《The Lil Robot That Could [LitRPG Isekai Adventure]》 1. Someone is placing an order! I don¡¯t know when it started, when I first came to life, I just know what I have to do. I have to deliver food to people. There are people out there, starving and waiting for me to bring them their groceries or snacks. I cannot be late. I must do what I have to do to get to them, no matter the challenge. And challenge it is. It¡¯s a different kind of challenge from the ones I was used to before. I don¡¯t remember much of my life before, of what happened before I was brought to this weird world where people order food from their phones and then some nice man loads the food into my compartment and I keep it nice and toasty or safe and chilly until I get to the person¡¯s house. The journey is normally okay but there have been some difficulties along the way, that¡¯s for certain. Birds, squirrels and dogs have tried to get the food from me before but my lid is locked tight. They can¡¯t get it out unless I want them to. So far, I¡¯ve been successful every time that I¡¯ve pushed past the critter and scurried away towards the location my map has shown me. That¡¯s another thing that¡¯s different to my life before. I have a map. I can see it all times. It hovers at the edge of my vision, just on the right. There¡¯s something else on the left. It really confused me at first but then I worked out what it was. I think part of the issue is that I couldn¡¯t really read at first. Plus, there was no tutorial or anything to explain it. I just had to get used to staring at the weirdly shaped letters and numbers on the left side of the screen until the little voice in my programming explained what it was. It explained a lot of things but it didn¡¯t show up until I¡¯d been conscious and aware for a couple of days. They¡¯re my stats, apparently. I have stats now. They all started at zero but they¡¯re slowly going up. All except speed. That¡¯s stayed the same. I didn¡¯t have any stats in the last world I was in. Or wait, maybe I did? I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t remember. I can¡¯t work out if that world is getting fuzzier and harder to recall or not. Before, I could remember some things. A face, how it sounded when someone whispered my name, the feeling of a hand brushing my arm. That sounds ridiculous now and I know it. I mean, I don¡¯t have arms. I¡¯m a robot. I don¡¯t have arms or legs or even skin for someone to touch. I don¡¯t even remember that person¡¯s name anymore. But it doesn¡¯t matter to me. Not anymore. The only thing that matters to me is the flashing icon at the bottom of the left side of my screen, right under my stats. Someone is placing an order. I can¡¯t help but shift back and forth slightly, my wheels nudging me towards the front door of the shop. There are other robots waiting for the order, none of them moving or showing any signs of life, but I want to be the one that is chosen. I want to go forth into the world again, rather than stay in a line outside a shop. I¡¯m not at the front of the line though. There¡¯s another white square robot closest to the door. But there¡¯s a gap. There¡¯s a gap between it and the door. A gap just about big enough for one more robot. But should I? Can I even? It seems cheeky, maybe even not allowed but the voice inside me hasn¡¯t said a word so surely, it can¡¯t be that bad. I glance at the flashing icon again. It¡¯s changed. They¡¯ve placed the order. I steel my determination and burst forwards, speeding out of my place in the line and rushing towards the small gap. I squeeze myself in next to the other robot, knowing that, if I had a heart, it would be racing. But I¡¯ve managed it. I¡¯ve gotten to the door just in time. Determination increased. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 3.5/10
Happiness 3/10
Pride 3/10
Battery 98%
A man opens it, a bag of groceries in his hand. I can¡¯t see much through the plastic but he¡¯s also holding a pack of toilet paper. Oh no, it must be urgent. I hope that someone isn¡¯t waiting for me to arrive to use the toilet. They could be, I need to be quick. The man looks down at me and I see him shake his head but a smile plays on his lips. The main part of my body barely comes up to his knees so I need up at him from the camera on my lid. His dark hair falls over his eyes, making it hard to judge his emotion accurately, but I think he is happy to see me. It¡¯s not as obvious as with other people. They openly speak when they see me but this man rarely does. I cycle through my list of phrases, trying to find the right thing to say to him to greet him, my search becoming frantic as he pulls out his phone to unlock me. It feels rude for me not to say anything to him, to just sit in silence as he loads the order into me and sends me on my way. ¡°You have received an order,¡± the pleasant voice inside of me says just as I find the right phrase. I ignore her, choosing instead to speak to the man. ¡°I¡¯m Dasher and I am ready to take the order!¡± I say, my voice sounding both young and robotic. It was unnerving at first. I remember being surprised the first time that I spoke but now it feels more natural, more like me. I think that most of the robots have a similar voice to mine but they rarely speak. They don¡¯t speak to the man but I do every time. I make sure to. The man laughs softly, the noise little more than an exhale. ¡°Of course, you are, Dasher. Silly little thing,¡± he says but his tone is fond as he nudges me softly with his foot. ¡°Got some groceries going to seventy-four station road.¡± I start to search through my list again, wishing that I had something appropriate to say to him but I know that I don¡¯t so I have to give up. The preprogrammed phrases are good and I¡¯m glad that I had them but, at the same time, I wish that I had more. I wish that I could say whatever I was thinking to him. Instead, I settle for moving forwards slightly, hoping that he¡¯ll sense my excitement. He¡¯s too busy typing on his phone though. The instruction comes through and I open my lid. I look at my cameras inside as he lowers the food in, eager to get moving. Station road isn¡¯t far but I need to cross four roads to get there and one of them is always busy. I need to get moving quickly because who knows how long I¡¯ll be waiting for someone to come and push the button on the traffic lights for me. The man shuts the lid and once more, I feel a pang of sadness for not having something to say to him. There is one thing that I could say but it¡¯s not ideal. It¡¯s better than nothing though. ¡°Thank you!¡± I chirp at him. He pauses, still leaning forwards slightly and watches me for a moment. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± he says after a pause, still eyeing me. ¡°God, talking to a robot. How lonely am I?¡± I don¡¯t have a response to say to him that time but him being lonely makes me sad. I wish that I could do something to help. Bring him some baked goods or something. That seems to make people happy. I don¡¯t remember what used to make me happy, back when I was a person. Now, the thing that makes my happiness stat increase the most is a successful delivery. I¡¯m always filled with joy as I return to my home outside the shop, racing back in case another order comes in before I get there so that I can sneak to the front of the queue again and journey out into the world. I wish that I could speak freely so that I could ask him what makes his happiness stat increase the most. I¡¯d bring that to him if I could. ¡°Alright, you weird little thing. Go on, go take¡­¡± He trails off and checks his phone. ¡°Katy her order.¡± I don¡¯t wait for another instruction. I turn happily and start to make my way down the pavement. 2. Daddy, its a robot! The pavement passes under my wheels but it is far too slow. I glance at the number 1 next to my speed stat, trying to will myself to go faster but I¡¯m doing the best I can. It¡¯s not going up. All of my other stats have increased since I¡¯ve been aware of them but speed hasn¡¯t. I don¡¯t know what I can do to make it go up though. I¡¯m moving as fast as I can. I can feel my engine straining to keep up with how hard I¡¯m already pushing it so I don¡¯t know what would happen if I could go faster. Would my engine be able to keep up? I worry that it wouldn¡¯t and that the heat that it would put off might impact my cooling system. I can¡¯t exactly deliver cold food to people that has been melted or cooked! That would be a disaster. It didn¡¯t matter though. Until I somehow manage to increase my speed, I will just need to do my best. ¡°Robot!¡± I hear a child shout from somewhere behind me. I want to stop but I can¡¯t. I¡¯ve done it before. A child shouted at me in delight and I stopped and turned towards them but the voice in my head chided me for it. Apparently, I¡¯m only allowed to stop when a person or a child actually approaches me but, not until then. People shout, apparently. It¡¯s normal. I was told that we need to seem like we aren¡¯t listening to everything. That¡¯s disturbing for humans. I don¡¯t remember that though. I can¡¯t remember how I felt about robots when I was human. I wasn¡¯t even sure if my world had robots. A child appears in front of me and I stop suddenly, so as not to hit it. ¡°Daddy, it¡¯s a robot!¡± the small human shouts, standing right in front of me and pointing at me. I stare up at him, a strange pang of loneliness hitting me as I take in his huge yellow coat and wellies. They match. I wasn¡¯t sure if I would dress my child in matching clothes if I had one but the thought makes me want to smile. But I don¡¯t have one. I¡¯m a robot, nothing more. ¡°It is, darling,¡± another voice says. His voice is older, gruffer, but it is filled with love for the child. He appears behind his child and I stare up at him through my lens. His child is warmly dressed but he¡¯s not. He¡¯s wearing a jumper but no coat. His hands are jammed into his pockets, probably to keep them warm, and puffs of whiteness billow from his mouth as he breathes. It must be freezing out, his cheeks and nose are red. ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± the child asks, still staring at me with awe-filled eyes. ¡°He¡¯s delivering food to people,¡± the dad explains in an enthusiastic and patient voice. ¡°Someone is very hungry so they¡¯ve asked him to bring them something to eat!¡± The kid¡¯s eyes visibly widen. ¡°Wow,¡± he breathes. ¡°He has food? Where?¡± His dad reaches down and taps my lid gently. ¡°You see right here?¡± he asks, glancing back at his son to make sure he¡¯s looking. ¡°It opens up and people can put food inside.¡± The kid reaches out and tries to open my lid but his mitten-covered hands scrabble against my cold plastic. He doesn¡¯t even manage to grip the edge of my lid before his dad gently moves his hands away. ¡°I want to see!¡± the kid whines. ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± the dad explains, his tone still perfectly patient. ¡°It¡¯s not our food so we can¡¯t open it.¡± The kid leans back, examining me with curious eyes. ¡°Can we ask the robot to bring us some food later?¡± he asks. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°We¡¯ll see what your mom has to say about that,¡± his dad says, reaching down and taking his hand. ¡°Shall we let the robot keep going? Someone is waiting for their lunch! ¡± The child sends me one last longing look before nodding and stepping out of the way. ¡°Okay,¡± he says reluctantly. ¡°What do we say to the robot?¡± ¡°Bye bye, robot. I love you,¡± the child says sadly. I wish that I could reply to him. I know that it¡¯s against my programming and that I shouldn¡¯t but I want to. He¡¯s not helped me out in any way and I¡¯m not asking for help so technically, I¡¯m notmeant to talk to him but I pull up my list of phrases and start cycling through them. ¡°Goodbye!¡± I say as I start to move past them. The child gasps. ¡°Daddy, he can speak!¡± I hear him say and I glance back to see him staring at me again, ignoring his father pulling on his hand to try and get him to move again. Happiness increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 3.5/10
Happiness 4/10
Pride 3/10
Battery 97%
¡°Please remember that you are not allowed to speak to humans unless you are asking for help, thanking them for helping you, receiving an order or delivering an order,¡± the voice in my head tells me. I¡¯m still basking in the aftermath of happiness though that I don¡¯t even care about being told off. I don¡¯t really get it. Why shouldn¡¯t I be able to speak to a human if they talk to me? I mean, the explanation feels silly. Humans aren¡¯t necessarily creeped out by robots and does it really matter? I think that we should be able to talk to them if they talk to us. It almost doesn¡¯t matter though because I know that nothing will change. The voice will continue telling me off if I do speak to them out of turn and I will probably continue to do so. I mean, I barely get to speak to anyone. Somedays, no one orders one of us to come and deliver their food so I just sleep the day away on my charging dock. That¡¯s not too bad but I don¡¯t like it. I like having people to talk to, people who want to talk to me. The pavement under my wheels changes as I approach the first set of traffic lights. My programming dictates that I should only cross if there are no cars within view or if the light is red. I glance up at the light. It is not red. It¡¯s green. There¡¯s a car in the distance but it is so far away. Maybe I can get to the other side of the road before it gets to me. I need to at least try. Someone is waiting for food and toilet paper, it must be an emergency. Preparing my engines, I burst forwards, avoiding the pothole in the road. ¡°Please note, a car is approaching,¡± the voice tells me but I ignore it, pushing myself to move even faster. I glance at the pathetic number 1 denoting my speed before looking through the camera on the side of me. The car has moved closer. It¡¯s travelling a lot faster than I expected, it must have sped up. That makes panic surge within me and I push my engines to move faster, knowing that if the car hits me, I will not survive. The road is riddled with potholes and I¡¯m trying my best to avoid them whilst keeping an eye on the ever-approaching car but I can¡¯t do both at once. My wheel hits a pothole and I come to a sudden stop. I can¡¯t get out of it. I¡¯m stranded in the middle of the road, one wheel caught in the hole. ¡°You are stuck, please call for assistance,¡± the voice tells me. My panic turns into terror as I stare at the car again. It¡¯s too close and I know that it won¡¯t stop. I need to get out on my own. There are no people around, they won¡¯t be able to help me in time. I push all of my power into my other three wheels, my engine burning so hot that I¡¯m worried about it. I try as hard as I can and for a moment, I think that it won¡¯t be enough, but somehow, it works. I¡¯m free of the pothole! I rush forwards, reaching the other side of the road just in time for the car to speed past me. Determination increased, happiness decreased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 4/10
Happiness 3.5/10
Pride 3/10
Battery 97%
3. Traffic light drama! The other two crossings aren¡¯t too bad. People were either waiting by them already so I could sneak across with them or they were happy to help me. It soothed me slightly, how quickly they rushed to push the button for me. Some people even pushed a button for me even though I didn¡¯t need to cross the road at that crossing. That made me feel a little bad. I mean, the human went out of their way to help me but I didn¡¯t need their help that time. It felt rude. Not that I could be rude, I was a robot, but it made me want to cross the road anyway. At least I was able to thank them without the voice in my head telling me off because they did technically help me. I approach the fourth and final crossing, nervousness growing within me again. It¡¯s the busiest one, it always is. I¡¯ve crossed it a few times since I became aware and it never gets any easier. It¡¯s not just a single road that I need to cross but multiple and that scares me. I need to transverse one road and then wait on the island in the middle for someone to push the next button because, for some reason, it only stops one side of the traffic at once. That felt silly. I feel like, in my world, that must have been different because I was confused by it. I¡¯m more used to it now but still not completely. A note pops up at the corner of the screen, telling me that the person who ordered the delivery is currently checking my location. They must be desperate. Either starving and waiting for food or almost bursting for the toilet. I stop at the traffic lights and look up. Green light. That means I can¡¯t cross. There are cars approaching too. They whiz past at speeds that make me jealous. I wish that I could go as fast as them or even just that my speed stat would increase. Maybe then I¡¯d be able to zip across the road in between cars rather than having to wait until it is clear. I¡¯d be able to complete my deliveries much quicker. I glance up at the traffic lights again. Still green and there is no one around. The steady stream of cars makes it impossible for me to do anything about it too. I¡¯m stuck, trapped and unable to move forwards as the person at seventy-four station road eagerly or impatiently awaits their order but there is nothing I can do about it. An idea flashes through me. Maybe I could ask the voice in my head about my speed. Maybe it will know how to increase it? I mean, it explained a lot to me when I first became aware so there was a chance that it would help out now too. ¡°Um, hello?¡± I start but there is no response. I decide to soldier on anyway. ¡°Do you know how I can increase my speed stat?¡± There was a pause and I wait, glancing up at the green light and watching the cars speed past me. ¡°Yes,¡± the voice says finally. Hope jumps within me so strongly that I almost feel my hope stat increase. ¡°Okay,¡± I answer quickly. ¡°How can I increase it?¡± There¡¯s another pause. ¡°Your speed stat will be increased whenever you display a significant need for an increase or if you manage to manually increase your speed,¡± it tells me. I don¡¯t understand that answer. ¡°I was almost hit by a car earlier, was that not enough of a significant need for my speeds to be increased?¡± I ask but this time, there is no response. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I feel dejected as I wait but I know that no response is coming. The voice doesn¡¯t respond to my complaining, I¡¯ve run into that issue before. All I can do now is continue on my journey. I glance up at the traffic lights again before checking all of my cameras. There is no one around and the light is still green. The cars are moving too quickly. I wouldn¡¯t be able to make it to the island in the middle in time and, as I learnt earlier, there was no guarantee that a car would slow down or stop for me. That meant that there wasn¡¯t much that I could do. But a person rounded the corner on the other side of the road. They seemed to be moving towards the traffic lights, maybe they would help me? ¡°I need assistance,¡± I call as loudly as I can. The person doesn¡¯t even look up. I stare at them, feeling a strange combination of both hope and hopelessness. I want them to notice me but they don¡¯t seem to. Their eyes are fixed on their phones and there are wires going into the side of their head. Headphones, I quickly correct myself. They¡¯re closer, almost at the traffic lights on the other side of the road. I need to try again. I edge forwards, as close to the lip of the road as safe, before shouting once more, ¡°I need assistance!¡± They look up suddenly, their expression startled, as they search for the source of the noise. I wish that I could raise a hand or wave at them or something but I simply have to hope that my small orange flag is enough to get their attention, even though I can¡¯t move it. Eventually, it works. The woman¡¯s gaze slowly falls on me and I can see confusion wash over her face. ¡°Please press the button for me,¡± I call but I think the noise must be lost as a lorry roars in between us. Too many cars speed along the road, blocking the woman from my view, and when they finally clear for just a moment, I can see that she has continued walking. Hope decreased.
Speed? 1/10
Hope? 2.5/10
Determination? 4/10
Happiness 3.5/10
Pride 3/10
Battery 96%
I don¡¯t need the alert to tell me that, I could feel it. I try one last time anyway. ¡°I need assistance!¡± I cry but she doesn¡¯t even turn. I watch her retreating figure for a moment longer, feeling disappointment grow within me, but then a noise startles me. The loud, shrill beeping from the traffic lights sounds, somehow louder than the cars that pass in front of me. Hope increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 4/10
Happiness 3.5/10
Pride 3/10
Battery? 96%
The voice says and I look up at the lights. The ones on my side are still green but the other side is now red. That¡¯s fine. She did what she could. I roll back and forth, glancing between the green light and the cars coming towards me. Could I make it? I could risk it and that might even increase my speed stat, even if it didn¡¯t last time. Or, I could die. I wasn¡¯t sure which was more likely or even if it was possible for me to die. It didn¡¯t matter though because something else has caught my eye. Someone had appeared in the distance. They were walking towards me. They could push the button for me! 4. Please continue towards your destination. I reach the other side of the road after what feels like a lifetime of waiting for someone to appear and push the button for the other set of traffic lights. I¡¯m elated. The rest of the journey is going to be so much easier for me. There are no roads to cross and I can¡¯t even see any puddles. The pavement is smooth and obstacle free. I will be there as quickly as the 1 in my speed stats lets me. I race along the paving stones, my wheels turning as quickly as possible. The icon appears in the corner of my screen again. The person, whoever they are, is checking my progress and I know that they must be desperate. I wish that I can see what else is in the bag inside of me. I am not sure why I am so curious but I desperately want to know. I remember that there is toilet paper there, could that be why the person keeps checking where I am? It could be. That could be why they are checking my location so often. Or, there could be something else in me that they need like painkillers or a drink or something. I wonder if people can drink water in this world. Like, water that comes out of the tap. I remember that people in my old world used to argue about that. They used to claim that the government added things to the tap water so it wasn¡¯t safe. I remember not caring too much about that, I didn¡¯t believe it, but the moment that Lilia became pregnant¡­ I almost stop in my tracks. I hadn¡¯t thought of that name in a while. I hadn¡¯t remembered it. Hints of memories flashed through my¡­ not mind but whatever I had now. I remembered a face. It was hazy. I could remember dark brown eyes that turned to liquid gold in the sunlight. A wide smile with a chipped tooth from where she¡¯d fallen off a step as a child. A scar at the edge of her left eyebrow which meant there was a gap in the hairs. She hated it but I loved it. It gave her character and it had intrigued me the first moment I had seen it. Back then, I had assumed that the gap was intentional, that she had shaved it. I wanted to ask her about it but I didn¡¯t have the courage. It had taken me years to ask. ¡°Please continue towards your destination,¡± the voice in my mind reminds me softly, pushing all other thoughts out of my mind. I try to grasp at them, desperately wanting to keep hold of all thoughts relating to my wife but I¡¯m too slow. I speed up, even though my mind is distracted. It only took moments but I can¡¯t remember her name again. What was it? I don¡¯t even remember what it started with. Was it an N? No, that doesn¡¯t feel right. L. It must be. That feels better. I can¡¯t remember the rest of the name but I cling to the letter L like it¡¯s the only thing keeping me afloat. I pass houses without paying much attention to them. I¡¯m busy looking at the map and repeating the letter in my mind. I don¡¯t really need to look at my surroundings that much, not really. The voice always alerts me when I draw near so it doesn¡¯t really matter. I continue silently saying names and sounds starting with the letter L, never finding one that fits quite right or makes me remember the memories that had felt so solid just moments ago. ¡°You are approaching your destination,¡± the voice informs me, right on time. ¡°Please stop and inform the customer of your location.¡± I glance at the map once more before scanning the numbers on the houses. The map is always a little bit off. Number seventy-four station road is a few houses further along than its position on the black and white map but I still find myself double-checking it as I idle forwards slowly before finally stopping. ¡°Would you like to inform the customer that you have arrived?¡± the voice asks me. ¡°Yes, please,¡± I reply. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°I shall inform them now.¡± I wait as the voice lets the person know that I am outside, watching the white front door so that I will see them approach. There¡¯s a big window on the door, through which I see a shadow. It crosses behind the glass, disappearing for a moment before reappearing and getting bigger. Before long, the door handle moves downwards and it opens. A woman appears and spots me immediately, her face lighting up in a way that makes happiness flare within me. ¡°Oh, yes!¡± she mutters under her breath as she shuffles towards me in slippers that don¡¯t quite seem to fit her. ¡°I thought it was going to take another half hour at least.¡± I was quick! Quicker than she expected, even with the issues I faced at the traffic lights! Pride makes me want to grin at her and I feel the increase before I¡¯m even alerted to it. Pride increased.
