Servo 21:2
Servo 21:2
Grandpa picked us up after school. As we drove home, I racked my brain on how to tell him that “Dad” was living in the barn. Would he even believe me? Despite my well-above-average intelligence, I did not exactly possess the power of generating small talk. And tact was something I’d yet to master. “Grandpa?”“Yes, Jonah?”“How’s the work going on with the barn?”“Should have the last of the tin on shortly.”“Oh, that’s good.” I struggled with finding a good segue in which to reveal dad. My brain seemed to freeze. “Have you seen anything strange in the barn?”“Strange? No, just a lot of charred wood and twisted metal. Why?”“Well…Uh…Umm—”“What is it?”“Umm, that bot—”“What about it?”“The storm the other night—”“Fried it, I hope.”I could tell Grandpa didn’t want to hear anything about the bot. Still, I knew I had to tell him. This was something truly wondrous, and I thought he should know. Taking in a deep breath, I tried to calm my nerves. “The bot’s alive,” I blurted.He looked over at me. “Functioning?”“Yes.”“You’re telling me you got it working?”“Mm, not exactly.”“So it’s not working?”“It is, it’s alive.” The time was now or never. “Lightning hit it and brought it to life.”Grandpa laughed. “You expect me to believe that?”Rory piped up. “And the bot is Dad.”He stopped laughing. “Really? You truly expect me to believe that?”“Jonah uploaded all of Dad’s memory sticks and a bunch of stuff from his tablet. The bot knew who we were, and he’s been talking to us.”“Impossible!”I held up my hands. “I don’t know what happened. Maybe the lightning did something to the circuits. But the bot is Dad.”Grandpa slowed the truck and turned onto the long gravel drive. He didn’t say anything until we pulled up at the house. “The bot’s in the barn?”“Yes, but please don’t hurt him!”“I have no intention of doing anything to him. In fact, how about you show him to me?”“Okay.”He parked the truck and turned off the engine. We got out and paused for a moment. “Well?” he said.“Now?”“Or do you want to get changed out of your school clothes first?”I looked down at my feet. “Naw, I don’t think we’ll get too dirty.” Rory and I led the way to the barn. The doors were open, the tractor parked next to it. We went inside and to the back. It was deathly quiet. “Dad?” I called. “Dad?” There was rustling and movement in the dark reaches of the building. Soon we saw a set of glowing eyes. I glanced at Grandpa, he stood stone still. Out of the darkness came a shiny golden bot. We’d done quite a bit of polishing on all the metal surfaces. He approached us carefully. “Jonah?”“Hi, Dad.”The bot regarded Grandpa. “Hello, Abe.” His voice was soft but genuine. “It’s been a long time.”Movement out of the corner of my eye drew my attention. Grandpa was wavering unsteadily. “Grandpa?” I said, reaching over and putting my hand on his forearm. “Are you okay?”“How—?”Dad came a little closer. “Jonah thinks it was the lightning.”“Like I said, Grandpa, the bot wasn’t working until the barn got hit in the storm. When I came out the next morning, there he was!”Grandpa shook his head. “What I can’t understand is how you are you.”“Jonah installed a second memory core.” He pointed to his chest. “Here…Then he uploaded all the memory sticks from my work logs and things on his tablet…Abe, as a bot designer myself, I can’t explain how or why I’m back, other than I have some brilliant children that need me.”Rory wrapped his arms around the bot. “Dad!”I went and stood next to dad, putting my hand on his shoulder. Somehow the cold metal didn’t feel like a robot anymore. The essence of my once living, breathing father was contained in this golden vessel and I would never let anyone harm him.Without a word, Grandpa inched forward, stretched out his arms, and put his hands on the bot’s face. He closed his eyes and cried. “I wish we could’ve brought Mom back too,” I said, partially embracing him. “I know,” he said, tears still trickling down his cheeks. “To have Ellen back…”“What do you think Grandma will say?” Rory asked.Grandpa drew away, wiping his eyes. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”Dagwood came into the barn. “Hello, Mr. Blackburn. Hi, Mr. Cranwinkle.”“Hello, uh, Dagwood, right?” said Dad.“Yes, Sir.”“Good to see you again.”“You too.”Grandpa did his best to regain composure. “This is technologically impossible.”I shrugged my shoulders. “Rory and I didn’t think it would ever work. Everything we tried just failed.”Dad went over, climbed onto the workbench, and lay down. “Jonah?” “Huh?”