Salvage (short story)

Infobox short story |
name = Salvage
title_orig =
translator =
author = Orson Scott Card
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre =
published_in = "Asimov's Science Fiction"
publication_type = Periodical
publisher =
media_type = Print (Magazine)
pub_date = 1986
english_pub_date =
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Salvage" is a short story by Orson Scott Card. It appears in his short story collection "The Folk of the Fringe". Card originally published this story in the February 1986 issue of "Asimov's Science Fiction" magazine.

Plot summary

In a post-apocalyptic America Deaver Teague makes a living salvaging things left behind from before the war. Although he makes more money than a lot of people, he knows that he won't be able to do this job forever. When he hears a couple of truck drivers talking about some gold hidden in a Mormon temple in the now flooded Salt Lake City he decides to go and look for it. Deaver can't do this by himself so he goes to two of his friends, who are not very religious Mormons, and asks them for help. Reluctantly they agree. His friend Lehi gets some diving equipment and his friend Rain agrees to take him out to the temple in her boat. On the way Deaver tells them about how he was orphaned even though he doesn't like to talk about it because he believes that friends don't keep secrets from each other. When they arrive at the temple Deaver dives down into the building and comes up with some pieces of metal which he believes to be the hidden gold. When he gets to the surface he finds out that they are prayers that people have scratched into flattened tin cans and thrown into the temple windows. When he discovers that his friends knew that people were coming out here and doing this he feels betrayed because they didn't tell him and decides to move away.

Connection to the other stories

In the story "West" by Orson Scott Card, Deaver Teague was found by a group of traveling Mormons after his parents were killed. Since the boy had no parents the group decided to take him along with them to Utah. At the time he was unable to talk and they didn’t know his name so he was named after two of the men in the group; Jamie Teague and Brother Deaver. The story "Pageant Wagon" by Card is also about Deaver Teague. It takes place when he is in his late twenties and is the story of how he meets up with and joins a group of traveling actors.

Influences

As with many of Card's other literature, a Christian/Mormon influence is present in this story.

Characters

*Deaver Teague
*mechanic - unnamed
*Lehi McKay - Deaver's friend
*Lorraine "Rain" Wilson - Deaver's friend
*staring woman - unnamed
*families that live with Rain - unnamed

ee also

*List of works by Orson Scott Card
*Orson Scott Card
*LDS fiction

References

*"Salvage" by Orson Scott Card
*"West" by Orson Scott Card
*"Pageant Wagon" by Orson Scott Card

External links

* [http://www.hatrack.com The official Orson Scott Card website]