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A belated Christmas gift

Professor Parx hurled the beaker across the the room where is shattered against the brick wall.

“Blacklist!” yelled Parx. “I think it high time to remind that jumped up little garden gnome that I’m already IN the city.”

Pulling on his hat and gloves, Parx set out to make the short journey to BS Hoof & Horn Fertilizer in the Gut.  He was met at the building’s entrance by a tall heavyset man whom Parx suspected of another of the non-humans infesting Babbage, but for today he would play nice.

“I would like a shipment of your highest grade Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer, please.”

The burly man squinted down at the Professor. The height difference to a normal man would have been noticeable, but with the Professor seated in his wheelchair the height difference was significant. The man knew who Parx was but was a little surprised that not only was he here for business, but that he was being polite about it.

” ‘ow much yer wont then?” he asked.

“As much as you have in stock at the moment” replied Parx. “I know this is very short notice but we’re performing some conductive experiments on the Town Hall this evening. Need to ensure the lightning rods are well grounded.”

A slightly puzzled expression crossed the man’s face as if trying to figure out what that meant. “Yer wont it delivered t’ ther Town ‘all then?”

“Yes please. Can that be done by this afternoon?”

“Id’ll cost extra.”

Parx paused, his left eye twitched ever so slightly, and he put on his politest business smile. “Of course.”

Finalizing the deal, Parx returned to his lab and spent the next few hours completing a small wooden case with a refracting mirror and several copper wires protruding from it. He placed the case and several sticks of dynamite together into a box and set out for the Town Hall.

Evening arrived as Parx made his way down Abney Park Way. Taking up a spot in the Old Air Tower he felt would be a good place to observe the Town Hall and ensure the Clockwinder was out for the evening to set up the trigger.

He did not have to wait long. The Clockwinder’s long habit of spending the evening in front of a Public House fireplace meant he would be gone long enough for Parx to set up his belated Christmas present.

Parx checked to see that the fertilizer had been shipped to the cellars. Seeing that all was in place he placed a few of the dynamite sticks in strategic places and then headed back out into the snow.

Flicking a switch on the arm of his wheelchair, a small jet of steam pushed from the base of the chair under it’s boiler. The wheels on the side started to spin rapidly as the folded into a horizontal position and very quickly the Professor was airborne. Rising to the top of the Town Hall tower he connected the copper clamps to the edge of the clockface and positioned the mirror north west, in the direction of Parx Laboratories.

Parx turned his chair for home and mentally calculated how long it would take to power up the death ray on top over the observatory tower. A warm Christmas gift indeed.

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3 Comments

  1. Myrtil Igaly Myrtil Igaly December 28, 2013

    Ooooooh so that’s what it was…

    [img_assist|nid=7963|title=|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=552|height=304]

  2. Avariel Falcon Avariel Falcon December 28, 2013

    KABOOM! Yay!

    Oh… Yes, terrible… But so exciting! *prances and dances*

    Exciting and terrible at the same time! *nods*

    Maybe half of me can be excited and the other half horrified? Yes, that will work!

    *falls over*

    Or… maybe not…

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