Servo 20:2
Servo 20:2
We regrettably left Dad in the barn that night. I knew there was no way Grandpa’d allow him in the house. When we went to bed, I was positive sleep wouldn’t come. My mind was reeling with the fact that my father had been reincarnated as a robot, and I was the one who brought him back. It just seemed wrong. With all the applied theories of robotics, the bot should have behaved like its programming. However, it didn’t. Was the second core the magical touch? If it was, why had no one thought of it years ago? I turned on the school tablet and opened Frankensteinto where I’d left off. It was the beginning of Chapter Five. As I read, I began to make parallels of what had happened with Dad. Victor infused a spark into the lifeless being. Well, it wasn’t me that added the spark; it was a good bolt of lightning. But it evidently did the trick. My father was alive, and more or less well; contained in the body of a thirty-four-year-old bot. As I continued reading, I discovered Victor quickly realized the error of his creation. He was ashamed—I wasn’t! I’d somehow resurrected my father from beyond the grave. Granted, Rory and Dagwood helped, but it was me who spent hundreds of hours painstakingly checking the memory cores for bad lines of code. And it was mewho uploaded all the data sticks and the majority of my personal tablet into the second core. My father was alive because of me. For some reason, I felt the weight of the world settle on my shoulders. Had I made a bad decision too?Four hours later, and after much reading, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I turned off the tablet and snuggled into bed. Closing my eyes, I still saw my father’s image looming in my mind. But it wasn’t his earthly body of flesh; it was the bot. Things were just beginning to get strange.I slipped into a dream. My father, the robot, was standing on a verdant hill overlooking a large city. We were with him—Rory and I. A great wall surrounded the city, separating it from the rest of humanity. Was that the world we came from? It seemed so far out of reach. The sun was shining brightly, a gentle breeze tickling blades of spring grass. We stood there for what seemed hours, just gazing at the metropolis that lay at our feet. And then we walked. The city never seemed to get any closer. I could see airplanes flying over it, the glint of the sun on glass and steel, yet we never got there. It may sound odd but I remember my feet hurting as we ambled along. And the sun never seemed to move, time never passed; our goal, unattainable. For what seemed hours, I dreamt. When I finally awoke to the alarm clock, I was bathed in sweat. The bedcovers had been twisted in a tangled mess, and I was nearly off the bed. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, then looked around the room. This was my home, not that city of impossible buildings. I belonged here. Or did I?When I awoke the next morning, I felt rejuvenated. Not even four hours of sleep and I was ready for the world. Rory and I had our last two tests today. I stretched and climbed from bed. With Suz gone there was no need to hurry downstairs at breakneck speed in order to secure the bathroom. Putting on my robe and slippers, I opened the door and found Rory similarly dressed and headed the same direction. “Morning,” I said in a sleepy tone.“Uh huh,” he replied. “Boy did I have a strange dream last night.”“Yeah, me too.”We went downstairs. I decided to be the polite big brother and let him go first. Rory hurried into the bathroom, shutting the door. Grandma was in the kitchen making breakfast. “Good morning, Jonah,” she said cheerfully. “Excited for the end of school?”I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, actually I am.”“So what do you plan to do with your summer?”“Not sure yet.”“What have you two been up to in the barn?”“Oh, just building stuff.”“Stuff?”“Yeah, kid stuff.”“Ah.”Rory came out and I quickly took his place. I didn’t want to divulge to grandma that we’d built a bot and my father now dwelled in it. That might not’ve gone over very well. Last night’s dream still haunted me. Once I completed my morning ritual, I hurried back upstairs to dress. Jeans and a t-shirt were now preferred choice of dress. Finishing off my Outer States wardrobe was a pair of rather dirty tennis shoes. The lovely aroma of sizzling bacon wafted into my room. I grabbed my backpack and went down for breakfast. I set my pack at the foot of the stairs and toddled into the kitchen. A plate filled with pancakes waited for me. Bacon popped and crackled in the cast iron pan as Grandma tended it. Sitting down, I picked up the glass syrup dispenser and poured a good amount. Before I could lift my fork, Grandma placed three thick slices of maple bacon next to the pile. “There you go, Jonah,” she said softly. “Thank you, Grandma.”She doled some out to Rory, who was attacking his pile of pancakes like a shark. “Thank you, Grandma,” he said, mouth still full.She giggled in a raspy breath and went back to the stove. A few minutes later, Grandpa came in. He sat down and patiently waited while Grandma served his breakfast. Once she’d dished up his breakfast, she made her own plate and joined us at the table. “So, just two more days of school,” she said, letting her voice trail off.“Yup!” Rory replied enthusiastically. “But the last day really doesn’t count. Mrs. Graham is going to have us clean up the classroom and help some of the other teachers.”“Help them do what?”“Clean up other school areas. She said all the kids are helping.”“I see.”We finished breakfast with some small talk. Grandpa was going out to the fields to check on the corn. He was still worried that the hard rain had damaged the fragile stalks. I was worried about my father. He couldn’t stay hidden in the barn forever. At some point in time he’d have to come out and introduce himself to the family. The little voice in my head kept telling me the sooner the better. Maybe after school today?Grandpa dropped us off at school. Rory and I walked to class. “So what was your dream about?” I said.“It was crazy.”“How so?”“It was you, me, and Dad.”I stopped. “Dad as a bot? And were we standing on a grassy hill?”Rory faced me. “Yeah. How did you know?”“Because I had the same dream last night too.”“Freaky!”“How do you suppose that happened?”My brother scratched his head. “I dunno. It is odd.”“Do you think Dad had anything to do with it?”“How could he?” I shrugged my shoulders. The bell for class rang; we picked up our pace and made it just as the second bell rang. Another long day…
