Chapter Two

 “The Black Box Menace”

May 19th, 2006. It was 20 years ago yesterday that Stephen Cole faced his final exam. Having just completed all the classes he needed for a major in electrical engineering, he wanted to ace the exam and come up with a project that would put him at the top of his class.

The idea came during a trip to the local mall. Patrons walked by with iPods, wires hanging from their heads, and even large, bulky headsets—fashionable, of course, but distracting. That’s when he came across a booth promoting the “Hug Shirt.” This high-tech garment used a Bluetooth connection to a mobile phone to wirelessly receive data from virtual hugs and replicate warmth and pressure remotely. That’s when the idea hit him.

He ran to his car and made a phone call. “Billy, its Stephen. Drop whatever you’re doing; I need you at my garage, now.”

A visit to the local RadioShack brought Stephen the sensors, capacitors, resistors, and all the wire he needed. He almost bought out the whole store to create the masterpiece for his class.

Stephen’s garage still held a few of their parents’ things: knick-knacks, kitchen appliances, and childhood memories. It also held things their mother could never get rid of: old paintings of people she didn’t know, throw-rugs she never finished knitting, and collectibles she just couldn’t part with.

One unusual set of wooden coasters stood out among the shelves of garage mystic. Once a set of eight, there were now seven, kept for their detailed, hand-carved artwork: caricatures of unknown people created by a woman of the Shinnecock Indian tribe, now collecting dust on a shelf. It was during Rocco’s first weekend alone six years earlier that he met the coasters and discovered their true identity. Since they were made from spruce wood, all their names started with S, and each had a specific talent and personality.

Skyler was from the business area of New Jersey and knew how to keep things together. Santiago was a mathematical savant—an immigrant from El Salvador who, to this day, still denies how he got here.

Sarah was a true southern belle from Savannah, but before that, Minnesota. An unseen accident during her carving caused her to fall into a fire pit, leaving a shadowing effect across her facial features. It brought out the true beauty of her inner self.

Stanley was from Connecticut, a scrap remnant from the Stanley tool factory, and he knew his tools.

Susan was from New York’s Broadway district and one hell of a dancer.

Southie was from Boston; need I say more?

Sylvester was raised and groomed in Brooklyn and was actually part of the famous 2001 Odyssey night club. Most amazingly, they were all part of an A Capella singing group. And let’s not forget Rocco. Rocco was an actual couch with red velvety fabric, four cushions, sharp blue eyes, bushy black eyebrows, and one hell of an attitude. To the common folk, though, he was just a red love seat.

Back home in the garage, Stephen got to work with his back to the “Woodies.” Rocco grew curious. “Hey Stephen; what-cha doing over there?”

Skyler gently reminded him, “He can’t hear you”

Rocco slid his eyes sideways. “Damn it I keep forgetting”

Southie spotted something alarming. “I see smoke”

“Shhhh” Rocco called out. “Hey Stanley can you see anything from up there?”

“No, Stephen’s head is blocking my view”

“Si Senor Rocco, I can see from up here. I think I know what he is doing.”

Out of the blue came an alarm. “GLASS IS FULL! I repeat; GLASS IS FULL!” It was Sylvester’s signal that someone was approaching the garage.

Rocco looked up. “What-cha got?”

Sylvester leaned over. “All I have is windshield glare; can’t see yet… wait, wait… Glass is empty; I repeat Glass is empty, it’s just Billy.”

Rocco relaxed. “Good now at least we can talk to him and find out what Stephen is doing.”

Skyler rolled along the shelf. “Rocco. I don’t think I need to remind you of Billy’s age but I have to” He rolled around for a better angle. “Rocco, Rocco… Can you hear me?”

Rocco had been wrestling with a few personal issues. His response came out harsher than he intended. “YES I CAN HEAR YOU AND NO; YOU DON’T have to remind me!”

