That very day (502 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 0.85 on 15 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Tj Wilk <no_blank_spaces.at.hotmail.com> (View user info) at 2007-12-04 18:51:01 EST
Yes...another robot story attempt
The robot fell from the sky on the coldest day of the year. Nobody noticed the figure as it slowly fell. Its silver surface blended with the sulky face of the sky. Droplets of water condensed on its shell as it passed the last of the unrelenting clouds.
It gently landed in a field, just outside the town and a few kilometres away from the main roadway. The grass was short here because of the new technologies being developed over on Sanzarak hill. The robot's head swivelled in its mount socket and its large, blue unblinking eye looked out over the plains. A whistle from a nearby tree sounded and the robot turned that way. Its Metfocus eye targeted the source of noise, a single bird siting on a branch of a lone tree. Slowly, the robot began to trudge across the field towards the tree. It came down a slight incline and slipped onto its rear. The little boy watching it between blades of grass clamped his hands over his mouth to suppress his laughter. The robot that had not heard the laughter attempted to get onto its feet again. The noise of whirling gears and hydraulics resonated for a few seconds and then stopped. The robot, now on its feet again, continued to walk towards the tree.
When it had reached the tree it looked up at the branch with the bird. The bird looked at it and sensing no threat, leaped onto its shiny shoulder. The robot slowly turned its head at the bird again. The bird twittered and whistled at it and jumped up and down. The robot emulated the noise of the bird perfectly, twittering away at it, the bird, now startled and excited - whistled louder and louder. The robot followed suit and whistled as loud as the bird. Suddenly a large gust blew from over the hill and the tiny bird was sucked up into the air and away into the sky where it flapped it's wings repeatedly, trying to get back to its singing friend. Eventually it turned with the wind and soared off over the plains. The robot watched patiently as the bird disappeared.
The robot examined the tree. It looked at the leaves; it noticed their green pigment, their shape and texture. It next looked at the trunk of the tree, following it all the way down to its base, where roots disappeared into the ground.
Once the robot had inspected the tree it began to climb the trunk. Rather awkwardly at first, the robot moved up the trunk and into the depths of leaves. It kept climbing until its metallic head popped out of the very highest canopy of leaves and met the air. The eye swung around and observed its surroundings. Fields carpeted the lands for miles around. Westward stood a large city, burning strongly at its core. Smoke belched into the sky ominously. Strangely the city made no noise. No sirens, no calls for help or sound of explosions. It just raged away silently.
A hot white light appeared in the sky and then disappeared suddenly into the city with an unearthly noise so loud the air itself tingled in fear. The robot lost its grip and fell to the ground. Unharmed it tilted its head up and watched as a massive shockwave tore through the earth towards it. The robot was blasted backwards, flying with the shockwave, rolling in the ashen air, finally stopping, smashed against a lone boulder. Again the robot was unharmed. The landscape appeared different now. It was grey, like the sky and the air stunk of ash, smoke and chemicals.
The robot saw the body of the boy, lying face first in the ash. It walked steadily, over the flattened and burned grass towards the child. The robot kneeled beside the small body and stared at it intently. A metallic hand reached out and brushed through the child's, once blonde hair. It fell away in clumps and the robot withdrew its hand. The hair blew in a sudden wind, up into the air, scattering around the land. The robot bent closer to the child, its large eye, centimetres from the boy back. However there was no life to be found.
The robot heard a child's wailing, it looked up and scanned the area. Barely visible due to her ashen clothes, a young girl cried steadily. She ran towards the robot and stared at her brothers body.
"Is he gone too?" she choked.
The robot, infinitely silent, stared back at her. "He is gone." She cried out and fell forward, wrapping her arms around the robots neck and holding her face to his cool metallic flesh.
The robot and child buried the boy, far out of the area, by a small stream, near a large rock. The little girl wiped the boys name onto the rock, with her ash covered hands - Alan, in dark misshapen letters.
After it was done, the child stared up at the robot's eye. So deep and blue and lit up, glowing warmly.
"Your my family now too?"
The robot stared back at her and whistled strangely. The girl laughed and put its hand in the robots. Together they walked over the plains, where the grass was still green, the air - crisp cool and clean, and into the future where uncertainty lay. But hope burned brightly, shining as the only barrier against the darkness that seemed to envelop the earth.
User Reviews
Submitted by triangle_man (user info) at 2007-12-05 15:45:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
whirrrrr click
Submitted by sir_cowman (user info) at 2007-12-05 10:35:19 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Again, this feels like it needed a little more work to be awesome. i like your ideas, but the way you write makes them hard to enjoy. Not that I have much room to talk, i don't think i've submitted one post w/o a typo since i've started.
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2007-12-05 10:26:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
stick to one a day
Submitted by Yozz (user info) at 2007-12-05 10:10:21 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
"The grass was short here because of the new technologies being developed over on Sanzarak hill."
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You mean they are developing illegal mexican immigrants with lawn mowers over on Sanzarak hill?!?!?!
HOLY SHIT!
Submitted by TheDoctor (user info) at 2007-12-05 07:31:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2007-12-05 06:46:38 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Despite this being a decent story, 1 POST PER DAY!
I will take away your posting privileges if you continue to disobey my commands!
Submitted by ConorJS (user info) at 2007-12-04 23:04:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Where's John Connor?
Submitted by Stagger_Lee (user info) at 2007-12-04 21:34:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i'm rating to up to compensate for the -2.
Submitted by monkeyswithguns (user info) at 2007-12-04 21:30:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow. That was excellent. Reminded me of a Phillip K. Dick story, though I was expecting the robot to start off innocent and end up crushing the girls skull, but this was good too.
Submitted by ghola (user info) at 2007-12-04 20:27:26 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i like robots.
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2007-12-04 19:36:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
STFU doodles, you goddamn moron.
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2007-12-04 19:30:44 EST (#)
Ranking: -2
Submitted by Doodles (user info) at 2007-12-03 17:26:27 EST (#)
Ranking: -1
-2 double posting
I thought you were told about this yesterday 1 post per day.
Submitted by Tjhom (user info) at 2007-12-04 18:59:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
You just wait until they inherit the earth
Submitted by Lib (user info) at 2007-12-04 18:59:26 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I like cartoon looking robots.
Submitted by Berty (user info) at 2007-12-04 18:57:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
You sure do like robots.