18 THE EXPERIMENT

CHAPTER 18 THE EXPERIMENT Midnight, and most of the animals were asleep. Brightbill, however, was wide awake. He couldn't stop thinking about his mother. Throughout his life, deep water had always been a danger to her. He remembered when he was a gosling how she could only watch from the edge of the pond while he went swimming. He remembered worrying any time she crossed the river. He remembered her falling into the ocean, and how it almost killed her. Those experiences had happened with her old robotic body, but now she had a different body, and only hours earlier, he had learned that his mother was waterproof. Never again would he have to worry about her falling into water. The goose wondered what other hidden abilities his mother might have, and an idea popped into his head. The poison tide was harmful to all living things, but Roz was not a living thing—she was a machine. What if she was safe from the poison tide? Brightbill needed to speak to her right away. Without waking Glimmer, he carefully crept out of their nest.

Then he stepped through the moonlit forest toward Roz's home. But she wasn't there. Brightbill knew his mother well, and he had a good guess where to find her. The goose took flight and headed north. He flew out from the forest and over the mountain, and there was the ocean, spread out beneath the stars. The slopes along the coast had once been carpeted with grasses and flowers, but now they were a wasteland. Poison sea spray had killed off the plants, and the wildfire had turned them to ashes. On this night, there was no sea spray, no breeze, no crashing waves. Everything was calm. And then Brightbill spotted his mother. She was standing in a quiet, rocky cove, staring into the water.

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"Ma! What are you doing?" cried Brightbill as he circled through the night sky. Roz's headlights swung up and found her son. "Go home, Brightbill!" she said. "You are not safe near the poison tide!" "What about you, Ma? Are you safe?" "I do not know," said Roz. "I have come here to learn whether I can survive the poison tide. To do that I must go into the water. There is a risk that the poison tide will damage my body, but I believe it is worth that risk. I did not want anyone to worry about me, so I kept this experiment a secret. I should have known you would uncover my plan." "I've been having the same thoughts," said Brightbill. "That's why I went looking for you. When I didn't find you at home, I knew I'd find you here, where the poison tide first came ashore." "Do you understand why I must do this?" "I understand. I'm not here to stop you. But I won't let you do this alone." The robot's eyes glowed brighter. "Thank you, son. I am glad you are here. But no matter what happens to me, you must not go near the poison tide." Brightbill nodded and watched as his mother turned back to the cove. She lifted a foot off the ground and extended it over the shallows. Then she lowered it into the gently shimmering water. Roz stood there, perfectly

still, one foot on the rocks, the other in the poison tide. "What's happening?" said Brightbill. "Does it hurt?" "It does not hurt!" said Roz. "The poison tide has no effect on my foot! I will go in further." Roz lowered her other foot, stepping down to a deeper part of the shallows, and the water came up to her knees. She stepped down again, and the water came up to her waist. Then it came up to her chest. Then to her shoulders. She kept stepping down, and more of her body disappeared into the poison tide until she was completely submerged. The robot was just a blur within the poison tide. Her headlights lit up the water, casting an eerie glow on the surrounding rocks. It was a frightening scene, and the goose felt a flicker of panic. Why was his mother still underwater? Had something gone wrong? Did she need help? At last, Brightbill saw movement. Roz's headlights swept through the poison tide and she stepped out from the water and onto the rocks. "Well?" said Brightbill. "Are you all right?" "Yes, I am all right!" said Roz. "The poison tide has no effect on me!" Oh, the relief they both felt! The goose cheered, and the robot did a happy dance. But when Brightbill swooped down to give his mother a hug, she jumped

back and said, "Do not touch me! I am still coated with the poison tide. We could both use a hug right now, but I must first rinse myself in fresh water. Please, son, go home to Glimmer and get some rest. I will see you both tomorrow."