INTERLUDE

A SLICE OF LIFE IN FLORA

It has been only fifteen minutes since I woke up; I was arranging the red spider lily flowers which Lady Alicia liked so much, in the vase placed inside her room near the window where the light is most abundant.

Every time I looked at the red colour of the flower it reminded me of her beautiful eyes. I used to wake up along with her late night and stand near her side, seeing her passionately work hard and study made me absolutely happy.

I was not crying; I just … had already started missing her. Being separated from my master and being abandoned is the worst thing that can happen to me. But my master has already made it clear that I am free to do anything and if I want something to do then it is to work for her and dedicate my entire life in her name alone. That is my only wish, my only reason to live.

I was already left with the duty to look after my lady’s parents that is more than I could ask for and I know that she is grateful towards me to look after all their need while she is away. But the one who finds herself fortunate is me, who is granted this opportunity to help my master and follow her orders.

Whether it is regarding the cleaning of clothes, preparing bath water, maintaining the gardens, or keeping the rooms clean I do it all and these are just meager works that doesn’t require much effort.

And the most important task handed down to me by master is preparing all kinds of dishes for the family. And I really enjoy cooking food and especially when it is to their liking, which ‘always’ it is. Though I have been warned to maintain a balanced diet and make sure that no one falls ill because of the deficiency of any component or nutrition missing from the food.

Since I have inherited all my cooking skills from my master, I always feel most near to her when I am cooking. And doing this alongside her and seeing her smile makes my body and mind explode with joy.

“I see Flora you are early at work as usual, why don’t you take some rest and then continue.” It was Master’s mother who spoke to me.

“Good morning Lady Caroline, but it’s my duty to look after the mansion and get all things done in the morning before everyone wakes up.”

“You are sure one heck of a workaholic person. Maybe you should take a break from work. How about I give you a holiday?”

“Holidays are meant to make people take a leave from work and recover from fatigue and exhaustion. But since I take my energy from the surrounding magic and the magic from you all I do not feel tired. So there is no need to rest or take a holiday.”

“Is that so… then how about come take a bath with me?”

“I can use wind magic and water magic to clean myself, just like I do with the plates.”

“Ah! You are sounding more and more like Alicia did when she came here. Probably you will end up like your master. Just come with me.” Lady Caroline held me by my hand and dragged me to the hot-spring bath and undressed me, in my directory cloud storage it’s recorded as an act of violation, but its fine if I have to follow orders.

As I entered the bath, I was again violated by Lady Caroline when she started touching me all over.

“Your skin is really real, no matter how I touch it.”

“My skin is made of Magitite ore and was then alloyed with other materials to make it soft and appear like human skin.” I said in a hushed manner, making attempts to stop her from moving forward.

“Well, Alicia and Zyl did an impressive work in creating you. I doubt there is any other golem or robot that can even come close to you.”

“But is it really necessary for me to take bath with you. Am I not trying to intrude in your private time?” because somehow I was feeling that it was not right to disturb people while they can spend some lonesome time.

“What are you talking about? I think we should do it every day, after Alicia and Lili has left, I would need a new bathing partner and who is more perfect than you who has such a beautiful doll like body.”

“Then I will later add it to my schedule.”

“Tell me Flora, do you miss Alicia? And what are you going to do when she is not around you? Can you still stay happy?”

“I miss Master a lot. And I have already got my orders so I will keep doing that.”

“I am asking you, what you want to do with your life.”

“My life belongs to master and I will dedicate myself to serve under her. I am sure that my work will surely make master happy and in turn it will make me happy too.”

“You do really love Alicia. But is that what you really want?”

“I don’t understand what you mean. I just want to serve my master.”

“Don’t forget that even though Alicia made you, she has no right over your life. She gave you your own new conscience and even though it was something she built you have grown in this time to live and breathe like a living person. I am sure Alicia too wants you to live your own life and make your own decisions. Seeing you happy and act freely will what eventually make her happy. Think about it.” Saying that Lady Caroline pulled herself out of the hot spring and left me in daze.

I pulled myself inside the water for a final dip and stared at the free surface from the bottom. The images of the day when I came to life and my first memories somehow came pouring in and reached the surface.

“Flora humanoid robot all stats are positive, Al activate all senses and then start transferring of memory data.”

‘Who is speaking? Where am I? Why can’t I see anything?’

It was a soft crystalline voice. Then suddenly the voice’s owner appeared before me.

Silvery hair almost pure white that fell to her waist. Crimson red eyes that would charm anyone who glanced at them. Her thin waist perfectly complimented her slender legs.

‘Wait that’s not what’s important, why can I suddenly see everything. Who is she and what is she saying?’

“I see you are awake now. It’s good. Don’t try to move, and wait for a bit, you will start understanding everything.” The person said at me smiling. For some reason I exactly did what she said, that smile was all I needed to think that she is a good person.

‘But, wait who am I, really.’ suddenly this very thought started making me nervous and my body started shaking on its own. Was I under the impression of fear.

The person was maybe aware of this fact and held my hand, as I started feeling comfortable again. I could feel a sensation in my hand in response as if it was acting on something. Is that heat, the warmth of someone’s touch…

“Al, transfer all the memories to shared cloud storage unit.”

