First a robotic car
Than a mouse
Than a friend
To clean my room
And cook my food
Mum and Dad
They all are nice
And comforting
But I still need your hug & kiss
In my hour of stress
when I am restless and sad
You both need to be by my side
Whenever I miss you day or night.
***
ROBO & ROBBY
Robo and Robby were best friends, are best friends still and perhaps will remain so forever, even when he is a grown up man like his papa., He will never part with Robo, will not give him to even his own kids .
This was a life- long pact between, Robo and Robby.
It all started with Robo singing all hid favourite nursery- rhymes. to Robby in his most husky and soothing voice every night. Then one night while Robby put him on the shelve and kissed good-nighr it just fell in his arms again
Not only that it told him that he wants to sleep with him tonight cuddled in his arms right next to his pillow.
This was their first conversation. Then he started to learn everything with Robby-maths, history geography, all..
Robo was given to Robby on his fourth birthday, now Robby is eight. And papa tell him that Robo’s mental age is same as Robby, as he is an interactive toy; which means there is an intelligence chip and voice box inside Robo. It keeps on learning and developing with Robby, developing same intelligence and vocabulary.
It all sounded bit too complicated, Robby could not under-stand, chip or no chip, how can a toy talk and grow. For him Robo was real and alive ,not a toy at all.
One day when he liked his hot tomatoe-soup and bread and butter milk putting too much , he wanted to share it with his friend also.
He pushed two spoons in his open mouth , which he just opened to tell him something.
But lo, all lights in his eyes and paws switched off and it stopped talking. It will not interact with him at all. Robby quickly turned him upside down and thumped him heart.
After all that is what Mum did when he swallowed a bright new one pence coin by accident. Coin just plopped out from his moutf soup h and he was all right. He could talk and walk again.
But only two drops of soup fell out from Robo’s mouth and there was no sign of pudding or life in Robo.
Robin himself was sick with worry. Hugging lifeless Robo tightly he burst out in most sad and loud cry.
Mum and Dad both came running. When they found out what was the reason , they told him -nothing to worry , they will see if the chip can be repaired, otherwise they will buy a new one . Only difference will be that it will be an eight-year old Robo. As it will loose past four year’s memory.
But this was no consolation to Robby’s aching heart.
He wanted that same Robo back, who played tick-tock with him and knew all rhe nursery-rhymes.
Mum packed Robo and send him to the bear hospital with an urgent request.
After two days , when postman delivered him back. Mum gave it back to Robby only to open.
With thumping heart as soon he opened the parcel.. Robo’s eyes twinkled and he waved at him and then asked merrily- ‘Did you miss me Robby? ‘
‘Yes, very much so. ‘
Tears of joy were flowing uncontrolled from Robby’s eyes. But he didn’t care to wipe them. He knew it was his own Robo. It has not lost his memory. It remembered him.
.He took him straight to his bedroom .
To his utter comfort, while he was climbing up-stair, Robo was counting steps with his favourite rhyme, one two , buckle my shoe…
Shail Agrawal
e.mail: shailagrawal@hotmail.com