My robot told me 'Actually, I'm a human being'
I was flabbergasted to hear what my robot had said. had an amazing robot.
It could cook, clean the house, and chat with me... It was like a perfect butler. Till one day... It... Well, she told me "Actually, I'm a human being."
Year 2156
I had always heard my parents say that i need to find someone i love and marry him/her as soon as possible. I was turning 31 this year and my parents were hell bent on pushing me to get married. I heard stories of my great grandparents and grandparents from the previous century where robots did not exist. But it was hard to imagine now. In today's world physical relationship wasn't even important, everyone craved for a companion who they could spend their life with.
Finding a person to love and spend my life with felt so scary to even think of. The divorce rate because of cheating nowadays has far surpassed twice the rate of marriage. And, because of this there are now so called 'Love Robots' available. The skin made for the robots were just like human skins, the touch felt same except that the robots couldn't cry or sweat. Though the robot has many functions like being a friend, parent, butler, caretaker and many more, the "Lover" is still the most popular one out there. We don't have to worry of it cheating or leaving us one day incase they find a new love.
But I'm quite different from the rest. The word love haunts me. What if the robot whom I fall in love with gets damaged? And what if the robot never gets back their memory with me. I honestly don't quite care if they were just acting on how they were made instead of real emotions. But the thought that even after being a robot they can still leave me in another way doesn't let me get a lovebot.
So, after my parents agreed that they would still accept me being with a robot instead seeing me lonely I found a way to cheat them. Since we can change the way our robot behaves I used it to my advantage. I used to change the features of my robot whenever my parents came over to behave like a lover, but whenever they left I changed it back to being my butler. Sounds very convenient eh? Indeed. It just needed a command to change itself. But i wonder how my robot barely charged itself.
Originally, i went for a cheap robot because i didn't want to waste money on these mechanical parts, so even after seeing the bad reviews i never bothered looking for another company. Surprisingly, my robot worked really well. It obeyed what I told, didn't take much time to get charged and was always perfect. Not to mention it's appearance, if i was someone who fell in love by seeing someone's face, then this robot would be the one for sure. And adding the way to how perfect it is it'd be a lie if i said I don't have any feelings for it. It has been eight months since I bought it and I've grown attached to it. And since the last two weeks i often found myself talking to my robot, telling it how my day went. Things were changing slowly, i felt it but decided to ignore them. And that's how I never actually accepted my feelings for her.
Unlike any other day today i had taken a day off as my parents we're once again coming to check on me and my "lover". I had once again commanded my robot to change when it kept staring at me. It was eerie to be honest, I couldn't look at her in the eyes anymore without speaking anything.
"Is anything wrong?" I asked.
It looked at me as if contemplating whether to say or not, almost like humans. I had this feeling as if it was a human before too. But then again, which human in their right mindset would pretend to be a robot? And adding on to how tiring the work of a butler is, it would never be able to do it for so long without a single break.
This was what I was thinking during this time but somewhere in my heart i did have the doubt. My trail of thoughts were disturbed with a shocking news which it spoke.
"Actually, I am a human being."
"What the f***?", was all I managed to say. I shuddered at the thought that all along i was sharing my house with a human. Robots don't have thoughts and so i never really gave a thought to how i behaved in front of it, but a human was different. And more importantly, why was a human in my house instead of the robot i had wanted?
"Who are you? And why are you in my house? Though you can choose not to answer I'd still call the police for better investigation."
I turned back to pick up my phone and call them when I heard her sobbing, "Please don't do that. You can call them but please don't disclose that it was me who told you the truth."
"And why do you think I'd do what you're telling me to do?", I didn't understand that after decieving me how could she still ask me to do anything.
"They have the whereabouts of my parents and can harm them any moment."
She had now broke down crying. I sighed and kept my phone away. Though this could be a trap and be harmful for me i still choose to believe her because of the attachment i had for her. As for the emotions it was long gone the moment she told me the truth.
"Tell me why would they hold your parents captive? What motive do they have behind this?"
"They're an organisation, they have two factions. One that sells robots and the other that sell us in the camouflage of robots. You might know about the large group of people who have always protested the idea of humans using robots as life partners no matter what. And the ones who operate this organisation is them."
Though i didn't quite understand how the small group of people who protested could operate such an organisation in this manner i chose to keep quiet and let her finish.
"They are threatening us who come from below average families and are doing this. I don't know how to go on doing this, my dad is in his deathbed and i didn't know how i could go see him. I had no option but to tell you everything. Because robots don't have families..... do they?"
I didn't know what to say, it felt like a movie to me. Maybe this was some kind of prank? But... robots can't cry. My head was aching thinking of everything. But i also knew it very well that if i let her go to meet her mom and dad then they will be in danger.
People who can make such an organisation can also have ways to ensure that their "robots" never forget their place. And so i did what i thought was the best. I called the police. I looked at my supposed "robot" being taken away by them. But i couldn't do anything else.
In the evening, my parents came home and i told them the truth. They were worried as to how i was, they knew that this incident would affect me. But atleast they would stop asking me to get a lover now.
~After four months~
I looked at the television which displayed the news anchor reporting the arrest of the people behind the organisation from which the girl came. And soon after it shifted to a window where she was being interviewed by a reporter.
"So Ms.Elise how did they ...."
My mind couldn't quite register what the reporter spoke after her name.
Elise, i repeated the name in my mind. The name was beautiful just like her. My memories took me back to the time when she acted like a lovebot in front of my parents with me. Maybe if she was a robot i would really be in love with her.
But now that i looked at her smiling on the television with her freedom back to her, I smiled too.
The idea of robots being a lover isn't that bad, but maybe a human lover is much better.
~~The End~~
(P.S. :- Sorry if the story sucks TT)
