Chapter 1: What's Happening?!?

August 23, 1861

Bright lights shone into the room. The air was cool and fresh, perfect for a day of work. August woke up to the light in his face. He got up and went to change into his clothes. He put on a white long-sleeved shirt, a brown leather vest, brown shorts, and socks. He slipped on his gloves and shoved his boots on. And finally, his goggles. He took his bag and headed for the kitchen. He made some toast and bacon and ate.

He went to a room in the back of his house. " Gear, come here." The German Shepherd's ears perked up as he called him. Gear got up and ran towards August. " Who's a good boy? You're such a good boy!" August scratched his ears and petted him. " C'mon, let's go."

August then grabbed his top hat, but before he left, he checked something. " Where did I leave the bottle? Oh, here it is!" He gripped the bottle of metal cleaner and took off the small gears off his boots, bracelet, and the ones on his hat. He had made them removable so it's easier to clean. He sprayed the cleaner onto the gears. Then, he wiped it with a small cloth, making it look shiny. He put all of it back to where it was and then left with Gear.

Some adults stared at his outfit, but he didn't really care. It was normal for people to stare. It happened every day. He happily walked to his workshop. And before he forgot, he flipped the CLOSED sign to OPEN.

" Hi, Gear! Oh, and August." Oliver, August's work partner, and best friend greeted them both as they walked in.

" Why do you work here, for money or for the dog. We'll never know." August said sarcastically.

Oliver started to play with Gear as August put down his stuff. He went behind the counter and walked over to the " work " part of his workshop. He put on his work apron (Yes, he going to wear an apron, No I don't care if it's weird) and got to work. He hulled some iron and heated the furnace. As the furnace heated, he went and opened the windows of the room. August then took some iron and threw it into the fire. After a while, he took it out and hammered it a bit to get it pointy. Then he put it back in again. August repeated the same thing until it started to look like a sword. He placed it on a rack and took out some leather for the hilt of the sword. He cut it into the pattern he had made beforehand. After he had made sure the sword was cool, he placed the leather on the hilt. He sewed it on and made sure it was secure.

This one was for a customer that came from the USA, though he's never been there, nor imagined it. He gets orders from a lot of places, like Japan, Korea, Africa, Britain ( of course) and some other places. But, he's just always stayed in Britain. He shipped them to where ever the customer had asked for it to be shipped, or they would come and pick it up.

" Hey, two people want to see you. They want to order." Oliver said, halfway into the room.

" Ok, I'll be there in a minute." He said, placing it into a box. August got up and took off his apron. The room had smelled of smoke, so it was a relief to leave.

" Hello, how can I help you?" August said, looking over at them

" Are you August Hooper?" The man asked him. He looked young, about 30. A woman stood at his side, maybe a little younger than him. She wore a light blue dress, and a small flower was on the side of her head.

" Yes, I am August Hooper, are you here for an order?" He questioned them.

" No, we're just looking for one if you have some already prepared. It's for our son when he's older. The man said, viewing all the swords in the room.

" Well, If it's going to be for a beginner, I have the perfect one for him." August pulled out a medium-sized sword, for a teen. It looked perfect. It wasn't too sharp, nor too dull. " I'll give it to you, but you'll have to pay £100."

" Sure. Sounds like a fair price." The man took out £100 and gave them to August. August then gave the sword to him in it's scabbard. That one was one of his favorites. He'll miss it, but he knows it deserves a home.

After that, he went back to work. Some people would ask to talk to him, but most wouldn't. After all, that's why Oliver worked with him. He would make them, and Oliver would sell them. They shared half of the money with each other, but in the end, they would both be paid. At 9:47, he decided to go home. Oliver had left already, so it was just him. That's why Gear was there. He would protect him if someone tried to break in at night. August took the keys to the workshop and locked it before he left.

August walked in the cold breeze as he went home. It always helped when there was a breeze. He had smelled smoke and gas all day, so air was the first he wanted when he left. The stars looked beautiful at this time of night. Gear marched alert, ready to defend his owner. The lanterns nearby were on, a yellow color, contrasting the sky. He always wondered questions like, Is water wet or can you make some people see certain color while he walked home. This time, he wondered, can someone ever teleport into the future? No, people would think he was crazy.

And besides, it's not possible.

Or is it?

The next day, he got, took Gear, and went to the workshop. 2 hours after he started working, something strange started to happen. He started to notice small pixels float off his left arm. His arm was disappearing! He ran out of the store and headed for the hospital. More and more pixels started to consume his arm, and his other one as well. People stared as he ran by. He had to run, run fast, run faster, run as fast as possible.

What's happening?! He thought

His legs started to disappear, so he hurried even faster. He didn't even make it as the pixels started to go up to his face. He didn't know he was going to die like this! As it made its way up, his vision started to blur.

I guess this is it. Goodbye world.

And then he woke up in an apartment.