by Peter Brown
As they rowed deeper into the bay, the waves got larger and rougher. Gigantic swells of water rolled in from the open ocean and started tossing the boat around like a toy. The waves finally became too much for Brightbill. He spread his wings, lifted up on the breeze, and anxiously looked at the choppy surf ahead.
“Row faster!” he squawked. “I don’t know how much more the boat can take!”
Roz tried to power through. She rowed faster and faster, until the boat was skimming across the water. Too fast. The left oar snapped, then the right, and suddenly the boat was at the mercy of the waves.
“Hold on, Mama!” cried the goose. “Here comes a big one!”
The rowboat was pulled up the side of a towering wall of water. It teetered at the top. And then the boat went crashing down the other side with such force that the whole thing splintered apart! Roz felt water surging up around her. She clung to debris and kicked her legs, but she wouldn’t stay afloat for long.
The robot began to sink.
The goose floated above.
The ocean rolled and sloshed.
Then there was a sudden burst of air from somewhere nearby. Brightbill looked toward the noise but saw only sea spray drifting on the breeze. And when he looked back to his mother, she was dipping below the surface.
“What can I do, Mama?” Brightbill cried from the air. “Tell me what to do!”
“There is nothing more you can do!” came Roz’s gargling voice. “I am sorry!”
The young goose could only watch as the ocean dragged the robot
down
down
down.
CHAPTER 64
THE SEA CREATURE
Brightbill hovered on the wind and watched his poor mother sinking into the depths. He could still see her body sparkling brightly against the darkness. But she was fading fast.
The goose closed his eyes, hoping this was all a bad dream. He heard the distant horns of ships by the seaport. He heard buoys clanging in the harbor. He heard ocean waves churning and frothing, louder and louder. And louder. And LOUDER!
The goose opened his eyes and saw the ocean bulging upward. A giant sea creature was rising from the deep! It breached the surface and sent waves rolling away. The creature had a large mouth and long fins and a wide back that curved down into the water. There was a loud burst, and mist shot up from a blowhole. As you might have guessed, reader, that giant creature was a whale.
More of the whale emerged from the darkness until something sparkled in the sunlight. It was Roz! She was sprawled across the whale’s back, wet, limp, and lifeless.
CHAPTER 65
THE WHALE
The whale swam along the surface of the ocean, keeping our robot safely above the water, gently moving her away from the rough waves. Brightbill couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Once the shock wore off, he fluttered down to the whale’s back and leaned over his mother. There was no life in her eyes or her body. So the goose did the only thing he could think of.
Click.
Roz’s eyes began to glow.
She uttered some human noises.
And then, in the language of the animals, the robot said, “Oh, Brightbill, am I happy to see you!”
The goose squawked with joy and hugged his mother’s face, but she didn’t move. She couldn’t move. The robot had lost the use of her limbs. There were a few tense minutes and a few nervous glances. But as the sun beat down and the wind rushed over her, Roz felt her body drying out. Slowly, gradually, power returned to her arms, then her legs, and then she sat up and hugged her son.
Brightbill breathed a sigh of relief. “Mama, when you disappeared below the water, I thought you were gone forever.”
“So did I,” said Roz. “As I sank deeper and deeper, the ocean squeezed my body tighter and tighter. I lost control of my legs and my arms. The last thing I remember was a huge shape swimming toward me, and then I automatically shut down.”
“That huge shape was a whale!” squawked the goose. “We’re riding on her back right now!”
A low moan rumbled up through the whale’s body. She splashed the water with her fins, and took long, wheezing breaths, and sprayed mist high into the air. Roz paid close attention to the whale’s behavior and understood what she was saying.
The whale’s name was Coral, and she was thrilled to meet our friends. She explained that a flock of geese had flown over the bay and regaled the coastal birds with the amazing story of the wild robot and her son, the goose. The coastal birds shared the story with the fish and the dolphins and anyone who would listen. In time, the story spread to every creature in the bay. When Coral saw the robot rowing and the goose flying overhead, she knew it had to be Roz and Brightbill. So she swam behind them, in case she could be helpful, and it was a good thing she did.
As Coral ferried our friends across the bay, the waves grew smaller and the coastline grew larger. Houses poked out from the trees. Sunbathers relaxed on the rocks. Boats motored away from the piers.
With so many humans around, Roz had to be careful. She lay flat against Coral’s back while Brightbill flew ahead and scouted out the coastline. The goose directed the whale to a quiet, empty cove and soon the robot was standing on dry land again. Roz asked if there was some way she could repay Coral for saving her life, but the whale was just happy to help. She winked one of her enormous eyes, and then she sank beneath the waves.
Our friends marched inland, feeling lucky and grateful. But as they thought of the journey still to come, their good feelings gradually turned gloomy. Roz had nearly died crossing that bay. At some point, to get back to the island, she would have to cross an entire ocean.
CHAPTER 66
THE NEW LAND
Zoooooom!
Vrooooom!
