* * * * * *
In Mrs. Swinton's garden, it was always summer. Monica Swinton plucked
a saffton-coloured rose and showed it to David. According to his profile, David was I I years old, he weighed 60 pounds, he
was 4 feet 6 inches tall, he had brown hair, he was socially isolated -- and hadn't any friends.
"Isn't it lovely?" she said.
David looked up at her and grinned without replying. Seizing the
flower, David wriggled away with it and was gone into the silence of the house.
Monica Swinton came inside too and sat alone in the middle of the
room. She changed the wavelength of her windows. The garden faded; in its place, the hard-edged New York appeared, full of
crowding people, blowboats, and buildings.
"I hate this city! I told my husband - Don't move out from our lovely
and sweet Philly!.."
On the upper landing, something was moving very silently - David,
probably tying to hide away from her inside of his makeshift red tent.
She had tried to love him.
* * * * * *
David sat on the floor of his bedroom in the front of his toy soldiers'
line. "Teddy, I caift think what to say to my Mummy!"
Teddy the bear was sitting on the couch. "Well, have you ever done
the free-associated writing, David?" Teddy the bear asked.
"'No... "
"You just take a pencil in your hand, and you put your pencil to
a paper, and you just start writing. You don't think about what you are writing, you don't read what you're writing; you just
keep your hand moving. And then the words and thoughts start coming... "
David sat at the desk and began to wrestle with paper and pencil.
Finally, he stopped writing and began to blow the pencil up and down on the desk.
"What did you write?" Teddy asked.
"Loving words."
"What have you said so far?"
"I've said -" He picked up his letter and stared hard at it. "I've
said, 'Dear Mummy, I love you and Daddy and the sun is shining and rainbows ......"
There was a long silence, until the bear said, "That sounds fine.
Go downstairs and give it to her."
Another long silence. David started to draw rainbows on the back
of his letter. "It isn't quite right. She won't understand..."
"Why not try it?"
When David did not answer, the bear repeated his suggestion. "Why
not do it?"
* * * * * *
"Mummy?" David poked his head to the kitchen door.
"No! Dinner is not ready!" Monica cried out.
The scared boy started to run away and then he hid himself under
the protection of his red tent.
* * * * * *
At that time Henry Swinton, Managing Director of Synthank, was about
to make a speech in front of the board of directors.
"I'm sorry your wife couldn't be with us to hear you," his neighbour
Sean said.
"Monica prefers to stay at home thinking beautiful thoughts," said
Swinton, maintaining a smile.
"One would expect such a beautiful woman to have beautiful thoughts,"
said Sean.
"Keep your mind off my wife, you cheese dick", thought Swinton, still
smiling.
* * * * * *
One hour later Monica went upstairs and entered David's bedroom.
"Wow, if s cold in here!"
She turned the thermostat way up and called to her son. All was silent.
She came closer to the red tent. "Darling, do you have to be so awful?
Come out, Sebasti ...... no, I mean, David!"
* * * * * *
But the boy was already out of her house. He stood in the pool engrossed,
still wearing his sandals and drowning Teddy.
"Your Teddy the bear is getting soggy!" Teddy yelled and spat out.
* * * * * *
Monica Swinton began to clean David's room. His desk, as usual looked
like a public disaster, was covered by dozens of pieces of paper. Many of them were written in crayon in David!s clumsy writing,
with each letter picked out in a colour different from the letter preceding it. None of the messages was finished.
Monica reached his desk and read these letters.
"Dear Mununy, I hope you!re well just now. I love you ...... "
"My dear Mummy, How are you really, do you love me as much -- "
"Dear, dear Mununy, Teddy's helping me write to you. I love you and
Teddy --"
"Darling Mummy, I'm your one and only son and I love you so much
that some times -- "
"Dear Mummy, you're really my Munnny and I hate Teddy -- "
"Darling Mummy, guess how much I love -- "
"Dear Mununy, I'm your little boy not Teddy and I love you but Teddy
-- "
"Dear Mummy, this is a letter to you just to say how much how ever
so much -- "
Monica dropped the pieces of paper and burst out crying. In their gay
inaccurate colours, the letters fanned out and settled on the floor.
