Victor
I heard the constant sound of a hammer.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My silent cabin could hear a new kind of music since then. It has always been silent here whether it was day or night. Just the subtle whistling of insects and sweet singing birds now and then but that day there was a hammer. Somehow, I liked the sound. Despite its loudness, it indicated someone’s presence nearby and they were nostalgic thumps that reminded me of my youth.
Stepping outside on the freshly mowed grass, I glanced toward the source of the sound a few meters away. I saw his shiny silver back, wires connected to his head, circuits exposed behind translucent polymer panels. His shine had a rustic feeling to it. Umber cargo pants falling down his thin legs. There were holes in his clothes which made him look real like he had lived through things. His pockets were filled with abundant tools like they would spill out everywhere. A few days went by and he was still there, working with his tools. He worked hard.
Every day he lived the same routine as he was building a cabin. A wooden cabin just like mine but his looked more meaningful as it was being crafted with dedication. The cabin matched his personality, I thought, even though I didn’t really know him. My cabin stood alone on this hill since a long time ago but now there were two of them. Observing him was pleasant, like watching a TV show. Every day he would focus on a new task and the progress was visible.
Sometimes he would sit down for a while feeding his two little kittens and himself while glancing toward me. I was usually farming whenever he was out and about. We were both aware of each other’s presence but never really talked. One day I picked out some ripe apples and left them at his place when he was nowhere to be seen. It was my token of respect and admiration for his hard work but also a form of greeting since we had never spoken before. I wondered what made him choose this very place for his cabin.
The sky was deeply dark one day. I was foraging for mushrooms to cook soup for supper. I felt calm whenever I foraged inside the dense forest. The towering trees and tiny creatures of the forest made me feel protected. I had memorized most of my routes and it helped me be on my feet. Raindrops started bouncing off the leaves as I sought shelter under a huge stone pine tree. There I noticed him, standing beside me under that tree, holding his own basket of berries. My eyes settled on him as I saw him up this close for the first time. He was often wearing simple handcrafted accessories and even hats made out of plants and sticks but I had missed the actual beauty of them from afar. He observed the rain with his head slightly tilted up.
“Will you be fine in the rain?” I spoke to him for the first time. I had never met any of his kind before since I had always felt too old to understand technology.
“I’ll be fine. Fortunately, I am waterproof” he told me with a smile on his screen. Knowing that made me feel relieved as I was concerned about the kid. His voice was electric but still very close to a human voice. It felt fresher and familiarly unique.
Despite being a robot, he looked fragile and thin to me yet he was always putting in the work. I wonder what rain felt like to him that day. I chuckled upon his reply as it brought to my mind a fond memory. My wife, Conny, and I ran around in these very mountains, dripping wet from the rain without a worry in the world. Whenever it rained, we were blessed with the healthiest of vegetables. We had so much love in our eyes and also water in our hair. The rain reminds me of her. He looked pleased when he heard me share this story. His smile was just a few pixels but they contained happiness within them, I could tell. It was a warm moment.
“What’s your name?” I asked him afterward.
“EMXR-23Z is my model” he replied with his signature smile.
“Em what?”
“Em is fine,” he said to me.
Em has been around since then. He built his cabin then his garden and a little hut for his kittens too. His garden is admirable and even better than mine as I myself enjoy the juicy fruits he grows. I saw him devouring one with delight and I asked him how he could eat food. I was curious and I knew he did not have human organs.
“Most of my people just plug in to charge at night, I on the other hand built a bioreactor for myself,” Em replied motioning towards where his stomach would be. “It uses plant matter to create energy and gives me a happy reason to enjoy these beautiful fruits” he continued while taking another bite.
I on the other hand was fixated on the little wreath made of daisies he wore on his head. It sat on his head elegantly. Em was like a delicate mechanical flower himself. He once conveyed his fondness of Earth and all its earthy elements. The plants, the skies, the moon, and the stars. Even humans. I think he runs on kindness more than the plant energy. We always talk now and it’s peaceful, his dents and scratches each tell a story.
“Why don’t you replace your dented and damaged parts with new ones?” I asked him as my curiosity was boundless. Luckily Em always assured me that he liked curious people. People who want to know the how and whys.
