by Peter Brown
“We made campfires all the time when I was a boy.” The man poked the coals with his marshmallow stick, and glowing embers floated into the air. “The whole family would sit around like this, telling stories. We had a nice life here. But then my brother and sister moved to the city, my parents got old, and everyone expected me to take over the farm.
“I couldn’t run this place by myself,” he went on, “so I hired Jamilla. I did the farmwork and she managed the business. We made a good team. And then we fell in love.
“When Jamilla was pregnant with Jad we bought a few automachines to help out. Then Jaya showed up and we bought a few more. If I’d known one of those machines would be the death of her…” The farmer’s voice trailed off.
Roz wanted to know more about Jamilla, and about Mr. Shareef, and about the rest of his family. But a normal robot wouldn’t ask personal questions. So she kept her questions to herself and dropped another log on the fire.
CHAPTER 32
THE OLD BARN
Long ago, Hilltop Farm was a very different place. The original farmers grew vegetable gardens and fruit orchards, and they raised chickens and sheep and goats. The farm had changed a lot since then, but there were still signs of its past. Low stone walls lined some of the fields. A rusty tractor sat in the weeds. And hidden within a densely wooded grove was the old barn.
The barn hadn’t been used in generations. Over the years, trees had quietly grown up around it and moss had spread across its roof. But the barn was still strong and solid, and Roz wanted to take a look inside.
The big barn door screeched along its rails. “Hello?” said the robot, peering into the darkness. “Is anyone here?”
A mouse squeaked and scurried out of sight, and then Roz had the barn to herself. She stepped through the doorway and switched on her headlights. The vast interior was crisscrossed with thick wooden beams. Stairways and ramps led up to lofts and platforms. Lanterns hung from hooks on the walls. Old-fashioned farm equipment lay here and there. The barn still had the faint smell of farm animals, even though none had lived there in ages.
A large trunk sat on a worktable, covered in dust. Roz carefully opened the lid and examined its contents: a collection of farming magazines, a pair of leather gloves, a pencil nub. And then she noticed a small journal. The name Cyrus Shareef was elegantly scrawled across its cover. The pages were filled with his handwritten notes and hand-drawn diagrams about raising livestock and growing crops and building barns, about working the land with the help of strong animals and simple machines.
Cyrus Shareef had also jotted down his thoughts about the long history of farming. He believed that the modern world owed its entire existence to ancient farms, when early humans first started growing their food. Those farms were small and primitive, but they supported villages, which became towns, which became cities.
The writings were so wise and insightful that Roz read the journal from cover to cover. By the end, she almost felt as if she knew Cyrus Shareef, whoever he was. The journal was a treasure. And she tucked it into a pocket of her tool belt for safekeeping.
CHAPTER 33
THE AUTUMN
Autumn colors were sweeping across farm country. The lush greens of summer faded to reds and browns. Crops were harvested, leaves fell away, and the landscape turned stark and gray.
On Hilltop Farm, the cows were grazing on what remained of the pasture grass, while the Herding Machine hovered nearby. The Field Machine was preparing the fields for winter. The Drone circled the farm several times a day, but there was less to report in autumn.
Although Jaya and Jad were busy with school, they always made time for Roz. The children never grew tired of listening to the robot’s stories. And they never grew tired of sharing their own.
The bees and the mice and the deer and the frogs and the raccoons and the squirrels and the snakes were all getting ready for cold weather. So too were the birds. The owls spruced up their nests. The crows stockpiled acorns. The swallows were still swooping over the farmland, but they would soon be leaving for winter. And any day now, other migratory birds would begin passing through on their long journeys to the south.
CHAPTER 34
THE DELIGHTED GEESE
A flock of geese had just landed at Hilltop Farm. It was the first flock of the autumn migration. The geese floated on the pond, cleaning their feathers and nibbling on weeds. But they all stopped what they were doing when Roz waved and said hello.
The robot never forgot a face, and she was certain she didn’t know any of these geese. But they seemed to know her. Before she even introduced herself, the lead goose squawked, “Is your name Roz?”
The robot stared at the goose. “Yes, it is.”
“And you can speak the animal language?”
The answer was obvious, but Roz politely said, “Yes, I can speak the animal language.”
“Do you, by any chance, have a goose for a son?”
“Yes, I do!” said Roz. “His name is Brightbill.”
At that, a voice blurted out, “The stories are true!” and suddenly the flock was smiling and fluttering over to the robot. When the commotion settled down, the leader explained, “All along our migration we’ve heard rumors of a robot who can speak with animals, who has a goose for a son, and who is trapped on a farm. That sounded ridiculous to us, but here you are!”
The flock was absolutely delighted to meet our robot. They lounged around the pond for a couple of days, chatting with Roz whenever she came by, and then they continued flying south to their wintering grounds.
Another flock of geese arrived, and the same thing happened all over again. Roz welcomed them, they were delighted to meet the legendary robot, and then the flock continued south. Then it happened again. And again. Before long, the coming and going of delighted geese was just another part of the robot’s autumn routine.