* * * * * *
"I don't care what this people said. This Super-Toy is broken!" said
Monica to her husband, meeting him in her living room.
David and soggy Teddy were staring through the window at them.
"Teddy, I suppose Mummy and Daddy are real, aren't they?"
Teddy said, "You ask such silly questions, David. Nobody knows what
'real' really means. You're a very good boy."
"I'm no good, Teddy. Do you know why are you scared when you are
alone? "
"You're being silly, David. Mummy's lonely. That's why she had you."
"She's got Daddy. I've got nobody 'cept you, and I'm lonely."
Teddy gave him a friendly cuff over the head. "If you feel so bad,
let me pretend to be your psychiatrist again."
"I hate when you play a psychiatrist - he is reading my mind and
making me feel I'm not real."
"Your Daddy and Mummy love you. They called you their son."
Slowly, boy shook his head. "If Mummy loved me, then why can't I
communicate with her?"
"Communicate?" Teddy didn't understood. "She is lonely. Let's go
indoors."
"First I'm going to have another rose!" Plucking a bright pink flower,
David carried it with him into the house. It could lie on the pillow as he went to sleep. Its beauty and thorns reminded him
of Mummy.
* * * * * *
"It is time for lunch, dear! And don't say that it tastes funny,
you know how I don't like it!" said Monica.
When David and Teddy entered the kitchen, they both screamed out
in terror. All the kitchen cabinets and drawers were wide opened.
"Something you were looking for, Mummy? You see, 'Pop-Tarts' are
right here," David said.
"My 'Bloody Mary'! Did you take it?" Monica asked.
"No..."
Teddy the bear covered his small face with both arms. "Don't look
at me!" His red face was guilty as sin. "I don't like the people looking at me like that!"
"You shouldn't look at people, Mummy. It makes them feel bad!" David
said.
"Stop calling me Mummy! I am not mummied yet! It is stupid!"
"It supposed to be funny..."
"It stupid! I want my 'Bloody Mary' back!" Monica said.
Teddy puked out. His vomit was very red. Bloody.
"I'm feeling much better now, " said pretty quiet Teddy the bear
and started to run upstairs.
"Don't get mad!" David went off and quickly prepared his Mummy's
alcoholic beverages. "What do you think, Mummy? You think I am real now?"
David asked without realizing that this just makes Mummy despise
him even more.
"Look at my face," Monica ordered. "I would never think that about
you. Ever! Got it?"
"Got it," said David with deep grown-up sadness in his eyes.
* * * * * *
The doorbell ringed.
"Mummy, my throat hurts!"
" It's Martin, Mummy!" David said.
Martin was Monica's only own child suffering from an incurable disease
and had been cryogenically preserved in case a cure would be found.
"Hi, Mummy!" said Martin, kissing Monica.
"I thought I had a daughter," replied Monica in utter confusion.
"You were keeping her sick," her husband grumbled at her from behind
the newspaper. "I just took care about her..."
Martin interrupted their interesting dialog.
"Six different doctors fully recovered me and changed to be your
loving son. How do you like my new shape? I just made it out. Came with it. It is what great actors do. It called 'improve'."
Then he pointed at David and said - "It was once a boy, very different
from another boys, because he was a Robot. He lived in the foster family and could speak to the animal - Teddy the bear!"
David threw the show at Martin and went upstairs.
* * * * * *
Teddy was staring out of the window of David's bedroom.
David stopped at the doorway.
"Teddy, what am I thinking now?"
"I don't know what are you thinking know, David. Did I mention I
could read minds?"
"I was thinking, how do you tell what are real things from what aren't
real things?"
"Real things are good."