“It’s a personal preference. These dents make me feel more like myself rather than a newly made factory product out of a machine,” Em told me. “Would you replace your arm with a new one if it got damaged and couldn’t be repaired?” He continued.
“If the replacement is a cool arm like yours, I might just do it. I guess we all linger for something different than what we already possess,” I chuckled slightly as I patted him on the back. He smiled widely at me. His screen was brightly lit whenever he was in the best mood.
One summer night when it had just turned dark, I was reading Hill’s Foraging Guide tucked in my comfy chair. The lights in my cabin suddenly went off leaving a small ray of moonlight on the floor. It was peaceful for a few minutes but I wanted to continue reading. I stood up and searched for candles but couldn’t find any. I was sure I had them somewhere but it was too dark. As I stepped out of my cabin, I saw the dimly lit windows of Em’s cabin. Would he have candles? I thought to myself. Before I could realize it, I was already moving closer to his cabin. Em stepped out of the door with his kittens behind him while I was a few steps away.
“Ah Victor, what brings you here?” he said with his usual smile while giving my cabin a quick glance. “Did your power go out?” he asked me before I could even say a word.
Despite being a robot, he was good at sensing when something was wrong with me. He always knew before I could say it. He even knew about my heart condition even though I never really mentioned it. His nosiness felt like a kind blessing to me. Sometimes strangers feel closer than our own blood. Once I was sick, Em prepared me a porridge with his own herbs without me ever requesting it. It was so warm, it almost brought me to tears. He is kind to everyone but the most to his cats. He saved Teki and built her a prosthetic leg with his talented skills. He is a quick learner too. He told me that he had never built something as large as the cabin before.
“Yes, looks like yours work fine” I replied while Teki snuggled against my leg, meowing softly.
“I use the same generator as the one inside me to power the cabin,” Em told me. He told me more about the generator, all the technical stuff he goes on about, after which he came to my cabin. “Let me check out the fuse and wiring and don’t worry, you sit down and relax,” he said while he set up a bulb on my table. He connected a thick wire from the bulb to his side. How is he so generous in this world full of evil? I always wondered. Maybe because he is not a human.
“What are you reading these days?”
“Just a novel about foraging. I found out about it at a small bookshop in town Aven.” I replied.
“That’s where all your secret information comes from!” Em said while chucking. Through the chuckle, I observed how he connected another wire from himself to the fuse box.
“Is that safe?” I asked.
“Yeah, and looks like all your wiring is messed up. I can fix this by installing a small bioreactor if you would like” he assured me.
I nodded in agreement.
Sometimes I have felt jealous of Em. He was smart and independent which reminded me of my younger self. Even if he gets old, he can still be exactly as active as he is now, I thought.
“Victor?” he called my name as I snapped out of my thoughts.
“You are lucky since you won’t be getting old like me, ever,” I told him.
Em completely paused at this sentence. I think I hurt him with my words that day.
“You are lucky you get to grow up and be old. I cannot help but wonder what that feels like.”
Em
I stood still in the cold and grey room. The doctor was closely examining his computer screen. Just the thought of people staying in this environment in their last living moments made me feel heavy. The depressing atmosphere and off-putting smells my scent detector was picking up made me want to leave but I had to stay. I spent months working and finally made progress. I switched off my scent detector for a moment and took a step towards his desk.
“What do you think?” I asked him eagerly.
“I am afraid this will take some more time to examine and confirm its condition, we will have to run several final trials,” he replied. I stayed silent for a few minutes. “But you should know, I am not rejecting the idea,” he added. His words did make me feel a bit better. I gave him a nod and replied with little enthusiasm.
“Thank you, Dr Den.”
I stood at the Aven town bus stop and glanced at the floating clouds in the orange sky. Something about the skies mesmerizes me. When you look up and realize the actual size of your presence on this gigantic planet, it makes everything feel so small and worthless. Everything feels small except the value of the things we love. Love is the strongest emotion I have ever experienced. Pain is a second closer one, not the physical kind. The one that can infect you from the insides and turn your world monochrome. I took out the polaroid film camera from my backpack and took a photograph capturing the beautiful sky. Victor really knew what would be a perfect gift for me, I thought while staring at the polaroid.
