by Peter Brown
The pack froze.
“Hello, Shadow,” growled the robot. “My name is Roz. I see from your scar that you are familiar with rifles. You have been shot at before. You know what will happen if I pull this trigger.”
Reader, you and I are well aware that our robot was not programmed to be violent. Roz couldn’t have pulled that trigger if she wanted to. But she didn’t want to. She was bluffing. Of course, Shadow didn’t know any of this. As far as the wolf knew, he was defeated. And so he did what wolves do when they’re defeated. He lay down and he cowered before the robot. For the first time anyone could recall, the wolf leader looked weak.
“I do not want to hurt any wolves,” Roz continued. “But if you return to this farm, I will have no choice. Now please leave and never come back.”
Shadow scrambled away with his tail between his legs. Barb was close behind him, followed by the other wolves, and soon the entire pack had disappeared into the night.
CHAPTER 25
THE SUMMER
Spring melted into summer, and the wolves were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps Roz had scared off the pack for good. Or perhaps the heat was keeping them away. You see, it was the hottest time of year on the farm. The sun was scorching, the fields were baking, the pond was drying up, and foul odors were floating all throughout the dairy.
During dry spells, the farm’s powerful sprayers were activated. Water shot out in long, misty arcs, and the land turned deeper shades of green. When the hayfields were lush and ready to be harvested, Roz fired up the Mower and the Baler. The giant machines rolled out of the shed and down the long driveway. Shortly afterward, they rolled back in, leaving bales of hay strewn across the stubbly fields.
The cows and the humans spent hot days indoors. Only when the sun set and the air began to cool would they venture outside. The herd strolled out to graze under the stars, the children ran out to chase fireflies, and sometimes even Mr. Shareef stepped out to stretch his stiff legs.
Trees swished in the evening breeze.
Heat lightning flickered on the horizon.
Cicadas sang their summer songs.
When Roz wasn’t farming, she was searching for a way to escape. Everything hinged on the children. The robot needed their help, but she just couldn’t bring herself to tell them the truth. It was still too risky.
Mr. Shareef asked the children not to distract Roz from her work, but they did it anyway. They’d sneak out of the house and order the robot to play with them. Together, they told stories, rode bicycles, lay in the grass watching fluffy clouds drift by.
Summer was tornado season. On occasion, thick clouds would start funneling downward, reaching for the ground. So far, the funnel clouds had all receded back into the sky before doing any damage. But it was only a matter of time before a tornado touched down.
CHAPTER 26
THE TORNADO
The weather forecasts warned of possible tornadoes that day. But despite their scientific equipment, experts still couldn’t predict exactly when or where a tornado would strike. So most farmers carried on with their usual tasks, while keeping a watchful eye on the skies.
Roz was out in the fields, loading hay bales onto the flatbed truck, as towering, puffy clouds rose up from the south. Raindrops lightly tapped against her body and she thought nothing of it. The wind began to blow, and still the robot continued with her work. It wasn’t until the first flash of lightning that Roz finally called it quits. She climbed onto the back of the truck and it automatically rolled across the hayfield toward the driveway.
The storm developed quickly. Dark clouds started swirling and bulging downward, lower and lower, like a giant, twisting finger pointing at the countryside. A tornado was beginning to form.
When the truck reached the driveway, Roz hollered, “Drive faster!” The engine revved, the tires kicked up gravel, and the robot held on tight.
The funnel cloud continued stretching downward. It brushed the tree line, and leaves exploded into the air. Dust whirled around and around, rising higher with each spin. Then the tornado touched the ground.
A siren sounded in the distance. But the tornado was growing noisier and angrier as it blew in from the fields, and the siren was quickly lost to the howling winds.
The truck charged up the driveway and into the cluster of farm buildings. Roz looked ahead, at the house, and saw frightened faces in the windows. “Go to the storm shelter!” she hollered in her loudest voice. Then she leaped off the truck and ran to help the Shareefs.