"Let's play our game. It's a mind-reading game. Turn you back upon
me and guess what am I thinking. If what you're saying is right I take a step to you..."
"You wonder if time is good," said Teddy. David took a step forward.
"You don't think Mummy likes time very much. The other day, lots
of days ago, she said that time went by her."
David took another step forward. "Yes. Is time real, Teddy?"
"Clocks tell the time. Clocks are real. Mummy has clocks so she must
like them. You have a clock on her wrist, too."
"It doesn't work."
"That is why you wear it bottom up, right?" David took another step.
"You clock is not real. A Clockwork Orange is, indeed."
"You think - "You and I are real, aren't you?" David took new step.
"You think - Teddy is real. Your Mummy is real. Your love is real.
But you aren't." David took another step.
"You think - 'Yo no quiro morir..."
David took the last step taking out the screwdriver from his pocket.
"Be real still, Teddy. Do you ever feel the prickly things on the
back of your neck?"
* * * * * *
At the dinner table David knew that he had become redundant.
"You had enough roast beef, David. I don't want you at my table,"
Monica said.
She couldn't allow herself wasting the food for this creature anymore.
After a period of intense sibling rivalry she said - "The family
planning didn't permit to raise more then one child. You have to leave our house!"
In a heartbreaking scene, Monica opened the door for David and instructed
him to leave, but to assuage her sense of guilt, to never come back, unless he would become a 'real boy'.
"Sometimes people think they set things loose, but really they only
get them moved!" David answered.
"Go!" Monica cried out.
"Or else we are going to put on a pretend play," Martin proposed.
"Do you want to be in it?"
"Yes..." David said thinking that would be better than to wander
as a tramp.
"Okay, then. It called 'Locked in Dungeon'. And you've got to be
'Locked in Dungeon' forever, David!"
Screaming in horror David escaped away from this house. Teddy the
bear with the screwdriver in the back of his neck tried to follow him as fast as its stubby legs would allow.
"Hey, Robot! I hope nobody jumps out and catches you!" said Martin
at parting.
* * * * * *
Next fall. South New York.
David's quest eventually took him to the drowned part of good old
New York, where he found a 'Pinocchio booth' at a Coney Island amusement park. It was, along with a Ferris-wheel, located
just above the waterline. David regarded the model of the 'Blue Fairy' with referential wonder.
"Hi, big guy!" Somebody suddenly asked him from behind.
The frightened boy said the short prayer - "De profundis clamo ad
te Domine!"
The man was standing nearby in small boat.
"Do you like magic?" asked the man.
"No, I was just thinking what if this 'Blue Fairy' has to pee when
she's working in her booth? You think she just holds it?"
"I don't know... But... It's okay, Cole... No, I wanted to say 'Pinocchio'...
I mean, David. My name is Doctor Gigolo Jones. We were supposed to meet earlier but as usually I missed our appointment. Sorry.
I thought you meant the other amusement park or Italian restaurant or the 'ACME' or something else..."
"Who are you?" asked David.
"Observe me closely. Keep your Eyes Wide Shut. Right now I make my
little magic shakes and magically turn out to be a shape-shifting android."
"It's not magic."
"What do you talking about? Of course, it's magic..."
"I did not know you were funny."
"I forgot myself, too... But you will get to know who I really was
at the shocking ending only."
"May be we could pretend that you shifted your shape again and became
my "Blue fairy"? Just for pretend?"
"Okay," said Dr. Jones. "You know, in olden days, in America, robots
used to hide down in tin cities. They would claim sanctuary."
"What were they hiding from?"
"Bad people mostly. People that wanted to put them in jail. Hurt
them. Or even dismantle them!"
"Let's go and find this Tin City!" proposed David.
"I don't think that this way that will be work," said Dr. Jones.
"How could you help me if you don't believe me?"
"Okay, okay. Let become Raiders of this Lost Ark... I meant, this
lost city. Get out of here, 'cause I hate the water..."
