Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Idle Hands

It would take four hours for the lacquer to dry.

After cleaning his hands, Joe spent the time by tacking up a map. For most people, this is a task which required a map and some tacks. For Joe, it required a map, tacks, a pencil, a "Mars Plastic" eraser, a measuring square, a level, painter's tape, a furniture dolly, a tape measure, tracing paper, a slide ruler, several cardboard boxes boxes, and an electronic stud finder (which he had never used but gave him some peace of mind to have on hand). Once the map was up Joe still had two and a half hours before he could go back to his other project so he considered the map.

He poured through his shelves and pulled out six reference books, each of which was fastidiously laid to a particular page and placed equidistant from the others on his desk. He traced routes with his fingers, some the map showed, some seemingly visible only to him. After each route, he'd consult one of the books, write something down in a small leather-bound journal and go back to the map.

"Maybe..." before he could finish, the kitchen timer which told him the lacquer had set went off. He put each of the books back on the shelf, put the journal away, and packed up the little model. He turned off the light and locked the door behind him.

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