We regrettably left Dad in the barn that night. I knew there was no way Grandpa’d allow him in the house. When we went to bed, I was positive sleep wouldn’t come. My mind was reeling with the fact that my father had been reincarnated as a robot, and I was the one who brought him back. It just seemed wrong. With all the applied theories of robotics, the bot should have behaved like its programming. However, it didn’t. Was the second core the magical touch? If it was, why had no one thought of it years ago? I turned on the school tablet and opened Frankensteinto where I’d left off. It was the beginning of Chapter Five. As I read, I began to make parallels of what had happened with Dad. Victor infused a spark into the lifeless being. Well, it wasn’t me that added the spark; it was a good bolt of lightning. But it evidently did the trick. My father was alive, and more or less well; contained in the body of a thirty-four-year-old bot. As I continued reading, I discovered Victor quickly realized the error of his creation. He was ashamed—I wasn’t! I’d somehow resurrected my father from beyond the grave. Granted, Rory and Dagwood helped, but it was me who spent hundreds of hours painstakingly checking the memory cores for bad lines of code. And it was mewho uploaded all the data sticks and the majority of my personal tablet into the second core. My father was alive because of me. For some reason, I felt the weight of the world settle on my shoulders. Had I made a bad decision too?Four hours later, and after much reading, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I turned off the tablet and snuggled into bed. Closing my eyes, I still saw my father’s image looming in my mind. But it wasn’t his earthly body of flesh; it was the bot. Things were just beginning to get strange.I slipped into a dream. My father, the robot, was standing on a verdant hill overlooking a large city. We were with him—Rory and I. A great wall surrounded the city, separating it from the rest of humanity. Was that the world we came from? It seemed so far out of reach. The sun was shining brightly, a gentle breeze tickling blades of spring grass. We stood there for what seemed hours, just gazing at the metropolis that lay at our feet. And then we walked. The city never seemed to get any closer. I could see airplanes flying over it, the glint of the sun on glass and steel, yet we never got there. It may sound odd but I remember my feet hurting as we ambled along. And the sun never seemed to move, time never passed; our goal, unattainable. For what seemed hours, I dreamt. When I finally awoke to the alarm clock, I was bathed in sweat. The bedcovers had been twisted in a tangled mess, and I was nearly off the bed. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, then looked around the room. This was my home, not that city of impossible buildings. I belonged here. Or did I?When I awoke the next morning, I felt rejuvenated. Not even four hours of sleep and I was ready for the world. Rory and I had our last two tests today. I stretched and climbed from bed. With Suz gone there was no need to hurry downstairs at breakneck speed in order to secure the bathroom. Putting on my robe and slippers, I opened the door and found Rory similarly dressed and headed the same direction. “Morning,” I said in a sleepy tone.“Uh huh,” he replied. “Boy did I have a strange dream last night.”“Yeah, me too.”We went downstairs. I decided to be the polite big brother and let him go first. Rory hurried into the bathroom, shutting the door. Grandma was in the kitchen making breakfast. “Good morning, Jonah,” she said cheerfully. “Excited for the end of school?”I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, actually I am.”“So what do you plan to do with your summer?”“Not sure yet.”“What have you two been up to in the barn?”“Oh, just building stuff.”“Stuff?”“Yeah, kid stuff.”“Ah.”Rory came out and I quickly took his place. I didn’t want to divulge to grandma that we’d built a bot and my father now dwelled in it. That might not’ve gone over very well. Last night’s dream still haunted me. Once I completed my morning ritual, I hurried back upstairs to dress. Jeans and a t-shirt were now preferred choice of dress. Finishing off my Outer States wardrobe was a pair of rather dirty tennis shoes. The lovely aroma of sizzling bacon wafted into my room. I grabbed my backpack and went down for breakfast. I set my pack at the foot of the stairs and toddled into the kitchen. A plate filled with pancakes waited for me. Bacon popped and crackled in the cast iron pan as Grandma tended it. Sitting down, I picked up the glass syrup dispenser and poured a good amount. Before I could lift my fork, Grandma placed three thick slices of maple bacon next to the pile. “There you go, Jonah,” she said softly. “Thank you, Grandma.”She doled some out to Rory, who was attacking his pile of pancakes like a shark. “Thank you, Grandma,” he said, mouth still full.She giggled in a raspy breath and went back to the stove. A few minutes later, Grandpa came in. He sat down and patiently waited while Grandma served his breakfast. Once she’d dished up his breakfast, she made her own plate and joined us at the table. “So, just two more days of school,” she said, letting her voice trail off.“Yup!” Rory replied enthusiastically. “But the last day really doesn’t count. Mrs. Graham is going to have us clean up the classroom and help some of the other teachers.”“Help them do what?”“Clean up other school areas. She said all the kids are helping.”“I see.”We finished breakfast with some small talk. Grandpa was going out to the fields to check on the corn. He was still worried that the hard rain had damaged the fragile stalks. I was worried about my father. He couldn’t stay hidden in the barn forever. At some point in time he’d have to come out and introduce himself to the family. The little voice in my head kept telling me the sooner the better. Maybe after school today?Grandpa dropped us off at school. Rory and I walked to class. “So what was your dream about?” I said.“It was crazy.”“How so?”“It was you, me, and Dad.”I stopped. “Dad as a bot? And were we standing on a grassy hill?”Rory faced me. “Yeah. How did you know?”“Because I had the same dream last night too.”“Freaky!”“How do you suppose that happened?”My brother scratched his head. “I dunno. It is odd.”“Do you think Dad had anything to do with it?”“How could he?” I shrugged my shoulders. The bell for class rang; we picked up our pace and made it just as the second bell rang. Another long day…
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