Goldie Locke - Chapter One

I am using the space to write a little book. The book is called "Goldie Locke." It is based on the real thing. 😉 

Not Safe For Work - Rated 'R'

Chapter 1

 

Goldie Locke's brass-plated steam-powered exploration vessel chugs along the narrow forest trail, its ornate gears and pistons whirring as it pushes through the dense foliage. Clouds of vapor billow from its smokestacks into the overcast sky.

With a sudden jolt, the vessel's engine coughs and sputters before winding down to a halt. Goldie furrows her brow, sliding her goggles up as she inspects the control panels covered in blinking lights and dials.

"Blast," she mutters, running a hand through her golden curls. Goldie leans in, her delicate fingers tracing the intricate machinery. She checks the fuel gauge - nearly empty. Chewing her lower lip, Goldie glances out the window at the thick, looming trees surrounding them.

Grabbing a wrench from a nearby toolbox, she hops down from the driver's seat and circles the vessel, inspecting the engine. Tightening a few bolts, she gives the boiler a few solid whacks, coaxing a renewed hiss of steam from the machine. Goldie grins, pleased with her handiwork, before returning to the controls.

She flips a few switches, but the engine merely sputters in response. Furrowing her brow, Goldie chews her lip in concentration. Suddenly, her eyes widen.

"The fuel line!" she exclaims, snapping her fingers. Quickly, she ducks back under the vessel, tracing the tubing until she finds a split, dried-out gasket.

"Of course," she mutters, shaking her head. Rummaging through her toolkit, Goldie produces a replacement gasket and a small blowtorch. With deft, nimble movements, she removes the damaged part and installs the new one, sealing it in place with a few strategic bursts of flame.

Scrambling back to the controls, Goldie takes a deep breath and turns the key. The engine coughs to life, its gears and pistons whirring to full power. She lets out a triumphant whoop, her doe eyes sparkling with pride.

Goldie frowns, scrutinizing the control panels with knitted brows. "Blast!" she exclaims, giving the unresponsive controls a firm smack. Her lips purse into a tight line as her delicate fingers dance over the various knobs and levers, but the steam engine remains stubbornly silent.

Snatching up her toolbox, she disembarks onto the muddy trail, the pungent scent of damp earth and decaying leaves filling her nostrils. A light drizzle patters against the metal hull as Goldie circles the exploration vessel, her boots leaving imprints in the soft soil.

The undergrowth crunches beneath her boots as she pushes through the dense foliage, her golden curls bouncing with each determined stride. Branches snag at her skirt, but Goldie pays them no mind, her focus entirely on the wisp of smoke.

Peering through the gnarled, twisted trees, her gaze narrows as she spots a thin trail of smoke rising in the distance. Goldie's eyes widen, a glimmer of hope sparking within their emerald depths. With renewed determination, she adjusts the strap of her toolbox and follows the faint path towards the smoke's source.

The forest grows denser, branches clawing at her ringlet curls and snagging the fabric of her khaki overalls. Swatting away the obstinate foliage, Goldie presses onward, her pouty lips set in a firm line. The smoke trail leads her through a thicket of gnarled tree roots until she finally emerges into a small clearing.

In the center sits a quaint, weather-beaten cabin, smoke lazily drifting from its stone chimney. Goldie's brow furrows as she cautiously approaches, her boots crunching over the scattered debris and fallen branches littering the area. She pauses at the doorstep, eyeing the rusted iron fittings and gears adorning the cabin's exterior.

Goldie emerged from the dense forest onto a small clearing, her boots crunching over fallen branches and debris littering the ground. Her eyes widened as she took in the peculiar sight before her - a rustic cottage with a thatched roof and stone chimney, its weathered walls adorned with strange brass fittings and intricate clockwork mechanisms.

"How bizarre..." Goldie murmured, eyeing the curious building with a furrowed brow.

Clutching her toolbox, she cautiously approached the heavy oak door, its iron fittings glinting in the muted forest light. Goldie rapped her knuckles firmly against the weathered wood, the sound echoing through the clearing. She waited with bated breath, but no response came. She waits, fingers drumming against the toolbox's leather strap, before trying again with a sharper knock.

