Servo 4:2
Servo 4:2
After dinner, Rory and I helped dry and put away dishes. Really, it should have been Suz doing that, but I didn’t mind helping. It also gave me a better chance to talk with Grandma and find out more about why they left the Inner States. “Grandpa told us he’d always wanted a farm, is that true?” I asked.“It was our dream. As nice as it was, paradise didn’t live up to its name.”“How can you say that? You had not a want or care in the world. Everything was provided for you and you didn’t have to toil physically.”Grandma lifted a rinsed plate from the sink and handed it to me. “I like to work with my hands. Where do you think all the curtains and lace doilies in the house came from?”“You made them?!” I was astounded. The only manual labor I’d ever done was to help father put bots together. And while it was a pleasant diversion, I much preferred to use my brain rather than my hands for work. The only exercise my fingers received was typing. Now don’t get me wrong, we’re not overweight slouches. School had a rigorous exercise program that kept us fit, and our service bots always prepared the healthiest meals for the family. But when I wasn’t forced into playing field ball or running distance, I preferred to be happily sedentary. “Is there such an aversion to manual labor in the Inner States?” she asked, handing me another plate. “You lived there, don’t you know?” I glanced at her, taking my eyes off the plate I held. It slipped through the towel and crashed to the wood floor, breaking into hundreds of pieces. “Oh, sorry.”She paused and let out a long sigh. I could see in her eyes the remorse of my accident. Without a word, she turned off the water, dried her hands, and began to pick up the broken pieces. “It’s okay,” she finally said, taking a handful of china shards and depositing them into the garbage can. “Was it old?”Slowly she nodded. “Almost eighty years.”“I’m really sorry.”Grandma went to the pantry and got a broom. Within a few minutes she had the rest of the pieces swept up and thrown away. “These dishes belonged to my mother.”“Mmm.” I was at a loss for what to say. At home, we didn’t have dishes that were used for any length of time. Usually we ate from containers that were recycled. The Inner States had become the epitome of a reusable society. Solar panels dotted every available surface, cars ran on hydrogen—which was a byproduct of the solar energy conversion process, and our food for the most part was pre-packaged for ease of use. There was very little in the way of “garbage” in our world. Even outdated service bots were recycled for their base components. We didn’t waste.“It’s all right, they’re just dishes. The memories I have are locked safely away in here.” She pointed to her head. “Most important thing is the memories.”I nodded. Maybe she would understand my need to get my tablet running. “Grandma?”“Yes?”“Do you have some sort of power cord so I can charge my tablet?”“Why? It doesn’t work here; no internet.”“I don’t need it for that. I can do things on my tablet without the net.”“Check in the drawer over there; you might find something that will work.” She handed me the last dish and I made sure to keep a firm grasp on it while drying. Then I handed it off to Rory who carefully placed it in the cupboard. I gave the towel a shake and laid it over the edge of the sink where I’d found it. Without showing too much enthusiasm, I wandered over to the drawer and opened it. There was a jumble of wires, lids, and a host of other items that would probably remain unidentified. My eyes locked onto a cord that held promise. It was horribly tangled with several others, and my fingers worked to untangle it.Once freed, I inspected the cord. The portion that inserted to the wall seemed correct. It had prongs matching what I’d seen throughout the house. My problem was the other end; it had a strange, wide, flat connection. The physical connections on our tablets were much smaller and not as flat. This was looking like it wouldn’t work.“Will that do, dear?” Grandma said.“Probably not.”“Why don’t you go to the barn and see if Grandpa has something that will work?”“The barn?”“Yes, he has a workshop there.”“Are there any animals in the barn?”She chuckled. “No, no, there aren’t any animals there.”“Can I go with you?” Rory asked.I looked out the window and saw it was getting dark. The barn wasn’t far from the house, but it was old and rickety. There was serious doubt in my mind as to the structural integrity of the building. Did I dare go in there?“Jonah?” Rory pestered.“Yeah, okay.” I thought maybe there would be safety in numbers. “Come on.”We headed outside and across the open expanse between the house and barn. In the distance I saw black clouds and a brilliant flash of lightning. Would the storm hit us? I hated lightning.“What do you think we’ll find?” said Rory as we covered the distance.