“Can you remove the chest plate?”“Why?”“Because I want to have a look around inside myself.”“I’m afraid.”“Afraid that if you touch the wrong thing I’ll die?”“Yes!”“Things will be just fine, I assure you.”Grandpa went to the tool shelves and returned with a screwdriver. “I’ll do it.”Dad looked up at him. “Well, old man, has the creative spark returned to you?”“The spark may be back, Thomas, but these shaky hands just can’t do it anymore.”I retrieved a screwdriver and prepared to step in. I loved Grandpa, but his admission of shaky hands had me more worried than ever. “Uh, Grandpa, I can get that.”He stepped back and I swore I saw a hint of a smile on his face. “Go ahead, Jonah. I’d rather watch for right now.”With screwdriver in hand, I deftly removed the six screws holding it in place. Having done that same maneuver a thousand times, I still paused as the last screw fell into my hand. I was staring into the glowing eyes of the bot. “Are you okay, Dad?”“Just fine.”I removed the metal plate and set it next to him on the bench. Dad craned his neck trying to see the delicate, intricate, inner workings of his new body. He growled lowly. “Can’t see much.”Rory went to another set of shelves and rummaged around. A minute or so later, he returned with an aged chrome side mirror that probably came off a pickup truck. “Here, will this help?” He found a rag and wiped off the dust.Dad took it and held it over his chest. “Perfect. Thank you, Rory.” He was silent for a few moments, taking stock of what his insides now looked like. “Oh, how old I’ve gotten!”“But Dad, this bot was made after you were born.”He chuckled. “Yes, yes, I know. But look at all that oldtechnology.”“We did what we could with what we had.”“I know, Rory, and I love you both for somehow bringing me back.” I peered into Dad’s chest cavity and was surprised at the amount of damage. The lightning strike had succeeded in melting a lot of the wiring and components in the left side of the chest. There were globs of multi-colored plastic stuck to things, and a lot of blackened parts. By every account, the bot should not be functioning. But here he was. It appeared that I’d bested Mr. Frankenstein.
Grandpa picked us up after school. As we drove home, I racked my brain on how to tell him that “Dad” was living in the barn. Would he even believe me? Despite my well-above-average intelligence, I did not exactly possess the power of generating small talk. And tact was something I’d yet to master. “Grandpa?”“Yes, Jonah?”“How’s the work going on with the barn?”“Should have the last of the tin on shortly.”“Oh, that’s good.” I struggled with finding a good segue in which to reveal dad. My brain seemed to freeze. “Have you seen anything strange in the barn?”“Strange? No, just a lot of charred wood and twisted metal. Why?”“Well…Uh…Umm—”“What is it?”“Umm, that bot—”“What about it?”“The storm the other night—”“Fried it, I hope.”I could tell Grandpa didn’t want to hear anything about the bot. Still, I knew I had to tell him. This was something truly wondrous, and I thought he should know. Taking in a deep breath, I tried to calm my nerves. “The bot’s alive,” I blurted.He looked over at me. “Functioning?”“Yes.”“You’re telling me you got it working?”“Mm, not exactly.”“So it’s not working?”“It is, it’s alive.” The time was now or never. “Lightning hit it and brought it to life.”Grandpa laughed. “You expect me to believe that?”Rory piped up. “And the bot is Dad.”He stopped laughing. “Really? You truly expect me to believe that?”“Jonah uploaded all of Dad’s memory sticks and a bunch of stuff from his tablet. The bot knew who we were, and he’s been talking to us.”“Impossible!”I held up my hands. “I don’t know what happened. Maybe the lightning did something to the circuits. But the bot is Dad.”Grandpa slowed the truck and turned onto the long gravel drive. He didn’t say anything until we pulled up at the house. “The bot’s in the barn?”“Yes, but please don’t hurt him!”“I have no intention of doing anything to him. In fact, how about you show him to me?”“Okay.”He parked the truck and turned off the engine. We got out and paused for a moment. “Well?” he said.“Now?”