End."

"I know the place" I smiled securing his new arm to my pack and swiping my tool kip off the glass countertop. The doctor's shop looked more like a jewelry counter than a front for his workshop, covered in glass and mirrors. Colored limbs hung from the walls behind glass doors, showing off our more decorative options, favored by generals and dukes that met misfortune in the war. To any visitor, it was quite the attraction, a tourist spot even. The real work, went on in the back, mixed in metal, oil, and grease. 

"Before you go, take a look at this beauty." He held out his arm revealing a stunning evergreen arm. He flexed and relaxed his hand. "It's one of the smoothest grips I've made. Custom for the Duke of Hampshire. I might make one for myself." He got a mischievous look in his eye.

I rolled my eyes, "I'll see you again in thirty."

I kicked off on my bike, adjusting to the new weight of an extra limb on my back. The doctor had been in the war, like so many others before he came here. Doctor Edward Von Heikenroter, physician turned war medic, it's how he met my parents, my birth parents that is. No one ever speaks of it, but from what I've been able to piece together he was a fairly decorated soldier by the time he got out. I've never met a person who spoke poorly of him, myself included.

I dismounted my bike as the street into the West End narrow. Men lean against their shanties cigarettes in hand, smoke billowing in the air. If the doctor was not so revered I might have been afraid of them but instead, they waved and I smiled in return.

"Mr. Humphrey, a delivery from Dr. Von—" Before I am able to finish the door swings open and Mrs. Humphrey ushers me through the door. She is a tall and slim woman as if she can only occupy space not taken up by her round husband.

"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Humpfrey."

"Good morning Ellowyn." He gave a hearty laugh extinguishing what looked to be his third cigarette in the ashtray on the table. He sat up and stroked his beard, yellowed by his smoking habit. He was a jolly man bearded and round, his suspenders playing the role of intermediary in the battle between his immense gut and his trousers. "You've gotten taller."

"Or you've gotten shorter, you only saw me yesterday." I laughed.

"Oh, trust me you're going to be taller than your old man."

"Unlikely" I laid out the newly repaired arm on the table, "The doctor repaired the torn cables and replaced the gears in the finger joints." I continued, disinfecting the metal ports on the shoulder of his missing arm.

"You need to be more careful next time," His wife scolded tossing her oven mitts down.

"Oh, hush Margret. I saved our factory thousands of dollars in productivity loss clearing that jam. And a lovely bonus is landed in our pocket," He winked at his wife who continued to scowl.

"One, two, three." I counted down before connecting the arm with his nerve ports.

Mr. Humpfrey let out a sharp gasp, "The doctor could work on a way to make that hurt less. Damn." His wife cleared her throat, "I mean, dagnabit that stings." He rose his eyebrows, looking for approval from his wife.

I buckled the leather strap across his chest and gave him an approving nod. "I'd say you're good to go back to work. Can you move your fingers independently?"

"Like a concert pianist." He smiled pretending to play.

"Before you go, Ellowyn give these to the doctor." She slid two meat pies into my pack each carefully wrapped in fabric. "Dr. Von Heikenroter is looking awfully thin these days."

"Thank you Mrs. Humpfrey, I'll make sure he gets these."

"Such a sweet girl that Ellowyn." I heard her remark as I closed the door behind me, returning to the shop for my next task.

#

I snuck into the shop, half an hour later as expected, the doctor speaking with a client.

"I thought the green would be bold, but not too bold, Sir."

"It is perfect," he spoke with a thickly accented voice, buttoning his sleeve. "I should say it is the best I've ever worn. When you discover how to make it feel, you will give me a call then."

I set the two meat pies on the counter as gingerly as I could without making noise with glass against ceramic.

"Ah, Ellowyn you've returned! The next delivery is behind the counter along with your pay."

"It's barely morning, I've hardly earned any pay."

"Stay on call for emergency repairs then." He shook his head returning to conversation with the Duke.

"You employ a woman?"

"She's my daughter, there isn't anyone I trust with the shop more. If for any reason I am unavailable I'll refer you to her."

"And your wife?"

The doctor chuckled, "Heavens, I adopted her after the war, her parents and I had been friends since college."

"Ah," The duke approached me and kissed the back of my hand, "Then miss I am sorry for your loss, how fortunate you have been to have someone who loves you still. Others have not been so lucky."

