91 The Epilogue

THE EPILOGUE Autumn had returned to Hilltop Farm. The pasture was coated with frost, but the cows were out there, grazing on the last few tufts of fresh grass. Soon, they'd stroll up to the parlor for another milking. Their routine never changed. Mr. Shareef was sitting in his pickup truck with his dog. The man stared out the window, across the fields, at the new robot. He was keeping a close eye on her. TechLab had promised him this one wouldn't run away, but he didn't trust her yet. These days, the children spent most of their free time working on the farm. Jaya had a way with the cows. Jad liked the tools and the machines. They were walking through the farm buildings together when they heard honking sounds in the sky and a flock of geese glided down to the pond. For weeks, geese had been stopping by on their migrations. But there was something different about this flock. They flew in perfect formation, and they were led by a small, graceful goose.

The flock calmly floated on the water. After a while, the leader shook his tail feathers, beat his wings, and fluttered over to Jaya and Jad. The goose stood in front of the children. He gazed deep into their eyes. Then he craned his neck around, plucked out one of his feathers, and laid it on the ground by their feet. Jaya and Jad looked at each other and smiled. The children had been waiting for this moment. They'd always wanted to know how Roz's story would end. And now they finally knew. The wild robot was back where she belonged.

A NOTE ABOUT THE STORY What would an intelligent robot do stranded in the wilderness? How might a robot adapt to the natural environment? Could a robot ever be truly wild? Those are some of the questions that inspired me to create a character named Roz, and to write my first novel for children, The Wild Robot. But I had more questions. What would happen if Roz were taken away from the wilderness? How might the wild robot react to normal robots and to humans? Could she ever fit into the civilized world? The questions kept coming, and yet there was one question that I returned to again and again. Where does the wild robot truly belong? Does Roz belong on the island where she spent her first year of life? Or does she belong in civilization, working for humans, alongside other robots? I imagined her feeling torn between the natural world and the civilized world. I also imagined, if given the choice, Roz would choose to live with her wild

animal friends and family. But would she have a choice? Obviously, I needed to explore these ideas by writing a sequel in which Roz finds her way back home. The story had to be filled with heart and soul and action and science and even a little philosophy. I had to develop new characters and settings. And everything had to take place in the future, of course. This new story was tricky, like a puzzle where all the pieces had to fit together perfectly in order for the whole thing to work. I read expert predictions of what our future might look like. I studied robotics and automation and artificial intelligence. I began to envision a futuristic society where humans live comfortably thanks to the tireless work of robots. And there was Roz, in the middle of that society, using her wildness in new ways, to escape from her new life and return to her old one. The puzzle pieces started fitting together, and after several years of researching and thinking and writing and illustrating, I finally had my second novel for children, The Wild Robot Escapes.