Servo 19:3
Servo 19:3
With a bed full of lumber, Grandpa drove home. We didn’t bring up the subject of chickens anymore. I’d whispered to Rory on the way out that Dagwood would help us. We might not be able to keep chickens at our house, but he’d let his hens hatch a few chicks that would be ours. We could go visit them anytime we wanted. And when they started laying eggs, he said we could have them. I figured that would make grandma happy. She cooked and baked with eggs, so having our own would be extra nice.Grandpa parked in front of the barn. “Go get changed and come help me unload this wood.”“Yes, Grandpa,” I said. Rory and I headed to the house. It looked like our snack time might be postponed. I was confident Grandma would have some to share with Dagwood as well. We changed clothes and I stopped by the kitchen on the way out. “Grandpa wants us to help unload the wood.”“Very well.”“And Dagwood’s helping.”Without a word, she grabbed another glass from the cupboard. I left and hurried outside. Grandpa and Dagwood were already unloading the truck. Rory was behind me. We jumped in and started grabbing long pieces of lumber and bringing them into the barn. A neat stack was being created along one wall next to the tractor. My mind was still blown as to how the bot came to life. As I moved wood, I tried to look toward the back and where the bot should be. The workbench appeared empty. Where was it? I began to panic. Knowing I could say nothing to grandpa about the bot, I wondered what had happened. Had he moved the bot out of the way? When the wood was unloaded, the tree of us went to the house. I was hungry after all the work we’d done. Grandma greeted us at the door to the kitchen. “I made fresh peanut butter cookies. I hope you boys like them.”“Mmmmm!” Dagwood hummed. “One of my favorites!”I regarded my friend. “Dagwood, as long as I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you NOT like cookies!”We laughed.He smiled broadly. “Only the yucky cookies my mom buys at the store.” Then he gestured to Grandma Cranwinkle. “But she makes the best cookies on the planet!”I saw a flush of rose rise in grandma’s cheeks. Evidently she was enjoying this teenage form of flattery. “Thank you, Dagwood. You’re too kind.”“Naw, I mean it, Mrs. Cranwinkle. Your cookies are the best!”We sat down at the table and it didn’t take long before a dozen cookies and three tall glasses of milk had been demolished. I knew than when I grew older and moved away from here, this would be one of the things I’d miss the most. Grandpa wandered into the house. He stopped in the kitchen door. “All right, the lumber’s put away. We’ll get started on repairs tomorrow.”“My pa gonna help?” Dagwood asked.“Yup. Easier to get the job done with two sets of hands.”“I’d happily help, but I gotta go to school.”“I figure it’s gonna take a week or more to fix the damage.”Dagwood drank the last of his milk and stood. “When school’s out, I’ll help.”Grandpa patted him on the shoulder. “Thank you.” He went to the sink and washed his hands. Rory and I finished up and we went to the barn; Dagwood bee-bopped along next to us. He wasn’t one to contain excitement very well. “So it was really working, huh?” he said.“It was this morning,” I replied.“That’s so cool!”“We’ll see.” I entered the barn and wiggled past the tractor. The pile of wood on one side pretty much occluded our normal passageway to the back. Once I reached the workbench, I looked around. The bot was nowhere to be found.“You said it was here this morning, right?” Rory said. “Yeah. It sat up and said my name.”“Where is it?”I scanned the area more. “I dunno. Grandpa didn’t say he moved it.” And then I heard a faint tinkle of metal coming from behind one of the wooden shelves in the back corner of the barn. Slowly, I made my way toward the area from which the sound emanated. At first I couldn’t see anything. I thought maybe the noise came from some mice that had been uprooted during the fire. But then I examined one section closer. A little shimmer of gold caught my eye. “I think I found it,” I said softly. “Why would it be back there?” Rory said, approaching.“Not sure.”“Jonah?” the bot said.“Yes, it’s me.” I motioned. “You can come out.”It took the bot several minutes to extricate itself from the tangle of items on the shelves. Once it had finally gotten out, it stood in front of us. “Whoa!” Rory and Dagwood said in unison. I stepped a little closer to the bot. “How did you know who I was?”“You’re Jonah Blackburn, my son.”My legs suddenly became jelly and I crumpled to the soggy barn floor. “How—?”“The memories you uploaded to the core.”I watched Rory’s legs begin to buckle. Dagwood grabbed him, holding him up. “Dad?” Rory said in a squeaky tone.The bot cocked his head. “Rory?”“Dad!” Rory bounded forward and wrapped his arms around the bot, hugging him tightly. I remained on the ground in utter shock. How could this be?
