Little Orphan Anvil: The Complete Trilogy by Joseph Beekman (best contemporary novels .TXT) 📕

Finally he set the branch aside, and then stuck hishands deep into the mud and began to lift upwards.Within moments a round metal object started to emerge.The dog yelped at it as the boy heaved and pulled. Andthen from out of the ground a dirty, softly-glowing,robotic-type droid of sorts popped up.

The boy fell back and landed splat in the mud.“Wow! Look at it, boy—a robot-droid! And it still haslife in it!”

The dog howled with joy and pranced around it,careful to avoid its metallic-limbs that were grindingwith rust and other injuries.

“I think it’s not doing too good. We best get itunder some trees before any more wicked storms blastoutta nowhere and wreck it! Let’s go, boy—help memove it!”

The dog yelped and pushed its nose under therounded surface of the robot, while the boy pulled onone of the five metal arm extensions.

After a few painstaking moments they werebeneath an alcove of shrubbery, well-hidden from thedarkening sky and any unwanted sky observers.

Breathing a bit heavily, the boy laid out a blanketfrom his belongings and moved the robot on to it. Hisdog gave a few more sniffs at the robot’s rusted surface.Confused at the unfamiliar humming noise comingfrom inside the metal body, the dog started whimperingat it.

“Oh, quit your whining, boy. It’s not gonna hurtya,” the boy said mildly.

Tinkering and prodding about on the robot’smetallic surface, the boy found a notch that lifted asmall panel revealing a new discovery: A solid redbutton. This, the boy decided with a firm nod, wouldbe a suitable option for his questing mind.

“Hmm…let’s see—this button should at least dosomething,” the boy said aloud, eagerly. “At least Iknow that the robot-droids around the ol’ iron house didstuff; like all them chores and what not…”

The dog whimpered, its eyes darting back andforth from the boy to the robot.

“Yeah, yeah, I know—I’ll be careful. Can yabelieve it? If this droid is okay, we might have something that could bring us good fortune!” he saidexcitedly.

The dog yelped and wagged its tail about happily.

“Yes, sir, my boy! But we have to keep movingand hope this droid will work fine. There ain’t nothingleft of our homeland now, anyways,” he said despairingly. “I just hope any new lands we enter don’t holdbad luck.” The dog barked approvingly.

“Okay, well here she goes,” he said, pressing thebutton.

Suddenly an electric current flowed over andaround the robot, lighting it up in a blue, rusted hue.The boy fell backwards in surprise, and the dog shotupwards, barking and backing away.

As the blue glow began to soften in color, astrange mechanical noise rose out of the robot, putting abit of fright into the boy and dog. They both remainedfrozen, like two large stones fixed with fear. Suddenlythe robot began to rise up on its mechanical limbs, onered-eye zooming out of its rustic-blue body as it focused on the two motionless beings.

“Holy smokes, boy—I think we did it!” the boycried.

The robot sputtered and grinded as it worked itsway up on all five spidery, metal-limbs. Its two electriceyes started to zoom in and out, attempting to focus onits surroundings. One of its eyes was having troubleadjusting, and abruptly it fizzled out.

“Uh, oh—” the boy muttered. “I think you’re abit more banged up then I thought,” he addressed therobot. “But don’t you worry—me and my good friend,Ranger, will fix ya up once we reach a safe place!”

The dog whimpered once more, and the robot letout a shy whistle.

“Okay, well at least you understand us,” he saidto the robot. “I think so, anyhow. But we need to getmovin’ before the sun sets any further down. Shelterand rest—then off we go towards that river I spied twodays ago from the border hilltop!”

The boy moved over to the robot and examinedit. He saw that it had withdrawn all its metallic-limbsand was lightly beginning to hover inches above theground. Moving quietly the robot glided above thesurface, seemingly able to follow the movements of theboy with precision.

“Wow!” the boy exclaimed. “See that? Everytime I move or take a step, the robot does the same! Itseems to know what’s going on!”

The dog barked with excitement as it ran up tothe boy’s side, its tail wagging wildly.

“Well, yes—that is awesome, boy! It’ll make it alot easier to travel, knowing it can keep up on its own.”

The robot let out a warbled whistle in response,and the dog yipped as they moved out on the marshypath ahead.

~ Chapter III~The Old Man and the River

A loud, thunderous boom echoed over a mistshrouded river as the boy, the dog, and the robot ambledup to its embankment. Looking disheveled from thelong walk through the rugged terrain, the boy stoppedand glanced about at the quiet moving river and thedark woodlands on the other side of it.

“Well here’s the river, boy!” he said to the dog,which rambled over to the edge and began lapping upthe chilly water.

“Good boy; but be careful not to fall in—it’sprobably freezing cold!”

The robot suddenly bleeped and whistled as ithovered closer to the river, its arms extended outward.

“What is it? What do your sensors detect, littledroid?” the boy said in a hushed tone. The robottwirled its round body in the air above the water,looking like a flying saucer toy. Two of its metallicarms hung loosely, damaged from its fall from thelightning bolt.

The startled boy looked up and down the river,squinting his eyes to see more clearly through the mistthat hugged the embankment and river. The dogscampered back and forth, yelping; his eyes intent onthe hovering, frazzled robot’s antics.

Suddenly the boy stopped cold, his gaze focusedupriver. Shrouded in the mist was a lone, hood-cloakedfigure that stood upon an old wooden raft. The raftmoved quietly towards the trio by way of the river’scalm current.

Spellbound, the boy continued to watch thefigure approach. The dog stopped its pacing.Whimpering, it backed away from the river’s edge.

The raft approached closer, and soon they couldmake out the