ON A BLACK MOON SEA ~A Halloween Anthology~

Like Father

Two years back, and she still promised herself a quick return to school. Just another six months.

The cerulean bot tapped her shoulder, taking Helia from her thoughts. Its shining plastic and lucite form looked out of place against the backdrop of the dilapidated apartment. Paint peeling, and tattered curtains. She fleetingly considered programming the bot for remodeling and construction, but its current caretaking duties were more than enough.

"The task of feeding your father is complete," it said.

She led the bot aside to discuss the feeding routine, a program that needed constant tweaking, like others.

"A good start, but one spoonful is insufficient."

The bot asked, "Would five bites be sufficient?Ten?"

She wondered how to word the command simply. Having been a courier bot, it relied on exact instructions: point A to point B. Yet, in delivering packages, there were alternate routes, and the bot had to analyze traffic patterns, deciding which way to go. That was the A.I. interface Helia tinkered with, tapering it to her needs, or whatever her father needed.

"Stop when the client says they're full. Repeat input command."

The bot straightened and complied. "Feeding parameters adjusted to 'when client says they're full'."

Helia flashed a thumbs-up. "Sweet."

Mimicking her, the bot bent its fingers one by one, forming a thumbs-up at a snail's pace. "Awesome!"

"Thing sure sounds like you, sometimes, but still creeps me out," Ty grumbled, chewing the oatmeal with a frown. "It's that uncanned shit."

This time Helia did chortle. "You mean, the uncanny valley."

Ty nodded. "Yeah, that." He swept at the invisible lint on his blanketed lap. "Not everyone is a programming genius."

Helia stopped laughing. She crouched, resting her butt on the soles of her shoes. Then, she placed a finger under her father's chin, gently raising his eyes level with hers.

"Hey, I didn't mean to laugh." She cocked her head to the side. "Well, least not that much." Ty laughed. "And I'm no genius." Helia gestured at the bot, who stood at the sink.

Methodically, it swished a wet rag across a glass plate, rinsing it, and setting it on the drying rack. For a moment, it seemed to rest, hands at its side, staring straight ahead. It then picked up the same dish, and commenced washing.

"Just makin' sure it's extra limpio," Ty noted.

"Hey," she fingered a battered charm hanging from his neck. "What's this?"

Ty squirmed, not really answering. Helia squinted, grimacing at the inlaid details. What initially looked like a silver fish was in fact a topless mermaid. Two emeralds glittered where the eyes should've been.

"Nothing, just something I found," her father finally admitted, his face sheepish.

"Right," Helia said, grabbing her knapsack off the hallway table. "When I get off my shift, I'll work on more protocols. Love you." She kissed her father's weathered cheek.

As she closed the door, she heard him call after her, "Go on a date instead!"

Helia shook her head, intent on hurrying down the stairway to the monorail. She paused mid-step, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

The auto-loop had her worried. Any sort of looping machine could be an indication of darker things, greater programming errors. She couldn't leave a malfunctioning bot with her father.