“It’s beautiful,” Anouk whispered.
“Glad you like it. It’s Meriweth silver, best you can find,” Nat said, pride in his voice.
Unable to speak, Anouk buried her face in his shoulder and gave in to the grief swelling in her chest. Nat returned her hug, squeezing her tight.
Too soon he had pulled away and said, “It was a real pleasure to work with you, Miss Herring. I wish you the very best of luck.” With that, Nat had bowed, lifted his glove and activated the Gadget.
Anouk set the empty plate and the champagne glass on the table and went to her bedroom. She opened a drawer. The pocket watch lay on top of the outfit from Amanda’s Emporium. She ran her fingers over the silver lid and the clothes—the yearning pressed her chest with the weight of a mountain, making her gasp. Tears started to run down her cheeks. She sank on her bed and stared at the ceiling.
“My place is here. But why don’t I feel that anymore?”
Her mother’s last words came to mind, the words she said before she had been too drugged by the painkillers to speak anymore.
“I want you to enjoy your life. Embrace it with your full heart. You only have this one life, so seize it at every opportunity. Explore. Don’t stay here, mourn over me and become as bitter as I have been. That’s the only thing I regret in my life.”
Anouk’s breathing quickened as a plan took form in her mind. She bolted up, grinning. “Yes.”
* * *
A mug of tea stopped on Alison’s lips and she stared at Anouk, her expression wavering between horror and disbelief. “You’re quitting?”
“Yes. I just gave notice to Siobhan.” Anouk smiled at her friend before blowing on her coffee.
“Why? What are you planning to do?”
“Travel.”
“Travel?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“I don’t know yet. We’ll see.” Anouk took a sip from her cup.
“You are coming back at some point, right?” Alison asked with a wary look.
Anouk grinned and shrugged. “I’ve a whole world to explore, but I’m keeping my flat for now, so yes, I’m coming back at some point.”
Alison brushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “Round the world trip, eh? You know, I admire you. I couldn’t do that.”
“Well, I didn’t think so either, but then I realised I’ve mourned enough. I have this one life and I’m damn well going to enjoy it.”
A smile spread on Alison’s face. “Good for you. If you can, drop me an email or a card once in a while from your trip.”
“Don’t worry, I will.”
“Alright then, but I insist we go for a pint before you leave.”
Anouk sighed and put down her coffee cup. “Yeah, why not.”
The following few weeks, Anouk planned for her trip and organised everything so she didn’t have to worry ‘on the road’. Her Aunt Cecilia promised to take care of her mother’s grave and her flat. Against all Anouk’s expectations, the pint with Alison was fun, although Alison tried to pry into her plans. Anouk laughed off all her attempts.
When the day dawned, Anouk walked around her flat, checking everything. There was only one thing left to do.
“Hi, Mum.” Anouk bent down to kiss the headstone. “I’m taking your advice and going for an adventure like Bilbo Baggins. Yeah, I know, Mum. I’ve always been a bit silly with my literary references.”
What would her mother say if she was alive? Would she encourage her to go? She had always urged her to travel and been her most keen audience when she came back. Anouk decided she would.
She kissed the headstone one more time. “Aunt Cecilia will look after you while I’m gone. I love you, Mum.”
Back in her flat, she tossed the backpack over her shoulder and took one last look around her home. “Till wanderlust is satisfied or I run out of money.”
She locked the door and ran down the stairs. The taxi she had ordered was already waiting.
“Heathrow,” Anouk said to the driver who was holding the car door open for her.
Soon, the taxi joined the stream of slow-moving traffic. Humming, she watched the bustle on the street. No one was smiling. Anouk sighed and rested her head against the window frame. Yes, she had made the right decision. This adventure, though, would be a different kind—sightseeing, exotic food and new people—and it definitely didn’t include dodging bullets and chasing maniacal warlords.
The traffic crawled. Anouk popped open her pocket watch—it was midday, giving her plenty of time to catch her late afternoon flight to Bangkok. As she slipped the watch back into her pocket, something on the street caught her eyes. A man stood at a street corner, he was leaning against the wall. His clothes were dark and worn. He observed the people passing from under the brim of his cap.
Anouk narrowed her eyes. There was something off about the man… something old-fashioned. He was too shabby and grimy to be an average hipster. He looked like he could be from the last century. Her heart missed a beat. Could he be… The taxi sped.
Anouk turned around and tried to take a better look at the stranger from the back window, but traffic was now flowing at a good speed and the man vanished from sight. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. No man with his appearance could have afforded a Gadget, and anyway, Nat had said they were hard to get. Besides, Stalo’s Gadget had been broken.
Her breath caught… Stalo’s Gadget. She had no idea what had happened to it after Shannah broke it. Could someone have fixed it? No, if it was possible, Stalo would have done it and not planned to take Nat’s.
Maybe there was a steampunk convention somewhere in London.
Afterword
THANK YOU FOR READING THE GADGET. I hope you enjoyed the ride. And if you did,