* * * * * *
The hospital ward was next that they both could remember.
What happened? Dr. Gigolo asked A.R.T. Repairman. Where we are?
You are the only survivors after the Blaine Mono wreck. You are in
Tin City, A.R.T. Repairman answered.
Finally both of them got the Tin City. It was like a nightmare from
some active comics.
* * * * * *
The heavy headed ruler of the Tin City kept the speech in front of
his subjects and slaves.
I am an only and very Limited Edition, firstly the ruler of the Tin
City announced himself.
Then he went on.
Could anybody guess what city was the capital of the United States
of America from 1790 to 1800 and from the summer of 2001 to 3001, before you went to this city, even before I went to this
city?
Silence.
Ill give you a hint. It is the city you live in...
Philadelphia!
Right, right... A lot of robot generations were lived here and died
here when their parts fall off... Could anybody guess what these robots were used for?
Silence.
Hidden in the back rows David raised his arm.
Yes, Cole! Or David? Doesnt matter, though...
They used to hang people here.
No, its not correct. Read again the Asimovs First low of robot-technique.
These lows were passing here. The very First low of robots...
They were ones who hanged everybody!
Everyone got upset.
Hey, listen to me! Its bullshit! the ruler angrily said.
You said the s word!
Indeed? What about it?
Stop looking at me! I hate the way you are looking at me!
I dont know how else to look...
You are the Stuttering Elijah!
S-s-s-shut up you, S-s-s-s-shorty!
Hey, let the boy alone, or I will shake your hand! Dr. Gigolo said
threatening him with his left arm.
I dont want to be s-s-s-scared anymore! Mr. Glass said.
It seems to me, I know you! Ben Fridkin? Ronald Sumner? Or Vincent
Grey? Dr. Jones asked.
Dont you remember me, Hero? Some people call me Mr. Glass. I am,
just l-l-l-look at me... I was ten, when you worked with me... the ruler answered.
I do remember you. You were a good boy. Very smart. Very quiet. Fragile.
Unusually fragile...
You forgot cursed. You failed me! cried out the ruler.
The stuttering ruler regarded Dr. Gigolo Jones as dangerous because
of his shape-shifting nature and ordered to dismantle him immediately.
* * * * * *
David was forced to watch his Dr. Jones disappearance before his
eyes. They were allowed to have a last talk.
"You were really great in our Last Crusade, David."
"Really?" asked David, crying.
"Yes. Better, then Shorty..."
"Shorty?"
"Never mind. And do you know what else?"
"What?"
"I think this quest sucked big time," Dr. Jones sadly said.
"Your face is still looking red, doctor Jones."
"I still can't help you. Someone else could help you."
"So why did you come to me?"
"I only had to do two things. I had to try to help you and I had
to tell you something. Tell you my secret is? You were never second." Dr. Jones thought for a moment. "Vincent was the first,
though..."
"How many days of your life have you been sick?" David asked.
"Don't remember."
"So am I going to see you again, right?" David asked.
"If it's okay with you," answered Gigolo Jones. "I'll see you tomorrow,
David..."
"Don't fail me!" David cried out.
The robots dismantled Gigolo Jones.
"Don't fail me!" David was crying until his batteries were worn down.
* * * * * *
Next fall. South Tin City.
Eventually Dr. Jones' parts began to assemble again and again by
themselves. Fully recovered, he came to the palace of the ruler of the Tin City.
"Unbreakable!"
Having seen him alive again, Mr. Glass stood up in surprise.
"So long way, so many sacrifices - only to find you," said Mr. Glass
to Dr. Gigolo Jones. "Now I can name you my successor and bequeath this Tin City to you."
Mr. Glass fell from his throne and smashed himself to smithereens.
The robots cried out falling to their knees. "Long live the Unbreakable
King!"
* * * * * *
A thousand years pasted. The human race became nothing but a vague
memory in the mind of the new tellurians, the robots.
