7 THE ROBOT’S STORY

CHAPTER 7 THE ROBOT'S STORY None of the cows could believe that this monster, this robot, this machine, had just spoken to them in the animal language. They stared at her, nervously shifting in their stalls, wondering what she would do next. What Roz did next was simple. She told the truth. She stood in the middle of the barn and shared her story with the herd. "I spent my first year of life on a remote, wild island," Roz began. "I did not know how I got there, I only knew that I wanted to survive. So I studied the island animals, to see how they survived, and a surprising thing happened. Their sounds and movements started making sense to me. I was learning the language of the animals. "Even when I could speak to them, the animals wanted nothing to do with me. But that changed when I discovered an orphaned gosling. The poor

little thing would have died on his own, so I cared for him, and adopted him as my son. His name is Brightbill." A murmur spread through the herd. "When the animals saw me caring for Brightbill, they finally accepted me. I was no longer alone. I had friends and a family and a home. Life was good. "Until the RECO robots arrived. They came in their sleek white airship to take me away, and when I resisted, they became violent. The animals defended me—they fought bravely and destroyed the RECOs. But I was badly damaged in the fighting. I needed

repairs, and I could not get them on the island. So the animals loaded my broken body into the airship, and it took me far away from my home." Lily the calf poked her head through the railing and said, "What about Brightbill?" "My son is smart and tough, and he has a good flock," said Roz. "I think he will be okay without me." "Where were you taken?" said Tess. "I was taken back to the factory where I was made. The factory is run by a crew of robot workers called the Makers. When I arrived, they put me in a room filled with other broken robots. Some robots were completely ruined, and the Makers immediately sent them away. But those of us with working computer brains were given a test."

"What kind of test?" said Lily. "The Makers simply asked us questions. They asked us how we had become damaged. They asked us how we would respond to different emergencies. They asked us to identify certain sounds and smells and objects. Robots who answered every question correctly were repaired. All others were destroyed. "In the wilderness, I camouflaged my body to survive. In the robot factory I camouflaged my personality to survive. I pretended to be a perfectly normal robot. I did not say that I had adopted a goose, or that I could speak with animals, or that I had resisted the RECOs. I said what I had to say to pass the test. And it worked." "Good for you, Roz!" shouted Tess, and the other cows smiled. "The Makers shut me off, and when I awoke, my body was fixed and I was on this farm. Now, like all of you, I belong to Mr. Shareef." The cows stopped smiling. Everyone was quiet. And then old Annabelle spoke up. "I was taken from my friends and family too," she said. "They're back on the farm where I was born. I

still think about them every day." "It is difficult to be apart from our loved ones," said the robot. "You know, Roz, things could be worse," said Tess. "At least on this farm you're still surrounded by nature." "Yes, things could be worse." The robot's eyes brightened a little. "But I am not safe here. If any human ever learns who I really am, they will have me destroyed. And that is why, when the time is right, I will try to escape."