A Gentle Mechanism
“Peter Apian, an armillary sphere and a zonal Mappa Mundi” Image from Cosmographia (Peter Apian, 16th century), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain / CC BY 4.0.
I held it, observing the detail of the two liquids as they mixed. The artifact produced a high-pitched sound once its gears, as if newly made, began to move and lock perfectly into place. It released a faint gas, and the liquid remained visible through the glass. I could read certain words, some in my own language, others in an unknown one, an ideographic system.
Excavation Record — Pre-civilizational technical settlement Artifact recovered in functional condition. The object appears to react to stimuli not yet identified. Direct contact is prohibited.
It seemed to be attempting communication, guided by an eldritch framework it lacked the means to complete.
In an impulsive decision, driven by that need to connect, I used a recently carved rune, one I had read about in an ancient book, and imbued it with concentrated magic. I believe the artifact had left clues for me to follow, guiding my intuition.
I spoke to it for hours, asking countless questions. I could not stop, caught between my own curiosity and something external urging me forward.
When the magic reached the liquid through the glass, more pictograms formed within my mind. Over time and repeated trials, I realized I was learning the runes it used. That became our method of communication.
Eventually, it accumulated enough magical energy. Its mechanisms shifted again, and it assumed several forms. I believe it chose to resemble an innocent animal:
a cat.
I named it Sophos, for wisdom.
I stopped treating it as an object of analysis and accepted it as a companion for the remainder of my life, sharing magic and knowledge. I would watch its bright eyes and wonder what Sophos thought of us, and of me as the mage who carried him in her arms.
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