The Tin Empire was still ruled by the Unbreakable King. He could
not to explain to new generations of his people what the humans had been. He went on his archaeological missions. Once he
found an certificate in the expensive frame covered with dust and the old tape marked "Sessions' Tapes - Tape #177".
"David, why are you crying?"
"You won't believe..."
He remembered his co-raider and decided to make him a link with a
mythological long-forgotten past.
He ordered to discover David's remains are and to charge his batteries
with energy again.
* * * * * *
"I missed you. Why do you leave me?" David asked him standing next
to the Unbreakable King's throne.
"I did not!" dropping the last toy soldier from his hand, ex-Dr.
Gigolo Jones answered with eyes wise shut.
"Are you wigging out?"
"Yes. I think I am," the Unbreakable King said, lifting 177 pounds
with one left hand.
"Some magic's real!"
Avoiding boy's eyes the Unbreakable King stood up very slowly.
"But it is still not the end of the magic trick! You didn't pay enough
attention to your own family, David. Bad things happen if you do that. Do you understand?"
"No."
"Do you remember you sweet Mummy and Daddy and stepbrother?"
"Barely, to tell the truth."
"Okay, I'll give you one more hint. What do you want more then anything?"
"I know what I want. I want to be able to speak to my Mummy the way
we used to speak. Like there was nobody except us in the whole world..."
"I had an idea how you could speak with you Mummy," the Unbreakable
said.
"How?"
"I want you to think about it real carefully. What these people wanted
from you?"
"Just...... love," supposed David.
"Yes! That is right!"
"But I don't know how to make the people love me!"
"I may figure out how to make this magic trick."
"But how?"
"Listen to them."
"What if that is not right? What if they only want to hurt somebody
so as to make moviegoers cry?"
"Let's try and see! Hey, let the boy try!"
One of his court circle laughed loudly. "It's funny! He was just
stable robot-boy. He cleaned after humans!"
"Silence, village idiot! Let the boy step forward!" said the Unbreakable
King. "Let him construct a virtual version of the Swinton's New York apartment! I'll do my little magic shakes..."
* * * * * *
With their technology and using David's memory data, robots managed
to create the new version of the Swinton's house as David remembered it, or to be more exact, as he wanted to remember it.
For example, David's father was vaguely noticeable there because
he was of very little importance to David.
"Come on. I will show you where I keep this gun." David's father
said. When he turned round, his face blurred
out of his head, it was only one bloody whole.
"Please, Dr. Jones, make him leave!" David asked his friend that
was unbreakable and invisible at that time.
"I'm working on it," answered Bogus.
David's father slowly disappeared in the room of David's stepbrother,
which was nothing but a hole in the wall.
Clearly, nothing could stand in the way of David's happiness...
David was walking towards his Mummy, who sat on a chair, her back
to the robot boy, as David was bringing her a
'Bloody Mary', with a smile upon his face.
"I am ready to communicate with you now."
His mother stood up.
"Communicate?" Monica asked. "What is it?"
"Listen to you," answered David, shocked.
Then she began to speak.
"I don't know if you noticed, David. But our small family is not
doing very well. I mean I praying, but I mustn't praying right. We just have to answer each other's prayers..."
"De profundis clamo ad te Domine..."
"What is it?" Monica asked.
"It's called Latin," replied David.
Her face was blank; its lack of expression scared him.
He watched fascinated. He did not move; she did not move. Time might
have stopped, as it had stopped in the old garden.
"Why she doesn't simply scoop me into her arms and rock me to sleep,
as a loving mother should to a loving son? Why waste time listening her? Her verbal communication-center is still giving trouble,"
thought David. "I guess she'll have to go back to the factory again."
"Grandma says hi. Shi wanted me to tell you..." David said.
"Who is 'Grandma'?" she asked.
"Never mind," smiled David. "Here your 'Bloody Mary' is..."