Leaves and sticks flew sideways, whipping against the robot’s body, knocking her off balance. Behind her, the farm buildings rattled and groaned. The milking parlor was shaking violently. With a long, terrible screech, its entire roof peeled off and sailed away on the wind.
Four blurry shapes appeared in the backyard. Mr. Shareef shielded his face and hobbled alongside the house toward the storm shelter. He threw open the door and waved everyone down the stairs. Oscar went first, then Jaya, but Jad wasn’t moving.
“Come on, Jad!” yelled his father.
The boy stood still, shaggy hair flying everywhere, and stared up at the towering, twisting tornado. He used to have nightmares about tornadoes. But this was no nightmare; it was real, and it was getting closer.
The clouds swirled faster.
The wind roared louder.
The trees bent down to the ground.
Jad suddenly felt strong arms around him, and Roz whisked him to safety. Mr. Shareef reached up from inside the shelter, desperately grasping for his son. And just when Roz thrust the boy into his father’s arms, a blast of wind slammed the shelter door closed and swept our robot away.
At first, Roz didn’t realize she was in the tornado. She kept expecting to fall back to the ground. But the wind only lifted her higher and higher. She saw the treetops, the rooftops, the faraway fields! More of the countryside came into view with each spin around the funnel cloud.
Our robot’s Survival Instincts were blaring in her head, urging her to protect herself, but what could she do? The tornado was in control. The winds whirled her up and around, up and around. Roz could almost imagine what it was like to fly, and she thought of Brightbill. It seemed her final moments would be spent in her son’s airborne world.
Roz wasn’t the only thing swept away in the storm. Dust, gravel, leaves, branches, fence posts, and farm equipment were all swirling around with her. The robot was pelted by flying objects, big and small. She never even saw the shovel coming. The heavy tool wheeled around the tornado and—CLANG—it hit the back of her head. Everything suddenly went dark, while Roz was still up in the sky.
CHAPTER 27
THE BROKEN ROBOT
The Shareefs found their robot powered off, lying in a ditch by the road. Her left leg was crumpled beneath her torso, her right arm was twisted around a tree trunk, and her whole body was covered in new scrapes and dents.
Together, the family heaved Roz into the bed of the pickup truck, where Oscar was waiting. The dog sniffed her broken body while the Shareefs climbed in beside him. Then Rambler turned around.
The road was littered with debris from the storm, and the truck had to drive slowly. As they bounced along, Jad pressed the button on the back of Roz’s head. She powered up and her garbled voice automatically said, “Helloooo, I am ROZZZZZZUM unit 7134, but youuu may call me Rozzz.”
Oscar licked the poor robot’s face and Jad leaned in close. “Roz, can you hear me? Are you okay?”
“Hellooo, Jad. I have brrroken limbs and mmminor damage to mmmy computer brrrain. My sssystems are nnnow repairing themmmselves. Pleeease stand byyy.”
The robot’s glowing eyes pulsed as her recovery program did its job. And before long, Roz sounded like her old self. “My computer brain is now fully functional.”
Jad wrapped his arms around the robot and sobbed. “I’m so sorry, Roz! It’s my fault the tornado got you! Please don’t be mad!”
Now Jaya was crying too. She pulled her brother and her dog a
nd her robot into a big hug. Mr. Shareef wasn’t much of a hugger, but he reached over and laid his hand on Roz’s shoulder. They stayed like that for some time, quietly holding one another. The shock of the tornado was fresh, and it felt good to be together.
“Mr. Shareef, I apologize for leaving the farm without your permission,” said the robot.
The man smiled. “No need to apologize, Roz. I’m just glad you’re alive.”
“How are the cows?” said Roz.
“The farm is a mess, but the cows are fine,” said Mr. Shareef. “We’ll take you to the repair shop right now and you’ll be with the herd again soon.”
