by Peter Brown
“We give up, Roz!” shouted Jad.
“You win!” shouted Jaya.
The junk pile beside the barn started moving, and Roz appeared. The robot had been sitting there all along, perfectly camouflaged among the scrap metal and old farm machines.
“The next time we play, you have to let one of us win,” said Jaya to Roz.
And the next time they played, Roz did.
The robot enjoyed having the children around. They brought a little lightness into her world, and she hoped to bring a little lightness into theirs. Life must have been dark since their mother passed away. However, Roz had another reason for wanting the children around. She needed them. Her only chance of ever returning home was if Jaya and Jad could find it in their hearts to help her escape. But this was a delicate situation. If Roz tried too hard, the children might say something to their father. If she didn’t try hard enough, she might be stuck on that farm forever.
CHAPTER 16
THE ROBOT’S DREAM
Cows grazed in the pasture.
Wind rustled through the tall grass.
Clouds drifted over the fields.
Farm machines rumbled and buzzed.
Milk flowed into bottles.
Bottles were packed into boxes.
Boxes were loaded onto the milk truck.
The truck drove away full and returned empty.
Children romped around with their dog.
A man sat at his desk.
A robot dreamed of escape.
CHAPTER 17
THE BIRDS
Hilltop Farm was home to many birds. Swallows were always swooping low over the grass and picking off insects. Crows cawed from the fields like a gang of hecklers. At night, owls glided above the countryside, silently searching for furry little meals. The robot was stuck on that farm, but the birds were free to go wherever they pleased. Lucky birds.
One day, Roz was standing in the pasture, admiring a hawk as he soared through the sky, when the cows began grazing around her. Their slow footsteps crunched in the grass, their teeth chewed and chewed, their tails flicked at flies. All the while, Roz stood there, staring up at the hawk.
And then came Lily’s soft voice. “What are you thinking about, Roz?”
The robot turned to the calf. “I am thinking about Brightbill,” she said. “It was not so long ago that I was watching my son soar through the sky. That seems like another lifetime.”
“You must hate your new life,” said Annabelle. “I can’t say that I blame you. Farming looks like such grueling work.”
“Actually, I like farming,” said Roz. “Somehow, it feels right to spend long hours working with machines and tools and crops and animals. But I miss my old life on the island.”
Tess had a mouthful of dandelions, but that didn’t stop her from speaking. “Maybe you should start thinking of this farm as your home. That island is awfully far away. There’s a good chance you’ll never make it back there.”
“Don’t say that!” cried Lily. “Roz just has to make it home! She needs to be with Brightbill and her friends!”
“Tess is right,” said Roz. “I may never make it home. If I were a bird, like my son, I could fly home all on my own, anytime I wanted. But I am only a robot.”
Nobody spoke after that. The cows went back to grazing and Roz went back to admiring the hawk. Her eyes followed the bird as he soared through the sky, free to go wherever he pleased.
CHAPTER 18
THE ENTERTAINING ROBOT
The children wandered out behind the farm buildings, through a clearing, and over to an old oak tree. It was the same tree their father had climbed when he was a boy. Mr. Shareef’s initials were carved into the bark, at the bottom of a long list of initials. For generations, all the Shareefs had carved their initials into that tree, going back to the ancestors who first built the farm. Someday, the children would add their initials to the list.
Beneath the leafy branches was a scattering of acorns. Jad cleared a spot for himself, sat down, and pulled a small computer from his pocket while Jaya climbed above. The siblings spent the afternoon there, lazing around the tree, until the robot marched past carrying the big, heavy toolbox.
“Whatcha doing, Roz?” called Jad.
The robot stopped. “The Drone has crash-landed again,” she said. “I am going to fix it again.”
“Do you need any help?”
“I do not need any help.”
“I’m bored,” said Jaya, her legs dangling above her brother’s head. “Can you do something fun, Roz?”
The robot put down her toolbox and said, “What would you like me to do?”
“I don’t know,” said Jaya, thinking hard. “Can you do a backflip?”
“Yes, I can do a backflip.”
A grin spread across the girl’s face. “Roz, I order you to do a backflip!”
At that, Roz crouched, and then she leaped into the air, flipped backward, and gently landed on her feet. A perfect backflip. Jad put his computer away. Jaya jumped down from her branch. The children were impressed.
“What else can you do?” said Jad. “Can you juggle?”
“Yes, I can juggle.”
“I order you to juggle, um, some of these acorns!”
Roz walked up to the tree, picked three large acorns from the ground, and began juggling them in perfect rhythm. Jaya studied the robot’s movements and then began tossing acorns into the air as well. The first one went a little too high, the next one went a little too far, and soon they all went tumbling back into the grass.
“Do you know any jokes?” said Jad.
“Why did the chicken cross the road?”
“Never mind.” Jad scratched his head. “Can you tell us a story?”
“What kind of story would you like to hear?”
“A robot story!” said Jad.
“An animal story!” said Jaya.
“How about a robot and animal story?” said Roz.
The children smiled at each other. Then they sat against the tree and looked up at their robotic storyteller.