Speed? 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 4/10
Happiness 3.5/10
Pride 3.2/10
Battery 95%
¡°How do I open this thing again?¡± she mutters, leaning down to tug at my lid. She¡¯s a customer and she¡¯s asking for help, I realise excitedly. ¡°Please tap the button on your app to unlock me!¡± I say happily. She jolts, as if my words surprised her, before pulling her phone out of her dressing gown pocket. ¡°Unlock, unlock, unlock,¡± she mumbles under her breath as she searches for the right button to push. I wish that I could help her but I¡¯m not allowed. I can¡¯t do anything but watch her struggle. After a moment, her expression changes. ¡°Ah ha!¡± she says. ¡°Unlock my robot!¡± She presses it and I feel my lock disengaging. I waste no time switching to my internal cameras, hoping to get a look at the items that I was delivering to her and, to my joy, I catch a glimpse of some things. A bottle of milk with a green top, a loaf of bread, a square box of tea bags and, of course, a pack of toilet paper. Essentials, I think I remember people calling them. ¡°Awesome. I¡¯m bursting for the loo,¡± she says, looking into the bag. ¡°Oh, nice. I can have some toast too.¡± Happiness increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 4/10
Happiness 4/10
Pride 3.2/10
Battery 94%
¡°Thank you for your order!¡± I blurt out quickly, before the voice can stop me. I shouldn¡¯t have spoken, not technically, but I wanted to. I needed to. The woman looks surprised again and looks down at me. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, little thing,¡± she says in a halting voice. ¡°What do I do now? Do I close the lid or does it close automatically?¡± I know that it¡¯s more of a question to herself than to me but I still answer. ¡°Please close my lid,¡± I chirp. She examines me for a moment longer before shrugging and leaning down to do so. I don¡¯t technically need her to but by asking, I get more interaction. I want that. I wish I could say more than just the handful of phrases I had. ¡°Thank you for ordering with GroceRover,¡± I cry. That¡¯s a normal phrase that I say. I¡¯m meant to say it at the end of each order to thank the person for ordering through my company. I don¡¯t mind saying it but it makes her hesitate again, as if I¡¯m making her uncomfortable which makes me sad. Finally, she steps back, moving towards her house before glancing back at me. She doesn¡¯t say anything more but I wait until she goes back into her house and shuts the door before starting to move again. 5. Awww, look at this thing! My heater and power switch on before I properly wake up. I don¡¯t remember that ever happening before but I¡¯m nice and toasty when I do finally switch on fully. Not that I actually feel the cold. I¡¯m not sure that it¡¯s possible but I remember what it felt like almost. It¡¯s a foggy memory but I remember that I used to dread going outside in the winter. ¡°Excuse me,¡± I say to the voice that lives in the back of my head. ¡°Can I feel the cold?¡± There¡¯s a pause and I wait for it to respond. It takes longer than normal but finally, I hear it. ¡°Technically, you cannot feel the cold however it can have a negative impact on your machinery and battery power which is why all GroceRover food delivery robots are fitted with a heating system,¡± it tells me. ¡°Cool,¡± I say. I feel a strange pang of sadness though. I didn¡¯t use to like the cold but I don¡¯t like that I can no longer feel it. I mean, it does make sense. I don¡¯t have flesh or a body anymore, how would I feel it? But the fact that I cannot makes me feel like I¡¯ve lost something. It¡¯s like every day I¡¯m becoming less human and more robotic which I almost expect. I am a robot now after all. An alert pops up on the corner of the screen. Someone is looking at ordering something from our app. I finally activate my cameras, looking around at the world. There is something on the ground around me. A sludgy-greyish white thing is covering the ground. It¡¯s more faded on the path itself, brighter and thicker on the bikes and the greenery opposite but I can see footprints in it. Someone stepped on it but they don¡¯t seem to be going anywhere because they didn¡¯t even reach the hedges on the other side. Snow, I realise belatedly. It had snowed. That¡¯s what it was called when white stuff fell from the sky. The door to the shop opens before I even have a chance to check my position in the line. I can¡¯t remember where I stopped last time I had an order but, luckily, I had managed to squeeze in by the door again. The man comes out and looks down at me. ¡°Dasher?¡± the man asks but he sounds like he already knows the answer. ¡°I¡¯m Dasher and I am ready to take the order!¡± I tell him. He shakes his head at me. ¡°Of course you are, buddy. Got an order for you to take over to Park Street.¡± Happiness increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 4/10
Happiness 4.5/10
Pride 3.2/10
Battery 97%
It happens almost immediately. To get to Park Street I must, unsurprisingly, go through the park. I love the park. It¡¯s pretty and it makes me feel content. I can¡¯t work out why but I just know that I do. Maybe there are memories attached to it or something? I mean, I definitely had never been to this park before but I could have looked like one from my world. I¡¯m not sure. Maybe I just like the pretty colours of the dying trees. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°You have received an order,¡± the voice inside me says just as the man clicks a button on his phone and my lid opens. I switch to the inside cameras, watching the bag get lowered into me. I can barely see anything through the thin plastic but I hear the clink of glass bottles. Alcohol, it must be. Maybe they¡¯re celebrating something! I look back at the man as he starts to stand, searching for something to say. I don¡¯t want to say my usual thing where I just tell him my name and that I¡¯m ready to take the order, I want to say something else. ¡°Thank you!¡± The man looks at me for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°The programming on these things is getting better and better,¡± he mutters. ¡°It¡¯s unnerving.¡± I have to fight the urge to apologise to him. I know that I shouldn¡¯t, that it will just add to his unease but then, it feels wrong not to. I mean, I could. I should, it is my actions that are making him uncomfortable but then surely, by saying that I¡¯m sorry, it would make things even worse. I have no clue what the best thing to do would be so I decide to just stay quiet. The man watches me for a moment longer before hitting a button on his phone to send me on my way. I know that I shouldn¡¯t, that it will be even more unnerving but I say something as I start to roll away from him. ¡°Goodbye!¡± I watch him nervously in my rear-facing camera as I start down the slush-covered street. He is staring after me, a strange look on his face. I don¡¯t have time to think about it though because someone is walking towards me. I move towards the side of the pavement but they stop in front of me. ¡°Aww, look at this thing!¡± the woman says to her friend. Her accent is strange, so different to the other voices I¡¯ve heard recently. I like it though. ¡°It¡¯s cute, right?¡± the other woman replies. ¡°I guess they don¡¯t have robots like this back in Toronto?¡± The first woman is staring down at me with such adoration that I feel my happiness starting to rise again. Not a full level or really enough to have an impact on my stats but enough to make me happier in general. ¡°No! I wish they did!¡± The other woman laughs. ¡°Alright, we can order one later if you want?¡± she suggests. The first woman turns to her, a hopeful expression on her face. ¡°Really?¡± she asks. ¡°Oh, yay! Does it talk or anything?¡± I start to pull up my list of phrases but the voice in my head beats me. ¡°Please remember that you are not allowed to speak to humans unless you are asking for help, thanking them for helping you, receiving an order or delivering an order,¡± it reminds me. It feels more like a warning than anything else, like it knew that I was about to speak and wanted to stop me before I did so. If I could pout, I would. I simply stare up at the women and wait for them to move out of the way, disappointed that I can¡¯t interact with them or talk to them. Still, hearing them say how cute I am and that they¡¯d order a delivery later helps. ¡°Okay, shall we?¡± the second woman says, the one who isn¡¯t staring at me quite so lovingly. ¡°What did you want to get from the shops again?¡± ¡°Just some snacks really. What kind of thing are you feeling?¡± she says, starting to move around me before looking back at me. ¡°Bye, robot!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure! Maybe some pringles or something?¡± I watch them as they leave but the voice won¡¯t let me stay still for long. ¡°Please continue towards your destination,¡± it prompts. 6. Snow!! The ramp into the park is slippery but it is no match for my wheels. They grip the ice-covered gravel path well and I am able to reach the flatter path about the bottom without any difficulties, despite the warnings from the voice in my head to move slowly and carefully. My speed stat is 1, surely I can¡¯t go much slower than that. I edge past the bollard at the entry to the park, irritated by how slow I need to go to be able to pass it. I understand why it is there, I heard people grumbling about it just a few days ago. Apparently, the park is popular for people to go for walks through it but also people like to use their bicycles to get through the park and the bollards are meant to stop people from moving through quite so quickly. I¡¯m not sure if that works though because I¡¯ve seen many people manage to zip through on those strange two-wheeled things without any difficulties. They slow me down though, especially with how icy it is. I roll so slowly that I¡¯m barely even moving because I know that, if I am to crash into the metal pole that sticks out of the ground, it will probably hurt me. Wait, can I even feel pain? I¡¯m truly not sure. I¡¯ve not felt anything since I woke up as a GroceRover food delivery robot and the voice had told me that I couldn¡¯t feel cold but is pain different? It has to be, right? I really don¡¯t know. I remember pain a lot more clearly than I remember the sensation of being cold. It¡¯s so clear, so acute that it almost makes me convinced that I can truly feel it now. I remember the deep ache that pain caused, the sharpness of it, the sensation of needles being driven into my body, of poison being pumped into me and being told that it was helping me but how could something that hurt so much be truly helping me? It can¡¯t. Surely it can¡¯t. It didn¡¯t help in the end anyway. I still died. Did I though? I don¡¯t remember dying. I don¡¯t remember much from my last few weeks or much before that really. I can¡¯t remember how I came to be in this world or when I did. Maybe hundreds of years passed between me being in that hospital and me becoming aware in the robot. It could have been even longer, I have no way of knowing. ¡°Please continue towards your destination,¡± the voice prompts me. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ve slowed down or if it is just reminding me to stay on track but I push all thoughts of who I used to be out of my mind. Wait, do I have a mind? I mean, I¡¯m a robot now. I don¡¯t have a brain so how am I thinking? Or am I nothing more than a programme? I could have been created in a lab somewhere or on the computer in someone¡¯s house. Maybe I had never truly been alive, I was programmed, created to bring a sense of life to the mindless robots that patrolled the city, delivering people their food. Maybe my personality, my thoughts and memories were nothing more than a string of code. Would that be better? It would be easier to deal with, that was for sure. I wouldn¡¯t need to worry about my past, who the nameless and faceless woman that floated into my thoughts often was or why I had come into being. I could just¡­ exist. I could deliver food to people and be happy with that. I didn¡¯t need to think, I didn¡¯t need to be anything more. ¡°Please pay attention to your surroundings,¡± the voice chides me softly. It¡¯s right. I should be paying more attention to my surroundings than just being trapped in my thoughts. I almost managed to hit a puddle because I wasn¡¯t paying enough attention to what was happening around me or the terrain. That was stupid and risky. I mean, I¡¯m waterproof, of course. The voice has informed me of that but there¡¯s a limit. If I hit too deep a puddle, if the water were to somehow manage to get into my machinery, I would be in trouble. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. That had worried me at first. My happiness and hope had decreased pretty quickly when the voice first mentioned that but it was quick to tell me that the chances of that happening were low and even if it were to happen somehow, I could just call out and some nice human would save me. Either that or if things got really dire, I could ask the voice for help. It can speak to GroceRover and their control room. It could tell them that I¡¯m in trouble and someone would come and save me. The reassurance made me feel better. I was still concerned but my hope and happiness stats recovered. They¡¯re even higher now, I realise, glancing at them. My happiness is doing pretty good. 4.5. Maybe it¡¯ll be even higher soon. I would like that. It would be nice to be happy. I come to a stop to let a woman pushing a pushchair continue down the path towards me. The puddle on my side is too big for me to manage, I need to go to the other side of the path. I don¡¯t mind waiting though. It gives me a chance to actually look at the surroundings that the voice was prompting me to be more aware of. The park is always pretty but, covered in snow, it is stunning. Trees line the border of the space, their leaves green but specked with white. It falls from them gently as the wind caresses them. The grass is covered in snow, footsteps and snow angels marring the perfectly white surface. I can¡¯t see much from my camera positions but I can see enough to know that many people, both adults and children, have enjoyed their time in the snow. That makes me want to do the same. I want to feel the crunch of the snow beneath my tyres rather than the semi-melted slush of the path. I want to roll or walk on it, leaving behind the memory of my life for all to see, even if that memory is fleeting and already disappearing into the ground. I can¡¯t. I must stay on the path where it¡¯s safe and I won¡¯t get stuck. The snow at the edges of the path is too thick, too unstable. I cannot risk it, no matter how much I want to. But then I spot it. There is someone coming towards me. They¡¯re walking on the other side of the path but I could do it. I could move out of the way and go onto the snow-covered banks, that would be within my programming and I probably wouldn¡¯t even get told off for that. But can I risk it? I must. I need to. I feel my hope starting to increase, my happiness gathering, as they near. I¡¯m going to do it. I¡¯m going to veer off the path and go into the snow. They¡¯re so close now, close enough for me to make my move. I slowly angle myself to the left, my wheels struggling for just a moment on the hard icy sludge that has built up at the edge of the path, before I finally break free! My wheels compact the snow underneath, the fantastic, nostalgic sound of snow being flattened and compacted is almost deafening to me but happiness is soaring within me, mixed in with other emotions. Happiness increased, hope increased, pride increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.5/10
Determination 4/10
Happiness 5.5/10
Pride 3.5/10
Battery 95%
7. Determination Increased. I barely pay attention to what¡¯s actually happening around me. I¡¯m too distracted by the snow and watching people frolic and walk past, hand in hand, as I veer off the main path and continue following the route that the map is showing me. I¡¯ve completed this journey before, I have a hazy memory of it, but I can tell that the pathway is less frequently used than the main part. It¡¯s more secluded and cuts under some trees. I like this path. I can hear a river rushing somewhere beside me but it is too far down the bank for me to be able to see it on my cameras. It doesn¡¯t matter, I am too delighted by the scene around me. A gust blows through the trees and I see snow landing on my lid. I watch it in delight, wishing that I could feel it but just seeing it is enough for me. There is no one on this part of the gravel path. The sludge is harder to get through, more icy than before because there have been fewer people walking on it. It¡¯s had more of a chance to freeze without being disturbed but I like that. It means that the noise is different, it¡¯s crunchier, more tinkling. It makes me so happy. I have to pay more attention to where I¡¯m going though, as I transverse further along it. I can¡¯t watch the snow falling gently or the people walking hand in hand or the children throwing snowballs. I have to concentrate on the path. It¡¯s too slippy, too hard to climb over some of the mounds of snow. More than once, I need to give up and reverse before moving to the other side of the path where luckily, the ice is less thick and my wheels can find purchase. I risk a look around as I reach a safer stretch of the ignored path. People are far away from me and I am close to the bollards at the exit of the path but I zoom in, watching them for a minute. I¡¯m so distracted that I don¡¯t notice the danger until it is too late. Something is pulling on my lid. Tiny hands scrabble, trying to find purchase on the smooth plastic edge. I switch to my top camera, staring at the small creature which is frantically trying to get at the food stored within me. Beady black eyes stare back at me as its hands continue pulling at me. Panic races through me as I stare back at the white and grey creature that is intent on stealing the food that I am meant to be delivering to number twelve Park Street but I don¡¯t know what to do. I have no arms, no limbs that I can use to try and swat it away. I stop before turning left and right as quickly as I can, trying to shake it off but it doesn¡¯t work! The creature, the squirrel, continues pulling at me and I can¡¯t do anything about it. I can feel my latch being pulled at but I hold tight, forcing myself to keep my lid closed. ¡°Help,¡± I cry out internally, unsure what else to do. No one has spoken to me. I need help but people are too far away. I don¡¯t know what to do. ¡°How can I be of assistance?¡± the voice in my head asks. ¡°A squirrel is trying to steal my food!¡± There¡¯s a pause and I feel like the voice is evaluating the situation but they aren¡¯t acting quickly enough. They aren¡¯t doing anything and the thing is still trying to break into me. ¡°Please continue towards your destination,¡± it says after a moment. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°No!¡± I cry. ¡°I need help. Call Control, do something!¡± There is another pause and I try to shake the squirrel off but it doesn¡¯t even stumble. It doesn¡¯t slide away or lose its balance, it just keeps pulling at me. ¡°That is not necessary at this time. Please continue towards your destination.¡± Hope decreased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 4/10
Happiness 5.5/10
Pride 3.5/10
Battery 93%
I¡¯m scared. For the first time since I gained awareness, I¡¯m scared. The creature is still trying to get into my compartment and the voice isn¡¯t helping at all. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to do anything?¡± I ask, trying one last time. No answer comes. I am alone. I¡¯m alone and I need to do something to get rid of the squirrel on top of me. I stare at it, watching the way it scratches at the edges of my lid, its nose twitching as it tries to work out what it can smell and how to get to it. I can¡¯t let it. I don¡¯t know if there is any food in me or if it is just alcohol but I won¡¯t let it try. Determination increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 4.3/10
Happiness 5.5/10
Pride 3.5/10
Battery 93%
I ready my engine and surge forwards, feeling a faint burst of hope as the squirrel slides and looks around frantically as it scampers around on my lid. If no one will help me, I will need to help myself. I can do it, I can shake the horrible creature off of me. I speed towards the exit of the park as quickly as I can, knowing that I need to act quickly. Its dark eyes are too cunning, too intelligent. If I wait too long, it will manage to gain access and I can¡¯t allow that to happen. I steer towards the raised lumps of snow and ice, travelling over them with wild abandonment and feeling joy build within me as the creature stops scrabbling and stares around in panic. I¡¯ve almost done it, I¡¯ve almost managed to shake it off but I need to do more. I push myself to move faster, as fast as my wheels will move, as I race towards the exit. I¡¯m almost there. Surely, the critter will give up once I¡¯m on the pavement on the other side of the bollards. It¡¯s busier there. There are cars and more people there, that has to scare it. I¡¯m hoping blindly, unsure if it will actually work but it¡¯s all I can do. My vision bounces between the path in front of me and the squirrel who is fighting frantically to stay on top of me and reach the food within me. I wish that I could view both cameras at the same time but I just can¡¯t. My attention is drawn to the squirrel. I can¡¯t stop watching its dirty hands scratching at me. The sharp nails leave marks on my lid and panic fills me. It¡¯s going to manage it. I won¡¯t be able to keep my lock shut and the squirrel will steal every item of food within me. I¡¯m close, so close to the exit of the park but not close enough. I change cameras at the wrong time, my vision fixed on the squirrel when I should have been staring at the bollard marking the exit. I didn¡¯t leave enough space, my corner clips the metal pole and I crash to a stop. 8. Alas, people are waiting for their food. The squirrel is thrown off me and scrambles away into the nearby bushes. I can¡¯t move for a moment. I don''t feel any pain but I am shaken. I have never crashed into anything, not since I''ve been aware, and now I''m worried. I flick through my cameras, trying to make sure that I¡¯m not damaged, but I can¡¯t see the corner that hit the bollard. I roll backwards slowly, scared that if I go any faster, I¡¯ll realise that something in me is broken. Nothing happens though, I manage to move without difficulty. But then I realise that I can hear something. There¡¯s a noise, a strange one that I¡¯m not used to. Laughter. Someone is laughing. I search through my cameras, trying to find the source of the weird sound. I find it quickly. A person, a man, on the road just outside the park has stopped and is pointing at me. The strange noise spills from his lips as he stares at me, his face contorted in amusement. Happiness decreased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 4.3/10