"Thank you." I curtsied trying my best to hide the red on my face, as I rushed out the door the arm in hand.

"Everett Greene," I read aloud, "Main Street, Green House, East End, you can't miss it" I furrowed my brow. I'd never heard of this person or been this far down Main Street, after all, most of our customers were from the West End.

Before long I saw what the Doctor meant by can't miss it. Towering a story above the other shops and made of glass and greening metal, the largest greenhouse I'd ever seen.

A wheelbarrow out front proclaimed a sale on cut flowers. I stood in the doorway a moment taking in the lush floral scent before entering the building. Inside every surface overflowed with life, cascading out on to the floors and across the front counter.

"Looking for anything in particular?" A voice called from behind the counter, shears in hand.

"I'm here from Dr. Von Heikenroter's shop. Someone called in looking for repairs?"

He smiled a dimpled smiled slid over the counter, "I hoped that's what you were here for. I couldn't help but notice the metal fingers hanging out of your pack."

"Oh of course. I was just expecting someone older."

"And I was expecting a man. I'm sincerely hoping your name isn't Edward."

"Ellowyn."

"Everett, it's a pleasure." He heartily shook my hand.

I set my toolkit up on the counter, "So what seems to be the problem with your current prosthetic?"

"Besides the part where it's frozen, bent at the elbow it's just peachy."

I glanced over at him, to find him suppressing a laugh, "I'm sorry, I didn't notice."

"It's not a horrible way to be frozen; I can still wiggle my fingers. It gets the job done. Lifting potted plants, getting clothes on and off, finding a comfortable sleeping position? All different stories."

I unbuttoned the top button of his shirt and found nothing but skin.

"Is something the matter, Ellowyn? I hope you know I've only been teasing."

"No, the arm should be attached by a leather strap across the chest." I looked up at him, brow furrowed. "How is yours staying up."

He unbuttoned his shirt the rest of the way and pulled it off one shoulder, "It's attached, I didn't realize this was a problem." 

It was a problem. It was very much a problem.

"But how long have you had it? I might have to take it off and it's not going to be pretty if your nerves are used to being attached."

"I've had it always." He responded, "I was in the last factory to employ children before the great collapse. I was one of the few to survive of those who were trapped. I needed major surgery; no one thought I'd make it. When I woke up I had this, no one seemed to know where it came from." He tugged the shirt off his frozen arm. "It had a key I could use to adjust the panels, it's grown with me. It's mysteriously disappeared from my dresser. I blame the cat that hangs around here."

"Would you be alright if I removed it? I'm afraid this is beyond my expertise."

"Of course, if that's what you need to do."

I took a deep breath and felt between his skin and the metal looking for the snap like nodes that should have been holding his arm on.

"You're looking increasingly panicked. Are you sure everything is alright."

"There should be one right here." I moved my fingers up further, "This isn't where this should be." I pressed down and listened for the gentle click of it detaching, and felt a sharp exhale from Everett. "There should be two more, I'm really sorry."

"It's not that bad, it's like a haircut." I released the second node, "A particularly uncomfortable haircut."

I released the third and caught the limb before it could crash to the floor. "This is the oddest not configuration I've ever seen. The arm I brought from the shop isn't going to be much help to you."

"Can you at least try; maybe you can adjust the nodes?" He gave me a pleading smile, discomfort still leaving his face. 

I bit my lip and looked at the metal fingers dangling out of my pack. I'll try it. Do you have any ink? If I can get even a little bit to mark the inside of this arm I'll know where to move the nodes."

Everett nodded and searched behind the counter while I picked away at the adhesive on the limb.

"Will this do?" He shrugged, ink dripping down his shoulder.

"You might have to bathe after this but it should work." I pulled myself on to the counter and pressed the arm into place.

"Barely," I sighed examining the fair grey ink lines. "I'm going to go off of what's there. If it's uncomfortable you have to tell me and I'll have the doctor adjust it."

"Understood." He slipped his shirt back on the armless sleeve laying flat at his side.

Everett waited on customers while I sat on the counter tinkering away. It was odd that he was so young. Had I been a few years older, or if the doctor hadn't taken me in, that could've been me. Trapped under the rubble of several factories all toppling at once. Then there was the glaring question of who made the arm. As far as I knew the Doctor was the only doctor-mechanic in Fairburg, and this wasn't his handiwork. This wasn't the same arrangement of nodes he used; he would never leave a limb attached without backup, the weight of the arm could tear the nodes and cause infection, or worse, nerve damage.  I shuddered to think of infected nodes, I had only seen it once before. 