CHAPTER 28
THE SHOP
It was a small, sleepy farm town. A few trucks glided down the streets, a few humans sat on porches, a few stores lined the main square. Rambler parked in front of a bright white building. Then Mr. Shareef left the children with Roz and he limped inside.
“Welcome to the TechLab Shop!” said a woman in a white suit. “My name’s Nadine, how can I help you?”
Mr. Shareef was distracted by all the robots on display in the shop. They came in a dazzling variety of designs and sizes and colors. Standing still, eyes glowing, they calmly waited for someone to put them to work. When the man spotted a ROZZUM unit, he suddenly remembered why he was there.
“I’m the owner of Hilltop Farm,” he said, “and we were just hit by a tornado.”
“I heard the siren!” said Nadine. “Is everyone okay?”
“My family’s okay. But I’ve got a ROZZUM unit outside who’s in bad shape.”
The woman called over her shoulder, “Patch! Bring the ROZZUM repair kit!”
A robot marched into the room carrying a large case. He looked similar to a ROZZUM robot, but he was shorter and wider. The word PATCH was lightly etched on his torso. Mr. Shareef led Nadine and Patch out to the truck, where the children were chatting with their robotic friend.
Patch quickly scanned Roz’s broken body and announced the cost of the repairs. The man stroked his chin, mulling over his options, until the children blurted out, “Just fix her!”
Mr. Shareef nodded, and Patch sprang into action. With smooth, precise movements, the robot gently placed Roz on the ground. Then he grasped her broken arm and her broken leg and twisted. There was a thwip sound as each limb popped loose. Then he took new limbs from the case and—thwip—popped them into place. In a matter of seconds Roz was whole and back on her feet.
“Robots never cease to amaze me,” said Mr. Shareef, admiring Roz’s shiny new limbs.
“The Makers really outdid themselves with these ROZZUM units,” said Nadine. “However, you have our most basic unit. Would you like us to upgrade her software, or adjust her settings, or polish out these scratches?”
“Will that cost extra?”
Nadine smiled. “I’m afraid so.”
“This basic unit is fine,” said Mr. Shareef. “But I need to order a work crew. Could you send one over to fix up my farm?”
“Not a problem,” said Nadine. “I’ll send a crew over immediately.”
CHAPTER 29
THE AFTERMATH
Hilltop Farm was hardly recognizable. Buildings were flattened, equipment was missing, debris was everywhere. The farm had no electricity and the computer system was down. As Roz picked her way through the rubble, she realized she was off the grid. It would be hours before Mr. Shareef could track her electronic signal again.
Was this the moment for her escape?
No. Roz couldn’t leave the Shareefs. Not like this. Instead, she did what she could to help.
The tornado had left behind a winding trail of destruction. Thankfully, it hadn’t destroyed everything. The barn was leaning to one side, but it was still standing. Roz forced open the door and found the cows nervously bunched together in a corner.
“You are all safe now,” said Roz in her calmest voice. “How is everyone feeling?”
The robot was answered by a chorus of moos.
“How do you think we feel?”
“I’m a nervous wreck!”
“My whole life flashed before my eyes!”
The robot raised her hands to quiet the crowd. “I am afraid the tornado destroyed much of the farm, including the milking parlor.”
The cows gasped.
“But my udders are about to burst!” cried Tess.
“Would you like me to milk you the old-fashioned way?” said Roz.
One look at the robot’s clampy, mechanical hands and Tess shook her head. “No thanks,” she said. “I can wait.”
“An emergency crew is on its way,” Roz explained, “but we cannot be in here while they work. Please follow me.”
Roz carefully led the herd outside, through the wreckage, and down to the pasture. Some of the fences were missing, and the Herding Machine was broken, but the cows promised not to wander off, and they began grazing on the windblown grass.
Three massive trucks rumbled up the driveway. Doors swung open, and a crew of robot workers climbed out. The lead robot checked in with Roz as the others began unloading supplies from the trucks. Then the crew got down to business.