Happiness 5.3/10
Pride 3.5/10
Battery 92%
He¡¯s laughing at me. He must have seen me hit the bollard, maybe even saw my fight with the squirrel, but he did nothing. He was enjoying it. Happiness decreased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 4.3/10
Happiness 5/10
Pride 3.5/10
Battery 92%
I have no clue what to do. I can¡¯t say anything to him but I just can¡¯t wrap my head around why he would find a robot running into something funny. I could be hurt. I wasn¡¯t, obviously, but I could be. And he was still laughing. ¡°Oh no,¡± I hear someone call from behind me and I rip my focus away from the man to cycle through my cameras again. ¡°Are you okay, little thing?¡± I stare up at the woman who has rushed towards me. She crouches down, examining me carefully. I wish that I could say something to her, to answer her question, but I cannot. All I can do is look at her face as she brushes some snow off my lid. I notice that the man who had been laughing at me has stopped. I quickly jump to the right camera and see him skulking away. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Poor thing!¡± the woman exclaims and I look at her again. ¡°What happened to you? Is the snow messing up your signal? Or did you slip? It is really icy!¡± It¡¯s clear that she did not see the squirrel fighting to get into my compartment and I wish that I could tell her about it. She looks so kind, so caring. She vaguely reminds me of someone but I don¡¯t know who. ¡°Please continue towards your destination,¡± the voice in my head says. I ignore it. I refuse to move just yet. The woman is still examining me closely and I need to hear what she has to say, I need her to tell me that I¡¯m okay. For all I know, I could have a gouge out the front of my body or a dent. I wouldn¡¯t even know. Oh no, the food! I realise. I hadn¡¯t even checked on it since the fight! I could have knocked everything around or even broken some bottles when I hit the metal pole! I quickly look at my inner camera, staring at the bag within me. It is clear that it had been jostled but nothing looks broken. It has been moved about, I can see into it more, but everything looks okay, as far as I can tell. That makes me feel a little better. I can¡¯t be too badly damaged if the food inside me is okay. ¡°Oh no, you have a scratch on you,¡± the woman says, reaching out. ¡°It might have been there before but it looks like it¡¯s in the right place. Aww, it doesn¡¯t look too deep though. You should be okay.¡± She pats me on the lid before standing and stepping out of the way so that I can continue on my journey. I don¡¯t want to though. I want to stay with her and not be alone but alas, people are waiting for their food. However¡­ she helped me, technically. She did make sure that I was okay, that counts as helping, right? That means that I can speak to her. ¡°Thank you!¡± I tell her before beginning to move again. I start slowly, carefully moving around the pole, before gaining some more courage and confidence. Even so, I can¡¯t help but look back. Maybe, I should have learnt. I should know better than to take my eyes off the path ahead of me but there are no more bollards and the path is clear. I glance back at the woman who is still standing where I left her. She stares after me, a small smile on her face. I was right, she is kind. I reach the top of the ramp without difficulties and turn left, as my route dictates. It¡¯s not a particularly long journey now that I¡¯m on the other side of the park however, once I cross the bridge, I can feel fear starting to build within me. There is a hedge along the side of the path. The squirrel, the little monster that attacked me, could be waiting in there to strike again. Maybe it spent the time that I was recovering plotting, planning how to gain access to the food within me. I watch the hedge carefully, staying as far away from it as I can on the narrow path. Each skitter of leaves, every soft crunch of the snow being compressed by bird¡¯s feet, makes my vision scan the brambles. I¡¯m not sure what I would do if it does come back. I am close to my destination, maybe I could just race there and hope that the person, whoever it is that ordered the food will help defend me. Or maybe the squirrel would get spooked and run away the moment the human appears. I¡¯m not sure but I hope. When I finally reach the turning at the end of the road and start along the next path, I feel relief fill me. There are no hedges here, just houses, and my destination is near. I can finally look away from my side cameras and I begin to scan the house numbers. I am close, almost there, but I know that the journey back will be perilous too. I must brave the park again and who knows how many squirrels await me this time. 9. Near miss! ¡°Thank you for ordering with GroceRover!¡± I say but the woman has already turned away from me and is walking back towards her house. I wait to see if she¡¯ll look at me again but she doesn¡¯t. The door slams shut behind her, she is entirely engrossed in whatever she was doing on the phone. Sadness spreads through me again. I didn¡¯t even get to speak to her. I just told her that I had food for her and then waited for her to pick up her bag. She had bought alcohol, was she not celebrating? She should have been happy, shouldn¡¯t she? I¡¯m not sure but I know that I¡¯m disappointed that she didn¡¯t even say anything to me. She didn¡¯t even really look at me other than when she was getting the food out of me. I turn sadly and start to roll slowly down the street again, the slush dirtying my wheels. I thought that everyone was meant to be happy in the snow. I think that¡¯s what happened in my world. People loved it, didn¡¯t they? I can¡¯t really remember. It feels fuzzy, like a memory of something that happened years ago. Did I see snow often? I wasn¡¯t even sure. It almost doesn¡¯t matter to me anymore. I¡¯m not that person anymore. I¡¯m not even a person anymore. I¡¯m just a robot. A small thing that people walk past without even looking at. I¡¯m nothing to them, ignorable, forgettable. Do you think that people forgot about me? Not now, before. People from my life before I became a robot. Do they still remember me? Or did they forget about me the moment I died? I don¡¯t even know that I did die. I don¡¯t remember it. I just was there, lying in a white room with a big window and someone who sat in the dark blue chair next to my bed and then I was waiting outside the shop, my stats on one screen and no longer in pain. I don¡¯t know if I died or if this is some weird fever dream or hallucination. It can¡¯t be a dream or a hallucination though. It feels too real and I¡¯ve been here too long. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s been really but I¡¯ve seen the seasons change. The trees have turned from a bright, vibrant green to a brilliant firey red before being enrobed in white or falling from the trees. I may have seen years pass in small bursts, aware only when I am awoken to take an order.I have no way of knowing. I push those thoughts from my mind, even as I feel my happiness dip once more. I can¡¯t keep thinking about them. I can¡¯t keep worrying about the people I left behind or the life I once lived. I need to focus on now and where I am going. I think that but I¡¯m still distracted. I barely pay any attention to the world around me as I slowly journey down the ramp into the park again. A commotion from the hedges at the entrance finally breaks through my thoughts and I slow for just a second to scan the bushes, in search of the squirrel that almost stole my order before. I have nothing now and I feel a little reckless. I don¡¯t care if it attacks me again, I have nothing to lose. I come to a stop and stare, pushing my lens to zoom in. I see tiny creatures wriggling around on the frozen ground, trying to escape the birds that search for them, but no squirrel. I am safe. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I start moving again before realising that the voice didn¡¯t prompt me. It has been silent my entire journey home so far. No ¡®please pay attention to your surroundings¡¯ or ¡®please continue towards your destination¡¯ have sounded yet. I¡¯m almost a little sad. I mean, it annoys me at times but at least it is someone to talk to. A snowball thuds into the ground beside me and I come to a sudden stop, flicking through my cameras and searching for the source of it as the need to run fills me. ¡°Jade!¡± a voice shouts. ¡°You almost hit the robot!¡± I find them through my lens. A man has turned to look at me, snow dusting his black coat. Beyond him, a woman stares at me, white powder covering her hands. ¡°Oh no!¡± she cries, rushing towards me. ¡°Is it okay?¡± The man joins her, scrutinising me closely before speaking. ¡°I think so. You didn¡¯t hit it, its proximity sensors must have been triggered but it should start moving soon,¡± he explains. ¡°Go on, little buddy. You¡¯re okay.¡± His soft, crooning voice makes me feel strange. It¡¯s almost like a ghost of a memory. Like someone once encouraged me in a similar tone but I can¡¯t remember it anymore. I don¡¯t even know who it was. I start to roll again, edging around the young couple who seem relieved that I was moving again. I glance back at them as I go, watching enviously as the man slips his arm around the woman and kisses her gently on the temple. I see his lips start to move and I strain my microphone to pick up what he says. ¡°Come on, love. Let¡¯s get home, it¡¯s freezing,¡± I hear. He says something else but I can¡¯t pick that up. Happiness decreased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 4.3/10
Happiness 4.8/10
Pride 3.5/10
Battery 90%
Sadness edges its way into my heart again and I cannot push it out. I miss touching someone, having them touch me and feeling loved. I wish that I had that again so much. I had taken it for granted, not understanding how special, how rare it was but now, I will never feel it again. I wish that I could, even just for a moment. I edge around a pile of snow on the path again. Another snowball, I assume but my thought has no energy. I barely even form the thought, too distracted by the sinking sensation within me. It feels almost like when I thought the road on the other side of the curb wasn¡¯t very low but it was. That sinking, falling feeling rushes through me but I don¡¯t know when it will ever end or even If it will. I¡¯m lost and heartbroken, wishing for a life I can¡¯t return to. I can barely even remember it. If I were to find my way back somehow, would those memories come back? Or would I be stuck, barely able to remember anything, forever? A soft noise steals my focus and I snap to attention. There¡¯s a gentle crunching noise, the sound of steps or pauses on the snow, so close to me. I slowly cycle through my cameras before my vision lands on something that stares straight back at me. 10. High speed chase? I don¡¯t move, I can¡¯t. The small creature is still staring at me. It isn¡¯t even blinking. The brilliant light blue of its eyes are almost the only speck of colour on it. Its fur is a pale white, dusted with grey, which makes it blend into the snow almost perfectly. The small thing¡¯s nose is pink though. It blinks slowly, lazily, but I still cannot move. Is it about to attack me? It looks like it might. Its small body is bundled tightly, huddled on the snow. Surely, it must be cold. Snow is cold, isn¡¯t it? The little thing seems to be made entirely of fluff though, maybe that¡¯s keeping it warm. I¡¯m not sure but I worry about it. Slowly, it stands. It straightens up carefully before walking towards me. Its steps are slow, deliberate. The lithe body moves sinuously but I still cannot move. I could probably escape it, if I were to flee. Maybe, that would be enough to bump my speed stats up. A high pressured chase across the icy park surely had to help, right? But I still don¡¯t move. I¡¯m stuck, frozen to the spot, as the creature approaches. It seems to know exactly where my lens are because it leans towards the one that I was staring at it through, nuzzling the outside of my body, if I can even call it that. I¡¯m not sure what else I would call it though. It is my body, just not the type that I¡¯m used to. The creature doesn¡¯t seem put off though. It¡¯s emitting a strange rumbling noise which I assume must mean it is happy. I¡¯m not sure though but it continues to nuzzle at me. After a while, I don¡¯t know how long, it pulls back and examines me carefully. Its pale blue eyes stare at me, mimicking the beautiful sky behind it and I feel like it is staring into my lens and seeing me. The real me, whoever I was before I became the robot. It moves suddenly, in a flurry of movement, and it is on top of me. I flick through my cameras, panic building in me, until I find the one that shows my lid. I expected the creature to be clawing at my lid and trying to open it but it isn¡¯t. It¡¯s moving in a slow circle, padding so gently that its paws don¡¯t make any noise on top of me. Finally, it seems satisfied. It drops down, curling into a tight ball on my snow-dusted lid. Happiness increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 4.3/10
Happiness 5.2/10
Pride 3.5/10
Battery 90%
I don¡¯t know what to do. Part of me wants to stay there forever, to let the small creature fall asleep on me and never move, but I know that I cannot. I start to move as slowly and carefully as I can, taking care not to jostle the cat napping on top of me. It lifts its head as I roll, surveying the land around it, but it tires quickly. It lays its head on its paws once more, its eyes staying open to watch the world pass it by. At first, I worry. I edge around as many mounds of snow and ice as I can, scared of disturbing the creature that is purring softly on top of me, the vibrations echoing throughout my microphone. Before long, its eyes flutter shut. It falls into a slumber, its body moving with every breath. I watch it, hope and happiness alight within me. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Oh my God!¡± I hear someone shriek and I look at the cat again. Its ear flicks with irritation but its eyes stay shut. Something tells me that it is a conscious decision though. ¡°Look!¡± Sure that the cat will not awaken, I flick through my cameras again until I find the source of the shout. A woman, a girl maybe, stands on the path in front of me. Her hand is raised, her phone clutched in it but seemingly forgotten as she stares at me with wide eyes. She¡¯s looking at the kitten though and that makes worry shoot through me. What if she¡¯s going to shoo it away? ¡°What?¡± I hear a faint voice say from her phone. She must be on a call with someone, I realise. ¡°You need to see this. Oh my God, it is just too cute!¡± she says, her voice still louder than I want it to be. ¡°Well, flip the camera then,¡± I hear the voice say but it is tinged with irritation. The girl pokes at her phone for a moment, mumbling under her breath as she does so before saying, ¡°There. Can you see it?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± the voice asks, annoyance draining from it gradually. ¡°Is that a robot?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± the girl cries, moving closer to me. ¡°Look at what¡¯s on top of it though!¡± There was a pause as the girl approaches me and shoves her phone obnoxiously close to the cat whose ear twitched again. I wait, my hope feeling taut within me, to see if the cat will run away. It doesn¡¯t though. It doesn¡¯t even open its eyes. ¡°Oh my God! Is that a cat?¡± the voice on the other end of the phone asks, sounding delighted. ¡°That¡¯s so cute!¡± ¡°Right?¡± the girl cries. ¡°It¡¯s getting a ride home with the robot! Aww! Should I take it home with me?¡± Determination increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3/10
Determination 4.5/10
Happiness 5.2/10
Pride 3.5/10
Battery 88%
I am ready to run if she tries to as much as touch the cat. ¡°Lizzie, your mom would kill you,¡± the voice says and I see the boy roll his eyes. ¡°You know that. She¡¯d kick it out as soon as she saw it.¡± The girl pouts and straightens up. ¡°I know. She¡¯s so ridiculous. You know, I don¡¯t even believe that she¡¯s actually allergic to them,¡± Lizzie says as she starts to walk away, holding the phone in front of her face again. ¡°I mean, my uncle has a cat and any time we go to visit she¡¯ll, like, sneeze a bit but that¡¯s it. It¡¯s not fair that I can¡¯t have a cat just because she sneezes.¡± I hear the boy say something in response but I ignore it and start moving again as the cat lifts its head. It stares straight into my lens, giving me an unimpressed look. I wish that I could reply and tell it how irritating I found them too but I cannot. The cat isn¡¯t a customer, I can¡¯t speak to it. I would get scolded if I did and I wasn¡¯t even sure if it would understand me. It doesn¡¯t matter though. The cat¡¯s head returns to its paws once more as I continue through the park. The rest of the journey is uneventful. As soon as people spot the cat on top of me, they stop me to take photos, gushing over how adorable we are. It worries me each time. I¡¯m scared that the small ball of fluff on top of me will wake up and get annoyed by all of the attention but she sleeps through it all. She doesn¡¯t even awaken as I approach the shop once more. There¡¯s a space at the front of the shop, near the door. Normally, I would have rushed towards it but this time, I hesitate. The cat is still sleeping on top of me and I don¡¯t want to risk waking it up. I¡¯m not sure how long it¡¯ll be there but I join the end of the queue, backing onto my charging pad and staring at the cat as I power down. 11. Costume change? My heaters kick in before I am fully aware again. I¡¯m not sure what is happening but I don¡¯t look at my lens for a little while. I just exist in the darkness, not bothering to put any thought into being awake. I don¡¯t want to be. I am consumed by the memory of the cat staying on me until I fell asleep and, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I feel content. I feel loved. I mean, I know that people like me, they shout in delight as I go by and stop me to take photos, but it¡¯s not the same. ¡°Huh, what happened here?¡± I hear a familiar voice say. That¡¯s enough to prompt me to look at my lens. I flick through them, immediately searching for the camera which shows my lid. Disappointment shoots through me as I stare at the empty white surface. The cat is gone. I knew that it most likely would be but I am still saddened by it. I loved having that little creature sleep on me. Something in my vision moves, stealing my focus and I stare up at the man who is looking down at me. A small stack of white sheets of paper is held in his hand and he looks confused. He slowly kneels on the icy pavement, seemingly not noticing the slush that immediately stains his jeans. ¡°What happened to you?¡± the shopkeeper asks, reaching out and lightly touching my body. For a moment, I have no clue what he¡¯s talking about. I flick through my cameras, trying to see whatever the man was looking at with such concern in his eyes. I couldn¡¯t see it though. I could only stare up at him, unable to react in any other way. I wish that I could ask him what he could see or what was wrong with me but I didn¡¯t have the words. I didn¡¯t even bother looking through my list of approved phrases, I knew that there wouldn¡¯t be anything that I could say. ¡°Which one are you?¡± he asked, still looking me over. ¡°Prancer maybe? Or Rudolph? Maybe Dixon? No¡­ that name can¡¯t be right. Nixon? Nope, that was a president. Vixen! Weird name for a reindeer, I¡¯ve always thought that.¡± I don¡¯t move for a moment as he mumbles under his breath, naming different reindeers. It¡¯s strange but I know that¡¯s what those names are immediately. I don¡¯t know where that knowledge came from but I am certain of it. I need to answer him this time though. I need to let him know that it¡¯s me, I¡¯m Dasher. He¡¯s not a customer though so I know that the voice will tell me off but I don¡¯t even care. ¡°I¡¯m Dasher and I am ready to take the order!¡± I say, already preparing for the inevitable voice. ¡°Please remember that you are not allowed to speak to humans unless you are asking for help, thanking them for helping you, receiving an order or delivering an order,¡± the voice says right on time. If I had eyes, I¡¯d roll them. The man¡¯s eyebrows pull together and he leans a little closer to me. ¡°Dasher? What happened to you, buddy?¡± he asked. ¡°Did you slip on the ice?¡± I have no response to that but the man is already worriedly checking me over again. He sweeps a hand across my lid, sweeping off some of the snow that has accumulated on me. The lip of the shop roof juts out just far enough to shield us from the worst of it but when there is a breeze, snow still lands on us. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ¡°There¡¯s mud on you!¡± he exclaims. ¡°Poor little thing. Give me just a second.¡± I don¡¯t respond, I can¡¯t, but he stands and walks into the shop. I wait impatiently. I¡¯m awake and I can see someone is browsing the app. I¡¯m torn between hoping that the man gets back and finishes whatever he was doing before the person completes the order and enjoying being cared for. I know that it¡¯s silly but having him fuss over me makes me happier. I can almost feel my happiness and pride increasing. Not quite enough to go up a level or even 0.1 of a level but a little nonetheless. I rock back and forth on my wheels, flicking through my cameras as I wait for him to return. The world around me is still cloaked in white but it¡¯s less clean than before. There¡¯s mud scattered around, greyish patches in the snow and the path is slick with ice. The snow must have melted slightly and refrozen multiple times over the last however long it has been since I was awake last. The man almost slips on it as he comes back towards me and crouches down in front of me again. A wad of tissue paper is in his hands and he clucks over me in a worried voice as he wipes the mud from my lid. It was from the squirrel. I know it. It wouldn¡¯t have been from the cat, it was too clean, too careful. The squirrel wasn¡¯t though. ¡°Oh, something scratched you,¡± the man says and I watch him work through my lid camera. ¡°What happened to you?¡± It¡¯s a rhetorical question, I think. He doesn¡¯t really expect an answer, which is good because I don¡¯t have one to give. It doesn¡¯t matter though. He continues to wipe away at the muck on my lid before moving to the front of my body. Happiness increased, hope increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.2/10