All seven coasters rolled to the back of the shelving. Rocco’s voice had a way of sending them into hiding when he was agitated. “I know all too well!” He paused and sighed. “I am sorry Skyler-everyone I didn’t mean to, well you know”

Rocco had been keeping a secret. For the last couple of weeks, Billy’s words had been fading in and out, and he was afraid of the inevitable. The thought of losing his ability to communicate with his friends haunted him.

He had lost that ability with Stephen a few years earlier, when Stephen turned 19. Rocco was devastated, but he still had Billy to talk to and could interact with Stephen through him.

The coasters slowly reappeared along the edge of the shelf, looking down at him.

Skyler continued. “I understand. You are one of the lucky ones. It’s not every day you find the right match. The problem you’re facing right now is not knowing if you will ever be able talk to them again. We never had that chance until we met you; and we all owe you a debt of gratitude, but it is getting close to that time”

Rocco closed his eyes and drifted off. “I know”

The garage door swung open. Billy entered with his arms stretched wide. “Good morning; how are my favorite Woodies doing today?”

Sarah was the first to welcome him. “There he is; my thoroughbred, what a dream boat”

“Hola Senor’ Billy”

Susan performed a Chasse’. “You still owe me a dance”

Billy stopped. “Yes, Yes I know– it’s coming real soon. You just keep practicing”

“I will; my pirouettes are getting tighter” added Susan.

“It comes with age” remarked Billy.

Susan stopped mid-pirouette. “Heyyy”

“I know Sylvester, I know; don’t touch the hair”

Sylvester turned away. “That’s my man”

Billy walked over and gave all the coasters a fake hi-five, then spun them one at a time like quarters on their edges. “Never a dull moment in this garage, right guys”

Skyler broadcast to everyone, “ROLL AWAY! ROLL AWAY!”

“I hate when he does this” remarked Southie.

Stanley rolled to the corner. “I am going to spew cork… ugh”

Susan, happy and vibrant, said, “I love it; it’s like floating on air”

Sylvester turned away. “My hair; my hair, now look what you did to my hair”

Billy laughed, walked over to Rocco, and rubbed his arm. “How’s it going buddy” Then he stepped behind his brother. “So big brother, what do you need?”

Rocco’s eyes opened, his brows starting to shimmy. “What the hell is going on?” His eyes focused. “Billy I am glad you are here, what the hell is your brother doing?”

“Senor’ Rocco, I can see more from up here. I think I know what he is doing.

Rocco looked up. “Who is that Santiago?”

“Si–me is Santiago, I believe he is making some kind of an electronic device for his exam.”

Stephen turned around. “Billy; I need you to make this box from this drawing, can you do it?”

“Yeah I think so, I helped dad with the basement and this seems simple enough”

“How soon can you have it ready?”

“An hour; maybe two, I will run to the store now and get what I need, are dads tools still on the shelf?”

Stephen raised his hand and pointed. “Ask Stanley–he will know”

“I heard him” remarked Stanley. “Everything you need is on the two lower shelves. Hey Billy; what were you thinking to use for the box itself?”

“I thought I would give it a nice finish, what do you think about birds-eye maple?”

Chaos broke out among the shelves. Coasters rolled and flipped in every direction. Skyler was the first to react. “What the hell did he just say?”

Southie gave a quick spin. “Are you nuts?”

Santiago rolled to the corner. “Oh no, señor Billy, no arce ojo de pájaro”

Sarah flopped onto her side. “Oh heaven, please forgive him”

Susan rolled in circles and screamed, “AHHHHHHHHHH”

At the work table, Stephen turned and stared at Billy. “Billy; are you an idiot?”

Billy covered his ears. “WHAT?”

Stephen stood. “I can’t even hear them and I know exactly what they are doing. Why would you use wood? Use plastic or metal! We will wrap it in black fabric or paint it.”

Rocco’s brows couldn’t indent any further. “Billy you best apologize and tell Stephen, Thank you.”

