Never the Dusk

I remember a time when there were no robots. A time when there were no silver bodies; covered in rust, decaying in the sun. A time when there was no metal. Those were the good days.

The days of skin and bone have finished. The days of metalloid and iron have begun.

I see it all with my own eyes. I see their mechanical bodies desperately trying to move, to move like they once did. To move without their metal bones aching; to move with vigor and glory.

I see the oxygen being ripped from their gears. I see them exhale, trying their hardest to inhale purified air into their magnetic lungs.

I watch it all with my own eyes. I watch as they swallow their oil, instead of milk, I watch as they eat scrap metal with their hands instead of chicken.

I watch their parents welcome them home from school with open arms; even though the mothers and fathers hearts burn and shift painfully, inside their chest, becoming unaligned from their souls.

I hear, their petrified voices, pleading to be human again. Pleading, that the violent plague will end and all will be made new. I hear their inquiries about the medicine, about the time that has gone by.

I smell, the petroleum, which gives them life. I smell the rust that sometimes coats their bodies.

I see, I watch, I hear, and I smell it all. But I will never know what is truly like to be a robot. For that I am grateful. I am sad though. Oh, so sad.

-—————-

I stared out the window, watching the sun peek out from the clouds. Its glistening rays shone down, filling the cracks in the sidewalks. We have had nothing but rain, for the past few days, so I am glad. As good as the water is for the plants, it doesn't exactly help the oppression. I heard the sounds of shoes click against the floor. Mom and Jamie approached, stepping into the kitchen. Mom was dressed in a pink dress and Jamie wore a blue polo shirt and khakis. They both looked lovely. "Lets go."

We headed out the door, saying goodbye to the dog on our way out. The three of us were greeted with a nice warm temperature. The heat of the Pennsylvanian sun beat down on my skin and I felt almost blessed that I could feel my arms. I could feel the warmth and radiance of the sun. The feature of my arms weren't some ugly, metal part and for that I was ecstatic. I stood under the rays of the golden sun, basking in the weather. The blossoms on the trees had bloomed, leaving pink petals on the ground.

"Are you coming?" Jamie asked, curiously.

"Oh, yes." I was so busy taking in the weather, I hadn't realized I was just standing there, not moving. To feel is a gift from the highest heavens; a gift that hasn't been bestowed upon them. A gift that I have. A gift that had been viciously taken away from them, but not from me. Instead of feeling sad for the robots, just for one second, I wanted to feel blessed. I just wanted to feel something good.

"Yes." I answered.

The three of us continued our walk to church. A shrill, familiar sound reverberated through the air, causing me to turn around. It was the Leichman family, who attended our church. The mother was the one was responsible for the noise. The noise couldn't be helped, though. There were the parents, Katherine and David and their two children, Tobias and Mary. Katherine was the only one in the family who had undergone the whole transformation. The transformation only happened two days ago. Mary had metal slabs for arms, but that was the only change that had occurred. Katherine and Mary's bodies were distinct from one another, but soon the change would transpire.

Mary had about a month before her body atrophied.

David and Tobias were the lucky ones.

Katherine trudged forward, moving to the best of her ability. As a robot, she, of course, wasn't able to comply to human norms, meaning that her movement was not in synchronization with regular people. The weight of the metal bore down on her, causing movement to become arduous The shrill sound continued, making me want to cover my ears, but I did not out of respect. Her nuts and bolts had corroded due to the rain, causing the sound.