Straggling behind the others as usual was Wingtip’s flock. When Roz saw them splashing onto the pond she felt something like hope that they might have news of her son. Sadly, the geese had no news to report. And as the flock took off, and left Roz behind, she began to question whether she’d ever see Brightbill again.
CHAPTER 35
THE MEMORIES
Roz still dreamed of escaping, of going home, of reuniting with her son. But her dreams were starting to feel impossible. She was losing hope. Was it time for the robot to accept her new life and forget her old one?
Forget.
Roz was troubled by that word. You see, her computer brain remembered every detail of her life on the island, and it hurt to think she might never make it back there. However, the robot could always forget. She could erase her old memories. It would be like they never happened. The heaviness she now felt would vanish. But without her memories, who would she be? No, Roz wanted to remember her old life, which was good, because someone from her old life was about to appear.
CHAPTER 36
THE UNUSUAL FLOCK
Another flock of geese was approaching the farm. But this flock was unusual. It wasn’t flying south, like the others. It was flying north, in a perfect V formation, and it was led by a young, graceful goose.
The flock flew once around the farm buildings and then delicately touched down in the barnyard. The leader whispered some words to the others, and then he fluttered in through the barn door.
The cows looked up from their stalls as the goose perched himself on a railing near the middle of the barn. Then the goose cleared his throat, shook his tail feathers, and announced to the herd, “I am looking for a robot named Roz. My name is Brightbill. I am her son.”
CHAPTER 37
THE REUNION
Something was wrong with the cows. Their excited moos echoed out from the barn and across the farm. Roz sent the milk truck away for its evening deliveries and hurried off to see what the ruckus was about. When she stepped into the barn she found the entire herd crowded together. As the robot started pushing her way through, the cows turned to her and smiled.
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And then Roz saw him.
Her beloved son.
Brightbill.
As you know, reader, robots don’t feel emotions. Not the way animals do. But in that moment, in that barn, nobody had any doubt how Roz felt. She rushed forward and scooped her son into her arms.
“Brightbill!” she cried. “Is it really you?”
“It’s really me!” Brightbill nuzzled his mother’s face.
“But how did you find me?” said Roz.
“Ma, you’re famous! You were all anyone could talk about at the wintering grounds. It started with the flocks of geese that stopped here on their migrations. They shared your story with everyone they met. Your story spread from flock to flock, from north to south, from east to west. Eventually, your story made its way to me. I took off as soon as I heard where you were. I didn’t even tell the others—”
“But we caught up to him!” Loudwing, the old goose, fluttered over the herd and gently landed on a cow’s back. “Brightbill wasn’t the only one who wanted to see you, Roz!”
The rest of the flock appeared, and the robot found herself surrounded by old friends and family. Squawking and mooing and laughing and cheering filled the barn. But then came a loud, clear voice that only the robot understood.
“Roz! What are you doing?”
The animals hushed. Roz slowly turned around, and there were Jaya and Jad, standing in the doorway. The children had seen everything.
CHAPTER 38
THE TRUTH
Children can be very sneaky. And when Jaya and Jad heard the ruckus coming from the barn, they silently sneaked over to investigate. Now they were staring at a very strange scene, indeed. Roz was standing in the middle of the barn, surrounded by the entire herd of cows. For some reason, a flock of geese was there as well, and one of the geese was being cradled in the robot’s arms. But what most confused the children were the wild animal noises Roz had just been making.
The thing is, children aren’t just sneaky, they’re also smart. And it didn’t take long for Jaya and Jad to make sense of that strange scene.
“Those stories Roz told us about the robot on the island,” said Jad to his sister, “they were about her.”
“The goose in Roz’s arms,” said Jaya to her brother, “that must be her son.”
All of Roz’s stories came flooding back to the children. The robot, the island, the wild animals, the adventures. Those stories seemed so fanciful. Could they really be true?
“You are correct, children, those robot stories are about me,” admitted Roz, with a hint of sadness in her voice. “There were so many times that I wanted to tell you the truth about my past, but I was afraid the truth would frighten you.” The robot motioned to the goose in her arms. “This is my son. His name is Brightbill.”
Reader, there’s another important quality that children possess. In addition to being sneaky and smart, they’re also compassionate. Children care about others, and about the world, and as Jaya and Jad gazed at Roz and Brightbill, their little hearts were full of compassion.
“Please do not tell your father about me,” said Roz. “To him, I am just a machine. If he learns the truth, he will send me back to the robot factory, where I will be destroyed. But you must do what you feel is right. My life is in your hands now.”
The children looked at each other and smiled.
“Don’t worry, Roz,” said Jaya.
“Your secret is safe with us,” said Jad.
CHAPTER 39
THE ALLIES
Jaya and Jad would do anything to have their own mother back. So they understood how happy Brightbill and Roz must have felt in that moment. But they also understood that this happy moment couldn’t last forever. Brightbill couldn’t live on the farm, and Roz couldn’t be her true self around their father. Life seemed so unfair.