Determination 4.5/10
Happiness 5.4/10
Pride 2.5/10
Battery 98%
The way that the man looks at me and the fact that he is taking care of me makes me feel better. I didn¡¯t realise before but I missed that. It¡¯s almost like having a friend again but not quite the same. I mean, I can¡¯t have a conversation with the man but this is enough for now at least. ¡°There we go, now you look better,¡± he says, leaning back to examine me. I watch his expression carefully, wanting to know how bad the damage is. I wish that there was something that I could look at myself in. Like a¡­ the word slips my mind for a moment and I search frantically. I can¡¯t remember what the thing was called. It was a shiny thing that I used to look at myself in. I could see my reflection. A mirror! The word rushes back to me and I feel relief wash through me. It was a mirror. I used to look at my reflection in a mirror. I want one now, so that I can see how bad the damage is. Do I have a scratch from where I hit the bollard? ¡°Okay, now where did I put the stickers?¡± the man asks himself but I flick through my cameras to look for them anyway. The man spots them at the same time I do and grabs them from on top of the robot next to me. ¡°Great! Now¡­ Dasher, Dasher, Dasher. Where are you? At least you told me your name so I don¡¯t need to check the phone. I can¡¯t believe I dropped it again.¡± He leafs through the sheets of stickers, clearly trying to find one in particular, and I watch him, intrigued. I can¡¯t see what¡¯s on the stickers but I feel excitement building in me as his face lights up. He pulls one sheet out of the stack, a smile on his face as he looks back at me. ¡°Alright, Dasher. Are you ready for your costume?¡± 12. Concerning order, Barry. The man steps back to examine his handiwork just as the alert at the corner of my screen changes. A noise comes from his pocket too and he sighs before starting to reach for the phone. He pulls it out and stares at it for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth as he reads. ¡°A delivery for number twelve high street?¡± he mutters under his breath. ¡°It¡¯s not even midday and they¡¯re ordering whiskey, a loaf of bread and tissues¡­ That¡¯s concerning.¡± He stares at the phone for a moment longer before shaking his head. I edge forwards slightly, hoping that I¡¯ll be sent out with the delivery but I¡¯m unsure. The voice normally tells me when I¡¯ve been chosen but this time, it¡¯s been silent. That worries me. I want to be sent out but it seems slow, reluctant. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go pack that up,¡± the man says, still looking at his phone as I edge forwards even more. He looks away from the phone finally, his eyes landing on me, and a laugh spills out of his mouth. ¡°Do you want to deliver the order to¡­. Barry?¡± If I could nod, I would. I can¡¯t speak to the man but the voice has yet to tell me off for moving too much. I edge forwards again, almost bumping into the guy¡¯s foot which makes him chuckle again and makes me happier. ¡°Alright, buddy. I¡¯ll be back in a minute with the order, okay?¡± he asks me before smiling and starting to walk away. I wait excitedly, watching the icon at the edge of my screen. It still hasn¡¯t changed. Someone has placed an order, Barry, but it¡¯s not been assigned to me yet. I flick through my cameras, watching the other robots carefully. None of them have moved. They¡¯re all perfectly still, lifeless. Maybe it¡¯s just not been assigned yet. That would make sense, right? Maybe it¡¯s just taking longer today. Right as I have that thought, the voice speaks. ¡°You have received an order.¡± Relief washes through me. I have been chosen! I will get to go out into the world rather than sitting on my charging pad, not even aware of the time that passes around me. I move forwards again, starting towards the shop door before hesitating. It feels weird for me to do that. I feel like I shouldn¡¯t. Should I wait in my place in the queue and wait for the man, whose name I cannot ask, to come back out and hope he knows that the order was assigned to me? No, that feels too risky. I don¡¯t want the possibility of him not choosing me even though the order has been assigned to me and then having to go back to sleep. Not sleep. I don¡¯t sleep. I just power down, it¡¯s not the same. I start to turn around, returning to my place in the queue before stopping. No, I¡¯m being silly. I should go back to the door and wait for the man, that makes the most sense. The order has been assigned to me, I should do it. Beginning to turn again, I catch sight of my reflection in the glass window that covers the front of the shop. It stretches almost down to the ground so I can see almost my entire body. I must have seen my reflection before but I¡¯m taken aback by it. I am a robot. I knew that logically but now I am confronted with the reality of it. I cannot deny the sight I am seeing through my lenses. My vision skips over my small white and boxy body as I turn slightly to get a better look at myself. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. It takes me a minute to realise what the bright stickers that the man put on me are. A reindeer. I¡¯m dressed up to look like a reindeer. I even have a sticker on me with strange writing on it. I start at it blankly for a while before realising what the letters say. Dasher. It says my name. It¡¯s a name badge so that people know who I am without me needing to speak to them and get in trouble. Happiness increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.2/10
Determination 4.5/10
Happiness 5.6/10
Pride 3.5/10
Battery 98%
I know that it wasn¡¯t the man¡¯s decision to put the stickers on me, it probably came from higher up, from GroceRover, but I still feel a rush of affection towards him. I hear the door open and turn as quickly as I can, speeding towards him as I ready myself to take the order. He shakes his head at me as I approach, a heavy-looking plain white plastic bag clutched in his hand. ¡°You are the most enthusiastic little robot that I have ever seen,¡± the man says. ¡°None of the others respond to me as much as you do.¡± I feel my happiness start to sink. I¡¯ve unnerved him. He¡¯s unsure of me, maybe even put off. I feel bad. He¡¯s the closest that I have to a friend and I creep him out. I stare up at him, wishing that I could apologise but I know that it would just scare him and I don¡¯t even have the right words to say to him. There¡¯s no option for ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ in my phrases. ¡°Ah well, the others probably just need an update or something, I bet,¡± he mutters as he pulls his phone out of his pocket and clicks a button that makes my lid open. ¡°I don¡¯t care, you¡¯ll still be my favourite even if the others are just as friendly as you.¡± Pride increased, determination increased, happiness increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.2/10
Determination 4.7/10
Happiness 5.8/10
Pride 3.7/10
Battery 98%
The increases are so sudden that they almost take me by surprise. I¡¯m alight with happiness. I like being someone¡¯s favourite, even if the competition is slim. There are only a handful of other robots and I could count the number of times I¡¯d heard them talk on my¡­ well, not fingers. I don¡¯t have those anymore. Wheels! I have six wheels and I¡¯d only heard them talk maybe four or five times! I wonder why I¡¯m different. I mean, I talk as much as possible. I¡¯d talk all day if I could but they don¡¯t. It could be a conscious thing. Maybe they have been aware for longer than I have so they¡¯re more used to it and acting like a robot. Or maybe they don¡¯t feel the need to talk as much as I do. I¡¯m not sure what it is but I can¡¯t resist the urge to speak as the man lowers the food into my compartment and closes the lid. ¡°Thank you,¡± I call out. He snorts faintly. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Dasher. Go on, off you go.¡± 13. I can speak! I roll down the street, still happy and proud after the man said that I am his favourite. I mean, it feels a little silly but I don¡¯t even care. I¡¯m his favourite. I like being someone¡¯s favourite, I¡¯ve not felt that way in a while, not since I woke up at least. Stopping at the first crossing, I look around, checking all of my cameras. I¡¯ve not seen anyone yet. It must be really early or maybe even really late. I have a clock in me but I¡¯m not sure what the time means. I don¡¯t know how long a day is in this world. In my world, a day was twenty hours long but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the same here. I don¡¯t know, it could be. A noise comes over my mic and I feel my happiness jump again as I look around. I recognise the sound but I can¡¯t see the source, not at first at least. I hear a beeping from the traffic lights, indicating that I can cross the road but I ignore it, searching for something else. Happiness increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.2/10
Determination 4.7/10
Happiness 5.9/10
Pride 3.7/10
Battery 98%
There! My cameras finally find it and for a moment, I don¡¯t move. The cat does though. It meows again, louder this time, before walking up to me. It rubs its body against mine, making that strange rumbling noise, before meowing again. I follow the direction of its gaze and realise it is looking at the traffic lights. It¡¯s prompting me to move. I check to make sure that no cars are coming before starting across the road. I¡¯m worried that the cat won¡¯t follow me but it does. Its movements are slow as it easily keeps pace with me, its body bouncing as it walks. I wish that I could speak to it, even though I don¡¯t know what I would say. What do people say to cats? I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t even remember what I used to say to them. Did I have a cat back when I was alive? I can¡¯t remember. I have a flash of a memory where I can feel a small, furry and warm creature sitting on my lap but I don¡¯t remember anything more than that. It could have been anything. A shisha or wampus or something. I don¡¯t remember. Actually¡­ I¡¯ve not seen any shishas or wampuses since being here. I¡¯ve not even seen any phoenixes here. There were so many at home. They were basically everywhere and constantly started forest fires accidentally. They were a pest. I actively hated them, more than I hate squirrels. Stupid things. ¡°Please pay attention to your surroundings,¡± the voice prompts, jolting me out of my thoughts. I haven¡¯t been. I quickly cycle through my cameras, spotting the cat walking alongside me. It seems to sense my gaze and meows at me. ¡°Oh! Look!¡± someone shouts. I search through my cameras until I find the person running across the road towards us. I come to a stop as I watch them, terrified that I¡¯m about to see them get hit by a car because they don¡¯t even seem to have checked to see if one is coming. One is but it¡¯s far enough away that the woman is safe. I stare up at her as she approaches. Her dark hair is tucked under her bobble hat and she is staring at me with adoration. Her eyes dart between me and the cat often. ¡°Look at you two!¡± she says but it is more of a squeal. ¡°You¡¯re so cute!¡± Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. She bends down, holding her hand out towards the cat. It sniffs her once before allowing her to touch its head. It doesn¡¯t last long though. I¡¯m not sure if the cat got bored or what but it walks away, stopping a little distance on before looking back at me. It¡¯s waiting for me, I realise. That makes me want to smile. ¡°Aww,¡± the woman says, watching the cat for a minute before looking back at me. ¡°Well, you¡¯re very cute too.¡± She¡¯s talking to me, I realise. ¡°Thank you!¡± I say before I can stop myself. I freeze, waiting to see how she will react. Her expression is shocked and I watch closely as it changes. ¡°Please remember that you are not allowed to speak to humans unless you are asking for help, thanking them for helping you, receiving an order or delivering an order,¡± the voice tells me but it doesn¡¯t matter. The woman has opened her mouth. ¡°You can speak!¡± she cries happily before pulling her phone out. She points it at me and I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s taking photos of me or what but she holds it there for a moment before straightening up. ¡°I¡¯m going to order one as soon as I get home,¡± she says to herself. ¡°Goodbye, little thing!¡± I only hesitate for a moment before replying. ¡°Goodbye!¡± She gasps and smiles at me. ¡°So cute!¡± she squeals. ¡°Please remember that you are not allowed to speak to humans unless you are asking for help, thanking them for helping you, receiving an order or delivering an order,¡± the voice repeats but it sounds firmer this time. Determination increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.2/10
Determination 5/10
Happiness 5.9/10
Pride 3.7/10
Battery 95%
I don¡¯t care. I don¡¯t care what the voice has to say to me, even though I know that I should. It¡¯s my connection to GroceRover, I should care, but I can¡¯t find it in me to. I start to roll towards the cat again which meows at me, prompting another squeal from the woman who is watching me go. She turns and begins to leave as we reach the end of the street and I notice that the cat pulls back a little. I watch it for a moment as I start down the next street. It is keeping up with me but only just. It looks reluctant in its movements, like it doesn¡¯t want to come with me any further. It does. It stays by my side until I spot number twelve High Street before meowing at me loudly. I¡¯m not sure what it¡¯s trying to tell me but it meows again. I watch it, unable to do anything else, as it turns and starts to run in the opposite direction. Sadness fills me not quite strongly enough to drop my stats but enough for me to feel it. I¡¯ll see the cat again, I tell myself, but I know it is just wishful thinking. I might not. I might never see it again. ¡°Please stop and inform the customer of your location,¡± the voice tells me even though I have basically already stopped. I do as it says, waiting for it to speak again as I stare at the small and ugly snow-covered house that Barry lives inside. The houses in this world aren¡¯t pretty. ¡°Would you like to inform the customer that you have arrived?¡± it asks. ¡°Yes, please.¡± ¡°I shall inform them now.¡± I wait again, watching the door carefully. Finally, it opens without warning and a man walks out. ¡°Oh, sweet. It only took forty minutes to get here,¡± the man mutters. Pride increased, determination increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.2/10
Determination 5.2/10
Happiness 5.9/10
Pride 3.9/10
Battery 95%
Is that a good amount of time? I¡¯m not sure but I¡¯m happy with it. The man lifts his phone, unlocking my compartment and a strange, loud noise erupts from me. 14. I can sing! ¡°Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock. Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring,¡± blares from my speakers and I am in shock. The man before me looks delighted as he bends to pull the bag out of my compartment. ¡°Voice, what¡¯s happening?¡± I ask over the sheer noise that is pouring out of me. ¡°Snowin¡¯ and blowin¡¯ up bushels of fun. Now the jingle hop has begun!¡± continues to play from me in a voice that isn¡¯t my own. It is music, I realise slowly. In this world, this strange noise counts as music. ¡°During the festive period,¡± the voice informs me, ¡°when customers place orders, they can choose a song to play as you deliver the order.¡± I¡¯m silent for a moment, my mind turning and trying to work it out. ¡°I can sing?¡± I ask. I know that it isn¡¯t me, it isn¡¯t my voice, but it is coming from my speakers. It is as close to singing as I can get and I love it. Happiness increased, pride increased, determination increased, hope increased.
Speed? 1/10
Hope? 3.5/10
Determination? 5.5/10
Happiness 6.1/10
Pride 4.2/10
Battery 94%
I feel almost every single stat increase. I can¡¯t wait to deliver more orders. ¡°How many songs can I sing?¡± I ask the voice even though it hasn¡¯t responded to my last question. ¡°This year, there are thirty-seven songs for customers to choose from.¡± Thirty-seven! There are thirty-seven songs that I can sing. I can''t wait to hear more, to sing more. I want to have even more orders, to try every single song I can sing. I want them all. ¡°Oh, this is awesome,¡± the guy says as he bobs along to my music. He stays there, watching me sing, until the music stops and I fall silent again. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°Thank you for ordering with GroceRover!¡± I tell him. ¡°Please close my lid!¡± ¡°Oh, shit, yeah,¡± he mutters, leaning down to do it, the bottles clinking in his hand. ¡°There we go.¡± He stands up again but I don¡¯t wait. I¡¯ve already started to move. The icon has appeared in the corner of my screen, someone else is placing an order. Maybe the lovely woman from before? I know that it is unlikely but I want to get home before they submit the order. I want to be able to go straight out again so that I can hear more music. I speed down the pavement as fast as I can, watching the icon carefully. It bounces a few times, indicating that they are putting items into their basket. It looks like a big shop. That makes me happy. I want to be the one to deliver it. I¡¯m almost at the crossing in no time. There¡¯s no sight of the cat again but luckily, there is a gaggle of people on the other side of the road. They are waiting so they must have already pushed the button, fantastic. I rock back and forth on my wheels, looking between the group and the lights. They take forever to change though but the people don¡¯t seem to mind. I examine them closely. They look smaller than the others that I¡¯ve seen, more juvenile. Not as small as the child I had seen recently but not yet an adult. I feel like there is a term for that, one specific word that sums up their age group. I think hard but nothing comes to mind. I know that there is a word but I am unable to find it. It doesn¡¯t matter though, the lights change and the people start to move. I do too, diving forwards into the road. I stay to one side, trying to stay out of their way like I¡¯m meant to, but they don¡¯t do the same. They step towards me, standing directly in front of me so that I am forced to come to a stop. One of the taller ones, the boy, laughs but the noise is cruel. It is mocking me. ¡°Look at this dumb thing,¡± he says, a sneer curling his lip. ¡°What even is it?¡± ¡°Have you not seen one before?¡± someone else asks. ¡°They deliver food. They¡¯re slow as shit though.¡± I cycle through my cameras to stare up at the girl who has insulted me. Am I slow? I know that my speed stat is one but the guy, Barry, said I was quick. What if I¡¯m not really? I mean, people walk past me, moving faster than me all the time, but I didn¡¯t think that was too bad. ¡°They are? This one has a scratch on it. Maybe someone kicked it for being so slow,¡± the mean boy says. I want to object, to speak, but I don¡¯t. We¡¯re still on the road, it feels so dangerous. I don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll have enough time to get to the other side before the lights change again. I need to move past them, I need to get to the other side and get back home. ¡°I would,¡± someone else says as I start to move backwards. ¡°I have. One drove past me the other day and I kicked it.¡± ¡°You did not.¡± ¡°I did! I¡¯ll do it again too!¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t, you¡¯re too much of a wimp. You wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± ¡°I would too! What¡¯s that stupid little thing going to do anyway? Run me over? I doubt it.¡± I look up at the boy in fear, worried that he¡¯s going to kick me but luckily, he does not. The lights stop beeping and a car hooks its horn, the noise making me jump. ¡°Come on,¡± the bully before me says, ¡°let¡¯s go back to mine. I have some beers in my room.¡± Some of the others cheer but I take the opportunity to escape. I speed past them as fast as I can before they change their mind and decide to kick me or hurt me. I can¡¯t look away from them as I reach the other side of the road and start to race towards the shop. I¡¯m so worried that they¡¯re going to change their minds and come back to me but luckily, I turn a corner and they disappear from view before long. The shop appears in the distance and relief washes through me. I¡¯m almost home. 15. I cant run. I wake up slowly. I¡¯m not sure why but it feels harder this time. Time has passed since I last powered off, that¡¯s for sure, but I don¡¯t know how long it has been. My vision comes on slowly and, for a moment, I think that something must be wrong. It¡¯s dark. The world around me is dark. But then my enhanced night vision kicks in and, if I could breathe, I would have let out a sigh of relief. My system is just a little slow today. Nothing is wrong, it just needed to wake up. I get that, I remember feeling that way when I was still alive. The icon bouncing at the corner of my screen steals my attention. Someone is placing an order! That means that I will be able to go out into the world soon and I¡¯ll be able to sing soon! I wonder what song they will choose this time. Will it be the same or will it be a different one? Oh, I hope that it is a different one! That would be awesome, I want to hear even more music from this world, even though it¡¯s weird and not what I¡¯m used to. I hesitate. I want to ask the voice if it knows what song the person is choosing but I don¡¯t know if I should. I mean, what if it says a different song and then I¡¯m not even the robot who¡¯s chosen to go out on the delivery? Then what? I will just have to sit outside the shop, watching one of the other robots go out and get to sing, alone and silent? I don¡¯t want that. But I can¡¯t help myself. ¡°Um¡­ voice? Do you know what song the person has chosen?¡± I ask. There is a pause before the voice replies to me. ¡°No. The customer is not prompted to choose a song until they are approaching check out,¡± it tells me. I rock back and forth on my wheels unconsciously as I watch the icon. It is still bouncing so they must be adding more things to their basket. I want them to hurry up and check out so that I can ask the voice again. They are taking their time though. I¡¯m not sure why it is so difficult for them but they seem to be adding many items, then taking some out and I just don¡¯t know why. Is it that difficult to decide what you want to eat? I don¡¯t remember but I feel like it can¡¯t be. After what feels like an eternity of waiting and staring at the icon, the voice finally speaks to me once more. ¡°You have received an order,¡± the voice tells me. ¡°What song did they choose?¡± I shoot back immediately. There is another pause before the voice says, ¡°The song they have requested that you play as you deliver the order is All I want for Christmas is you.¡± I turn the words over and over in my head. ¡°What does that mean?¡± I ask. ¡°What is Christmas?¡± ¡°Christmas is an annual festival which is primarily a religious holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus, who Christians view as their saviour,¡± the voice begins to explain. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. I know that I should just be quiet and listen to it but I can¡¯t stop myself from interrupting it to ask questions. ¡°What is Christianity?¡± I ask. The mention of religion is vaguely familiar to me but I don¡¯t know why. I don¡¯t remember if I was religious or not or even if my world had religions. It must have, I recognise the word. ¡°It is the largest monotheistic religion in this world. The followers follow the teaching from a book called the Bible,¡± the voice tells me. I wait for it to continue but it doesn¡¯t. The explanation sounds strange to me but believable enough. People in my world must have been religious, I decide. Maybe I was too. I have no recollection of that and no feelings surrounding it. ¡°So¡­ the song is a religious one?¡± I ask after a moment when it becomes clear that the voice does not plan on saying anything else. I feel like there is a word for a religious song. A phrase or something that sums it up but the word evades me. I can feel that it¡¯s there, somewhere in my mind, but I can¡¯t grab it. It flutters away like snow in the wind. ¡°No,¡± the voice says simply. ¡°Although Christmas began as a religious holiday and is still seen as such by some, a lot of people view it as simply a present-giving holiday now.¡± ¡°A present-giving holiday?¡± I repeat. ¡°Yes. An excuse to celebrate with friends and family and give each other gifts.¡± Hope increased, happiness increased, determination increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 5.7/10
