Robot My Friend

Once upon a time, there lived a young boy called Shanku in the small but vibrant township of Deolali. He was fair and sweet with dimpled chins. When he laughed, a curly lock of golden hairs danced playfully over his forehead. The most revealing feature of his persona were his eyes - blue as deep sea and full of innocence with a hint of mischief.

While the other boys of his age flocked together and played tirelessly in the nearby park, Shanku spent most of his time with Robot.

And who was this Robot by the way?

An old toy which ran on two red colored, heavy batteries. Most of it was badly damaged. Its hands and legs were held in place with the help of tiny bits of black plastic tape. It fired from a silvery machine gun as it moved sluggishly on the floor, one foot at a time, making strange noises. Two brownish eyes stuck out of his face and shone brightly while his head was covered by a worn out cowboy hat which was not part of the original accessories.

Frequently, it would crash on the floor due to one fault or the other, losing a leg here or a hand there. On all such occasions, Shanku would run up to it, lift it carefully and say, ‘Oh my baby! Are you hurt?’

He would then spend hours tending to the injured soldier, sticking together all the broken pieces. And finally, when the Robot would resume its lazy movements again, his joy knew no bounds, as he moved around it in circles, clapping and jumping.

In fact, they were the thickest of pals.

The boy would talk to his favorite mate, sharing his most intimate secrets. He would often ask for his friend’s advice which he somehow seemed to receive without any hassles.
‘So you think, I can score good marks this time?’
An unfinished hand or leg movement suddenly materialized on all such occasions which the boy always interpreted as a big yes.
They also had their meals together.
While the lad feasted on a chunk of chocolate cake, he would replace the Robot’s batteries with comparatively new ones thus keeping him full all the time.
And last but not the least, they slept together, hugging each other, often sharing bed time stories.
And so, their innocent connection continued to flourish.

One day, a distant aunt came over to see them. She was fatty with thick lips and a pair of judgmental eyebrows.
While she was very happy to meet Shanku, she developed an instant dislike for Robot.
‘How old is that thing?’ she asked the boy’s mother, screwing her eyes.
‘Three years I believe, may be more.’
‘You should have thrown it off by now.’
‘Please aunt, my son is very much attached to it.’
‘It’s all broken and worn out. Can’t you see? If people find out, how would they react? They would say that you can’t even buy a decent toy for your only son!’
‘But aunt…’
‘Listen to me darling, your child deserves something new and that’s the end of the matter.’
At night, the parents discussed the issue among themselves and found some merit in what the elderly, wise aunt was gunning for. After all, she had gathered some experience in life.

Next day, when Shanku returned from school, he found a small box covered with a bright blue gift paper lying on his study table. A white sticker on the top said:
‘To our dearest son from mom and dad.’
He unpacked it eagerly and was surprised to find a brand new Robot inside.
Then, it struck him.
He opened his cabinet and searched frantically. Then, he rummaged through a pile of clothes. Perspiring, he tossed off his books and in a state of delirium, shouted, ‘Where are you? Why are you hiding from me?’
Listening to his shrieks, his mother rushed to his room.
‘What happened sunny?’
‘Where is my Robot?’
‘I have given it to a scrap dealer.’
‘What?’
‘Look sweetie, it was all cracked and dirty. It was of no use to you. See here, I have bought such a smart little Robot for you.’
The boy sank to the floor on his knees and cried uncontrollably.
He had lost his whole world.

Next week, his father received a call from the school that his son was not taking any interest in his studies. He spent most of his time alone, sitting near the fountain, staring absent mindedly at the rolling water.
Everyone around him was perplexed. No-one could fathom what had gone wrong.

That night, as the kid lied down in his bed, his chubby hands constantly searched for someone who always slept next to him. Suddenly, his whole body began to shiver, hot fountains of sweat gushed down his temples. With a loud scream, he got up, breathless and scared.
As his parents hurried into his room, he embraced his mother tightly and stammered, ‘They are go…going to get…get…me. Help…save me…please.’
And then he fainted, slipping like a log into her arms.

Next day, the family visited a child clinic.
After examining him, the doctor prescribed a few medicines and asked the nurse to take the boy to the play room.
‘Your child is going through some kind of a mental trauma. I want to know everything that has happened in the past few months.’

By the time, the parents finished their briefing, the afternoon sun had already begun its descent. The medico, a smart, bespectacled man in his early forties, pulled off the window curtains, allowing bright sunlight to filter into the room. He stared at the traffic passing down below for a while and then turned towards the visitors. ‘For your son, that Robot was not a mere toy. It was almost like a living human being.’
‘What?’ the father remarked incredulously.
‘Yes, he treated him as a friend and as a family member. A child’s imagination is very fertile. It does not distinguish between animate and non-animate objects.’
‘But it was in such a pathetic state.’
‘For you, yes but for your son, it was the most beautiful object in the world. It walked like him, it talked to him. And he connected with it intensely. In fact, your son is in a state of mourning. He is mourning the loss of a friend.’
‘But what should we do to get him out of this state?’
The doctor sank down into his chair and smiled. ‘Actually you have to undo what you have done.’

The scrap dealer was a plump fellow with a brush like mustache.
His shop was dark and messy.
He spoke to the anxious father amidst vigorous chewing of beetle leaves which caused a perpetual red stream to break free from the corner of his mouth. ‘Who can forget that toy of yours sir? It was so strange, plastic tapes and all. In fact, my shop has been lying closed right from the time I dumped that thing in here.’
‘So, there is a good chance that we might still find it.’
‘May be, maybe not. I would need your help. It’s like trying to find a needle in a desert. But tell me something sir, why do you need a God forsaken thing like that again?’
They glanced at each other for fraction of a second after which one of them replied, ‘You won’t understand. I didn’t either.’
Later, after what seemed like ages, a man emerged out of that cave with a victorious smile, holding a white plastic bag.

That afternoon, as Shanku entered his study room, he noticed a bright, blue colored box lying on his table. As he uncovered it, his heart began to race wildly. Inside, someone with two brownish eyes stared back at him.
A drop of tears rolled down his cheeks as he hugged his old friend lovingly.
‘I knew you will be back. I love you so much.’

But there was no time to be wasted in emotional tidbits as the poor thing required extensive repairs.
The boy, now active with a new kind of energy, set out to work with his adhesive tape and cutter with the zeal of an artist to create something special out of almost nothing.
It was sometime in the evening that he examined the renovated creature from all angles and remarked with a twinkle in his eyes, ‘Don’t worry, you are good now.’
With excitement building up, he inserted two red batteries into the back compartment, closed his eyes, prayed to God almighty and finally pressed the ‘on’ button with shivering hands.

And lo!

Like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, the rejuvenated dude began its laborious movements, brandishing the silvery gun at the same time with all the familiar noises.
The boy clasped his hands in wonder, picked up the veteran, kissed it passionately and remarked, ‘Oh my Robot! I knew you would never ditch me because you are my best friend.’
He kept the gentleman back on the floor and started running around it in circles, clapping and shouting with joy.

His parents watched him from a distance, smiling.

Two close buddies were finally reunited.