“Or do you want to get changed out of your school clothes first?”I looked down at my feet. “Naw, I don’t think we’ll get too dirty.” Rory and I led the way to the barn. The doors were open, the tractor parked next to it. We went inside and to the back. It was deathly quiet. “Dad?” I called. “Dad?” There was rustling and movement in the dark reaches of the building. Soon we saw a set of glowing eyes. I glanced at Grandpa, he stood stone still. Out of the darkness came a shiny golden bot. We’d done quite a bit of polishing on all the metal surfaces. He approached us carefully. “Jonah?”“Hi, Dad.”The bot regarded Grandpa. “Hello, Abe.” His voice was soft but genuine. “It’s been a long time.”Movement out of the corner of my eye drew my attention. Grandpa was wavering unsteadily. “Grandpa?” I said, reaching over and putting my hand on his forearm. “Are you okay?”“How—?”Dad came a little closer. “Jonah thinks it was the lightning.”“Like I said, Grandpa, the bot wasn’t working until the barn got hit in the storm. When I came out the next morning, there he was!”Grandpa shook his head. “What I can’t understand is how you are you.”“Jonah installed a second memory core.” He pointed to his chest. “Here…Then he uploaded all the memory sticks from my work logs and things on his tablet…Abe, as a bot designer myself, I can’t explain how or why I’m back, other than I have some brilliant children that need me.”Rory wrapped his arms around the bot. “Dad!”I went and stood next to dad, putting my hand on his shoulder. Somehow the cold metal didn’t feel like a robot anymore. The essence of my once living, breathing father was contained in this golden vessel and I would never let anyone harm him.Without a word, Grandpa inched forward, stretched out his arms, and put his hands on the bot’s face. He closed his eyes and cried. “I wish we could’ve brought Mom back too,” I said, partially embracing him. “I know,” he said, tears still trickling down his cheeks. “To have Ellen back…”“What do you think Grandma will say?” Rory asked.Grandpa drew away, wiping his eyes. “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”Dagwood came into the barn. “Hello, Mr. Blackburn. Hi, Mr. Cranwinkle.”“Hello, uh, Dagwood, right?” said Dad.“Yes, Sir.”“Good to see you again.”“You too.”Grandpa did his best to regain composure. “This is technologically impossible.”I shrugged my shoulders. “Rory and I didn’t think it would ever work. Everything we tried just failed.”Dad went over, climbed onto the workbench, and lay down. “Jonah?” “Huh?”“Can you remove the chest plate?”“Why?”“Because I want to have a look around inside myself.”“I’m afraid.”“Afraid that if you touch the wrong thing I’ll die?”“Yes!”“Things will be just fine, I assure you.”Grandpa went to the tool shelves and returned with a screwdriver. “I’ll do it.”Dad looked up at him. “Well, old man, has the creative spark returned to you?”“The spark may be back, Thomas, but these shaky hands just can’t do it anymore.”I retrieved a screwdriver and prepared to step in. I loved Grandpa, but his admission of shaky hands had me more worried than ever. “Uh, Grandpa, I can get that.”He stepped back and I swore I saw a hint of a smile on his face. “Go ahead, Jonah. I’d rather watch for right now.”With screwdriver in hand, I deftly removed the six screws holding it in place. Having done that same maneuver a thousand times, I still paused as the last screw fell into my hand. I was staring into the glowing eyes of the bot. “Are you okay, Dad?”“Just fine.”I removed the metal plate and set it next to him on the bench. Dad craned his neck trying to see the delicate, intricate, inner workings of his new body. He growled lowly. “Can’t see much.”Rory went to another set of shelves and rummaged around. A minute or so later, he returned with an aged chrome side mirror that probably came off a pickup truck. “Here, will this help?” He found a rag and wiped off the dust.Dad took it and held it over his chest. “Perfect. Thank you, Rory.” He was silent for a few moments, taking stock of what his insides now looked like. “Oh, how old I’ve gotten!”“But Dad, this bot was made after you were born.”He chuckled. “Yes, yes, I know. But look at all that oldtechnology.”“We did what we could with what we had.”“I know, Rory, and I love you both for somehow bringing me back.” I peered into Dad’s chest cavity and was surprised at the amount of damage. The lightning strike had succeeded in melting a lot of the wiring and components in the left side of the chest. There were globs of multi-colored plastic stuck to things, and a lot of blackened parts. By every account, the bot should not be functioning. But here he was. It appeared that I’d bested Mr. Frankenstein.
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