“I don’t know. But Grandpa used to build battle bots.”“No way! Think we’ll find one in there?”“Probably not. He gave all that up.”“To be a farmer…”“Yeah, crazy, huh?”“They left everything in the Inner States to move here.” Rory stopped at the barn door. It was closed with a heavy latch. I think he expected me to open it. I stepped forward and worked the latch. There was a good amount of rust on it and I had to rattle and jiggle in order to get it open. Once the door was unlatched, I grasped the handle and pulled back. The door swung open with loud creaking. We were met with darkness and an unusual filthy odor. “This is a workshop?”“I guess.” Rory slowly ventured in, keeping to the side wall. I could hear him fumbling about, probably searching for lights. After a few moments, he found success. The lights came on, revealing a massive piece of wheeled equipment that was parked in front of us. It was painted green and yellow and had larger tires on the rear. “What is it?”“I think that’s what they call a tractor,” I said, sidling past in favor of what was behind. I was greeted by several workbenches piled high with a dusty assortment of mechanical parts and wires. Much of it I recognized as being decades old. Little of it held interest for me. I was only hoping to find either an adapter or the correct power cord for my tablet. And this wasn’t looking good.“Looking for something?” Grandpa said in a loud voice.Rory and I about jumped out of our skins. I spun around. “Grandma—”“Yes, yes, I know, she sent you out here.”I held up the cord with a shaky hand. “I was looking for a power cord for my tablet.”“Won’t find it here,” he said, approaching. “All this is old.”“Really old,” I replied.“Yes. If you need a cord, we’ll go into town tomorrow and try and find one.”“Thank you. I know I can’t use the net on my tablet, but I do have other things I can make use of.”“Very well,” he said, “If that will keep you out of mischief.”“Mischief?” Rory replied, scratching his head. “What kind of mischief can you get into here?”Grandpa wagged a finger. “Plenty! Now how about you boys get inside and dress for bed?”“Yes, Sir.” I looked at the parts piled on the counters and something in my brain clicked. As I scanned the dark barn, I saw what I thought was the torso and head of a service bot tucked away in a corner. Perhaps this would warrant further investigation.
After dinner, Rory and I helped dry and put away dishes. Really, it should have been Suz doing that, but I didn’t mind helping. It also gave me a better chance to talk with Grandma and find out more about why they left the Inner States. “Grandpa told us he’d always wanted a farm, is that true?” I asked.“It was our dream. As nice as it was, paradise didn’t live up to its name.”“How can you say that? You had not a want or care in the world. Everything was provided for you and you didn’t have to toil physically.”Grandma lifted a rinsed plate from the sink and handed it to me. “I like to work with my hands. Where do you think all the curtains and lace doilies in the house came from?”“You made them?!” I was astounded. The only manual labor I’d ever done was to help father put bots together. And while it was a pleasant diversion, I much preferred to use my brain rather than my hands for work. The only exercise my fingers received was typing. Now don’t get me wrong, we’re not overweight slouches. School had a rigorous exercise program that kept us fit, and our service bots always prepared the healthiest meals for the family. But when I wasn’t forced into playing field ball or running distance, I preferred to be happily sedentary. “Is there such an aversion to manual labor in the Inner States?” she asked, handing me another plate. “You lived there, don’t you know?” I glanced at her, taking my eyes off the plate I held. It slipped through the towel and crashed to the wood floor, breaking into hundreds of pieces. “Oh, sorry.”She paused and let out a long sigh. I could see in her eyes the remorse of my accident. Without a word, she turned off the water, dried her hands, and began to pick up the broken pieces. “It’s okay,” she finally said, taking a handful of china shards and depositing them into the garbage can. “Was it old?”Slowly she nodded. “Almost eighty years.”“I’m really sorry.”Grandma went to the pantry and got a broom. Within a few minutes she had the rest of the pieces swept up and thrown away. “These dishes belonged to my mother.”“Mmm.” I was at a loss for what to say. At home, we didn’t have dishes that were used for any length of time. Usually we ate from containers that were recycled. The Inner States had become the epitome of a reusable society. Solar panels dotted every available surface, cars ran on hydrogen—which was a byproduct of the solar energy conversion process, and our food for the most part was pre-packaged for ease of use. There was very little in the way of “garbage” in our world. Even outdated service bots were recycled for their base components. We didn’t waste.