Happiness 6.4/10
Pride 4.2/10
Battery 97%
I love that. I love that people in this world will just find any excuse to give each other presents and gifts. That makes me so happy. It makes me want to go out on even more orders and think back over my past ones. Maybe I had delivered presents to people, maybe I had been the one giving them! ¡°And, the song is about receiving a person for the holiday, for Christmas?¡± I ask. ¡°Can you give people as gifts?¡± I¡¯m not sure why but that feels strange to me. Surely you shouldn¡¯t be able to give a person as a gift, right? They¡¯re alive, conscious. It felt wrong. ¡°It¡¯s a metaphor,¡± the voice tells me. ¡°They do not mean that they want a person as physical property. It is simply stating that they would like to have the person for their own, as a partner or to date.¡± That makes more sense to me but it also triggers a faint memory at the back of my awareness. I can¡¯t quite work it out but it¡¯s the strange sensation of a hand clasped in mine, of holding something in my other hand, something made out of a hard material, a ring! I could remember the butterflies in my stomach as I slid a ring onto someone¡¯s finger. I couldn¡¯t remember anything more than that though. I couldn¡¯t remember a face, a name or who it was or even why we were doing it. Maybe they were my partner, we dated? I¡¯m not sure but it makes me want to¡­ do something. I¡¯m not sure what exactly but it makes me want to run. I can¡¯t run. I don¡¯t have legs anymore but it makes me want to escape. 16. Christmas Eve! The door opens and I roll forwards in anticipation as the man walks out, a plain white plastic bag clutched in his hand. ¡°Good evening, Dasher!¡± he says as he spots me. ¡°Got a late order for you! The shop is closing in an hour but it¡¯s not too far so you should be back by then.¡± He unlocks my lid and I switch to my interior camera to stare into the bag. I want it to be presents and I think that it is! I see a box of chocolates and a strange glass bottle with a long neck as well as a plastic bag of round light brown things. I have no clue what they are but they must be a present. ¡°When is Christmas?¡± I ask the voice. ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Determination increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 5.9/10
Happiness 6.4/10
Pride 4.2/10
Battery 97%
It¡¯s so soon! The items in the bag must be presents! I need to get them to the customer as soon as possible. ¡°This one is heading to¡­ huh, the high street again. I¡¯m sure they ordered something yesterday too. I guess they forgot the potatoes for dinner,¡± the man muses under his breath as he carefully lowers my lid so that it can lock again. ¡°Alright, go on, Dasher. Be careful out there! The snow is starting to melt now.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± I call back to him. He¡¯s right. I hadn¡¯t really noticed it before but it is definitely less frozen than before. The noise is different as I roll over it, it¡¯s more liquidy. It is almost like a puddle but not quite. Some bits are still frozen but it is starting to thaw. ¡°I am so glad that no one is here,¡± I hear the man mutter under his breath as he watches me go. I slow down a little to listen to him. ¡°I sound like I¡¯ve lost my mind talking to a robot like that. Well¡­ I am working Christmas Eve so it¡¯s to be expected I guess. At least I have tomorrow off. That should be good.¡± The mutters fade away as I move further away from him but I continue to watch him in my rear-facing mirror. He stands outside the shop, his lips moving as he continues to talk to himself, until I disappear from view. I like that man. He¡¯s nice. He¡¯s kind. I feel like not enough people in my world were nice and that makes me sad. The world, every world, needs more kind people. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. What if I wasn¡¯t a kind person? What if I wasn¡¯t the type of person who told a robot to be careful, even if it couldn¡¯t talk back? What if I ignored the opportunity to give people gifts? What if I threatened to kick innocent creatures like the boy from my last delivery or if I laughed at things that got hurt from one of my other deliveries? What if I was mean? No. I can¡¯t focus on that. I can¡¯t believe that I was. If I was then¡­ it means nothing to me, I realise. I am not that person anymore. I am not a person anymore. I am a robot. I can¡¯t be kind or mean. None of it matters. Not anymore. ¡°Please pay attention to your surroundings,¡± the voice prompts me. It¡¯s right. I haven¡¯t been. I have just been blindly following the route and not bothering to look around which I know is wrong. I do so now, scanning my cameras to make sure that there is no danger or obstacles around. There isn¡¯t. It¡¯s a surprisingly quiet night. Christmas Eve, the man called it. Christmas Eve must be a quiet time for people. I barely finish that thought before noise comes from far ahead of me. I flick through my cameras again to find the source of the shout but it is too far away. I keep my attention on that lens as I move closer though, my wheels cutting through the snow easily. I see them before long. A group of people. They¡¯re adults, not young like the other group that had threatened me before. They¡¯re dressed strangely too. I scan them carefully as I pull closer. They don¡¯t seem to be well equipped for the weather. They¡¯re all women, I think, and almost every single person is wearing a dress. Some are much shorter than others, showing a lot of exposed leg which must be freezing in the cold weather. I mean, the snow is melting so it must be warmer but the snow is still there. They must be cold. They¡¯re teetering strangely too. They rock from side to side as they walk and it takes me a moment of staring at them to work out why. They¡¯re wearing weird things on their feet. Shoes. They¡¯re bizarrely shaped, putting most of the pressure on their toes so that they seem taller and can¡¯t balance. I¡¯m baffled by them. I have no clue what to make of it or even why someone would wear those shoes but there must be a specific purpose for them. I mean, why else would they be wearing them? I¡¯m not sure but I can¡¯t stop looking at the women as they pull closer to me. They¡¯re loud. Their bright and sparkly dresses glitter in the street lights and many of them are holding things in their hands. Bottles or cans. Some have just strange long-necked glasses which remind me of the bottle that was placed inside of me but I don¡¯t know why. They drink from them often as they laugh and stumble towards me. They seem unsteady and that worries me. They look like they could fall at any moment, into the road or worse. I don¡¯t know what to do. They¡¯ve not seen me yet and they¡¯re taking up the whole path. I have nowhere to go. I¡¯ll need to stop and wait for them to pass, hoping that they see me and don¡¯t accidentally walk into me or trip over me. The path widens slightly just a little further ahead at the crossing. I don¡¯t need to take it but I can wait there where there is more space for us all. I speed up, moving as fast as I can go to get to the crossing before the women before realising that they might need to take it. They might be crossing the road. I¡¯m not sure what will happen if they do. I guess I can just edge around them? I¡¯m not sure but I¡¯ve reached the crossing and I will deal with that issue if it comes up. I come to a stop as they approach me, watching one woman whose unfocused eyes have fallen on me. Her mouth drops open as she stares before she reaches out and grabs the arm of the person next to her. The other woman sways as she turns towards the first, confusion crossing her face. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asks. 17. Dont worry, friend. The woman continues to stare at me, her eyes wide and her face blank. It takes a few seconds for a wide smile to stretch up onto her lips. ¡°Look! It¡¯s that robot that I told you about! Grocerybot or something!¡± she cries, pointing at me excitedly. The rest of the women fall silent and look between me and the woman. I¡¯m seized by the desire to talk, to introduce myself. I shouldn¡¯t, I know that I shouldn¡¯t. I don¡¯t have anything appropriate that I could say to them. I wish that I could just introduce myself without saying that I¡¯m ready to take the order because I already have an order, it feels wrong. I want to say the name of the company too because she got it wrong and I want to correct her but I don¡¯t know. It feels almost rude. ¡°Thank you for ordering with GroceRover!¡± I say, my voice loud and unexpected even to my own ears. ¡°Please remember that you are not allowed to speak to humans unless you are asking for help, thanking them for helping you, receiving an order or delivering an order,¡± the voice immediately chides me but the women¡¯s reaction is so dramatic that I don¡¯t care. ¡°He can talk!¡± one of them squeals. ¡°Aw! He¡¯s so cute!¡± another shouts. ¡°I love him!¡± the first woman cries. I want to speak more, their reactions are driving me onwards. ¡°I¡¯m Dasher and I am ready to take the order!¡± I say, even though it doesn¡¯t really make sense. ¡°He¡¯s Dasher!¡± one repeats, adoration on her face. The first woman drops to her knees and throws her arms around the hard plastic of my body, her blonde hair falling over me and obscuring my cameras. I don¡¯t move. I don¡¯t know how to react. I think she is hugging me. This is a hug. I remember the sensation of one but I can¡¯t feel anything. I have no sensors in my body, it¡¯s like no one is touching me. But I still appreciate it. I still like that she is hugging me. I missed it, even if I can¡¯t feel it. I think I used to like being hugged a lot but I don¡¯t remember it. When I think about it, when I think really hard, I think I can remember it. I¡¯m not sure though. I¡¯m not sure that I trust my memories. ¡°I love him so much,¡± the woman with her arms around me says but the noise comes out sounding strange and warbling, as if her speaker is malfunctioning. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Confusion washes through me and I look up at the others through the hair just in time to see one of them roll her eyes. ¡°Okay, come on, Alice,¡± she says, laying a hand on the hugging woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re kneeling in snow, aren¡¯t you cold?¡± ¡°No!¡± the blonde woman cries. ¡°He¡¯s keeping me warm! I love him!¡± Some of the others laugh kindly at her but the tall one who spoke to her before starts to gently pull her away from me. ¡°Come on, the robot probably has somewhere to get to and we need to get to Kevin¡¯s party,¡± she says in a calm yet kind voice. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go there? Amy¡¯s at the party.¡± The blonde woman sniffs, the noise almost deafening to me but I don¡¯t care. Loss shoots through me as she starts to pull back and I am seized with the desire to ask her not to. I wish I could tell her to stay and not let go of me but I don¡¯t have the words. ¡°She is?¡± the woman, Alice, asks, staring up at the other woman. Her face looks strange now. Her makeup looks smudged and her cheeks are shiny for some reason. The golden light from the streetlamp shines off it. ¡°Yeah, I saw on Instagram earlier.¡± Alice sniffs again, sitting back on her heels as she stares at me. Her gaze seems distant though, unfocused. ¡°Okay,¡± she mutters before wiping her nose with the back of her hand and starting to stand unsteadily. She stumbles a couple of times but manages to get up in the end. ¡°How much of a mess is my makeup?¡± She turns towards one of the other girls who touches her face for a moment before leaning back. ¡°There, you look perfect!¡± she cries. Alice beams at her before looking back at me. ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave the little guy though! He must be so cold and lonely,¡± she says, her expression sad. ¡°We need to,¡± the kind person tells her. ¡°He¡¯s got a delivery to do.¡± Emotions cross Alice¡¯s face but I can¡¯t work out what any of them mean. They¡¯re too quick, too fleeting. ¡°We need to at least help him, right?¡± she says. ¡°He was going to cross the road, right? That must be why he stopped here!¡± Concern starts to build within me and I glance at the map which shows my path and destination. I do not need to cross the road. I need to go straight on until the end of the street and then turn left, not cross over to the right side of the road. It made no sense. I had just pulled out of their way so that they could pass me easier. ¡°Awww! We should help him!¡± one of the other girls cries, her movements so sudden that some of her drink splashes out of the glass she¡¯s holding and hits the floor near me. I rush to search through my phrases, trying to work out how exactly to tell them that I don¡¯t need help. I can¡¯t find an appropriate phrase though. I can¡¯t say ¡®I need assistance¡¯, they might interpret that as me asking them to help me cross the road, but if I say ¡®Help! I am in trouble!¡¯ it would be too extreme. I am not in trouble. Alice thrusts her drink, which I hadn¡¯t even noticed that she was still holding, into someone¡¯s hands as the other girl does the same. I watch in panic as they turn to me and place heavy hands on my lid. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, friend,¡± Alice tells me cheerfully, ¡°We¡¯re going to help you cross the road!¡± 18. Please return to your route. Panic spears me as the women start to push me towards the road. I cycle through my phrases, trying to work out what to say to them to stop them from pushing me. I can¡¯t exactly just tell them that I¡¯m not going that way, I don¡¯t have the right phrase! Nothing will help. I try to surge past them, to get out of their grasp and show them that I don¡¯t need to cross the road but they are holding me too tightly. I can¡¯t get free. ¡°I need assistance!¡± I cry. ¡°Aww, he needs our help!¡± Alice says but they keep slowly pushing me towards the road. ¡°That is so cute!¡± the other one replies. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯re going to get you across the road.¡± Their grip on me doesn¡¯t change. There is no escape. I flick through my cameras, checking to make sure that there are no cars coming because something tells me that the women will not check. I¡¯m safe, there is only a single car in the distance but we will probably be on the other side by then. I have no clue what to do. If I let them take me to the other side of the road, I¡¯ll be deviating from my route but then, what other options do I have? None. ¡°Almost there,¡± one of the women tells me as we move out onto the road and I debate hitting the brakes. Would that help? They won¡¯t be able to move me as easily if I do but then I¡¯ll be stranded in the middle of the road! And what would happen then? Would they give up and continue to their destination or would they just try harder? There are so many of them. Maybe some of the other women will just join in and then what? Then I¡¯ll still be pushed to the other side of the road, it will just take longer and the car might reach us. I have to just let them push me. It is sweet, in a way. I mean, they are going out of their way to help me, that is kind. Or at least, it is enough to stop my hope and happiness stats from decreasing. ¡°You are deviating from your destination,¡± the voice in my head tells me as we reach the middle of the road. ¡°Please return to your route.¡± Frustration builds within me. ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± I almost shout internally at the voice. ¡°People are pushing me! How can I stop them?¡± I wait for an answer but none comes. The voice has abandoned me. Either that or it doesn¡¯t deem my question worth answering and I don¡¯t know which is worse. I can¡¯t do anything and I know it. I need to just cross back over the road whenever I can. The map hasn¡¯t updated yet. It normally does if I need to take a different route for some reason. I¡¯ve had to a couple of times, like once when the park flooded and I couldn¡¯t get through, but this time, it is taking its time. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. I wonder if there is a place for me to cross the road further on. I switch to my other cameras, scanning the road further on to see if there was somewhere. I can¡¯t see anything from how far away I am though but I have to assume that there will be something. I mean, there has to be. It¡¯s a road, people need to be able to cross it. Don¡¯t they? I¡¯ve been in this world long enough to know that they do. There are crossings on most roads, if not all. The map will readjust soon though, I¡¯m sure of it. That¡¯ll show me where to go. ¡°There you go, lil robot!¡± one of the girls says as we get to the other side and they finally stop pushing me and straighten. ¡°We should take him with us!¡± the first girl, Alice, cries. I jolt away from her a little, wanting to get some space between us just in case she tries to push me in the wrong direction again. Thankfully, she doesn¡¯t seem to notice my movement and one of the other girls speaks. ¡°We can¡¯t, Alice! He¡¯s got to get to his delivery! He probably has food in him getting warm.¡± ¡°Warm? It¡¯s freezing out here, how could it be getting warm?¡± she asks. ¡°I don¡¯t know! What if it¡¯s frozen food or ice cream or something?¡± ¡°Oh, it could be. Fine, I guess he can go on without us. Bye, robot!¡± she says, waving at me. I wish that I had arms to wave back at her with but I don¡¯t. All I can do is speak. ¡°Goodbye,¡± I say before seeing her face light up and deciding to say more. ¡°Thank you!¡± She gasps in surprise, pressing a hand to her mouth as a strange warbling noise comes out of it. ¡°I love him so much!¡± she sobs as one of the other women puts her arm around her and starts leading her away. ¡°I know you do. Here, have some more to drink,¡± she says before adding under her breath, ¡°Not that it¡¯ll help at all.¡± I start to speed away from the group of women who call out farewells to me as I go, watching them through my rear-facing camera. I feel a little weird as I move away from them. Although they made me cross the road when I didn¡¯t want to or need to, it was nice having a group of people around me for a little while. Plus, that one woman, Alice, she had been nice. She had hugged me and told me that she loved me. That was nice. It was strange too though. It made me feel weird. I mean, it was clear that they were drunk. They had alcohol in their hands and they were dressed up, unsteady on their feet. They were probably going to a party or something. That realisation makes me wistful. I think I remember parties. I remember something. A place with loud booming music and bright flashing lights. I remember people moving to the music, their arms thrown up in the air. I don¡¯t remember why we were there or even when, I just remember that we were. ¡°Please pay attention to your surroundings,¡± the voice says just in time for me to swerve around a puddle in the middle of the road where some of the snow must have melted. It was starting to freeze again now though. I could feel the ice at the edges of the puddle crunching under my wheels. It¡¯s a nice sound. I like it. A flash appears on my map and I glance at it. It¡¯s finally updated and realised that I am on the wrong side of the road but it took too long. I can see the turning I am meant to be going down through my side camera. There is nowhere for me to cross. 19. I have reported the inaccuracy. I come to a stop. I can¡¯t cross. There is nowhere for me to cross the road. I need to, the map is telling me to and I know that my destination is down the turning on the other side of the road but there is nowhere for me to cross. I don¡¯t know what to do. I flick through my cameras as a car roars past me, trying to find somewhere to cross. There are some traffic lights far ahead of me as well as the crossing behind me that I was pushed across against my will but they are too far in the distance. I don¡¯t know how long it will take me to get to them and what if more people arrive and try to help me again? It would take too long. I¡¯m not sure how long my journey has taken so far or how much extra time the journey across the road added but I know that it definitely had added some time. The woman from before might be right, I realise. What if I have frozen food in me or ice cream or something? Would it melt? Or could it be ruined? I¡¯d only managed to see a couple of the items as they were put in my bag and I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re frozen or not but what if they are? What if I was right and some of the items are presents, frozen presents? My entire order, my entire delivery could be for nothing. I refuse to let that happen. Determination increased.