“Once upon a time, there was a robot who lived alone on an island,” Roz began. “She spent her time wandering across mountains and forests and meadows. And then something terrible happened. Rocks fell and the robot tumbled off a cliff! She survived the fall, but sadly, the rocks killed two geese and smashed four of their eggs. The robot stood there, staring at the poor goose family, until she heard a tiny voice peeping from somewhere nearby. She followed the peeping voice and discovered a perfect goose egg, sunk in the dirt. The robot carefully picked up the egg and carried it away, and when the gosling hatched from his shell the first thing he saw was the robot looking back. ‘Mama! Mama!’ he peeped. The gosling thought the robot was his mother, and from that day on, she was. The robot adopted the gosling as her son, and together they made a funny little happy family. The end.”
The children sat there and thought about Roz’s strange story. Then they looked up at her and said, “What happened next?”
CHAPTER 19
THE STORYTELLERS
Roz and the children had a new routine. Several times a week, they’d gather beneath the oak tree and Roz would tell stories about the robot on the island. The children loved hearing how the robot survived mudslides and bear attacks and harsh winter weather. They loved hearing how she befriended the island animals. But the stories they loved most were about the robot and her son, the goose. He sounded like such a nice goose.
Roz told the children story after story after story. What she didn’t tell them, what she couldn’t tell them, was that the stories were true, and they were about her.
The children wanted to get in on the storytelling fun. Jaya told adventure stories about dragons and monsters. Jad told silly stories about aliens in outer space. But as the children grew more comfortable with Roz, they began talking about their own lives.
They talked about growing up way out in the country. They talked about their schoolmates and their friends and their fami
ly. They talked about how their parents used to work together around the farm, and how perfect everything was before the accident.
In an instant, their lives were upended. Their mother was gone and their father was injured. Mr. Shareef tried to keep the farm going by himself, but there was so much to do, and he was so weak now. The farm machines powered along, doing their jobs as usual, but they needed to be maintained and monitored. Eventually, the machines started breaking down, and the farm started falling to pieces. The children wondered if life would ever feel normal again.
“That’s why we got you, Roz,” said the girl. “We needed you to save this place.”
“And that’s exactly what you’re doing,” said the boy, with a smile.
CHAPTER 20
THE WILD ANIMALS
Wildlife can be very good for farmland. Insects pollinate the plants. Snakes eat the pests. The droppings of rodents and birds and every other animal act as a natural fertilizer. Roz wanted more of those helpful creatures on the farm, so she let the unused sections of land go wild. Up from the ground emerged native weeds, flowers, woody brambles. And with the wild plants came wild animals.
But then some creatures came skulking around who were not helpful at all. It started when Roz noticed a heavy scent floating on the breeze. She followed the scent out to a narrow strip of forest on the edge of the property. There were clumps of fur in the undergrowth and claw marks in the dirt. There was blood too. Lots of it. And then she found the carcass. A deer had recently been killed and eaten.
The robot’s head slowly spun around as she scanned the area. Not far from the carcass was a pile of droppings. It looked like it might have come from a dog. But Oscar wasn’t large enough or ferocious enough to kill a deer. What kind of animal could have done this?
Roz had been standing there at the edge of the property for a while. She imagined Mr. Shareef in his office, sitting at his computer, eyeing her location on the map. Any minute now, he would hobble out to his truck and come racing down the driveway to check on her. Roz didn’t want to upset the man, so she left the carcass where it was and returned to her work. But from then on, she kept a careful watch for any more signs of trouble.
CHAPTER 21
THE HOWL
It wasn’t long before Roz found more signs of trouble. Furry faces poking out from the bushes. Musky smells lingering in the fields. Silhouettes trotting through the moonlight.
And then one night she heard it.
The long, menacing howl of a wolf.
CHAPTER 22
THE WOLVES
The attack happened at dusk. Seven beastly shapes bounded over the fence and into the pasture. Old Annabelle had wandered off from the herd, and now she made an easy target. The Herding Machine saw the wolves coming and rolled in their direction. But the hunters were clever. They split up, darted past the clunky machine, and surrounded their target.
The wolf pack was led by a large male. His name was Shadow, and it was easy to see why. He was quick and quiet and covered in dark fur, except for a long, pale scar that streaked across his body like a comet.
Shadow locked eyes with the cow, distracting her with his fierce gaze. And when his pack was in position, he said, “Attack!”
The wolves lunged, snapping their jaws at the cow’s skinny legs. Annabelle kicked and hollered, “Stay away from me, you brutes!” She was a big animal, but the wolves knew what to do. They kept biting her, kept taunting her, kept wearing her down.
The herd watched from afar. They cried out to their friend—they wanted to help, but they were too frightened to move. Well, reader, you can guess who came to the rescue. Footsteps thundered across the pasture and Roz leaped into the fight. Had she swung her fists or kicked her feet, the wolf pack might have fled. But the robot wasn’t programmed to be violent. All she could do was awkwardly defend the cow.