Shooooom!
Automobiles were gliding up and down the road, passing fields and forests and clusters of houses. None of the passengers had any idea that a robot and a goose were watching from the weeds. Our friends had been hiding there for some time, waiting for the traffic to clear. But the automobiles kept coming. Roz noticed a drainage pipe that crossed under the road. The pipe was dark and grimy, but the travelers were getting desperate.
Moving through this new land was difficult. There were more humans and robots and buildings and roads than ever before. Roz and Brightbill traveled far out of their way, in wide circles, just to avoid small towns.
As the days passed, the scenery looked more familiar to Brightbill. He remembered flying over these lands on his first migration. He knew the towns would only get larger, and closer together, the farther they went. It would be much faster to sneak through the towns than to continue going around them. So, as night fell, Roz put on fresh camouflage, and with her son watching from the sky, she crept into a town.
CHAPTER 67
THE TOWN
Pookie was a big little dog. Her body was round, her legs were short, her ears were long. Although the dog looked funny, she was serious about protecting her home. She slapped her front paws on the windowsill and stared into the night to make sure all was well outside. But all was not well. A new clump of weeds had mysteriously sprouted in the yard. Pookie needed to take a closer look.
The dog whined by the back door until someone let her out. Then she scurried across the porch, down the steps, and over to the mysterious weeds. As Pookie approached, a raspy growl sounded in her throat.
“Where did these weeds come from?” she said to herself, sniffing. “They weren’t here this afternoon!”
The weeds rustled in the breeze. And that was enough to set Pookie off. The dog barked and barked and barked, and then, astonishingly, the weeds spoke to her in a clear, calm voice.
“I am sorry if I disturbed you,” said the weeds.
Pookie stopped barking.
“I was hoping to pass through without being seen,” said the weeds. “But you saw me. You are a very good guard dog.”
Pookie resumed barking.
“No, no, no! Shhhhhh!�
� said the weeds. “Please stop barking!”
But there was no stopping Pookie.
The clump of weeds decided to move. Like some sort of monster, the weeds rose up on two legs and leaped over the fence, into the neighboring yard. Felix had heard Pookie barking next door, and when the weedy monster landed in his yard, he started barking as well. So the monster kept going, leaping fences, from one yard to the next. Every house in the neighborhood seemed to have a dog, and they all began barking about the weedy monster. Reader, you and I know the monster was actually our robot in disguise. But the dogs never did figure out what happened that night.
Roz finally slunk into the shadows behind a school building and listened as the chorus of dogs settled down.
“That didn’t go very well,” said the goose as he landed beside his mother.
“No, it did not,” said the robot.
“This will only be tougher in daylight.”
“I know. I will have to try something else.”
Early the next morning, the sun started rising, automobiles started driving, robots started running errands. However, one of those robots was not like the rest. Roz had picked every speck of dirt from her body, and now she blended in with all the normal robots going about their normal morning routines. Our robot was hiding in plain sight.
Roz marched through town, turning left and right down the streets, as Brightbill watched from above. Along the way, she passed a wide variety of robots all going about their business. There was even another ROZZUM robot marching around, who looked identical to our Roz, except she was shinier and had a different unit number. It occurred to ROZZUM unit 7134 that if anyone noticed her unit number, it might bring a swift response from the RECOs. But as she continued past houses and shops and humans and robots, there didn’t seem to be any danger. Everything was going smoothly, until she heard an airship flying toward the town.
Our robot felt something like dread as she waited for a sleek white ship to appear. If the RECOs found her now, there would be no escape. But the ship that appeared wasn’t white, it was black, and it flew over without stopping. Roz was safe, and suddenly she was dreaming about airships.
Returning to the island would be so easy with a ship. She and Brightbill would climb in, fire up the engines, and be home in no time at all. But it was an impossible dream. There was no safe way for our robot to get an airship. She had to find some other way home. First she had to find her way out of this town. So Roz focused on her surroundings and continued marching along the sidewalks, just like a normal robot.
CHAPTER 68
THE STATION
At the edge of town, where the houses stopped and the countryside began, was a small train station. Two platforms sat on either side of the tracks. Humans and robots were standing around, waiting for the next train to arrive. Nobody paid any attention to our robot as she calmly marched past. When Roz was safely out of sight, she slipped into the woods where Brightbill was hiding.
The goose opened his mouth to speak, but the station bells started ringing. Speeding down the tracks was a passenger train. A whistle blew, the train gently braked, and a minute later it came to a smooth stop at the station.
Passengers burst out of the train cars while others stepped aboard. The first nine cars were reserved for humans and had wide windows and comfortable seats. The only robots allowed in those cars were service robots, who brought food and drinks to the human passengers. All other robots were confined to the windowless car at the end of the train.
“Where’s it going?” whispered Brightbill as he peeked out from the brush.
“The sign says this is the express train to the city,” whispered Roz.
The goose turned to his mother. “We have to go past the city to get home. This train could save us a lot of time. We should hop on!”