The children knew what needed to happen.
“Roz, you need to go home,” said Jaya.
“You need to be with your family and your friends on your island,” said Jad.
“I wish I could go home, but your father would never allow it,” said Roz.
“Just run away!” said the girl. “I ran away once—it was easy! But then I started feeling hungry, so I came home and made myself a sandwich.”
“Running away might be easy for you, but not for me,” said Roz. “Your father can track my movements. If he sees me trying to escape, he will think I am defective, and he will send me away to be destroyed.”
An uncomfortable question popped into Jaya’s mind. “Roz, don’t take this the wrong way,” she began, “but is it possible that you are defective?”
“Don’t say that, Jaya!” cried her brother.
“No, it is okay,” said the robot. “I have asked myself that same question. I do not feel defective. I feel… different. Is being different the same as being defective?”
“I don’t think so,” said Jaya. “Or else we’re all a little defective.”
“You saved my life, and now I’m going to save yours,” said Jad, with a look of determination in his eyes. “I know you can only access farming information, Roz. So let us handle the research. There has to be a way for you to safely escape. But we’ll need time to figure out a plan.”
The robot exchanged a few animal words with her son. And then she said to the children, “Brightbill must soon lead his flock back to their wintering grounds. However, he can return here in the spring.”
The boy slowly nodded. “We should have you ready by then.”
The girl looked concerned. “Roz, even if you safely escape from the farm, how will you get all the way home to your island?”
“Leave that to Brightbill and me,” said the robot. “Together, we will find our way home. I have faith in the two of us. And I have faith in the two of you.”
CHAPTER 40
THE INSTINCTS
The next few days were a blur. Roz rushed through her daily tasks so she could have more time with the flock. The geese talked about Chitchat the squirrel, and the Beaver family, and the other animals on the island. Roz talked about the robot factory and the Shareefs and life on the farm.
But the geese were always aware of their instincts, calling them back to the warm wintering grounds. And when they awoke one morning to find the countryside dusted with snow, they knew it was time to go.
By some miracle Roz and Brightbill had been reunited, and now they had to say good-bye all over again. The flock stood in the pasture with Roz as the children and the herd looked on. Brightbill fluttered up to his mother’s shoulder and wrapped his wings around her face.
“I’ll return in the spring,” said the goose. “And then you and I are going to find our way home.”
“Please be careful,” said the robot. “I do not want to lose you again.”
“We’ll keep your son out of trouble,” squawked Loudwing with a smile.
The geese waved good-bye to Roz and their new farm friends. Then Brightbill shook his tail feathers, beat his wings, and led his flock into the sky.
CHAPTER 41
THE WINTER
When Roz lived on the island, winter had seemed like one long, cruel blizzard. On Hilltop Farm winter wasn’t quite so harsh. The temperature fell but then rose. Storms came and then went. Snow piled up and then melted away.
Roz spent winter preparing the farm for spring. She wanted everything to be perfect for when she left. She tuned up the machines, she made fertilizer from old grass clippings and manure, she planned which crops would be seeded in which fields. She carefully looked over the herd, making sure each cow was happy and healthy. She made long lists of supplies, and then Mr. Shareef placed big orders.
The Herding Machine hauled bales of hay into the pasture and the cows gathered around to eat, steam puffing from their mouths. Some of the cows were “dried off” and wouldn’t be milked again until after the calving season. Others went to the milking parlor twice a day as usual. Bottles were filled, boxes were loaded, and the milk truck rolled away on its
next delivery run. No matter the season, the dairy farm kept chugging along.
Every day after school, Jaya and Jad ran to their bedrooms and got right to their homework. And when their homework was finished, their secret studies began. They researched the design and construction and maintenance of ROZZUM robots, hoping to discover some way for Roz to safely escape. The information wasn’t easy to find, but the children were persistent, and after weeks of work, they finally found what they were searching for.
CHAPTER 42
THE PLAN
Jaya pressed a button on the side of the milking parlor and the door hummed open. She and her brother stepped inside and wound their way past gleaming pipes and tanks and over to where Roz was cleaning some equipment.
“We found a diagram of your design!” said Jaya. “We think we can help you escape!”
“The problem is your Transmitter,” said Jad. “That’s the device that sends out your electronic signal. If we can remove your Transmitter, you’ll be able to run away whenever you want, without anyone tracking you.”
“Do you know how to remove it?” asked Roz.
“I think so.” The boy chuckled nervously. “But we won’t know for sure until we open you up and take a look.”
“We’ll have to do it late at night,” said Jaya. “When Dad is sleeping.”
“We just need to find a place where we can work in private,” said Jad, rubbing his chin.
“How about the old barn?” said Roz. “It is quiet and hidden. I can prepare the barn today and you can operate on me tonight.”
Everyone agreed, and the plan was set.