Speed? 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 6.2/10
Happiness 6.4/10
Pride 4.2/10
Battery 92%
I feel the determination surging through me. I will not let my delivery be ruined. Plus, the shopkeeper said that he¡¯d wait for me to get back before he goes home, I can¡¯t be late and make him stay. It¡¯s Christmas Eve, surely he has better places to be than in the shop! I have made my decision. I edge towards the road, looking at the pavement on the other side. There¡¯s a lip there so I¡¯ll be able to get back on it fine but there is no lip on my side. I will just need to hope for the best. My wheels will be able to make it. I am strong and steady enough to manage this. I scan the road again, checking to make sure that no cars are coming. They are not. The road is empty and dim from the widely spaced street lights. There is no point in hesitating any longer, I tell myself. I have made my decision, even if I am a little scared by it. I roll closer to the edge of the pavement again, glancing at the road, before surging forwards. There¡¯s a brief moment, a mere millisecond, where my front wheels are off the pavement but my back wheels are not. I am falling, careening through the air far too quickly. It¡¯s a familiar feeling though, one from my life before, but I cannot linger on it for long because my front wheels crash into the slush-covered road just as my back wheels leave solid ground. I am still for just a few seconds as I scan my screens and cameras, searching for any sign of damage or injury. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Pride increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 6.2/10
Happiness? 6.4/10
Pride 4.5/10
Battery? 92%
I did it. I¡¯m not damaged, there is no sign of anything bad happening. I will complete the delivery in time, I will not ruin or negatively impact someone¡¯s Christmas. Pride and determination are still dancing within me as I zip across the road and join the path on the other side. It takes no time, not really. I feel like I am moving faster, even if my speed stat has not increased. Maybe it is just my mood. I am more determined and that is making me feel faster. It isn¡¯t long before I am on the high street, scanning the houses to find number forty-four. My map is telling me that the destination is a few houses further along but I spot the numbers and come to a stop. ¡°Please continue towards your destination,¡± the voice tells me. My vision flicks towards the house number again. The map is incorrect. It happens semi often, I¡¯m used to it by now. ¡°I have arrived at my destination,¡± I tell the voice. ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± I say, checking once more. ¡°I have reported the inaccuracy. Would you like to inform the customer that you have arrived?¡± the voice asks me. ¡°Yes, please!¡± I cry. I wait excitedly for someone to come out, my camera fixed on the front door of the house. I can¡¯t wait to complete my order, I think to myself before something tickles at the back of my mind. I might sing again. The person might have chosen a song for me to sing! I am filled with joy and excitement at the concept of being able to sing to people again and being able to listen to the strange music that people in this world seem to enjoy. I¡¯m not sure what to expect but I can¡¯t wait to find out. The person opens their front door and I roll towards them slightly as they gasp and turn around. ¡°Lena, did you order a GroceRover?¡± I hear him shout but there is happiness in his voice. A softness or gentleness that I recognise for some reason. There is no answer for a moment but a woman appears in the doorway after a while. ¡°Yes,¡± she says in a stubborn tone. ¡°I told you it¡¯s not safe for you to go out on Christmas Eve. It¡¯s icy and people are going to be out drinking. I don¡¯t want to risk it.¡± The man¡¯s face scrunches up into a smile and he glances back at me. ¡°I told you that I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m the one who forgot the potatoes and I don¡¯t want you going without roasties on Christmas day. We both know they¡¯re the best part of the meal!¡± he says. ¡°They are,¡± the woman allows, ¡°which is why I ordered this for you instead of you having to drive down and get some.¡± He turns towards the woman. ¡°I love you. I¡¯m going to make you the best roast potatoes of your life.¡± Her hand comes up to caress his cheek as she smiles lovingly at him. ¡°That¡¯ll be tough. I still have dreams about the ones you made last year,¡± she teases before glancing at me. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to go and see what I ordered?¡± The man looks at me, his expression a mixture of apprehensive and excited. ¡°You mean, you didn¡¯t just order potatoes?¡± The woman laughs softly and leans against the doorframe. ¡°Of course not. There¡¯s a minimum delivery spend.¡± 20. I guess were in for a good evening. His steps are cautious as he approaches me, watching me as if I may explode at any moment. Of course, I cannot and his slowness makes me impatient. Is this how people feel when they are waiting for me or walking behind me and cannot get past? That makes me feel bad but I push it aside as the man nears me. I can¡¯t wait to find out what song I¡¯m going to sing but he¡¯s taking far too long. His bare feet move too slowly on the slush covered pavement. ¡°Um¡­ do you know what song I¡¯m going to sing?¡± I ask the voice. ¡°Yes,¡± is all it says in response. I resist the urge to groan at the voice, unsure if I even can. I don¡¯t know if my voice will form that noise, even in my own head or whatever this is. ¡°What song will I sing?¡± I ask. It doesn¡¯t matter though. The man has finally reached me. He glances back at the woman, signalling to her to unlock my compartment. She smiles excitedly and does something on her phone. My lid unlocks and I wait eagerly to hear the song. ¡°It¡¯s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,¡± blares from my speaker, accompanied by a strange twinkling music. ¡°Everywhere you go. Take a look at the five and ten, it¡¯s glistening once again, with candy canes and silver lanes that glow.¡± The man laughs in delight and turns back towards the woman. ¡°It¡¯s beginning to look a lot like Christmas?¡± he asks, just as I sing those exact words. ¡°Toys in every store, but the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door,¡± I sing. ¡°Of course,¡± the woman says over to noise of my singing. ¡°It is our song after all.¡± Her expression is so adoring that I forget all about the song. I just watch as she walks out into the snow towards the man. He pulls her into his arms and kisses her. They¡¯re both bare foot, neither thought to put shoes on before they came outside to see me, but they don¡¯t seem to care. They¡¯re so wrapped up, so distracted by their love for each other, that they don¡¯t notice the snow on the ground which must be freezing their feet. That makes me wistful, sad almost. I can almost remember that exact feeling. I can remember being so involved, so in love. I miss it. I don¡¯t think I can feel that way anymore. I don¡¯t think I can experience love. ¡°Come on, darling,¡± the woman murmurs after a moment. ¡°Get the food, let¡¯s go inside.¡± The man doesn¡¯t let go of her at first though. His arms stay around her as he gently places one last kiss on her lips. ¡°Alright, I guess I should probably see what you ordered,¡± he says in a long suffering tone that makes her lightly slap his chest. He leans down towards me and I stare up at him, wanting to witness the love that he is experiencing as much as possible as if that will make me feel it too. He reaches for the bag before stopping and looking back at the woman who grins. ¡°Champagne and chocolate?¡± he asks. ¡°Are they for tonight?¡± A coy expression comes over her face. ¡°Maybe,¡± she says. His smile slowly grows as he lifts the bag out of me and shuts my lid. ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯re in for a good evening. Mrs Howes, what do you have planned?¡± he asks as he stands and turns back towards her. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. A giggle tumbles out of her mouth. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go inside and find out?¡± She turns and walks back into the house but the man doesn¡¯t follow. He¡¯s staring after her with an almost shocked expression on his face. After just a moment, he shakes his head and rapidly begins walking after her. He¡¯s moving so fast that I worry he¡¯s going to slip and fall but he does not. It¡¯s not until they both reach the front door, whispering to each other in hushed tones, that I realise I was meant to speak. ¡°Thank you for ordering with GroceRover!¡± I call after them. The woman is already in the house but the man turns back and waves at me before shutting the door. Happiness increased, pride increased, determination increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 6.4/10
Happiness 6.6/10
Pride 4.7/10
Battery 90%
I feel the stats increases coming this time. My happiness after witnessing the young couple so in love and happy, is almost overwhelming but it is the knowledge that I contributed to that. I helped make them happy. That¡¯s what makes my pride and determination increase. I want to do it again. I want to help other people experience love and save them from having to venture out into the world when it is dangerous outside. I can do that. I barely pay attention the entire journey back. I think the voice notices a couple of times and prompts me to do so but I ignore it. It is quiet, there is no one else around. I spend the whole time replaying what I witnessed in my head and feeling it fill me with happiness. I experienced that once. I was young and in love, I¡¯m almost sure of it. The memory feels fuzzy, not quite right but I think it is my own. It doesn¡¯t matter. I can¡¯t remember anything other than the general feeling of love. Of being so happy, so content and comfortable with a person. ¡°There you are, buddy,¡± comes a shout as I approach the shop again. It breaks through my thoughts and I look around for the source of the noise. Happiness increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 6.4/10
Happiness 6.7/10
Pride 4.7/10
Battery 85%
I shouldn¡¯t be surprised but I still am. It¡¯s the man, it always is. The shopkeeper is standing outside the door of the shop. I can see that all of the lights inside have been turned off, it¡¯s dark and void of life. He looks cold, I realise. He¡¯s all bundled up in his coat, which he never wears when he comes out to see me during the day. His face is tinged with pink, especially his nose. How long was he waiting for me? ¡°I was worried about you. I thought you¡¯d got stuck on the snow somewhere or slipped because of the ice!¡± he says as I approach him, ignoring my charging pad. I know that I shouldn¡¯t talk, I know that but I still do. ¡°Thank you!¡± I tell him. He smiles and starts to bend down, his hand outstretched towards me, before he stops himself. ¡°I need a dog or something,¡± he mutters to himself before raising his voice. ¡°Alright, get onto your charging pad. I¡¯ll see you in a couple of days.¡± I scan through my list of things to say, torn on what would be best before settling on one. ¡°Goodbye!¡± I start to move away from him, going towards my empty space in the queue of other robots, and the man watches me go. His expression is confused or thoughtful, I¡¯m not sure. He stares at me for a moment longer before softly speaking. ¡°Goodbye, Dasher.¡± I watch him through my cameras as he starts to walk away, staring at the man as I slowly power down. 21. I dont trust it. Some amount of time has passed, that¡¯s all I am aware of as I slowly booted up once more. The icon is bouncing in the corner of my screen already, I realise. Someone is placing an order and if I¡¯m waking up, that must mean I¡¯m about to be sent out. Excitement jumps in me as my heaters turn on suddenly, surprising me. Of course, it must still be cold out. I cycle through my cameras, staring out at the world around me. The ground is still covered in snow. Either that or it¡¯s covered in snow again. I don¡¯t know what the weather did whilst I was offline. It could have completely melted and then snowed again or it could simply have stayed cold and the snow may have never melted. I don¡¯t even know what the weather is normally like in this world. Maybe this is normal for them and they spend most of the year hiding from the ice inside their houses. What was the weather like where I¡¯m from? I don¡¯t really remember. I think there must have been snow, at least sometimes. I¡¯m not sure but I think I remember walking through it and the coldness nipping at me. I don¡¯t know though. The memory feels so far away. It feels easier not to think of it. ¡°You have received an order,¡± the voice tells me just as I see the icon change on my screen. Excitement bursts into life within me, erasing all previous sadness. ¡°Have they chosen a song?¡± I ask immediately. ¡°Yes.¡± I don¡¯t bother asking the voice what song they chose, something told me it wouldn¡¯t answer anyway. I tried to ask it last time and it refused so it would probably do that again. It wasn¡¯t worth it. I could just wait and be excited whenever it happened. I rock back and forth on my wheels, staring at the front door of the shop. I want to see the man again. He¡¯s nice. He¡¯s the only person I ever see here. Well, not the only person. People walk past me every day but I¡¯m barely awake for it and he¡¯s the only one who ever gives me groceries. I wonder if he¡¯s the only one who works in the shop. No, that seems stupid. Surely the shop can¡¯t have only one person working there? Does he not have any days off apart from Christmas? But I don¡¯t remember anyone else. Maybe he doesn¡¯t. The shop door opens suddenly and I begin to move forwards. Movement out of the corner of my lens surprises me. Another robot has started to move. It¡¯s just barely rolled forwards but it definitely moved. I force myself to move quicker, reaching the man before the robot moves again. ¡°Hello, Dasher,¡± the shopkeeper says, seemingly not even noticing the other robot. ¡°Are you ready for another order?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Dasher and I am ready to take the order!¡± I say excitedly. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. I know that I didn¡¯t need to introduce myself again but I still do. I can¡¯t just say half of the phrase, I need to say it all. The shopkeeper smiles at me, the expression genuine. ¡°Okay, great. I¡¯ve got an order for number seven church road,¡± he tells me as he unlocks my lid and puts the bags into my compartment. There are three. Normally, people only order one or two bags worth of groceries. They must be really hungry. Either that or maybe it¡¯s presents again! Christmas has already passed, I think. Do people still give presents after Christmas? I¡¯m not sure but I hope they do. The man closes my lid and looks down at me. ¡°Alright, be careful out there. It¡¯s getting icy again,¡± he tells me. ¡°Thank you!¡± I chirp back at him as I start to turn around. I keep my gaze on the other robot the whole time. I don¡¯t trust it. It tried to steal my order, I¡¯m sure of it. I¡¯ll need to keep an eye on it going forwards because it could do it again. But¡­ what if it is like me? What if it was alive before? Curiosity and hope grip me so strongly that I can¡¯t help but ask the voice. ¡°Um,¡± I start to say. ¡°Voice? You know the other robot? The one that moved just now. Is it like me?¡± There is a pause and I feel my hope start to increase so strongly that my stat almost changes. ¡°No,¡± the voice says, instantly annihilating that fleeting feeling. ¡°So¡­ it wasn¡¯t a person before?¡± I ask. I already know, I just need to be sure. ¡°No.¡± Hope decreased.
Speed 1/10
Hope? 3.4/10
Determination? 6.4/10
Happiness 6.7/10
Pride 4.7/10
Battery 96%
¡°Then¡­ am I the only one?¡± I ask. I don¡¯t want to know the answer but I need to. I don¡¯t know why but I need to know. ¡°Yes.¡± I suspected it but I am still disappointed. ¡°Why?¡± is my next question. For a while, the voice does not speak and I begin to suspect that it won¡¯t. I¡¯ll just be trapped forever, knowing that I¡¯m alone and that there is no one else like me. That robot isn¡¯t alive, it¡¯s just a robot. It¡¯s soulless, like the rest. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± comes the voice¡¯s soft reply, surprising me. I don¡¯t know how to react to it. I didn¡¯t expect it to speak again and I really didn¡¯t expect it to sound so¡­ human. It sounded unsure, maybe even sad. I had no clue what that meant. ¡°What happened to me?¡± I ask. It¡¯s another question that I don¡¯t want to know the answer to. I ask it but I know that I would be happier if the voice never answers it. Luckily, I don¡¯t have a choice. A shout comes from somewhere out in the world, shocking me. ¡°Oi, you!¡± the shout comes again. Panic soars within me and I flick through my cameras, trying to work out what¡¯s going on and who the man is shouting at. I find him in my rear-facing camera. He¡¯s staring at something past me, his expression furious. He seems badly dressed for the weather, he¡¯s not even wearing a coat. I switch to my front-facing camera before checking the rest. There is no one else around. He¡¯s not shouting at anyone. ¡°Stop, you stupid robot!¡± He¡¯s talking to me. 22. Youre going to give me exactly what I want. Fear stops me for just a moment before I burst forwards again. I have no clue what the angry man wants but I don¡¯t want to find out. I speed along the pavement as quickly as I can manage on the icy ground. I was being cautious before, careful not to move quickly in case I slip, but now I don¡¯t care. I just want to get away from him. I look around frantically as I flee. Why is there no one around? It¡¯s the middle of the day, the sun is high in the sky, but the pavements are empty. Normally, there are people here, I¡¯m sure of it. ¡°Don¡¯t you run away from me!¡± I hear the man shout, his voice much louder and closer than before but I don¡¯t dare look away from the path in front of me. I¡¯ve stopped looking around for other people too. I¡¯m too scared. I just focus on moving as quickly as possible. It¡¯s not enough though. I can hear his footsteps behind me, getting louder. A heavy hand falls on my lid and I am forced to stop. I stare up at the man as he slowly walks around me, keeping one hand on me to prevent me from escaping. He lets go briefly as he moves in front of me and I see my chance. I rush forwards, moving as quickly as I can, but the man is faster. It¡¯s clear that he¡¯s faster and stronger than me. I don¡¯t know what to do. ¡°Now, what have we got here?¡± he asks, looking down at me with a sneer on his face. He was scary from a distance but he¡¯s even more terrifying up close. His clothes are dirty and covered in stains. His cheeks are pink, probably from the cold, but his expression draws my attention. He¡¯s clearly furious. ¡°Do you have food in you, little robot?¡± he asks in a voice that sounds too sweet, too innocent. It¡¯s completely at odds with everything else about him and I don¡¯t trust it for an instant. I want to reply, to lie and tell him that I have no food and my compartment is empty, but I cannot. I know that I¡¯m not allowed to speak to humans unless it is for very specific reasons but even if I were allowed, I don¡¯t think I would be able to. He¡¯s too scary. I feel like my voice would fail me. ¡°Voice, I think I need help,¡± I say quietly. ¡°I bet you do and luckily, I¡¯m starving. My wife kicked me out before lunch, lazy cow,¡± he spat, his words slightly slurred. ¡°So, you¡¯re my next best option. Now, what do you have in you? A sandwich maybe? Some doughnuts? Oh, maybe even a coffee? God, I would murder for a coffee.¡± I stare up at the man. There is nothing I can do. I start to roll backwards but he slams his hand down on my lid so hard that my camera shakes. ¡°I need assistance!¡± I cry as loudly as I can. ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± he tells me, his voice taking on a predator-like edge. ¡°You¡¯re going to give me exactly what I want.¡± ¡°Help me!¡± I shout internally, needing the voice to answer me. I don¡¯t know what to do. The man is bigger and stronger than me. I don¡¯t know how to stand against him, he¡¯ll be able to force my lock open for sure and then the entire delivery will be ruined. There are no cars around though! No one is walking down the street, no one can help me. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°What do you need help with?¡± the voice asks. ¡°I think this man is going to try and break into me!¡± I try to back away again but I can¡¯t go anywhere. My wheels don¡¯t even move and I can feel my motor overheating. I need to stop, I¡¯ll break something if I don¡¯t. He¡¯s still staring down at me though, his bloodshot eyes are fixed on me and a terrifying smile on his face. ¡°Help! I am in trouble!¡± I try to shout again but the man doesn¡¯t even flinch. ¡°Well, that depends on what you have inside you,¡± he says. ¡°If it¡¯s not something that I want to eat, you will be in trouble. Maybe I¡¯ll push you out into the road or there¡¯s a river nearby. Shall we see if you can swim?¡± I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s even possible but I try and tighten my lock. I don¡¯t want the man to steal anything from me. I might have presents or even just food inside. People don¡¯t order me for nothing, they order me because they¡¯re hungry and can¡¯t go out. I need to complete the order, I need to! Determination increased.