The robot turned to her son. “I do not think that is a good idea. It is too risky.”
“Ma, I watched you walk through town, and no one even noticed you. We’ll be fine! Let’s follow those robots into the last car, I’ll find a hiding spot, and we’ll be in the city before you know it!”
Roz had questions. “How large is the city? Do you know where to go? What if we get lost?”
“Relax, Ma. My pigeon friend, Graybeak, lives there. She’ll be happy to help us.”
A voice called out from the loudspeaker, and the last couple of passengers hurried along the platform.
“I’m going to check it out!” said Brightbill. With a quick flurry of wingbeats he fluttered out from the brush and onto the roof of the last train car. The goose lowered his long neck and looked through the open door. Then he looked back and waved for his mother to join him. A whistle blew and Brightbill waved faster. Roz had little choice, so she slipped out of the trees and marched onto the platform.
“In here, Ma!” Brightbill pointed down to the doorway beneath him.
Everything about this situation made our robot nervous. Her Survival Instincts were tingling. Roz looked up at her son on the roof. And then she stepped through the train door. But before Brightbill could flutter in behind her, the door slid closed and the train began to move.
CHAPTER 69
THE TRAIN
Our robot felt something like panic as the train pulled away from the station. She wanted to break down the door, leap from the train, and find her son! But what could Roz do? She had to act like a normal robot—she had to pretend that nothing was wrong.
The train car’s interior was a long, windowless room, filled with rows and rows of robots. The robots were all facing forward, all standing still. If not for their softly glowing eyes, you might think they were statues. Some of the robots were perfect and new, but most had scrapes and dents. None more than ROZZUM unit 7134.
Roz walked down the aisle and stood in the last row, and the train started to accelerate. Faster and faster it went, until it reached its cruising speed. Then it hummed along the tracks, occasionally swinging left or right as it snaked around a curve. With no windows, Roz could only wonder how far she was traveling, she could only wonder about the scenery outside. Mostly, she wondered about her son.
Was Brightbill okay?
How would she find him?
Would they ever see each other again?
Of course they would. Brightbill was smart and resourceful. The goose would simply follow the train tracks into the city. Then he would find his pigeon friend, Graybeak, and she would help them reunite. Roz just had to stay out of trouble.
Time crawled by.
The robots gently swayed with the motion of the train.
Finally, there was an announcement from the loudspeaker.
“Next and final stop, Center City Station.”
A whistle blew and the train braked and slowed and came to a smooth stop. The door slid open and the robots filed out.
CHAPTER 70
THE MARCH THROUGH THE CITY
The main hall of Center City Station was enormous. Wide columns stretched up to an arched ceiling. A huge electronic screen flickered with train schedules. The whole place was bustling with humans and robots, and everyone seemed to know exactly where they were going. Everyone except Roz.
There was our robot, standing still in the station while commuters hurried past. She was trying to calculate her next move, and she had to think quickly. You see, a normal robot would never loiter there for long. Roz needed to do something, anything, and when a crew of ROZZUM robots marched past in single file, she could think of no better plan than to join the end of the line and pretend to be one of them.
She followed the crew through a set of doors, and suddenly they were outside. The city was a blur of activity. Automobiles hummed down the streets. Robots marched along the sidewalks. Humans talked and laughed and shouted. Buildings towered overhead, and above them, airships buzzed across the sky.
Airships.
For a moment, Roz was dreaming again about how easily she could get home with an airship. But reality came crashing back when a white triangular shi
p darted over. It was gone in an instant, disappearing behind the rooftops, but that was all it took for the robot’s Survival Instincts to flare. Were the RECOs searching for Roz, or going about some other business?
Roz tried to focus on her immediate surroundings. She was still marching behind that crew of robots. With each step, she grew more nervous that they’d notice her tagging along. She wanted to break away. And as they started weaving and shuffling through a crowd of tourists, Roz slowed and stopped, and the robot crew continued on without her.
Now Roz was on her own, but she didn’t know what to do or where to go. When in doubt, Brightbill had always guided her north. So our robot set off through the city in that direction.
While marching northward, Roz passed beautiful boulevards and architecture and gardens and art. And yet she had to ignore it all. She had to act like a normal robot, and a normal robot would never wander the city admiring beautiful things. Wherever Roz looked she saw normal robots concentrating on their tasks and on nothing else. They ran errands, delivered food, swept sidewalks, cleaned windows, fixed machines, built glorious structures, and did more jobs than you can possibly imagine. Most walked on two legs, but some rolled on wheels, or slid up and down the sides of buildings on tracks. The city was a glittering modern metropolis, where humans lived in luxury, all thanks to the tireless work of robots.
Roz was marching when the sunlight faded and the city lights brightened. She was marching when the humans went in for the night and the robots continued to work. She was marching when the sun came up and the humans filtered out of their buildings. A new day began in the city, and there was Roz, marching north, blending in, anxiously hoping her son would appear.