With a bed full of lumber, Grandpa drove home. We didn’t bring up the subject of chickens anymore. I’d whispered to Rory on the way out that Dagwood would help us. We might not be able to keep chickens at our house, but he’d let his hens hatch a few chicks that would be ours. We could go visit them anytime we wanted. And when they started laying eggs, he said we could have them. I figured that would make grandma happy. She cooked and baked with eggs, so having our own would be extra nice.Grandpa parked in front of the barn. “Go get changed and come help me unload this wood.”“Yes, Grandpa,” I said. Rory and I headed to the house. It looked like our snack time might be postponed. I was confident Grandma would have some to share with Dagwood as well. We changed clothes and I stopped by the kitchen on the way out. “Grandpa wants us to help unload the wood.”“Very well.”“And Dagwood’s helping.”Without a word, she grabbed another glass from the cupboard. I left and hurried outside. Grandpa and Dagwood were already unloading the truck. Rory was behind me. We jumped in and started grabbing long pieces of lumber and bringing them into the barn. A neat stack was being created along one wall next to the tractor. My mind was still blown as to how the bot came to life. As I moved wood, I tried to look toward the back and where the bot should be. The workbench appeared empty. Where was it? I began to panic. Knowing I could say nothing to grandpa about the bot, I wondered what had happened. Had he moved the bot out of the way? When the wood was unloaded, the tree of us went to the house. I was hungry after all the work we’d done. Grandma greeted us at the door to the kitchen. “I made fresh peanut butter cookies. I hope you boys like them.”“Mmmmm!” Dagwood hummed. “One of my favorites!”I regarded my friend. “Dagwood, as long as I’ve known you, I’ve never seen you NOT like cookies!”We laughed.He smiled broadly. “Only the yucky cookies my mom buys at the store.” Then he gestured to Grandma Cranwinkle. “But she makes the best cookies on the planet!”I saw a flush of rose rise in grandma’s cheeks. Evidently she was enjoying this teenage form of flattery. “Thank you, Dagwood. You’re too kind.”“Naw, I mean it, Mrs. Cranwinkle. Your cookies are the best!”We sat down at the table and it didn’t take long before a dozen cookies and three tall glasses of milk had been demolished. I knew than when I grew older and moved away from here, this would be one of the things I’d miss the most. Grandpa wandered into the house. He stopped in the kitchen door. “All right, the lumber’s put away. We’ll get started on repairs tomorrow.”“My pa gonna help?” Dagwood asked.“Yup. Easier to get the job done with two sets of hands.”“I’d happily help, but I gotta go to school.”“I figure it’s gonna take a week or more to fix the damage.”Dagwood drank the last of his milk and stood. “When school’s out, I’ll help.”Grandpa patted him on the shoulder. “Thank you.” He went to the sink and washed his hands. Rory and I finished up and we went to the barn; Dagwood bee-bopped along next to us. He wasn’t one to contain excitement very well. “So it was really working, huh?” he said.“It was this morning,” I replied.“That’s so cool!”“We’ll see.” I entered the barn and wiggled past the tractor. The pile of wood on one side pretty much occluded our normal passageway to the back. Once I reached the workbench, I looked around. The bot was nowhere to be found.“You said it was here this morning, right?” Rory said. “Yeah. It sat up and said my name.”“Where is it?”I scanned the area more. “I dunno. Grandpa didn’t say he moved it.” And then I heard a faint tinkle of metal coming from behind one of the wooden shelves in the back corner of the barn. Slowly, I made my way toward the area from which the sound emanated. At first I couldn’t see anything. I thought maybe the noise came from some mice that had been uprooted during the fire. But then I examined one section closer. A little shimmer of gold caught my eye. “I think I found it,” I said softly. “Why would it be back there?” Rory said, approaching.“Not sure.”“Jonah?” the bot said.“Yes, it’s me.” I motioned. “You can come out.”It took the bot several minutes to extricate itself from the tangle of items on the shelves. Once it had finally gotten out, it stood in front of us. “Whoa!” Rory and Dagwood said in unison. I stepped a little closer to the bot. “How did you know who I was?”“You’re Jonah Blackburn, my son.”My legs suddenly became jelly and I crumpled to the soggy barn floor. “How—?”“The memories you uploaded to the core.”I watched Rory’s legs begin to buckle. Dagwood grabbed him, holding him up. “Dad?” Rory said in a squeaky tone.The bot cocked his head. “Rory?”“Dad!” Rory bounded forward and wrapped his arms around the bot, hugging him tightly. I remained on the ground in utter shock. How could this be?
No comments have been added yet.
