Brightbill was thinking about the small button on the back of his mother’s head. His mother was thinking about it too. They couldn’t stop wondering what would happen if the button were pressed. And one day, they decided it was time to find out.
Roz sat on the floor of the Nest. Her son nervously stood on a stone behind her.
“I am ready when you are,” said the robot.
“Okay,” said the gosling. “Here we go.”
Brightbill took a deep breath.
Click.
Roz’s body relaxed.
Her quiet whirring slowly stopped.
Her eyes faded to black.
There was no answer. Brightbill waddled around and looked at his mother’s face. Her strange spark of life had gone out. The gosling had never felt more alone.
He was ready to switch her back on. But what if she didn’t wake up? What if she woke up different? The gosling was afraid to press the button, and he was afraid not to press the button.
Brightbill took a deep breath.
Click.
Roz’s body tensed.
Her quiet whirring slowly started.
Her eyes began to glow.
“Mama, can you hear me?”
“Hello, I am ROZZUM unit 7134, but you may call me Roz.” The robot spoke these words automatically, in a language Brightbill didn’t understand. His little heart raced as his worst fears seemed to be coming true. But a moment later, her familiar voice returned, and the robot said in the language of the animals, “Hello, son. How long was I out? It seemed like only an instant to me.”
“You were out for a few minutes,” said the gosling as he hugged his mother. “But it seemed like forever to me.”