“Dearly beloved, we are gathered today to pay our final tribute of respect to that which was mortal of our deceased loved one and friend, Abraham Arkwright.”
The reverend paused for the minute in front of the large gathered crowd of mourners at the otherwise quiet church yard. I looked up from where I had bowed my head when the man started the funeral service and allowed myself a minute to glance at the people around me. My mother sat next to me on my left, a handkerchief in her hands, dabbing her eyes, but there was too much pride in her aging eyes to look sad. To my right was my wife, but her eyes were filled with tears of sorrow, my children were sitting next to her sad and subdued at the service for their grandfather. On the other side of my mother was my twin brother Ashton, his eyes were hard and angry, but that was hardly a new expression on his face since our pa passed away. His wife was on the other side of him and his kids. I couldn’t tell what state they were in, but I could only assume it mirrored his own face.
Ashton was still so bitter over the whole thing. I didn’t know how he had the energy to keep so angry in the midst of everything else.
“To you members of the family who mourn your loss, we especially offer our deep and sincere sympathy.” The reverend continued, looking down at the podium where a large black bible rested for him to recite from. “May we share with you the comfort afforded by God's Word for such a time as this:
“‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.’ Such is written in the gospel of John chapter 14 verses1-”
The Reveren’s southern accented voice trailed off, and I looked up again at the man in front of the gathered. The man seemed shocked for a beat, staring out at the back of the church. He cleared his throat and then continued:
“...verses 1-3”
I looked behind to see what had caught the attention of the reverend.
The crowd that came to remember my Pa suprised me. I saw members of his science organization that I had never met. I saw old friends of his from Chicago that I knew only from old photographs. I saw old house keepers and household staff that I recognised from my childhood.
But all those people were not what caused the Reverend to pause.
At the very back of the room, peering in from the front door, was Isaac and Ishmael, my Pa’s first and second Automatons.
I chanced a glance at my brother and groaned as I saw him stand up from his chair and start to march to the back of the church. I looked at my wife briefly with an apologetic smile, that she returned with watery eyes and nodded. I was up in a moment and started after my brother.
“Ashton… hold on there, don’t make a scene over this…” I called gently, but in truth I should have just shouted it, Everyone in the church was already staring at my brother and I. Even the Reverend stopped speaking to watch how our family drama would continue to play out, even after the death of our father.
The door closed as the metal men pulled away from it, but Ashton all but kicked the door open when he reached it. I took off running to catch up with him before he did something even more stupid.
The room outside the chapel was deserted of human life, but there were seven metal human shapes in various states of distress. Pa’s automatons.
“You freaks got a lot of nerve showing yourselves here.” Ashton spat, pacing back and forth, looking at all the machine’s in turn.
“Ashton! I think you have made a fool enough of yourself for one day!” I reprimanded and grabbed my brother by his arm. But he span around and threw himself in my face, his normally pale complexion was livid red.
“Let me go, Asher!” He shouted at me. “These things have no place here! On Pa’s funeral!”
I heard several vents of steam and glanced at the automatons. Shuah and Midian had hidden themselves behind Ishmael, who was easily the tallest thing in the room. Those two were the youngest of the bunch after the destruction of Ishbak many years before. The two had obvious stress tremors running through them that told me of a boiler burning too quickly, a common quirk of all them when situations around them become more than they could process.
Medan and Jokshaw gripped each other, as usual. Those two were never far apart in any situation and this was no different. Isaac stood in front with Zimran at his side. Zimran looked so much smaller than he was when he stood next to Isaac, but he didn’t flinch at the scene unfolding in front of them.
“We do have a right to be here, Master Ashton.” Isaac started, walking forward with his knees bent to appear smaller and less imposing to my twin. “Father made us. Father gave us life. We all want to remember him like you do.”
“Don’t you dare call him that!” Ashton said again, his voice was low and he got up in Isaac’s face, turning away from me and shrugging out of my grip. “I will not stand here and listen to this disrespect on the day of my Pa’s funeral!”
“We do not come with disrespectful intentions.” Isaac continued, not backing down. “We wanted to say goodbye to father together with all the others.”
“Stop. Calling. Him. That. You were never his children!” Ashton screamed out, his words cut through me like a knife. “You were just a mistake he kept on making. I am his son! Not you! You are just his things! Things got got him laughed out of any respectable end he might have had! If any of you monsters had a soul I curse you all to the devil himself!”
The silence in the air chilled my to my core.
“I can only hope Pa left some of you to me in his will.” Ashton seethed through eyes filling with rage and grief fueled tears. “So that I can disassemble you piece by piece!”
Without waiting for a response, Ashton turned on his heel and stormed back into the sanctuary, all eyes were on him and I. I watched him return to his seat and I saw my mother lean over to him. I can only imagine what she was saying to her other son.
Instead of following him I turned back to Isaac and Ishmael, all the other’s had gathered around the two eldest, looking for some sort of comfort or protecting from all of this around them.
“I… I am sorry about all that.” I said at length, my voice was quiet and controlled and seemed like a whisper compared to my brothers blustering. “Everyone grieves differently, I suppose.”
“That is what we want.” Ishmael said at last, while his faceplates were set in with stoicism, but the expressive eyes that were my pa’s pride and joy showed exactly how much pain and hurting the words of my brother placed on him. “We only beg to have time to grieve the loss of Master Arkwright. We did not mean to cause such strife.”
I nodded my understanding and placed a hand on the arm of the tall Automaton and reached out to take hold of Isaac as well. The other’s surrounded me and came close beside me. I could feel the radiating head off the younger automatons that had yet to be properly insulated.
Here they all were, my father’s true legacy. They still needed so much work and looking after.
“Pa loved you all like sons.” I said, emotion thickening my throat. “And you will have your time to grieve. All of you. Come inside with me.”
“But… Master Ashton…?” Isaac said, looking unsure and worried. His voice box crackling.
“You leave my idiot brother to me.” I promised. “If I’m going to be looking after you now, I might as well start.”
“Ya mean we can go inside with the others?” Zimran asked, looking up at me with an expression I could only describe as hopeful.
I found that my words did not come then, tears swelling in my eyes, so I just nodded and after a time made out the once syllable: “Yeah…”
Only then did I return to the chapel, leading a procession of metal men. All needed to grieve as much as any human at the loss of their parent. Regardless of my brothers callous comments, these seven usual creatures behind me were also my brothers and I meant to look after them as such.
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