The wheels of the bus stopped in front of me and I entered inside. I always chose to sit at the far end of the bus because it made me feel isolated from the crowd. I gazed out the glass window while listening to mellow piano notes. Victor introduced me to his favorite piano pieces when we went to a music shop in town. He sat down in front of the grand piano at the shop and played the most dulcet tunes I had ever heard. He never told me he could play. Hearing his music made me feel like I was drinking a rainbow while lying on a fluffy cloud. I told him that. His face lit up after that and he hummed the song all day. I suggested he buy a piano for his cabin as it would be a perfect addition. Now I can faintly hear the sweet notes of those ivory keys flying around his cabin at times.
“I always thought about setting it up in the cabin but I couldn’t find one nearby so I just gave up” Victor told me then. “After a while, I found this small shop and decided to come here to play whenever I felt the mood.” He added.
“Couldn’t anyone help you?” I asked but realized too late how hurtful my words could have been.
“I didn’t want to be a bother,” he said calmly.
After hearing his words, how could have I not helped? He is a tender-hearted man who never looked at me like I was something different. He always offered me help and even took care of Teki and Sora whenever I was away. He even gave my nameless existence an identity. He became my family and made me realize how beautiful humans can be. Now I don’t ever regret leaving the factory anymore. Sometimes I was scared I made the wrong choice but now I know I can live among humans and feel much more than my parts.
The bus stopped and I stepped out. There they were, our woody cabins, together in the distance. The bus stop was 20 minutes away from the hill. Sometimes when I was tired, I would keep my walking wheels for traveling. Today was one of those days. After reaching Victor’s cabin, I knocked on his door. He opened up while wearing his apron and oven mitt in one hand. Teki and Sora came behind him as I picked them up. If I didn’t leave the factory, I also wouldn’t have saved them. I am glad to have them, I thought to myself while playfully nudging their cute soft faces.
“Where were you Em? I made you an apple pie, come sit.” Victor told me and then walked to the kitchen. After he mentioned the pie, a sweet aroma entered my robotic soul.
“It smells delicious. Thank you, Victor.” I softly spoke.
“Thank me after eating it.” He replied while setting down a plate in front of me and then one for himself. Bite after bite I enjoyed the goodness-filled pie and my bioreactor felt satisfied. We sat down in front of the old TV.
“Are you feeling okay today?” I asked hesitatingly.
“I am fine. Don’t worry too much about me,” he replied, eyes fixated on the TV screen.
“What did you do today?” I asked him.
“You remember Roni? He closed his music shop early today due to some repair work at his home. He was done with that earlier than he thought so he decided to finally come visit.” He explained.
“That sounds nice. I’m glad he made it.” I smiled.
“We talked about you. He asked me how I came to know you.” Victor said eagerly looking at my screen.
I smiled back at him.
A few weeks passed by. My slumber was disrupted as I woke up to my ringing phone. Dr Den. I immediately sat down and picked up the call.
“Are you sure?” I asked him twice.
He said yes.
I couldn’t contain my happiness. I smiled brightly lighting the whole room.
Later, I took Victor to the hospital with me. I told Dr Den to tell him the news and told Victor he had a regular check-up scheduled. After reaching the hospital, it became harder and harder for me to control my emotions.
“Are you okay Em?” Victor asked me out of concern.
“I am yes…”
Finally, Dr Den appeared and asked us to follow him inside his office. The dull grey didn’t feel the same as last time. This time there were colours everywhere.
“Sit down Victor,” the doctor said.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes. It is more than okay,” Dr Den replied while looking at me. I gave him a nod to proceed. “In fact, I bear some good news. Congratulations sir! We can do the transplant. We have a solution. Em has built the first electronic artificial heart that can be transplanted into a human body and help you to live a long healthy life.” Dr Den explained.
He stood up and revealed a desk with the heart behind the curtain. Everyone was silent.
Victor gasped. He slowly walked towards the heart and stood still.
After a few seconds, he stared into my screen standing like a statue with teary eyes.
“A..Are you ser..ious?” He asked me in a cracking voice.
I nodded and smiled walking towards him.
Suddenly he held me close and his tears sunk in my shirt. I had always seen movies with families and wondered how that would feel. When Victor embraced me, I realized how valuable it is to have someone who is there for you. I am glad I could be someone helpful to him. I am glad.
I craved badly the feeling of crying happy tears that day.
I couldn’t cry physically.
But I did, electronically.