Read 1632: Essen Steel for Free Online

was a good idea. They seem to be respected masters of their guild."
    After the meeting, Bart and Josh walked back to town. Amy and Colette walked ten feet in front, occasionally laughing and looking back at them.
    "Thick as thieves those two," Bart said musingly. "Thick as thieves. I think you're in trouble, Josh. They're scheming about something."
    Josh sighed. "I know it. I just don't know how much resistance to put up." Bart chuckled. "Knowing my daughter and judging from what I've seen of Colette, I don't think they're going to settle for anything less than unconditional surrender."
    The two women turned to look back at him again.
    Who knows, thought Josh. Unconditional surrender can't be too bad, can it?

Chapter Two
    Joe Modi lapsed into a coma on August seventh. He died six hours later. The funeral was on August tenth. Josh Modi kept his composure throughout the ceremony, accepting condolences and murmurs of sympathy.
    Men, after all, don't cry.
    "Keep a stiff upper lip."
    "Be a man."
    "Grin and bear it."
    Society frowns on men who cry.
    But men do cry. Often it is late at night or upon awakening from a bad dream. Then the walls come down.
    For Josh Modi the walls came down the first time he slept in his grandfather's bed the night after the funeral. He woke from a sound sleep and found himself staring at the ceiling. He began remembering the simple things he and his grandfather had done. The chess games. The shared meals. The laughter.
    Brick by emotional brick his wall crumbled. Loneliness seized his soul. Ah, Gramps!
    Josh began to cry. Not simple tears, but the wracking sobs of a man who had kept things inside for too long. Josh didn't know how long he cried that night, but he would always remember when he stopped.
    A hand with long supple fingers began stroking his hair. Colette slid into the bed at his back, spooning him.
    "I'm sorry I woke you."
    "Shhh," she said. "Shhh. Sleep now."
    Slowly his body relaxed. Alone no more, he slept.
    * * *
    The next day they began to clean out the basement using the inventory lists that Joe had developed over the previous three months. The first place they went to was the large brown metal container Joe had shown him back in May. When he opened the container for Colette and Colas he was surprised to see the BM-59 still there.
    Colas' eyes were round as Josh took the rifle out of the container. "What is that?"
    Josh laughed. "I had to ask Gramps, myself. This is a BM-59. In the universe we came from there was a war called World War Two. Every army had its own main battle rifle. The American Army's rifle was called the Garand. It was a good rifle, one of the best. But it had limitations. The Italians created a main battle rifle based on the Garand but with twenty round magazines and in a different caliber. That's what this is."
    Josh handed the battle rifle to Colas after checking to see it was empty. "I thought Gramps gave this to the army but apparently he forgot or decided not to."
    After Colas had looked at the BM-59 for a minute Josh took it back and placed it in the container.
    Colas pointed to the comic books on the left side. "What are those?"
    Josh smiled. "Those are called comic books, but these are the rare ones, so we should leave them in the slip covers. Gramps said there were a few plastic containers of less valuable ones. Once we find them you can take a look at them. You'll have to learn to read English, though."
    Might not be a bad way to learn English, now that I think about it Josh thought.
    After relocking the container Colette, Colas and Josh began organizing the basement into three different piles: things to be sold, things to be kept, and other. Throughout the day Colette and Josh would sometimes touch or smile at each other. Occasionally they even embraced, when Colas wasn't looking. When it came time for bed, Colette yawned.
    "Good night, Josh. I'm very tired." She smiled. "I didn't get much sleep last night." Colette came over and gave him a platonic kiss