Billy spoke with regret. “Sorry guys, I wasn’t thinking”

Stanley glared at Billy. “Yeah—yeah, we know; all body and no grains.” He started to flip-flop away. “Sure; let’s go the easy route and use wood”

Once the commotion settled, Billy and Stephen got to work, draping a sheet behind them so no one could see what they were doing.

Hours later, Southie rolled impatiently from one end of the shelving to the other. “You guys have been at it for hours, what are you up too. Come-on Billy, please tell us something.”

Suddenly, Billy emerged from behind the sheet like a sterile doctor in surgery, arms bent at the elbows, hands open, palms inward. “We are almost done; but we need Santiago’s help. I need to take him behind the sheet with us, so come-on buddy we need you.”

Santiago perked up. “Senor Billy, you need me?”

Billy reached for the shelf. “Yes, come on little buddy”

“Yes Senor, anything to get off this shelf”

Though the Woodies could hear Stephen, Stephen was unable to understand them. After the age of 19, their voices had become nothing but crackling and snapping sounds to him. With Santiago perched upright against a pencil holder, Stephen asked, “Santiago can you tell us what is wrong?”

“Mr. Billy you translate, yes? Tell him; for a series circuit with R = 4 Ω, X_L = 3 Ω, and X_C = 1 Ω:

You first need to check the Net reactance: X = X_L − X_C = 3 − 1 = 2 Ω

Then check for its Magnitude: |Z| = √ (R² + X²) = √ (4² + 2²) = √ (16 + 4) = √20 ≈ 4.47 Ω

That is when you will get your Phase angle: θ = arctan (X / R) = arctan (2 / 4) ≈ 26.57°

This will show how the magnitude and phase of impedance describe the AC circuit’s behavior and then it will work.”

Billy smacked his forehead. “How the hell; am I supposed to tell him that. Can you write it down for me?”

 “Senor’ Billy: I am a Coaster, a circle, a disc. I have no arms, no legs and no hands”

Billy grew annoyed. “Okay, Okay we will do it the hard way, one line at a time.”

Santiago dropped his accent and spoke English like he owned it. “Just switch the blue and red wire and you’re done.”

Billy spoke with nothing but love. “Santiago, you are an idiot; are you sure you didn’t get thrown off that banana truck?”

“No Senor; you are the idiot! You asked for my help. It is clearly labeled you just didn’t read it. Don’t you want-to-be lawyers read the fine print, isn’t that your job?”

Billy turned away, embarrassed. “Oh shut-up”

Two hours later, the white sheet dropped to the floor. Stephen stood beside a freshly painted black box. “I think we got it”

Billy held a 7’ x 3’ floor mat with wires hanging from all sides. “Rocco, this is for you”

Rocco stared at it, confused. “What the hell is that?” All the coasters rolled to the edge of the third shelf. Santiago knew and swirled right to the front. “Watch this”

Stephen turned to Rocco. “I know you can hear me so listen carefully. This mat consists of 4 sensors strategically placed to coincide with your footprints. So Billy and I will lay it down and place you on it.

“The wires will run to the back of a control box that will sit behind you; for the moment you will have limited movement; so just bear with me, till we get it working.”

Billy turned to Stephen. “Show him the box”

“This is the new you” Stephen presented the heart of the whole idea, complete with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities.

Rocco was dumbfounded. “I don’t understand.”

Billy gave him the short version. “Stephen believes your voice resonates on a very high frequency. Just under a dog whistle. I will let him explain.”

Stephen placed the radio on the work table, then stood where Rocco’s eyes would be facing. “Rocco, the frequency range of normal human hearing refers to the pitch of sounds that can be detected.

For a young, healthy adult, this range extends from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, with the greatest sensitivity between 2,000 Hz and 5,000 Hz, which is critical for understanding speech, especially consonants.  Frequencies below 20 Hz are classified as infrasound and those above 20 kHz as ultrasound, which are generally inaudible to humans. 

