The Impossible Quest

“You know that doesn’t exist anymore don’t you Mitch?”

“Oh, it has to exist, maybe it’s hard to find, maybe it’s rare, but it exists, and we’re going to find it Billy.”

“Okay, assuming you manage to locate one somewhere in the world, how do you plan to get it back here in time? We have less than three days before the contest is over. We must travel to the location, talk the owner into selling it, and bringing it back home before the contest ends.”

“Technicalities, just technicalities. The only issue is finding one in good usable condition. I know there must be some still hanging around on junk piles, but we do not have time to rebuild those. We must find a working model.”

“All right, Mitch, if I cannot talk you out of this quixotic quest might I suggest we start looking where they were originally manufactured?

“Now that, my friend is an excellent idea! I already did some research, and they were invented and manufactured in Ilion, New York, only six and a half hours from here. Time to pack all this stuff up, we are going on a road trip.”

The roads in the northeast during the winter can be challenging and this trip was no exception. The sky was merely overcast when they left Baltimore but by the time they crossed the Pennsylvania/ New York line their little Toyota Corolla became engulfed in a full-blown blizzard. Powerful winds rocked the little car from side to side while blinding snow made it nearly impossible to see the road ahead. Their only break came when they were able to tuck in behind a snowplow for fifty miles or so. The six-hour trip stretched to almost ten, so they found a hotel near Ilion and stopped for the day.

The morning sun’s rays sparkled on the freshly fallen snow signaling the start of what Mitch hoped would be a productive day. The friends brushed the snow off the car, scraped the ice from the windows, and continued to their destination, the Remington Gun Factory.

“I’ve got to say, Mitch, I never connected the Remington Gun Factory to the Remington Typewriter Company.”

“I was surprised to find that out too. They started making them in 1874 and continued until they sold that division to Rand who was bought out by Sperry in 1955. The typewriter has had over a 150-year history, and we need to find one of the originals. If we are lucky one of the curators at the museum will have a lead for us.”

The treasure hunters wandered the converted factory taking in all the displays of both firearms and typewriters. It was a strange but interesting mix of items. There were not many tourists wandering the display rooms which gave the boys the perfect opportunity to ask questions. Mitch approached an elderly man with an official looking nametag.

“Excuse me sir. Would you mind if we ask you a few questions?”

“Be my guest, gentlemen. That is what I am here for.”

“Thank you, sir. We only have one question. We are looking for a person who would be willing to sell one of the original Remington typewriters to us.”

“That is an unusual request, but you are not the first to ask me this. A couple of months ago Tom Hanks asked me that same question.”

“Tom Hanks, the actor?”

“Yes sir, the very same! He is a big collector of typewriters and was looking for a model six to complete his collection. I gave him the name of a friend of mine who had one and Mr. Hanks bought it from him. Why are you boys looking for one? Are typewriters making a comeback?”

“No, not unless they can do spell check and autocorrect. We wanted one for a contest we entered, but we will not be competing against Tom Hanks. Thank you for the information, Sir.”