"Hello?" Goldie calls out, craning her neck to peer through one of the grimy windows. "Is anyone home? I seem to be experien-"

The door suddenly creaks open, cutting off her words. Goldie's breath catches in her throat as she finds herself face-to-face with...

Chewing her lower lip, Goldie tentatively tried the handle. To her surprise, it turned easily - the door was unlocked. She glanced over her shoulder, emerald eyes scanning the treeline, before squaring her shoulders with resolve.

With toolbox in hand, Goldie slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside the strange cottage.

Goldie stepped through the doorway, her boots clunking against the rough-hewn wooden floors. The interior was cluttered with an assortment of unusual steam-powered contraptions - cogs whirred, pistons pumped, and metal tubing snaked across every surface.

A battered kettle whistled merrily on the cast-iron stove, puffs of steam venting from its spout. Curious gears spun aimlessly on various eccentric devices lining the walls, their purpose a complete mystery. Goldie's eyes widened, sparkling with fascination as she took in the bizarre surroundings. 

"Well, this is...unexpected," she murmured, her gaze roving over the strange machinery.

An odd, box-shaped contraption sat on a table, covered in protruding levers and dials. Goldie set down her toolbox and approached it, fingers trailing along the intricate brass fittings. A series of pipes emerged from the top, ending in circular vents. 

Intrigued, Goldie gripped one of the levers and pulled it experimentally. With a hiss of compressed air, the vents opened and blasted her full in the face with a powerful jet of hot steam. Goldie yelped in surprise, her blonde ringlets whipping wildly about her head from the force.

"Good heavens!" she cried out, shielding her face with one arm as the steam swirled around her.

As quickly as it started, the blast subsided with a wheeze of escaping air. Goldie slowly lowered her arm, blinking owlishly as she smoothed her disheveled curls. She eyed the strange contraption warily, biting her lip.

"Seems I've found quite the fascinating little hideaway," Goldie remarked dryly, though a bemused smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

She leaned in closer, inspecting the machine's inner workings with a critical eye. A faint hissing and whirring of gears emanated from within its confines as the various components ticked over. Goldie's fingertips ghosted over the levers and dials, itching to investigate further.

Coughing from the steam blast, Goldie stumbled back, her boots nearly catching on a thick copper tubing that snaked haphazardly across the rough wooden floor. She caught herself at the last moment, arms pinwheeling wildly to regain her balance.

With a huff of annoyance, Goldie yanked sharply on the offending pipe. A loud hiss erupted from the tubing as a burst of icy fog exploded forth, rapidly chilling the cluttered room. Goldie gasped, her breath puffing out in frosty clouds as the frigid mist swirled around her ankles.

"Well, this place could certainly use some fine-tuning!" she exclaimed with a chuckle, wrapping her arms tightly around herself in a vain attempt to ward off the biting chill.

Goldie's eyes sparkled with amusement as she regarded the strange, ramshackle contraptions littering the cottage's interior. Her mind was already whirring, formulating ideas on how to tweak and modify the outlandish devices to optimal efficiency.

A sly grin tugged at the corners of her pouty lips as Goldie sidestepped the puddle of condensation forming on the floor, carefully making her way towards an ornate metal lattice mounted on the wall. Delicate brass gears spun in dizzying circles within the latticework, powered by some unseen mechanism.

Goldie tilted her head, studying the intricate clockwork with a critical eye. Gingerly, she reached out and gave one of the larger cogs an experimental spin with the tip of her finger. The entire apparatus shuddered, pistons pumping as the gears ground together in a cacophony of grinding metal.

Her brow furrowed in concentration as she watched the lattice's movements, analyzing each component. After a few moments, a triumphant grin blossomed across Goldie's features.

"Aha! I see now..." she murmured under her breath, tongue poking out slightly as she leaned in closer.

With a flourish, Goldie produced a tiny wrench from her toolbox and set to work, deftly adjusting various bolts and loosening specific joints within the latticework. The grinding racket slowly transitioned to a gentle, rhythmic whirring as the components fell into smoother alignment.

Goldie beamed with pride, wiping a smudge of grease from her brow as she stepped back to admire her handiwork. The gears now spun in a mesmerizing, synchronized dance, the metal lattice almost seeming to breathe with each revolution.

"There, that's much better," she declared with a satisfied nod, her blonde ringlets bouncing. "A simple calibration was all it needed."