Nodes aside, the mechanics behind it were astounding but the medical half seemed . . . novice. Even the material wasn't the work of the doctor, it looked to be made of incredibly tough porcelain, great for working in the greenhouse but unsuitable for almost everything else.

I couldn't bear to think of what sort of quest this mystery might send the Doctor on. Any strange find he took to be a sign that the master was present. The master being the anonymous inventor of these mechanical limbs that appeared and disappeared sometime during the war. The doctor taught himself with the help of a few available books and his own medical knowledge.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I think it's ready."

"I'll be with you in just a moment," Everett called to a customer from across the shop. He slipped his shirt off his shoulder once more and let out a sigh of relief with each successful click.

"I really take back what I said about this feeling like a haircut."

I spent a moment with both of my hands on his chest the buckle between my thumbs. "You have to tell me if it's uncomfortable. I've had to refer a handful of people to the hospital for infections after wearing ill-fitting prosthetics.

"It feels as good as new." He flexed both hands, "Thank you Ellowyn. Do I need to leave you a tip?"

"Oh no, no tip is necessary." I packed up my things throwing my pack over my shoulder.

"You'll have to tell me if you learn anything about the arm. I'm really curious to learn where it came from." He walked me to my bike.

"Sure thing, I'll see you again in a few days." I called back watching him wave from the sidewalk as I raced back to the shop.

*

I found the shop deserted, both meat pies consumed, their containers precariously balanced on the edge of the counter. "Dr. Von Hiekenroter. I saw Everett. You might want to see this." I approached the door to his workshop, "Dr. Von Hiekenroter." I cracked the door to find him feet up on workbench face buried in a newspaper.

"Ellow? Is something wrong?"

"There's something you need to see."

He scratched at his goatee. "I don't know where to begin. There doesn't seem to be a panel for looking at the inner workings, it's sealed-up tight. Perfect for a man who works in the Greenhouse."

"He's young, like two maybe three years older than me."

"The only survivor of the great collapse to stay on Fairburg. I had heard rumors about the boy, never met him." He pressed on a panel and revealed a single keyhole beneath.

"Everett mentioned he had a wind-up key to adjust the size, it's why he never had to get a new one."

"S.E.B, Ellowyn do you know what this means?" He clasped both hands over my shoulder, "They're his initials. He was here during the great collapse. He saved Everett. I need to go I'm sorry I won't be home for dinner." He kissed my forehead and dashed out of the room.

I walked my bike up to my front porch. Dr. Von Hikenroter's light was off. It wouldn't be much help in indicating if he was gone on another adventure. He hadn't been to his apartment in ages; instead, he slept in his workshop, absorbed by his work.

"Capricorn" I scolded my cat to find him outside the apartment door, scratching at the frame. "How did you get out here?" he escaped my grip and sent something clanging across the floorboards. "Capricorn!" I scooped him up and tossed him in the door searching through the bushes out front for the thing Capricorn found. Half buried in the dirt an ornate wind-up key.

"Oh, Capricorn you beautiful monster." I rushed up the stairs and dialed the operator on the phone. "Hello operator, can you get me to Greene's Greenhouse. Thank you."

I sighed and listened to the dial tone.

"Greene's greenhouse, Everett speaking."

"Everett, It's Ellowyn."

"Ah, arm repairman extraordinaire. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"The cat that prowls around the greenhouse, is he little and black, bell on his collar?"

"Are you spying on me Ellowyn?"

"No he's my cat, he's my Capricorn he's been getting out. What about the key? What did it look like?"

"Tarnished... grey? Like an old-school windup key? Why?"

"Capricorn."

"Understood."

"Everett?" I continued.

"Ellowyn."

"The doctor isn't coming home for dinner and I have enough food for two. Would you be interested in joining me?"

"It's too bad I don't have your address."

"It's the yellow house across from the shop; the door on the right is mine."

"I'll be there as soon as the shop closes then."

"Bye," I hung up and sunk to the floor. "I don't think you'll believe the day I've had Cap. I lifted the kitten into my arms. "I suppose you've been up to adventures of your own, stealing things from our new friend."