AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Oh, to be young, fearless and reckless...
I shook my head, turning back to the package, letting the front door shut behind me with a click.
Despite the high price I’d paid, my fingers tingled with anticipation like a kid with a new toy.
I’d usually let the moonlight guide me in my own home—one had to do all they could to save precious electricity these days—but I called out for the lights to turn on at the dimmest setting just for this occasion. After all, I had to inspect the package for faults after spending more than a month’s savings on it.
I’d chosen this company in particular because they issued a warranty on all their products for up to two years. That was what I needed most, a guarantee that this bot could keep my home tidy and do essential chores while Ella, the young housekeeper who’d had my home in order for years, took some time off to rest before the birth of her child.
If Ella had her way, she’d be baking pies for me until the moment her twins came into this world. Instead, her husband, Frowh, and I had strong-armed her into taking some time off to prepare for the birth. Otherwise, she’d still be here now, rattling around the house looking for something to dust while eight months pregnant.
With a sigh, I knelt by the large box, letting my fingers smooth over the synthi-wood packaging, tracing the grooves of the white lettering.
It was truly beautiful. A sleek black box with my name carved into the surface in stark white penmanship. A personalized touch.
At the back of my mind, I knew the packaging was mass-produced, but the quality of the synthi-wood seemed far superior to any purchase I’d made in the past ten years or so.
This was luxury like I’d never seen before.
Near the top of the box, there was a small, shiny gold button that said “Press Me,” and my index finger did as instructed.
The lid of the box popped up slightly, releasing a burst of perfumed air. Perfectly polished manicured fingers curled around the side of the box, slowly pushing the lid aside.
I moved back to watch the bot work, curiosity getting the better of me.
The e-catalog I’d ordered from was one of the most widely used in the Star cluster, mostly because they were physically customizable and had multi-functions, unlike many other bot providers.
The price tag wasn’t out of my range either. Sure, it had taken a couple months of saving and researching to finally purchase one, but what choice did I have? Each individual in the community already had a fixed schedule of duties to keep the place running and it wouldn’t have been fair to ask any of them to take over my household chores as well.
I certainly didn’t have the time to keep up with an old farmhouse when I worked from dawn till dusk every day. My back twinged in protest for even considering the additional tasks.
The catalog claimed that the Servana 200 bot could perform domestic as well as personal tasks, and could even carry on a conversation—whether or not that was true was yet to be seen.
I’d be lying if I said the reason I purchased this model wasn’t to test out that last claim. It seemed unbelievable that a bot could be programmed to respond like a human, and the instructional videos made it seem a little too good to be true.
At the press of a button, the bot pushed itself out of its packaging, stepping daintily out of the stark white interior. I watched it move towards me, its limbs fluid and not at all bot-like.
Wide, dark eyes looked straight ahead as it stood steadfastly still with its hands at its sides.
In the dim light, I marveled at the technological creation in front of me. Sure, the model I’d perused online had looked a little, well, slimmer, and perhaps slightly lighter-skinned, but this model was undeniably more beautiful. The length of its arm was completely bare, and even in the dim light, I noticed the surprisingly warm, inviting russet tones of its skin.
That last thought caught me off guard as alarm bells rang out at the words I’d used.
Inviting? Warm? Why was I examining a bot so closely? I shouldn’t care what it looked like—it was just a service bot, here to do household chores until Ella could get back to work.
But how could I not stare when it looked so real?
I circled it, catching hint of an odd scent that drifted from its skin. Almost like iron but sweeter. The manual I’d watched online had mentioned a plasti-scent that could be overwhelming since the bots were covered in vat-grown organic flesh, but I found that I liked the odd, subtle fragrance.
It was nothing like the bitter, cloying scent of a laboratory at all.
The bot’s skirts were multicolored and full, unlike like the simple white uniform I’d seen online. It looked like something a socialite would wear—like something Riane had once worn to a party on Royal One.
Not again,I thought, willing that name out of my head.
It was a Harvest Feast day, after all. Meant for celebration and looking back at the toils of the past few months. I owed myself an evening of rest, and quieting my mind was essential to that.
No more pain, I vowed. No more regret.
