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    All In A Day's Work
    All In A Day's Work
    All In A Day's Work
    Ebook54 pages54 minutes

    All In A Day's Work

    By Paul Comstock

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    About this ebook

    Kurt Harriman is a professional carpenter in a world where wood is scarce, protected, and where at least some environmental activists will do anything to keep it from being used for anything. When called on to do a custom job for Johnson Space Equipment, Kurt jumps at the chance, hoping for a good paying job. Unfortunately, that's just what he gets.

    15,000 words. Also Included in Space and Waste, Anthology #1 (ISBN 9781476008561) and Anthology #3 (ISBN 9781476122038)

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPaul Comstock
    Release dateApr 3, 2012
    ISBN9781476005508
    All In A Day's Work

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      Book preview

      All In A Day's Work - Paul Comstock

      All In A Day's Work

      by

      Paul Comstock

      http://www.paulallancomstock.com

      SMASHWORDS EDITION

      * * * * *

      PUBLISHED BY:

      Paul Comstock on Smashwords

      All In A Day's Work

      Copyright © 2006 by Paul Comstock

      * * * * *

      All In A Day's Work

      I smiled at Ms. Fischer, Vice President of Johnson Space Equipment, from across her massive desk adorned in gleaming metal and plastic. I was much more comfortable around wooden furniture, but nothing was made of wood anymore. I tried not to let my discomfort show. This might be a good job, and I could use the work. Making a living as a carpenter was harder every year, real, unused wood being more valuable than gold, and protected like never before.

      Should we get right to it, Mr. Harriman? she asked.

      I nodded. Call me Kurt.

      Kurt, then, she said smiling. She had a nice, sincere smile that made me feel a little less nervous. The man who runs this company, Mr. Gregory Johnson, would like you to do a project for him.

      I can do an estimate if you can show me what he wants done, I said.

      She hesitated. It's not quite that simple. The project will be done aboard Mr. Johnson's new space yacht being built in Earth orbit.

      A carpenter? In space?

      She interrupted before I could regain my composure. I'm sorry. Please, let me explain. Mr. Johnson wants his yacht's study to be an exact duplicate of the one at his home here in Houston, and he insists on using real wood. His study is an intricately restored and ornate room, completely paneled in real oak with a hardwood floor, so he needs a very skilled carpenter, one who is used to working with real wood.

      There's other carpenters, so why me, if you don't mind my asking.

      No, I don't mind at all. Put bluntly, most of the carpenters we've contacted either haven't been skilled enough to satisfy Mr. Johnson's requirements, or are too old to stand going into space.

      Come on. No one fit his requirements? I just couldn't believe that. JSE must have had plenty of resources, being one of the best space outfits on Earth with offices all around the world. Surely they could find a carpenter somewhere that fit the bill. There were still plenty of carpenters around--more than ever, actually. Maybe not a lot that still worked with real wood, or had the skill to do so, but even among those left, there were plenty to choose from in Houston alone.

      Some did, certainly, but the ones that I've offered the job to either refused or backed out, she said. When it came down to it, none of them seemed interested in the prospect of traveling into space and working there.

      I'm not sure I want to either.

      Understandable, but the pay is quite good. You might as well hear the offer.

      What did I have to lose? Okay.

      She told me the figure. My excitement must have shown, because I could see Ms. Fischer's smile grow. But would it be worth the pay? I had to be careful here. The cost of the wood alone could bankrupt me. Before I say yes or no, I'd have to figure out what the materials and other costs would be. The offer sounds good, but as far as I know, this has never been done before, and after I purchase the materials there might not be much left.

      Oh, I'm sorry, Ms. Fischer said. I didn't make myself clear. That figure is only your fee after completion. We would also pay for all materials, your expenses, and anything else you might need, of course. She was offering me almost ten times what I made in a year. How could I refuse?

      ###

      I walked out of Ms. Fischer's office whistling, and smiling. The job was just what I needed to keep myself in business, and couldn't have come at a better time. As far as going into space? Well, that didn't seem like such a big problem. I could work that out later.

      With that, my mind raced, planning the job, and there was a lot to plan for. Johnson's space yacht was slated to be completed in six months, and he wanted the study finished and ready by then, too. That deadline put a great deal of pressure on me.

      My biggest concern was in

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