“It’s all right, they’re just dishes. The memories I have are locked safely away in here.” She pointed to her head. “Most important thing is the memories.”I nodded. Maybe she would understand my need to get my tablet running. “Grandma?”“Yes?”“Do you have some sort of power cord so I can charge my tablet?”“Why? It doesn’t work here; no internet.”“I don’t need it for that. I can do things on my tablet without the net.”“Check in the drawer over there; you might find something that will work.” She handed me the last dish and I made sure to keep a firm grasp on it while drying. Then I handed it off to Rory who carefully placed it in the cupboard. I gave the towel a shake and laid it over the edge of the sink where I’d found it. Without showing too much enthusiasm, I wandered over to the drawer and opened it. There was a jumble of wires, lids, and a host of other items that would probably remain unidentified. My eyes locked onto a cord that held promise. It was horribly tangled with several others, and my fingers worked to untangle it.Once freed, I inspected the cord. The portion that inserted to the wall seemed correct. It had prongs matching what I’d seen throughout the house. My problem was the other end; it had a strange, wide, flat connection. The physical connections on our tablets were much smaller and not as flat. This was looking like it wouldn’t work.“Will that do, dear?” Grandma said.“Probably not.”“Why don’t you go to the barn and see if Grandpa has something that will work?”“The barn?”“Yes, he has a workshop there.”“Are there any animals in the barn?”She chuckled. “No, no, there aren’t any animals there.”“Can I go with you?” Rory asked.I looked out the window and saw it was getting dark. The barn wasn’t far from the house, but it was old and rickety. There was serious doubt in my mind as to the structural integrity of the building. Did I dare go in there?“Jonah?” Rory pestered.“Yeah, okay.” I thought maybe there would be safety in numbers. “Come on.”We headed outside and across the open expanse between the house and barn. In the distance I saw black clouds and a brilliant flash of lightning. Would the storm hit us? I hated lightning.“What do you think we’ll find?” said Rory as we covered the distance.“I don’t know. But Grandpa used to build battle bots.”“No way! Think we’ll find one in there?”“Probably not. He gave all that up.”“To be a farmer…”“Yeah, crazy, huh?”“They left everything in the Inner States to move here.” Rory stopped at the barn door. It was closed with a heavy latch. I think he expected me to open it. I stepped forward and worked the latch. There was a good amount of rust on it and I had to rattle and jiggle in order to get it open. Once the door was unlatched, I grasped the handle and pulled back. The door swung open with loud creaking. We were met with darkness and an unusual filthy odor. “This is a workshop?”“I guess.” Rory slowly ventured in, keeping to the side wall. I could hear him fumbling about, probably searching for lights. After a few moments, he found success. The lights came on, revealing a massive piece of wheeled equipment that was parked in front of us. It was painted green and yellow and had larger tires on the rear. “What is it?”“I think that’s what they call a tractor,” I said, sidling past in favor of what was behind. I was greeted by several workbenches piled high with a dusty assortment of mechanical parts and wires. Much of it I recognized as being decades old. Little of it held interest for me. I was only hoping to find either an adapter or the correct power cord for my tablet. And this wasn’t looking good.“Looking for something?” Grandpa said in a loud voice.Rory and I about jumped out of our skins. I spun around. “Grandma—”“Yes, yes, I know, she sent you out here.”I held up the cord with a shaky hand. “I was looking for a power cord for my tablet.”“Won’t find it here,” he said, approaching. “All this is old.”“Really old,” I replied.“Yes. If you need a cord, we’ll go into town tomorrow and try and find one.”“Thank you. I know I can’t use the net on my tablet, but I do have other things I can make use of.”“Very well,” he said, “If that will keep you out of mischief.”“Mischief?” Rory replied, scratching his head. “What kind of mischief can you get into here?”Grandpa wagged a finger. “Plenty! Now how about you boys get inside and dress for bed?”“Yes, Sir.” I looked at the parts piled on the counters and something in my brain clicked. As I scanned the dark barn, I saw what I thought was the torso and head of a service bot tucked away in a corner. Perhaps this would warrant further investigation.
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