Power tools buzzed, debris was cleared, fences were mended, holes were dug, machines were repaired or replaced, beams and walls and roofs went up, equipment and pipes and wires were installed. Clearly, these robots were designed to work as a team.
The Shareefs wandered out back and stood with Roz. They watched as their farm was rebuilt before their very eyes. Several crew members marched over to the house, fixed a hole in the roof, and replaced the shattered windows. Finally, rubble and tools were loaded into the trucks, and the robots fell in line.
“Are you satisfied with our work?” said the crew leader.
“I am satisfied,” said Roz.
At those words, the robots climbed back into their trucks and drove away. Hours after it had been devastated by a tornado, Hilltop Farm was better than ever.
CHAPTER 30
THE GIFT
The children walked into the machine shed, past rows of parked farm machines, and found Roz tuning up the milk truck.
“We got you a gift,” said Jad, smiling.
The robot felt something like surprise when the boy handed her a box wrapped in silver paper with a big red bow on top.
“Can you guess what it is?” said Jaya.
Roz started guessing. “A bucket? A rock? A hammer? A turtle? A can of—”
“Okay, okay, you can stop guessing,” said Jaya.
“Don’t forget to read the card,” said Jad.
Nestled under the bow was a little card. Roz opened it and read the following words. They were written in Jad’s messy handwriting.
Dear Roz,
Thank you for taking such good care of our farm and our family. We spent ALL our savings on this gift, so you’d better like it.
Love, Jaya and Jad
PS Please tell us more stories about the robot on the island as soon as possible.
“Thank you for that nice card,” said Roz. “Although the handwriting could use some improvement.”
Jad rolled his eyes and said, “Open your gift!”
The robot untied the bow and tore off the paper and lifted the lid from the box. Inside was a tool belt. It was made of dark leather and had a wide strap and different-sized pockets for holding different kinds of tools.
“We thought this might make your work a little easier,” said Jaya.
“It’s designed specifically for ROZZUM robots,” said Jad. “So it should fit perfectly.”
The children helped Roz put on her new tool belt. Rather than going around the robot’s waist, like a normal belt, it went diagonally around her torso. Jad looped it over Roz’s left shoulder and down around her right hip. Jaya laced the strap through the buckle and tightened it until the tool belt was snug and secure across her chest.
“Do you like it?” said Jaya.
“I like it very much,” said Roz. “Thank you for this lovely gift.”
The children smiled and hugged the robot. They really seemed to care about her. Roz wondered if they cared enough to help her escape from the farm. One of these days, she would have to risk everything and tell them the truth. For now, however, she did the next-best thing. She led Jaya and Jad out to the oak tree and told them another story about the robot on the island.
CHAPTER 31
THE CAMPFIRE
Woodsmoke billowed up from the backyard and drifted across the farm. Roz was building a campfire for the Shareefs. In her old life, the robot made fire by cracking special stones together until she got a spark. In her new life, she used a lighter.
The family sat around the rippling flames and gazed up at the stars. The dog stretched out on the warm ground. The robot was standing nearby but her thoughts were far away. Her computer brain was scrolling back through memories of campfires and of stargazing with Brightbill.
Fluffy white marshmallows were skewered onto the ends of sticks and then roasted above the flames. The children laughed as their marshmallows caught fire. They liked them charred on the outside and gooey on the inside. Their father preferred his evenly browned. When the Shareefs weren’t stuffing their mouths, they were chattering happily.
“That’s the Space Station,” said Jaya, pointing to a tiny dot that was slowly moving through the sky. “I can’t believe people live there.”
“Animals live there too,” said Jad. “The station has a farm. We should bring our cows up and show those space farmers how it’s done!”
“I think our cows are perfectly content right here on Earth,” said Mr. Shareef. “And so am I.”
Once the marshmallows were gone, Jaya and Jad snuggled up with Oscar, stared into the flames, and asked their father about the old days. But the children were just too cozy to stay awake for long. So Mr. Shareef spoke to Roz instead.