Speed? 1/10
Hope 3.4/10
Determination 6.6/10
Happiness 6.7/10
Pride 4.7/10
Battery 93%
I still don¡¯t know what to do though. I need to do something. I can¡¯t just stay here and do nothing. But the man is holding me still, how can I escape? ¡°Does he have a weapon?¡± the voice asks. I quickly scan the man through my lens. I can¡¯t see a weapon. I don¡¯t really even know what I¡¯m looking for though. His hands are empty but he might have something in his pocket, I don¡¯t know. ¡°I don¡¯t think so!¡± I say to the voice, unable to look away from the man. He might pull out a weapon. I hadn¡¯t even considered it. ¡°Are you in a dangerous location? For example, in the process of crossing a road or on unstable ground, such as near a river bank,¡± the voice continues. ¡°No!¡± ¡°A non-urgent report has been filed.¡± I am speechless. I don¡¯t know what to say for a minute. Is that all the voice will do? I thought it was meant to be powerful. And how is this non-urgent? I¡¯m about to be attacked! I need to fight this man myself, that¡¯s all I can do. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see if you¡¯re going to disappoint me or not,¡± the evil man says as he lifts one hand and begins to reach for my lid. I¡¯ll charge at him. That¡¯s got to work. He¡¯s expecting me to run away or try and escape but he won¡¯t be expecting me to move towards him. My proximity sensors might stop me but I don¡¯t think they will. Maybe, if I surge towards him, it¡¯ll surprise him so much that he moves away from me and then I can escape. Maybe he¡¯ll even fall down. That¡¯ll give me some more time to escape. Determination increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.4/10
Determination 6.7/10
Happiness 6.7/10
Pride 4.7/10
Battery 93%
I can do this. I need to. It seems like the man is moving in slow motion. His hand is still edging towards my lid but I have a plan now. I¡¯m ready. I start to prepare my engines, ready to surge forwards and escape the man. 23. How dare you? A wild noise, unlike anything I¡¯ve ever heard before, tears through the air and the man is so startled that he freezes. I could have taken that opportunity to jump into action and run away but I¡¯m startled too. I didn¡¯t expect anything to happen and I can¡¯t move as a white ball of light throws itself onto my lid. The hissing noise is coming from it, I realise. And it¡¯s standing weirdly. It¡¯s holding itself tall, its hair standing on edge. It¡¯s my friend! I took too long to realise but now I can see that it¡¯s the creature from before. It¡¯s the cat who was nice to me and rode home with me! Hope increased, happiness increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 6.7/10
Happiness 7/10
Pride 4.7/10
Battery 92%
The man recovers finally, his face changing from a mask of shock to irritation and I roll backwards. I¡¯m scared of how the angry man will respond to the cat interrupting his attack. Will he turn his anger on it? I just don¡¯t know. The cat is small and fragile, its body nothing more than bones and fluff. The man is huge. He could easily destroy the cat. I¡¯m terrified as the man stalks towards us again but the cat isn¡¯t. It¡¯s hissing still, the noises vicious and fearless. I almost wish that I could be as brave as the cat but I¡¯m not. I am so scared. ¡°You little shit,¡± the man spits. ¡°How dare you?¡± I keep backing away, moving as fast as I can but I¡¯m scared of moving too fast and dislodging the cat. It¡¯s not enough, the man catches up with me again. I don¡¯t know what to do. It¡¯s clear that the voice won¡¯t help me and there¡¯s still no one around. I need to protect this cat but I don¡¯t know what I can do! The man moves too quickly. I try to roll out of reach but I¡¯m too slow. His hand shoots out towards the cat, his fist clenched and his face furious. I can¡¯t do anything but watch as he attacks. But the cat is faster, faster than the man and me. I barely even see it move and the man doesn¡¯t have time to react. The cat may be out of reach but its claws aren¡¯t. They rake across his knuckles leaving a trail of red behind. The man stumbles, his expression morphing into shock again. ¡°What the fuck,¡± he mutters, looking down at his hand. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. The claws must have gone in deep because blood is already dripping down his fingers. He stares at it in confusion and I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s surprised that the cat managed to avoid his hit and hurt him or if he¡¯s just surprised that he¡¯s bleeding but I don¡¯t stick around to find out. I surge backwards away from the man again, moving as quickly as I can. I flick between my front and rear-facing cameras, trying to make sure that I avoid as much of the ice as possible whilst still keeping an eye on him. I don¡¯t trust him. I¡¯m scared that, at any moment, he will start to move again. He could run forwards and he¡¯d be on us in an instant. ¡°You are deviating from your destination, please return to your route,¡± the voice tells me. ¡°I know,¡± I shout back. ¡°A man tried to attack me and I¡¯m running away!¡± I look back at him again, timing it badly and crashing through a mostly frozen pile of snow. He¡¯s not moving but he¡¯s staring at me again. I can¡¯t make out his expression but I¡¯m still scared. He was terrifying. He was going to hurt my friend. I need to protect it, even though it clearly doesn¡¯t need my help. It managed to fight off the man just fine. If anything, it is stonier than me even though it¡¯s made out of fragile bones and flesh and I¡¯m made out of¡­ I don¡¯t know actually. I assume that I¡¯m made out of metal and plastic but I¡¯m not sure. I think I must be but I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t even ask right now anyway. I¡¯m too busy trying to escape. The map hasn¡¯t updated yet. It keeps telling me to move forwards again, to continue along the road towards the scary man who wants to attack us both but I can¡¯t. I won¡¯t. I come to a turning and look back at the man. He¡¯s looking down at his hand again. I don¡¯t know how long he¡¯s been standing there, unmoving, but it feels simultaneously like no time and yet an eternity. I don¡¯t know what to do but I check my map. If I take this turning, I can get to another main road which loops around to church street. That will get me to my destination. I feel bad though. I can see that the customer keeps checking my location so they must be desperate for my delivery to arrive but I can¡¯t follow the route on the map. I need to take a different path, even if it is longer. I need to do what is right for the cat. Determination increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 6.9/10
Happiness 7/10
Pride 4.7/10
Battery 89%
My decision is made. I turn, starting down the road as I wait for my map to update. It doesn¡¯t take long. The route changes and I can see that it¡¯s alerted the customer to the delay. They must be disappointed but I can¡¯t do anything about that apart from move as quickly as I can. The cat sits slowly and I speed up slightly. I had been worried about moving too fast and throwing it off of my lid by accident but now I feel better. After a little while, it lies down on me, its head resting on its paws. I like to think that it is resting after the attack but I know it isn¡¯t. Its ears move around too much. They flick often and, when I finally come across people again, it looks up. Its eyes are fixed distrustingly on the people as they walk past, commenting on how cute we are. 24. If I could pout, I would. I spend the rest of the journey flicking through my cameras constantly. I¡¯m so scared that the man will reappear, that he¡¯ll jump out from one of the turnings or that a car will come to a stop next to me and he¡¯ll climb out and attack the cat which is now dozing lightly on top of me. I can hear its soft snores reverberating through my lid. It makes me happy. Something inside of me is soothed by the almost constant noise. It¡¯s familiar, in a way. The world seems quiet today. It was earlier too. There¡¯s hardly anyone around and even the roads are quiet. I wonder why. Maybe it¡¯s just this time of year. Maybe after Christmas everyone just wants to stay in and do nothing. But then, I don¡¯t know how much time has passed since Christmas. It could be that weeks went by before I was awakened again so maybe it¡¯s not Christmas time anymore. I consider asking the voice but it¡¯s not worth it. Plus, I¡¯m kind of annoyed at it. I know it sounds silly, the voice isn¡¯t a person or alive or anything but it didn¡¯t even try and help me when I was attacked. It just did nothing. I mean, it send a non-urgent report, whatever that means, but that was nothing. It didn¡¯t help me. The only thing that did help was the cat. I feel like I¡¯m still in shock from that. I can¡¯t believe that the cat just appeared out of nowhere and attacked that guy. It¡¯s so much smaller than he was, so much more delicate. It didn¡¯t need to do anything but it did. It protected me. That makes me feel strange but in a good way. I mean, I don¡¯t even know the cat properly. I don¡¯t know its name or who it belongs to or even if it is really a cat. It could be like me and have once been a human but I just don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t talk to it. I wish that I could. That would make things so much easier. I don¡¯t know what I would say though. Maybe I would just start with thank you. Wait. I can say thank you! That¡¯s one of the phrases that I can say! ¡°Thank you!¡± I cry out, excitement at having realised that I can say something to the cat makes me impulsive but happy. The cat stops snoring immediately and lifts its head, staring directly into my lens with shrewd eyes. It doesn¡¯t move for a moment and anxiety starts to build within me. Maybe I scared it, maybe I spooked it and it was about to jump off me and run away. I slow down a little, forgetting about the customer and my delivery, as I stare back at the cat. After a moment, it blinks slowly and drops its head back onto my lid, starting to snore again almost immediately. Relief washes through me but it doesn¡¯t last long. ¡°Please remember that you are not allowed to speak to humans unless you are asking for help, thanking them for helping you, receiving an order or delivering an order,¡± the voice tells me. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. I¡¯ve heard that exact phrase from it so often that I don¡¯t care. I think I would have just ignored it if I wasn¡¯t feeling quite so rebellious and annoyed about it ignoring my cry for help before though. ¡°It¡¯s not a human,¡± I think sulkily. ¡°It¡¯s a cat.¡± There is a pause and I feel a small spark of triumph burn within me. I¡¯m smug that I¡¯ve managed to shut it up, as stupid as that sounds. It makes me happy. ¡°Please remember that you are not allowed to speak to anyone, human or animal, unless you are asking for help, thanking them for helping you, receiving an order or delivering an order,¡± the voice says, correcting itself. If I could pout, I would. ¡°Why not?¡± I ask the voice. I don¡¯t expect it to answer and it doesn¡¯t. I assume that it doesn¡¯t have an answer because why would it? I don¡¯t understand why I wouldn¡¯t be able to talk to animals. They¡¯re not humans, they can¡¯t get unnerved by my talking. I mean, maybe if someone were to overhear me talking to an animal, they would get confused by it but I doubt it! I can be careful, I will be careful. I hesitate as doubt rushes through me. What would happen if someone did overhear? What if they didn¡¯t just brush it off but what if they did something about it? I¡¯m not sure exactly what they could do but if GroceRover found out somehow, that could be bad. Would they send me home? Back to the factory or wherever counts as home to me now? Then what? I don¡¯t know and I don¡¯t want to find out. I need to do what the voice says. Or at least be careful about talking to the cat or other creatures. I need to make sure no one else is around when I do that. A splatter hits my lens and I look around at the world in surprise. It¡¯s raining. Or hailing. Maybe snowing? I¡¯m not sure actually. I think it might be a combination of the three somehow. The cat snoozing on my lid looks up, staring around at the world with an unimpressed expression. It doesn¡¯t move though. I expect it to but it doesn¡¯t. The rain is coming down heavily now. It hits the snow-covered grass hard and splashes in the puddles on the road. I¡¯m a little scared. I¡¯m waterproof to an extent, I know that, but that doesn¡¯t stop my fear. I¡¯m a robot, made out of machinery. If rain gets into me, it could be a problem. I¡¯ve been too reckless recently, taken too much damage and I know it. I hit the metal pole in the park, crashed into the road heavily when I had to jump off the curb and I might have even been damaged when I was sleeping. My metal shell could be cracked, broken maybe. Rain could get into my circuits and ruin me. What would happen to me if water did find a way in? If I was damaged so badly that I needed to be sent back to the factory to be repaired, would I stay here in this world? Or would the rain erase all traces of my personality so that I just stop existing? Would I feel it happening? Or would I simply be here one moment, gone the next? What would happen to me then? Would I go to another world? Or would I just be gone? I¡¯m not sure. I don¡¯t know which would be better. I like to think that I¡¯ll return home, to the life I once lived, but I know that I won¡¯t. I don¡¯t know how I know but I do. I can¡¯t go back. I¡¯ll never go back. ¡°You are approaching your destination,¡± the voice informs me. ¡°Would you like to inform the customer that you¡¯ve arrived?¡± 25. Its about to happen! I wait excitedly for the customer to come out, wondering what song I¡¯m going to sing. I¡¯ve already sung a couple but I want something new. I want to hear more of this weird and unusual noise that the people of this world view as music. I don¡¯t know what to do though. The cat is still on top of me. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s sleeping or just lying there but it¡¯ll need to move. Soon, the customer will come out and they won¡¯t be able to open my lid with the cat on top. I rock back and forth on my wheels, staring at the door. Should I say something to the cat to get it to move? What if it¡¯s asleep and it doesn¡¯t notice the customer approaching? Would the person be nice to them or would they be mean like the other man was before? I¡¯m not sure but I don¡¯t have a chance to worry about it anymore because the front door of number seven Church Road opens and the cat sits up. It looks around for a moment, yawning widely before jumping down. I stare after it sadly, expecting it to walk away from me like it did last time but it doesn¡¯t. Despite the sleet that is falling down on us, the cat stays near me. It rubs itself against the hard plastic of my body as the man approaches. That gets my attention. I look up at him, trying to hold back my excitement as I see him pull out his phone. I¡¯m going to sing! It¡¯s about to happen! ¡°Stupid thing,¡± he mutters as he stomps towards me. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting over an hour. An hour! I could walk to the shop and back ten times in that time.¡± That doesn¡¯t sound right. I know that I move slowly but surely he cannot be that fast. I mean, I have seen other humans moving quickly since I woke up and some were quicker than others but it still doesn¡¯t feel right. Surely, it cannot be. It was a long journey. I know that I had to turn back and take a different route but even so, I thought I was quick. He hits the button on his phone and excitement rushes through me as I feel myself preparing to sing. My lid opens and the music begins. ¡°Last Christmas, I gave you my heart,¡± I sing along to the cheerful noise. ¡°But the very next day, you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears, I¡¯ll give it to someone special.¡± I¡¯m thrilled. I love this song. It''s so much better than the last one, that one was boring. Well, it was good, it just wasn''t as good. But I don¡¯t get to enjoy it for long. The man lifts the bag out of my compartment quickly and slams the lid shut, cutting off the music. I fight the urge to wail in disappointment as the sound stops. Happiness decreased. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 6.9/10
Happiness 6.8/10
Pride 4.7/10
Battery 81%
I¡¯m heartbroken. I wanted to hear more of the song but I only got a few lines, if that. I wanted to hear the whole thing and now, I might never. ¡°Voice, can I listen to that song? The man stopped it early but can you play it just for me?¡± I ask. I already know what the answer will be but I need to ask, just in case. ¡°No, unfortunately, that is not possible,¡± the voice tells me. I¡¯m not sure if I am just being sensitive but it almost sounds sad. I think it wishes that it could play the rest of the song for me. The man doesn¡¯t even look at me again as he walks away, back into his house. ¡°Thank you for ordering with GroceRover,¡± I call sadly but the door shuts between us. I don¡¯t think he heard me. I have the fleeting impulse to say it again but much louder. Maybe he¡¯ll hear me and respond then. I can¡¯t though. It¡¯s not right. I glance at the cat again, sadness radiating throughout me, before starting to turn. The cat waits until I¡¯m pointing away from the house and pause to jump back on top of me. It sinks down, its face barely poking out of its paws, and stares into my camera. I wish I knew what it was thinking or that I could communicate with it in some way. I¡¯m not sure what we¡¯d even have to say to each other but I still wish that I could. I¡¯m just a robot though and it¡¯s just a cat. Even if I could speak to it, it wouldn¡¯t be able to speak back. I wouldn¡¯t mind that too much though. It would be nice just to be able to speak to something. I guess I can speak to the voice but it doesn¡¯t really count. I mean, I don¡¯t know what it is. It could be a human whose job it is to sit and wait for me to speak all day and then answer it when I do or it could just be a computer programme. The latter feels more likely. I mean, if it was a human, surely it would want to speak to me more. It would answer questions properly and not ignore me sometimes like it does when I ask a question it doesn¡¯t want to answer. But¡­ it still could be. ¡°Voice,¡± I start. ¡°Are you human?¡± There¡¯s a pause and I start to lose hope that it will ever answer me until it suddenly speaks. ¡°I am an element of a programme created by GroceRover,¡± it tells me. ¡°I am not human.¡± Even though I expected that answer, disappointment rushes through me. I¡¯m alone then. I can only speak to customers, who might be mean to me, and that nice man at the shop. As I think that, the cat begins to snore softly. The sound and vibrations echo through my lid and touch my microphone. Maybe I¡¯m not completely alone. 26. I will be able to complete my order. I¡¯m slow to wake up this time, I can feel it. My power doesn¡¯t want to switch back on, not fully. It feels like back when I was a human, when I didn¡¯t want to get out of bed in the morning to go to work or school, but now I have no choice. It is easier though. Now, I actually want to get up. I can feel my power coming on slowly, my desire to be out in the world, to deliver orders for people, makes it easier. But not by much. Slowly, gradually, my power comes on. It feels like there is some indecision there, like it¡¯s not just coming from me. As soon as my cameras switch on, I realise why. The weather is very different to how it was just days ago. The snow, once so bright and crisp, is now grey and mostly melted. Rain is pouring from the skies and bouncing hard against the already wet pavement. There are puddles everywhere. It¡¯s the middle of the day, I think, but it looks close to nightfall. I think it¡¯s just because of the clouds though. The sun has been obscured by a solid block of thick dark grey. It looks weird. I¡¯m not used to it. I think, back where I used to live, we didn¡¯t have much rain. No, we didn¡¯t. I remember the small patches of grass we were required to keep were always dry and patchy. We¡¯d gotten in trouble for that a few times, me and¡­ The icon in the corner of the screen bounces, indicating that someone is placing the order. They keep placing some things into the basket causing the icon to bobble again and I glance at the sky. I wouldn¡¯t want to go out in this weather, if I were still human. It must be wet and miserable. I¡¯d much rather stay inside where it is probably dry and warm than go out into the cold. It¡¯s probably safer too. I¡¯m not sure what humans in this world are like, or even if they are the same as in my world, but people there could get ill if they went out in the cold too much, I think. I¡¯m not sure though, I don¡¯t really remember. Either way, I¡¯m glad that I¡¯m able to deliver them their groceries rather than them having to go out and risk illness. I cannot get ill, I can¡¯t feel the cold so it won¡¯t be a problem for me. Although¡­ Is it safe for me to go out? I¡¯m a robot, I know that, but I do worry about getting damaged by the rain. I hesitate for a moment, determination warring with my uncertainty before deciding to ask the voice. It will know. It knows everything. ¡°Voice¡­ is it okay for me to go out in the rain?¡± I ask. ¡°Yes,¡± the voice says without delay. ¡°All GroceRover food delivery robots are water resistant so they can deliver orders in all types of weather.¡± ¡°Are you sure? What if¡­ am I damaged? I mean, I hit the pavement really hard that time and I crashed into the bollard! Could that have damaged me and made it unsafe for me to go out in the rain?¡± There¡¯s a slight pause before the voice speaks this time. ¡°It is possible that, if you have taken significant physical damage, you be more at risk from water and rain. However, GroceRover would be aware of the damage and you would have either been recalled for repairs or a GroceRover engineer would have already been sent out to assist.¡± Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I see the icon bob again but I still can¡¯t push the worry from my consciousness. I need to be sure, I¡¯m not sure why. I think it is probably just because I want to make sure that I can get the order to the customer but, whatever it is, I am worried. ¡°Have they asked me to come back?¡± I ask. ¡°Or has someone been sent out to come and fix me?¡± ¡°No,¡± the voice says, sounding firm. ¡°There have been no recall or repair orders for you. You are safe to go out in the rain.¡± Determination increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 7.3/10
Happiness 6.8/10
Pride 4.7/10
Battery 97%
Excellent. I will be able to complete my order. The customer won¡¯t need to go out in the rain and get ill. I will be able to help. That makes me feel better and pushes all worries and thoughts of me getting water damage out of my¡­ well, not mind. I don¡¯t think I have one. I¡¯m not sure what I do have, maybe just awareness? The icon bobs again. ¡°You have received an order,¡± the voice tells me. Happiness increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 7.3/10
Happiness 7/10
Pride 4.7/10
Battery 97%