‘Who is this person talking to; there is no one in the room. Who is she exactly, why I feel so close and peaceful around her?’

[TRANSFERRING DATA MEMORIES]

[FLORA CLOUD STORAGE UNIT PROCESSING]

A stiff mechanical voice rang in my ears, when things started burdening my brain. In an instant a wide variety of information as if filling my empty brain, I realized that I was not a human; the girl sitting in front of me is one though and is also the one who created me.

So, what am I? Am I by any chance now a tool?

That means my life has only value when I am being used by someone. But why I am thinking in such pessimistic way. I don’t know what I should exactly do.

“Hello, my name is Alicia. Why don’t you try to speak? Tell me your name.”

What should I say…

“Flora… that’s my name.” Wait, how did I get that? I see it’s in my memory now.

“It’s great Al, it worked. It really worked.” The girl was overjoyed at my reply. But I really don’t understand who she is talking to.

Oh! No she is staring at me now. Did I do something wrong?

“You must be thinking whom I am talking to. Why don’t you try talking to him too.” What is she saying? There’s no one else here.

[I am glad I could get through. I am Al, nice meeting you Flora.]

A voice again rang in my head, quite similar to the previous ones, but this time this voice had something different about it… maybe the way it’s speaking, completely and utterly changed.

But why is the person so glad who is sitting in front of me.

[Oh! You want to know that.]

Wait, you can read my thoughts.

[We are actually a collected consciousness, that’s why. So relax.]

So, can you tell me why this person is so glad?

[TWO REASONS FOUND.]

[THE FIRST EVER CREATION OF HUMANOID ROBOT WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE]

[SECOND REASON – FLORA NOT SUFFERING FROM IDENTITY CRISIS AND HER BRAIN NOT GOING POFFF!!]

For some reason this Al person talks so cheesy, but while conveying information it becomes so formal. Also the second part sounds scary to me, but I am lucky that nothing like that happened.

But what is going to happen to me. What should I do now? I am scared. I don’t know anyone. Anyone help me. Wait nobody will come to my help because I am a tool.

Then, if it’s really like that, then I should be straightforward with it –

“Why did you create me?” I looked straight into the eyes of my creator peerlessly.

I am still afraid and terrified with the situation and with what ultimately might happen to me, but I want to know…. because I can’t skip out now.

For some time she stared blankly at the space in front of her and suddenly with a bright face as if having gained an enlightenment, she said the most absurd thing to me that I would have ever first heard or will ever hear.

“Even I don’t know, I just felt like making one.”

I was dumbstruck, how could she say that when it’s a matter of life and death to me. If there is no reason for me to be created then why am I still active.

“No, that couldn’t be, how can you say something like that. I am not a human. I am just a fake being that can walk and talks just like you. There has to be something more to my life than that.”

Why I am acting like this, shouting on the person who created me, blurting out things that even I don’t properly understand.

“That’s why I think you should figure it out on your own… your reason to live. Decide it for yourself freely.”

Why is she still smiling at me even though I am the one shouting at her?

“Don’t lie to me. I am just a tool you made. I am not even real, so how can I think freely.” I did it again. Now she will definitely get mad at me and throw me away.

“Being nervous around me, angry for yourself and at the same time concerned about me, see you are self conscious. You can think for yourself and for me you are just real as any other person.”

I could not come up with any counter response, because at that time she took my hand and placing it at the center of my chest.

THUMP….THUMP…

For that second I really felt alive.

“See, you are real, I told you.”

As if at that very second time had stopped for me, the world had stopped spinning. Like a dream coming to life, I realized in that moment that I truly became alive.

That moment was real for both us….

As I rose up to the surface, I realized the vision through my eyes was still obscured. I tried to wipe my face, but for a second after getting clear, it got drizzly and muddled up again.

I was crying, for some reason I felt an ache in my heart at the exact place where she told me that I was real.

But I think I knew now, what I wanted to do for myself was to grow and prove that I like a real person can learn to protect what was the most important thing in my life.

I got out of the bath, and after drying myself I put on my clothes, I went to see Lady Caroline as soon as possible.

“Lady Caroline, will you please teach me how to fight and become strong. I want to learn everything possible that will later make me able to help my master in any time of her need.”

“Why not? I am glad you asked.”

And from there on I started my training after I completed all my daily chores and learned about fighting with daggers, hand claws, machetes, bow and arrow, about the outside world, about a thing called money with which you can obtain items, about other existing intelligent species, about various new raw ingredients I could get from the surface. The more I learned, the more I found myself vested into it and enjoyed knowing things. So this is how master felt and why she is always happy when she do things she liked.

Even if I am a non-living being created by my master, and from what I have heard that, it is the God who creates living beings, then for me my only one true god is milady Alicia. If my feelings of loyalty and devotion for my master are not real then I really don’t know what’s real.

How exactly humans define something is real, when they themselves try to imitate others, falsify their own identities, hide their own emotions, real intentions and betray their own kind and self-expectations by making false promises. Then I am much better at not being real because I genuinely love my master.

I also learned that there are repulsive and beings that are inferior to me called golems. I hate them. And I know I am the world’s most perfect robot because she is my one and only creator.

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