Individual hearing ranges vary and typically decline with age, that’s why we lose something at the end of our teen years, especially higher frequencies. I believe if I can find your frequency and run it through some scramblers; we might just be able to talk to each other again.”

Rocco closed his eyes, his brows low and tilted. Stephen looked at him. “Did you hear me?”

Billy stepped forward. “Rocco. Rocco; did you hear what he said?”

Rocco’s voice softened. “I don’t know what to say; when will we know if it works?”

Billy looked toward his brother. “He is asking when we can try it”

Stephen knelt before Rocco. “We are still working out some kinks, but I guess we can try it now if you’d like. I will go outside. Billy will stay in here with you, and once I turn it on; he will place the microphone in front of you. I will begin to scan the frequencies as you–” He turned toward the shelves. “–And only you continue to talk”

Southie turned to the other coasters. “Did he just insinuate that we talk too much?”

Stephen turned back toward Rocco. “Are you ready?”

Rocco’s eyes opened, scanning between the brothers and the coasters. “Let’s do this”

Almost two and a half hours passed. All the coasters were asleep except Santiago, who leaned over the edge and slid from side to side. “You can do-it, you can do-it”

Outside, there was nothing but static. Stephen scanned every frequency, tweaking screw after screw with a screwdriver. Then came a crackle, a screech, and heavy static. One last turn of the knob, right in the middle of the dial, and suddenly there was absolute silence. No static. No high-pitched noises. Crystal clear.

Inside the garage, Rocco grew discouraged. “Billy; that’s enough; tell Stephen to come here–I want to see him”

Outside, Stephen answered without thinking. “I’ll be right there” He froze like a deer caught in the headlights. Not one muscle moved. Then the realization hit.

“Billy, Rocco!” Santiago twirled. “Billy, did you hear that?” The other coasters rolled to the edge. “We heard it, we heard it” Sylvester swirled to the window. “I don’t see him, where is he?”

The side door burst open. “ROCCO!” The coasters grouped together and started singing. With the speaker at their feet, Stephen and Billy joined right in.

“It won’t be long yeah, yeah, yeah; It won’t be long, till I belong to you”

Stephen and Billy jumped up and down, overcome by their accomplishment. In their excitement, they mistakenly sat down on Rocco. Outraged, Rocco screamed, “What the hell are you doing; get off of me!”

The brothers jumped up and stood perfectly still in front of Rocco, stunned. Rocco eyed both of them. “Oh what the hell; come over here and give me some loving.”

Once the celebration settled, the brothers gathered everyone together and started describing the other features.

Billy started it off. “Thanks to Santiago we added additional features, like the mat under you. The sensors under your legs are connected to these spring loaded grommets underneath the speaker; so when you move; the speaker will move.”

“That’s awesome! So what is the screen for?”

Billy looked at his brother. “Rocco wants to know what the screen is for”

Stephen turned to Billy and smiled. “You don’t have to translate anymore, I can hear him just fine. As you know; I lost visual with you when I lost audio. We are hoping that there is a frequency for that as well, but at this moment I am not sure. That may take some time; but once we set up a monitor here in the garage; the camera lens will allow you to see us and what’s going on as we take you everywhere and anywhere you want to go.”

Billy turned to Rocco. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know what to say; Billy, Stephen can we go for a ride?”

Stephen smiled. “Billy, get the car”

All the coasters rejoiced together. “YEAH”

Southie weighed in. “Hey Billy, what about us?”

“Sure why not, go grab your coats and get in your holder”

Southie turned to Skyler. “What the hell was that?”

Skyler laughed and hobbled away. “He is just playing with you; you know how he likes to get you all riled up. I am going to get my coat”

Sylvester slid sideways with a strut. “Oh cool off Southie, I just hope it’s not a convertible. You know I have to watch my hair”

Sarah yelled out, “I call top slot”

End of Chapter Two