A living THING

Chapter 4

On my way back to the car I remembered this weird dream or... I would say a nightmare, I used to have, when I was a lot younger. It happened right after my mother died, after she got killed by some jealous woman. This woman was madly in love with my father. At that time, she tried to do everything to separate my parents. But my father never had such feelings for her. As the last resort she decided to send somebody to assassinate my mom. She succeeded. At that evening we had a wonderful dinner together. After we exited the restaurant, my mother got shot right in a chest by a robot. That crazy woman sent him to do her dirty job. After that, robot finished himself too.

Actually I don't remember that night at all, but since then I began to have nightmares. Almost every night. Every time I went to sleep, I dreamed about running away from something. It was dark. I never saw from who I was running away. After some time of running I always saw these two bloody hands reaching out for me from the dark. Two bloody, severely scratched and damaged hands. They didn't belong to a human being. Tough they had human flesh and blood coming out, they belonged to a robot. Through all that blood I could see robot skeleton, not the white human bones. And when the hands nearly reached me, I always woke up.

I had these dreams until I was 15 or 16 years old. I saw them less and less after years and years. Now for almost 5 years I haven't seen them at all. But it still haunts be in a back of my mind. Because of these dreams, I have always refused to have any interaction with robots at home. My father replaced all of them with real human staff. And in a city, I am trying to avoid them as much as possible. Until that lucky day...

Finally I got out of the building. I felt like a huge stone just rolled off of me. I could finally breath. I saw Mike beside a car looking very bored.

"Hey, Mike! Wake up! We are leaving soon!" I shouted to him from afar with a smile on my face. I tried to sound not so depressed as I actually felt.

"Oh! My Lady! Are you done already? How was it? Did you got him already?"

"It wasn't bad. But I think we still have to come back. We didn't chose any android right now. Director of the company said we have an option to make my android unique by choosing and selecting traits we like. I think it will take some weeks before we will be able to see the final result. How long was I gone? You seemed to be 'asleep' when I came down. " I asked him while putting my hand around his shoulder.

Mike was like my second father. His wife Nora was and still is my nanny. She took care of me like my mother would do, when my father was busy. We are very close. Though through the respect to my father, Mike still calls me 'Lady'.

Sigh.

"It must be difficult to take in all of this, but I know that Mr Williams is doing this for you just to keep you safe. We all are worrying about you. The last few years you were so cheerful and happy. We want you to stay that way. It makes us happy to see you happy my Lady."

"Don't worry about me so much Mike. I will get through this. I am strong willed and ... strong..."

I laughed and pulled my arm to show Mike my muscles, so he sees how strong I am.

"Sure you are my Lady!"

We both hugged.

"Hey! Do you want later on to go breath some fresh air! I will treat you with some peace. I know you haven't been in my greenhouse a long time."

"If my Lady wants so?" he raised his eyebrow at me and let out a little chuckle.

After few minutes my father came out of building and we went home. My dad was telling Mike all kind of things what he was talking with director of the company. Dad sounded so enthusiastic while talking about androids. It seemed he is getting an android for himself. Actually he was very into this kind of staff - robots, mechanics, machinery and so on. I kind of feel guilty. Because of me, he had to get rid of all the robots at home.