“Welcome to the tour of the very first advanced factory! I am delighted to be your guide, you can call me Candice. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, but besides that, follow me along the tour. Today, you will be seeing the brand new steam engine! This new invention…”

“Excuse me. Let’s say one were to, I don’t know, sell this new invention. How much money would this person make?” Thomas Hobbes asks quite coyly.

“Well um… this new invention is not available to the public so it can’t be sold, why would you ask?”

“Just curious. Sorry for interrupting, please continue.”

“Umm, it’s ok. Please excuse me for a minute.” Candice slips away from her tour group and approaches the nearest security officer. “Can I please get security following my group, there may be people trying to steal new equipment,”  Candice says quietly.

“Of course, I will be discreet.” security says confidently.

“I’m sorry for the wait, please follow me,” says Candice addressing her group once again.

As the tour group enters the factory, they could feel the warm, moist air rush upon them. The group could smell the sweat being produced by the hard-working laborers. Thomas Hobbes scouts the exit routes, planning his escape. He focuses, looking for the one and only steam engine in the country. Hobbes spots it in the near distance. He inches closer and closer along the tour. He waits until the tour ends, which happens to be the last scheduled tour of the day. He tapes the lock on the back door and waits in the restroom. Into the night, he hears cleaning, locking, and horrible singing from the custodian.

~~~

“CREEEEEEEEK!” The toilet seat he has been standing on relieves the weight it has been holding. Hobbes slowly peers through the door, seeing nothing but darkness. He lights the wax candle he was carrying in his coat pocket for a source of light. Tiptoeing through the factory, Thomas Hobbes spots the steam engine. The invention that would change his life forever as well as his family’s. Disconnecting the machine, he hears a door open and a soft whistling noise. Quickly, Hobbes blows out his candle and hides behind the machine. A distant candle sparks a flame, and he follows the sound of the stranger’s whistle, inching closer and closer, louder and louder. Calming his breath, Hobbes quiets down and closes his eyes. Minutes later he hears a quiet murmur.

“Wherever you are, come out and there will be no consequence.”

Quietly, Hobbes tries to unattach the steam engine while being looked for. The cops begin pounding on the doors, begging for entry. After entry, the cops begin to search. What they don’t know is that Thomas Hobbes has already escaped with his getaway man John Locke along with their the prize, the one and only steam engine.

“I can’t believe I did it! Wow, the endless opportunities we will have, John. I’m in shock right now. I’m sweating. My heart is pounding, and I’m out of breath. I was SOOOO close to getting caught. Someone was right next to me! I probably shouldn’t have asked how much it was worth though, right?”

“Thomas… You’re just kidding, right? I mean, that’s not funny.”

“I’m sorry I was just so curious! I couldn’t help myself. No way will we get caught right? We are already free…”

“Thomas! We are not even close to being free. We still have to get home, first of all. And second, we have to successfully sell this thing without getting caught!” Pensive silence falls over the two criminals.

~~~

“Thomas, you are so dumb. I mean, first you talk about how humans are so bad and then you move on to doing dumb stuff like this! I’m starting to believe humans, like you, are bad. Bad at keeping something to themselves! Might as well go ahead and tell the rest of the community we are stealing!”

“Woah, woah, woah. Stop right there. Are you really bringing up the fact that I think people are naturally bad? I’ll be honest, I do think that. But let’s just carry out this plan and then we can split ways.”

The two thieves begin to finalize a plan to sell the steam-engine. They have many options but are looking for the safest alternative. Eventually, they find a buyer who guarantees security for the transaction as well as for the sellers. About to organize a secure meeting with the buyer, Hobbes and Locke hear footsteps outside their small apartment.

“Excuse me ma'am. Have you seen suspicious activity? Maybe one or multiple people trying to hide something?” the criminals hear a strange voice say.

“Well actually, I did see two men who I believe are staying here carrying a large, heavy box into their room. I asked if they needed help and they just sent me off immediately.” said their neighbor.

“Ok thank you,” replied the strange voice.

The officer slyly comes to Hobbes’s and Locke’s door, listening for any activity. Knocking on the door with authority, he demands that someone comes to the door. The officer eventually kicks the door down to find notes, plans, and no one in sight.

Slowly galloping from the weight of the criminals and steam engine, the horses pants in the sun. Feeling a sense of nervousness the thieves sit silently, not knowing where to go. Looking behind them, a suspicious person signals them off to the side of the dirt path.

“What do you gentlemen have here?” says the person.

“Just a package… bringing it to our, ummmmm, grandma.” Hobbes says unsurely.

“Oh for your grandma? Of course, so nice of you guys! What is it?” asks the person.

“Just some fabric and yarn, she loves making clothes,” answers Hobbes.

“Mind if I look?” asks the stranger.

“Actually we are in a hurry so we have to…” says Hobbes.

The weird stranger yanks the tarp off the steam engine revealing the stolen item. This action brings a lot of attention to the themselves. Quickly, they put the tarp back on and escape. Murmuring quietly, Hobbes and Locke discuss who that was. They reach no conclusions because of how the person was covered from head to toe intentionally disguising themselves.

~~~

On their way to the transaction, the thieves begin to worry about not making it there successfully. They tie down the stolen item as tight as possible, and talk about their plan if something terrible happens. The thieves begin their journey and eventually run into a blocked off roadway.

“We are checking everything that passes through here.” says the officer.

“I’m sorry, if this is seen in the light then. . .” says Locke.

“I’m sorry but no exceptions.” replies the stern officer.

“Um ok go ahead.” Locke says with a tone of warning in his voice.

As the cop untied the steam engine, the thieves hopped off their seats onto the ground. When the cop turns to ask why they are in possession of the steam engine, he is quickly interrupted by a punch to the face from John Locke. The thieves quickly tie down the engine and get on their way. Little do they know, they have another cop quickly gaining on them. Their horses aren’t quick enough to get away, so they act casual.

“We have a report that two men punched an officer and escaped. Do you have any knowledge of this? Another thing I heard was that they stole a steam engine from a local factory. That object tied down looks exactly like a steam engine. Mind if I take a look?” asks the officer.

“Wait a second, you were the girl from earlier that checked us out! No way you are a cop and have the right to stop us. So excuse me, we have to deliver something to our grandma.” Hobbes says with a tone of sarcasm.

“Stop right there! Look at me in the eyes! You see this badge? You boys disrespect me one more time, I promise you guys won’t see another day. If you let me take this, then there will be no penalty. But if you don’t I will still take it, but there will be two fewer people on this planet. Understand me?” says the threatening cop.

“Yes ma’am.” the criminals say in unison with a tone of disbelief.

Walking away, the criminals had their heads hung low in concern. They discuss how they should move, start over, and get a real job. After agreeing, the boys turn around to see the girl galloping away with what they thought would be their exit ticket. But what they noticed is that the girl looked much more familiar than they thought. She almost looked like. . .

“Bye boys, you can’t believe how happy I am that I get to stop giving tours of a stupid factory! I finally found two idiots that were enlightened enough to come up with a plan on how to steal the engine but dumb enough to not quite get away with it. Anyway, I have to go. I have to make a sale of a lifetime!”

“I’m so stupid!” Hobbes yells with anger.

“What Thomas?” shrieks Locke.

“John! That’s Candice, the tour guide that almost caught me!”

THE END