Roz felt teeth chomping her arm, she felt claws slashing her chest. Her pain sensors flared and she howled, “Leave us alone!” The robot’s booming voice startled the wolves, and in that instant she pried one of them away. Then Annabelle landed a hard kick, and another wolf tumbled backward into the grass.
More help was coming. The other cows had finally found their courage, and the angry herd was on the march. The wolves had missed their chance. Shadow gave a frustrated grunt, and the pack retreated. They dashed through the pasture, leaped over the fence, and disappeared into the trees.
The robot activated her headlights, and shafts of light beamed out from her eyes. While the herd crowded around, Roz carefully examined Annabelle’s injuries.
“I need to clean and dress these bite wounds,” said the robot. “But you will be okay.”
“Of course I’ll be okay,” the cow panted. “I’m old, but I’m feisty. Those wolves don’t scare me.”
Anabelle talked tough, but there was no mistaking the fear in her eyes. All the cows were afraid. They knew that if the wolves attacked again, their next victim might not be so fortunate.
CHAPTER 23
THE RIFLE
The wolves returned the very next morning. Shortly after dawn, they leaped from the trees and started chasing a poor calf through the pasture. Roz managed to drive them off, but that night, they returned again. The herd came stampeding into the barn as the wolves laughed and trotted back to the fields.
The cows were in shock. They refused to leave the barn. If this continued, the herd would produce less milk, the farm would lose money, and Mr. Shareef would send Roz back to the factory. Something had to be done.
Knock, knock, knock.
The dog barked and the children opened the door.
“How’d you get all those scrapes?” said Jaya.
“Is everything okay?” said Jad.
“I must speak with your father,” said Roz.
Mr. Shareef came to the door and Roz explained the problem. At the first mention of wolves, he sent his children to their rooms. But the dog stayed. Oscar had no idea what the man and the robot were discussing, and his tail happily wagged as he stood beside them. However, his tail stopped wagging when Mr. Shareef handed Roz a rifle. The dog had seen the rifle in action, and it frightened him to his core. He scurried into the bushes and hid there, whimpering, while the conversation went on.
“What do you mean you can’t fire a rifle?” the man yelled. “Roz, you’re a farmer now, and sometimes farmers have to kill animals!” It was the first time Mr. Shareef had ever yelled at Roz. She waited patiently as words and spittle flew from his mouth. “My farm and my family are in danger! Roz, I order you to kill those wolves!”
“I cannot follow that order because I am not programmed to be violent.”
Mr. Shareef let out a heavy sigh. He knew Roz was right. But when he reached for the weapon, she wouldn’t let go.
The man stared at the robot.
The robot stared at the dog.
The dog stared at the rifle.
Oscar was still whimpering and hiding in the bushes. Just the sight of the rifle had sent him into a panic. It was hard to believe that such a fearful animal was related to wolves. But dogs are related to wolves, thought the robot, and her computer brain began buzzing with activity. She thought of dogs and wolves and rifles. She thought of Shadow, the wolf leader, and the long, straight scar on his side. And then she had an idea.
“Although I cannot fire the rifle,” said Roz, “I believe it can help me solve the wolf problem.”
Mr. Shareef frowned. He didn’t know what the robot was getting at, but he was happy to let her handle the wolves by herself. “Fine, try it your way,” he said. “Just don’t lose any cows or else we might have to lose a robot too.”
CHAPTER 24
THE BLUFF
The cows peered out from the barn at Roz. The robot was holding the rifle. She carried it to the far side of the pasture and placed it by her feet. Then she began coating herself with mud and grass, and probably a little cow dung. When every inch of her body was concealed, she nestled down into the ground and became
part of the landscape. An ordinary clump of grass.
The cows were stunned.
“What’s Roz doing?”
“Is she all right?”
“Where did she go?”
Roz had learned to camouflage herself back on the island, and now she was using that trick once again. She sat motionless for hours, waiting for the wolves to appear. Daylight faded, the stars came out, the moon climbed into the sky. But the wolves didn’t show. So Roz tried something new.
The robot was an excellent mimic, and she began crying out in the sad voice of a wounded calf. “Please help me!” she cried. “I have hurt my leg and I cannot move!”
Crickets chirped.
“Please help me!”
An owl hooted.
“I cannot move!”
The calf’s voice continued crying out. Finally, as the moon dipped behind the trees, seven wolves slunk into the pasture. Shadow led the way, silently stalking through the night. Covered in dark fur, he was practically invisible. Only his long, pale scar gave him away. Noses sniffed, eyes searched, ears listened. Then a clump of grass began rustling.
“There,” whispered Shadow. “The calf is hiding in that tall grass.”
“Something feels wrong to me, Shadow,” said a female wolf. “This is too easy.”
“I make the decisions, Barb,” snapped the wolf leader. “Slash, Lurk, Fang, circle around and wait for my signal.”
Three wolves dashed off. When they were in position, Shadow gave the signal, and his pack closed in on the wounded calf. With each step, the grass rustled more and more, until the ground seemed to be moving. And then the ground really was moving! Grass and dirt crumbled aside and there was the robot, standing tall, pointing the rifle at the wolf leader.
