Free Shadows by Peter Cawdron Page B

was
dragging her into this without asking, without her even knowing
where he was going with his demonstration. She tried to smile, but
felt awkward, wanting to melt into the background.
    “ And think
about porting for a moment, ” Charlie
continued. “ What's the most
weight a porter can carry? Fifty pounds? Perhaps sixty or seventy
pounds on a short haul?
    “ What if we
could carry a hundred pounds as easily as you'd carry a quarter of
that weight? ”
    The crowd was quiet, even
Hammond was listening.
    “ What if we
could reduce weight to a quarter of its normal lifting load? And
what if we could take heavy objects between levels in a matter of a
minute or two? ”
    Hammond
barked. “ What the hell are you talking
about? ”
    “ I'll show
you, ” Charlie replied. “ Here, I've got two
fifty pound bags of barely. A hundred pounds of barley all
together. Now, once a week, twenty men spend an entire day doing
nothing other than running back and forth up the stairs with fifty
pound bags over their shoulders to restock the kitchen. It's
exhausting, backbreaking work. What if we could reduce this to just
a couple of men working at a steady pace? ”
    Hammond folded his arms
across his chest.
    Charlie wasn't going to be
deterred. He continued without breaking step.
    “ The ropes
you can see winding back and forth to the frame above are actually
just one length of rope wrapping around these wheels several times.
The effect of this is that I can pull a hundred pounds of barley
with the same amount of effort as it would take to pick up half a
bag, a mere twenty five pounds. ”
    Charlie dragged the two
bags of barley onto the plate, positioning them centrally. He then
pulled on the loose end of the rope. The ease with which he could
raise the barely was obvious. He quickly pulled the steel plate
holding the two bags of barley up to the roof and then lowered it
down again with little effort.
    “ Anyone want
to give it a try? ” he asked.
    “ It's a
trick, ” Hammond growled. “ Those bags are
empty. ”
    “ I assure
you, ” Charlie said. “ This is no magic
trick, just a simple example of leverage in
action. ”
    Hammond stormed over and
picked up one bag and then another, barely lifting them off the
steel plate before dropping them again, apparently satisfied with
their weight. Sheriff Cann couldn't resist. He took up Charlie's
offer, grabbing the rope and pulling on it, working it through his
hands until the platform with the bags of barley was as high as it
could reach.
    “ This is
remarkable, ” he said, lowering the barley back to
the ground. “ Think of what we
could accomplish. ”
    Mayor Johns was silent.
From her body language and the nervous motion of her eyes, it was
clear the mayor wasn't going to wade into the discussion, she was
waiting to see which way Hammond would lean.
    “ You'll put
porters out of business, ” Hammond
cried. “ Is that what you're trying to do? Are you trying
to wreck an entire class of workers? ”
    “ No, ” Charlie replied. “ I'm trying
to help them carry more with less effort, fewer injuries and
strains. ”
    “ What the
hell do you take me for, boy? ” Hammond
snarled. “ A fool? I suppose you want to rig this thing
over the Great Fall? ”
    “ Yes, ” Charlie replied. “ We could
rig a swinging arm on each —”
    “ Am I the
only one that sees this as madness? ” Hammond asked,
looking at those around him. “ The first time one
of these loads comes loose and falls it'll kill someone. If a heavy
enough load hits the stairs it could rip them out of the wall.
There's a reason we do things the same way over and over again.
Ours is a simple life, but a life of calculated efficiency and
balance. There's nothing wrong with hard work. Sweat is a friend,
keeps us fit and healthy. ”
    “ I —” Charlie began, but Hammond wasn't
finished.
    “ Hold your
tongue before your elders! You're a goddamn shadow! You don't tell
me what to do. You don't cast a shadow, you