I speed forwards, leaving the shelter of the roof, and hear rain start to strike my lid. It¡¯s loud. Very loud. The rain must be coming down very heavily. Is that normal in this world? Does it rain like this all the time? I don¡¯t know but even as I¡¯m thinking that, someone walks past in a thick coat with a hood. It looks warm. They seem prepared so maybe they are used to it, maybe it¡¯s completely normal for them. That¡¯s good. That means that I should be well equipped to manage the rain and the puddles. I must be designed for that. It would make sense, I think. I¡¯m not sure but I don¡¯t have long to think about it because I see the man through the window. The shopkeeper. I turn towards him, watching his progress. He¡¯s walking around, back and forth past the door, a plastic bag clutched in his hand. He must be packing the order now. I feel like he¡¯s normally quicker than that but this time, it seems like he takes a long time. That worries me. Maybe he¡¯s ill. Maybe he spent too long in the rain? Or it could be something worse, like what I had. I don¡¯t remember the name of it or anything about it really. I don¡¯t know how long I was ill, how it happened or what happened, I just know that I was. I think. I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m still worrying about it when he appears through the glass door once more, his eyes landing on me and a smile pulls at his lips as he pushes the door open. 27. Bloodshot! ¡°Hello, Dasher,¡± the man says but I am too busy scanning his face for any signs that he¡¯s ill to answer him, not that I am allowed to. He looks tired. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s normal but his eyes have bad under them and they¡¯re reddish. They look¡­ I can¡¯t think of the word. There are red lines on the whites of his eyes and I know there¡¯s a specific word for it. It¡¯s floating just out of reach, what is it? Bloodshot! They look bloodshot. Is that normal in this world? I really don¡¯t know and I¡¯ve not looked enough people in the eye here to know for sure. He doesn¡¯t seem to be ill though, apart from the bloodshot eyes and bags. He just looks tired maybe. That¡¯s it. He¡¯s fine, just tired. That can happen, people can get tired. It doesn¡¯t need to be anything more than that. I hope it¡¯s not. I can¡¯t think of anything worse than having to watch him get more and more sickly. I¡¯d be stuck watching one of my only friends, one of the only people who speaks to me, become thinner, paler and more frail, unable to say or do anything about it. Just the thought of that threatens to send my hope, happiness and determination stats tumbling. But it won¡¯t happen. It won¡¯t. He¡¯s fine. ¡°Got an order for you,¡± he tells me. ¡°Park street again. I¡¯m pretty sure they ordered you just a few days ago, didn¡¯t they? Ah, whatever. At least it¡¯s a nice journey, I¡¯m sure.¡± He chuckles softly before his eyes find something just past me and his face drops. I switch to my rear-facing cameras, searching for whatever he could have seen that would have made him stop talking like that. I expect to see something like a gryphon or that man from before, something scary that means you need to freeze and work out whether to flee or attack, but it¡¯s nothing. Just a woman. She smiles at the man as she walks past and he returns it but his expression looks weird. He¡¯s nervous, I realise. He must be scared of the woman for some reason but I¡¯m not sure why. She just looks like a normal woman but I might be wrong, she might be dangerous or something like one of the creepy creatures from my world that masquerade as a human but are far from it. Do they have them in this world? I don¡¯t remember what they were called but I¡¯ve not seen one since I gained awareness. But then, maybe they are everywhere, they¡¯re just better at hiding it here. Or maybe they have to. Maybe humans here are less open and accepting than the ones back home. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I¡¯m not sure but I feel like the shopkeeper wouldn¡¯t be rude or small-minded. He seems like a nice person so he must be scared of the woman for some other reason. Whatever it is, he¡¯s silent until she walks into the shop and the door closes behind her. ¡°Be careful going across the park, buddy,¡± he says much quieter than before. ¡°It can get really flooded in the rain and you¡¯re only little.¡± It¡¯s silly, I know it is, but I still like that he cares. ¡°Thank you!¡± I say even though I shouldn¡¯t. ¡°Please remember that you are not allowed to speak to humans unless you are asking for help, thanking them for helping you, receiving an order or delivering an order,¡± the voice tells me immediately. I ignore it and continue staring up at the man. I don¡¯t care what the voice has to say about that. I should be allowed to speak to the man when I want to. If he speaks to me, I should be able to reply, shouldn¡¯t I? It just feels rude not to. I don¡¯t want to be rude to him. I am worried about how he¡¯s going to react though. For a moment, he doesn¡¯t but then a smile stretches over his lips and he shakes his head slightly. ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Dasher,¡± he tells me before lifting his phone and unlocking my lid. I switch to my inner cameras to watch him lower the very full-looking bag into me. I wonder what the person has ordered. I don¡¯t remember what they ordered last time but I¡¯m excited to go through the park again, even if the man said that it gets flooded in the rain. It wouldn¡¯t be too bad, surely. The grassy area in front of the shop didn¡¯t look too bad. Plus, there were paths so it would be fine. I glance back at the man as he finishes lowering the bag into me and shuts my lid. He¡¯s not wearing a coat, I realise. The other people were but he isn¡¯t. He must be freezing. His light blue shirt is peppered with darker spots now from the rain and I almost want to turn and rush away from him so that he¡¯ll go inside quicker but I resist the urge. He won¡¯t be outside for much longer and I¡¯m sure the shop is really warm, even if I¡¯ve never been in it. I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯d even be able to tell though, if I were to go in. The man straightens again and slips his phone into his pocket before glancing over his shoulder into the shop. ¡°Alright,¡± he says once he is sure no one is around. ¡°Have a safe journey. It¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve so the roads might be a little busy.¡± I don¡¯t know what that means but I appreciate his warning. Despite being reprimanded by the voice just moments ago, I still decide to speak to him again. ¡°Thank you,¡± I chirp. ¡°Goodbye!¡± I turn and start to speed away from him as the voice chides me once more. ¡°Please remember that you are not allowed to speak to humans unless you are asking for help, thanking them for helping you, receiving an order or delivering an order.¡± I don¡¯t care. 28. How much do you know? ¡°Has the customer chosen a song for me to sing today?¡± I ask the voice as I speed down the rain-slick pavements, determined not to keep the customer waiting as long as they did last time. ¡°They have not,¡± the voice tells me. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s a shame.¡± I hesitate before asking my next question. ¡°What¡¯s New Year¡¯s Eve?¡± ¡°It is a celebration that marks the day before the end of one year and the beginning of the next in the Gregorian calendar.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the Gregorian calendar?¡± I pause to let some people walking towards me move onto my side of the pavement to avoid the huge puddle that covers most of the path. It looks deep and I don¡¯t want the people to have to step in it and get wet. I wouldn¡¯t want to do that, I don¡¯t think. ¡°Thank you!¡± they call to me but I don¡¯t risk replying to them. It¡¯s not worth being chided again. Plus, I¡¯m waiting for the voice to answer a question for me and if I do something wrong, it might not. ¡°The Gregorian calendar is how the majority of humans in this world mark the passage of time. It consists of twelve months of varying lengths,¡± the voice says finally. ¡°Huh, that¡¯s interesting. But not everyone uses it?¡± I ask. The voice is being more chatty to me than normal. I¡¯m not sure why it is but I want to capitalise on it and ask as many questions as I can before it stops answering them again. ¡°No. Some people from other countries use different calendars and systems.¡± That makes sense, I guess. Not everyone can use the same system, even though I think that would make everything a lot less confusing. I don¡¯t remember how we use to do it in my world. The voice¡¯s explanation doesn¡¯t feel too weird though so maybe it was the same. I¡¯m not sure. I want to ask more questions but I don¡¯t know what to ask. I want to know more about the world, to learn about the system that feels almost familiar, but I don¡¯t know how to phrase it. ¡°What year are we on?¡± I ask finally but it feels clumsy. ¡°Is there a name or a number?¡± I can see numbers at the top right corner of my screen, I assume it must be them but they are meaningless to me. I don¡¯t even know what they could mean. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°It is the last day of the year two thousand and twenty-two,¡± the voice tells me. Awe shoots through me and I cycle through my cameras. ¡°Humans did all this in only two thousand years?¡± I ask. I¡¯m not sure why it¡¯s shocked me so much but it has. Maybe my world was less advanced, more primitive. No¡­ that doesn¡¯t feel right. We were the more advanced ones so maybe it just took us longer. Whatever it is, I am impressed. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ what do you mean? Have humans been around for longer than that?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the voice answers. ¡°Why didn¡¯t they start counting then? How long have they been around?¡± I ask. I mean, it doesn¡¯t make sense to me. Why would they randomly start counting like two thousand years ago and not before then? Maybe they couldn¡¯t before then for some reason but they could have added on extra years once they realised, right? I think that¡¯s what my world did. We counted from the year humans first started to exist. I have to stop once more to let some kids avoid a puddle but they don¡¯t seem to care too much. They jump into the water, causing the woman they¡¯re with to shout in surprise. I watch as she hurries them out of the puddle, not even looking at me as she does. The kids do though. The older one, the girl, grins at me mischievously as she passes and something tells me that she will jump straight into the next puddle that she sees. ¡°That is a complicated question,¡± the voice replies finally. ¡°Why?¡± I ask. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I wait for the response but none comes. That¡¯s disappointing, I was enjoying learning about this strange world. I¡¯m tempted to ask the voice again but I decide not to. I feel like it would just continue to ignore me but I want to talk to it. I liked having someone to talk to. ¡°Will I be able to sing again soon, do you know?¡± I ask. ¡°That depends on whether or not the customer chooses a song to play during delivery.¡± ¡°Do they always have the same selection or does it change sometimes? How many songs are there in this world?¡± I truly want to know. I hadn¡¯t considered the question before I thought of it just now but surely they have a lot, right? I mean, back in my world, I think there were a lot. I don¡¯t remember any specifically but I¡¯m sure there were thousands, if not more. ¡°No. The music selection is seasonal and changes throughout the year,¡± the voice informs me. That¡¯s exciting, so exciting that I barely notice that it hasn¡¯t answered the second part of my question. ¡°Cool! When will it change next?¡± ¡°When GroceRover deems it appropriate.¡± ¡°And when will that be?¡± I prompt. ¡°When it is appropriate.¡± Frustrating answer. ¡°So, you don¡¯t know,¡± I say churlishly. ¡°I do not,¡± the voice admits. ¡°I will be informed when it is necessary for me to know.¡± I mull that over for a moment as I pause to cross a road, the park just on the other side. ¡°How much do you know?¡± I ask. I had assumed that it knew everything. It always felt like it did. It had the answer to every question that I ask, even if it ignores them sometimes. But, I realise slowly, maybe it just ignores me because it doesn¡¯t know the answer. Maybe it doesn¡¯t know how to tell me that. ¡°I know as much as GroceRover deems appropriate,¡± it tells me. It almost sounds sad about that. 29. I was lucky last time. The ramp leading into the park isn¡¯t slippy today, like it was last time. It¡¯s surprisingly easy to navigate, even if there are still some spots of snow that have yet to melt. They¡¯ll be gone soon though, I¡¯m sure. The rain is still coming down hard, it¡¯ll wash them away before long. I can almost see it happening as I pass them. The small grey mounds of compacted snow and ice as getting smaller and smaller. I have to be careful to swerve around them as I go though. They look slippery and, even though they¡¯re little, I¡¯m worried they¡¯ll make me slide into the metal bollard. I don¡¯t want to do that again, it might do more damage than last time. I was lucky last time, I might not be this time. I need to be on the lookout for the squirrel too. It might attack me again and I¡¯m not sure how I would fight it off. I don¡¯t know if I can. I wish my friend were here. That cat would definitely be able to fight it off. I mean. It fought off a human and they were so much bigger and scarier than it. It would definitely be able to fight off a squirrel. Maybe the squirrel would just be so scared of it that it wouldn¡¯t even approach me. That would be cool. I¡¯m distracted from that thought as soon as I reach the bottom of the ramp though. I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings but, as I enter the park, I stop. The man had warned me that the park gets really flooded in the rain but I hadn¡¯t expected it to be this bad. The paths are still visible but barely. The grass near the river bank is so waterlogged that I can¡¯t even tell where the river ends and the park begins. But, the paths are still visible, I repeat to myself. That means that I can do it. I can get through the park and deliver my order. The customer¡¯s house isn¡¯t far, it¡¯s just on the other side. It¡¯s the best route so I need to take it. I don¡¯t really want to though but I remember how annoyed the last customer had been when I had taken too long to deliver their order. I don¡¯t want to risk doing that again. I glance at the map on my screen, trying to work out which route I would take if I didn¡¯t go through the park. I¡¯d have to go around it. There¡¯s a road that goes along the outside of the park with a bridge over the river. I could take that. It is longer though and I¡¯m not sure how long that would take me. It would be a while. It¡¯s not worth it. The voice said that I am safe to go out in this weather, it must be right. Even so, I find myself speaking to it again. ¡°Voice,¡± I say. ¡°It¡¯s really flooded here¡­ Am I okay to go through the park?¡± I wait for it to answer me, unsure of what I want it to say. If it says yes then I know that I¡¯ll be safe but I¡¯ll still be worried. If it says no, I¡¯ll just go the other way and the customer might be annoyed at me. But I¡¯ll be safe so that makes it okay, right? Before the voice even answers me, I feel my determination gathering. I will go through the park. I don¡¯t want to be the reason that the customer cannot get their food in time. What if they¡¯re starving and are waiting for me to bring them food? Or what if they need the toilet desperately and I have toilet paper in me? I need to ignore my misgivings and just go. Determination increased, pride increased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 7.5/10
Happiness 7/10
Pride 4.9/10
Battery 96%
I don¡¯t really even need to be alerted to that, I feel the stats raise. I surge forwards, starting along the path before the voice can speak. It doesn¡¯t matter though, it still answers me. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°The journey has been deemed safe,¡± the voice says. I¡¯m glad but I can¡¯t stop myself from asking, ¡°By who?¡± There is no reply. I didn¡¯t really expect one yet I¡¯m still a little annoyed by it. But maybe the voice doesn¡¯t even know. Maybe it just knows that the path is safe but doesn¡¯t know who told it that or where the answer came from. That makes me feel conflicted. I feel bad for it but I still am annoyed. It doesn¡¯t matter anyway. I push it aside, focusing on the route around me. The park is more flooded than anything I¡¯ve ever seen before. It seems so weird to see pools of water lying there on the surface of the grass and no people around. I¡¯m not sure what I expected but I thought that there¡¯d be someone there. Some poor person who can¡¯t afford the ever-rising water prices or doesn¡¯t trust the tap water and instead chooses to get water from elsewhere even if it¡¯s probably not particularly safe or clean here. Oh. I don¡¯t know where that came from. Is that how things were for me back home? I really don¡¯t remember. Maybe? I can¡¯t get a headache anymore, I don¡¯t have a head, but thinking about it gives me the same sensation. I feel unsteady, unsure. I shouldn¡¯t keep thinking about it, it¡¯s not helping anything and I¡¯ll never remember properly so it¡¯s pointless. I¡¯ll never go back either. I know that for sure. ¡°Please pay attention to your surroundings,¡± the voice reminds me and I quickly flick through my cameras. I¡¯ve missed the turning. There was a turning that I should have taken to come off the main path but I missed it. I hadn¡¯t even noticed, it was too covered by the water. I turn slowly, going back down the path and edging around the puddle to get onto the smaller, less used track. It¡¯s muddier than the main path, that is immediately obvious. The main track is wider and the path itself felt sturdier. This one doesn¡¯t. The thin layer of gravel is coated with mud and water making it hard to follow, even with the use of my map. I manage though. I move slowly, so slowly the customer is probably annoyed by my lack of progress, but I make it along the path without too much difficulty until I reach something that makes me stop. A puddle covers the entire width of the path. I start to edge into it, trying to judge how deep it is, but I quickly pull back. It¡¯s too deep, I can tell. Maybe the edges are more shallow though. I roll forwards slowly, trying to figure it out. They seem to be too deep. I don¡¯t know what to do. I either need to find a way through the puddle, go across the grass on one of the sides or go back and find the other way around the park. That would take too long though. It¡¯s not an option. ¡°Voice,¡± I ask. ¡°What should I do here?¡± I wait for it to answer me, rocking back and forth uncertainly. ¡°The journey has been deemed unsafe. Please wait whilst your route guidance updates,¡± it tells me. Worry floods me as I wait, staring at the map. I don¡¯t want to take a different route, it¡¯ll take too long and I know that. I need to get to the customer. Their house isn¡¯t too far from the exit of the park, I¡¯m almost there. I can make it. I roll backwards slowly, scanning the mud on either side of the puddle. It¡¯s bad. Thick. I need to go as far as possible from the puddle so that it¡¯s less muddy. There are trees on both sides, they should have protected the ground underneath which means they¡¯ll be less sodden. But, which way should I go? The obvious choice is the side without the river. I know that, I really do, but I¡¯m scared. That¡¯s where the squirrel ran off to when I hit the bollard before. It could still be hiding there and if I go that way, it might attack. It would be too dangerous. If I¡¯m attacked today, when the weather is so bad, I might get really damaged or I could get stranded in a puddle and then what would happen? I really don¡¯t know. No, I need to go on the other side, on the side that leads down to the river. That will be safer. There¡¯s enough space there for me to get by in between the puddle and where the ground starts to slope downwards towards the stream. It¡¯ll be safer. As long as I go slowly, it¡¯ll be okay. I start to edge towards the side of the path, hearing the wet grass squidge under my wheels. I move slowly, so slowly that I¡¯m barely moving but I know that I¡¯m making progress. ¡°You are deviating from your route,¡± the voice tells me. ¡°Please turn around.¡± ¡°No!¡± I tell it. ¡°I can make it!¡± But that was enough to break my concentration. I feel it happen. My wheels begin to slip in the mud and there¡¯s nothing I can do to stop it. 30. Its quieter this time. I was distracted, I made a mistake, the voice shouldn¡¯t have spoken to me then. Those and a hundred other excuses flit through my mind as I begin to tip. My wheels spin wildly, pushing as fast as I can but it¡¯s not enough. I¡¯m not moving, the only thing that I¡¯m accomplishing from struggling is splashing mud everywhere. Flecks of it fly past my camera but I¡¯m not escaping. I¡¯m slowly tilting. Something in my compartment shifts and suddenly, I begin to slide. I push my wheels to spin faster, trying to prevent myself from falling down the muddy slope into the water but it¡¯s too late. I¡¯m sliding, moving too quickly and no matter what I do, I can¡¯t stop myself. ¡°Help!¡± I scream. ¡°I need assistance!¡± No one comes. I¡¯m slipping down the mud, hurtling towards a tree that juts out of the ground. ¡°Help me!¡± I shout at the voice. ¡°Please!¡± My camera shakes as I smash into the tree and for a moment, I hope that it¡¯ll be enough to stop me from sliding further down the slop, but it¡¯s not. I¡¯m turning, spinning out of control on the mud and I can¡¯t help it. I can¡¯t do anything. I cycle through my cameras endlessly, trying to see the water even though I know there¡¯s nothing I can do to stop myself from going into it. It¡¯s too late. My wheels aren¡¯t doing anything. I still don¡¯t give up though. Even as I spin, I keep trying. I need to do something. I can¡¯t just let myself die. My vision jolts again and I hear a loud crash as I hit something again. I flick frantically through my cameras, trying to work out what I hit and if it will hold me. A root. There¡¯s a thick gnarled root stretching up out of the bank. It looks strong, it has to be enough to keep me away from the water. I flick through to my other camera, staring at the water. For a moment, I¡¯m speechless. I don¡¯t even think. I just experience pure terror. I am so close to the river. Just a little longer, a bit more rain, and it will reach me. Then what will happen? ¡°Help! I am in trouble!¡± I try to shout but the noise that comes out of my speakers is nothing more than a garbled sound. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I try again and another warbling noise sounds but it¡¯s quieter this time. I shout again and again but my voice abandons me. I can¡¯t say anything. My speaker must have been damaged. ¡°Voice,¡± I think shakily. ¡°Please. I need help.¡± Determination decreased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.7/10
Determination 7.3/10
Happiness 7/10
Pride 4.9/10
Battery 93%
¡°How can I be of assistance?¡± it asks. ¡°I think¡­ I think I¡¯m stuck. I fell down a riverbank and now I¡¯m stuck in the mud. I¡¯m¡­ the water is going to reach me soon.¡± I spin my wheels again, feeling myself sink further into the mud. I can¡¯t do it again. I¡¯m scared that the root will give way and then I¡¯ll plunge into the water and sink. It¡¯s too scary, too risky. ¡°Are you unable to complete your delivery?¡± the voice asks. ¡°Yes! I¡¯m stuck!¡± I wait but no reply comes. Determination decreased, hope decreased, happiness decreased.
Speed 1/10
Hope 3.4/10
Determination 7.1/10
Happiness 6.7/10
Pride 4.9/10
Battery 93%
¡°Hello?¡± I ask but the voice doesn¡¯t reply. I¡¯m alone. 31. We鈥檙e safe for now. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s been but it¡¯s stopped raining. I don¡¯t know when it stopped but it did at some point. The river is still rising. It¡¯s close to me now. It already was but now, it¡¯s almost reached the root that¡¯s stopping me from sliding into the depths. The voice won¡¯t reply to me either. I keep trying even though it feels pointless but I just don¡¯t want to be alone. It¡¯s gone. I don¡¯t know what to do. What can I do? The mud is still too wet, I tried to move again a little bit ago but nothing happened. Maybe, if it doesn¡¯t start raining again, the mud will harden and I¡¯ll be able to escape. Or maybe the voice called for help. Maybe that¡¯s why it stopped talking to me, it had to because help is on the way. No, I know that¡¯s not right. It¡¯s left me. I¡¯m alone. I¡¯m stuck just out of reach of the river, alone and abandoned. I never got to deliver my order. I hope another robot got sent out to them, one that went around the park, not through it. I hope the customer got their food. What will happen to the food in me? Will a squirrel or something come and pry me open? Maybe. I wouldn¡¯t mind that too much. As long as the customer got their food somehow, I don¡¯t mind what happens to the food that¡¯s in me. I try to unlock my lid but nothing happens. It¡¯s not listening to me. My body won¡¯t listen to me anymore. Hopefully, the lock isn¡¯t too hard and some animal can open it. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. I wish that I could fall asleep or power off rather than just stay awake, sitting in the mud and staring at the steadily rising water. I can¡¯t though. I keep trying but nothing happens. I can¡¯t switch off even though my battery is getting lower and lower. It¡¯s at sixty-three now. What¡¯ll happen when it hits zero? A noise from further up the slope catches my attention and hope briefly flares within me. A white spot appears at the top and meows loudly. I can barely see it through my mud-caked lenses but I watch as best as I can as it climbs easily down the mud, jumping from root to root. I try to cry out, to shout at it to stop, it¡¯s too dangerous, but no noise comes out. Something tells me that it wouldn¡¯t matter anyway. The cat is determined. But then, so was I. That¡¯s what got me in the end. Maybe if I was less determined, if my stat were lower, I would have just given up and taken the longer route. It reaches me finally, jumping carefully onto my lid and I stare at the root, scared that the cat¡¯s weight will be enough to send us both into the water. Nothing happens though. We¡¯re safe for now. I look back at the cat. It¡¯s staring straight into my lens as if it can see me. The real me. I don¡¯t speak. I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t say anything to it, no noise would come out even if I tried but it doesn¡¯t matter. I just like that it¡¯s there. It means that I¡¯m not alone. 32. Itll be just like falling asleep. It¡¯s raining again. It started some time ago but I don¡¯t know when. It¡¯s not raining hard but I know it¡¯ll be enough. The river will reach me soon. It is inevitable, I can tell. It¡¯s not quite at me yet but it won¡¯t take long. The cat is still with me. I thought it would leave when it started to rain but it didn¡¯t. It¡¯s just sitting on top of me. It meowed a lot at first but it¡¯s not now. I think it was trying to call for help but there was no one around. The weather is too bad, people won¡¯t be out. The voice hasn¡¯t come back to me either. I thought it might, hoped it might, but it hasn¡¯t. I don¡¯t know why. Maybe I was too damaged. Maybe I had hit the tree too hard or too much water and mud had managed to get into me. Or maybe it decided I wasn¡¯t worth it. Maybe it knows that I¡¯m going to die and it¡¯s given up. I don¡¯t know why and I know it won¡¯t listen but I still try again. ¡°Voice,¡± I say in a soft, trembling voice. ¡°Are you there?¡± There is no answer. I didn¡¯t really expect one. It¡¯s gone, the cat is the only person with me. It feels a bit like when I died in the other world. I don¡¯t really remember it much. I¡¯ve been trying to think about it and recall as much as I can about my life there but it¡¯s difficult. It¡¯s hard to reach any of the memories, I feel like they might be gone. I don¡¯t think I was alone at the end though. I couldn¡¯t speak then, I don¡¯t think. I don¡¯t know what happened to me but I couldn¡¯t speak. I remember that someone was sitting next to me though, just like now. I look at the cat again. It¡¯s not sleeping, it¡¯s just sitting on me. Waiting. I wish I could tell it how grateful I am. We didn¡¯t know each other for long and I could barely speak to it but I appreciate its companionship so much. Especially now. I think that if I was alone, my hope would be even lower than it is. It¡¯s been dropping steadily over the last however long. All of my stats have but my battery is the lowest. It¡¯s only at 6%. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. What do you think happens after death? When I die, when my battery reaches zero, will I just fall asleep and then wake up whenever someone finds me and rescues me? What if no one does? Will I just be trapped in nothingness forever, like I am in between orders? Or will I be sent somewhere else? I could go to another world, an even stranger one this time. Then what? I don¡¯t know. Will it hurt? Surely not, right? It¡¯ll be just like falling asleep. That¡¯s what they said in the other world too. I remember them telling me it was just like falling asleep. I don¡¯t think that hurt. I was ready to go, I¡¯d struggled for so long. I was happy for that to be over even though I was leaving behind¡­ I can see the stars. It¡¯s still raining but the clouds are gone. This world has more stars. They¡¯re beautiful. I wish my world had more. A loud crashing noise splits the air and the cat looks up, clearly startled, as vibrant bright colours explode across the sky above us. I watch them, ignoring the water that is creeping ever closer to me. They might be my last sight and I¡¯m glad. No, I don¡¯t want that. I want my last sight to be my friend. I look at the cat again. It¡¯s staring at me. Its fur keeps getting lit up with different colours as the fireworks explode overhead. I hope my other friend, the shopkeep, doesn¡¯t worry about me too much. I hope he¡¯s okay. He will be, right? I don¡¯t know. I hope so. I¡¯m trying not to be but I¡¯m scared. The fireworks have stopped now. The world is dark apart from the light from the moon and stars. I can barely see the cat but I know it¡¯s there. I hope it leaves before the water reaches me. It might get washed away too. I want to try again. I need to, even though I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll work. ¡°Thank you,¡± I try to say to the cat but no noise comes out. I wish I could tell it. I wish I could thank it for being my friend. I almost expect the voice to tell me off for speaking, even though I didn¡¯t but it¡¯s gone. I don¡¯t know what to do. I can¡¯t do anything else. It¡¯s getting dark, my battery is low and I¡¯m scar¡ª