Xmas Robot

'Do you think he's been yet?'

Sam nudged his brother Jack and asked the question again.

'What do you want Sam?'

'Do you think he's been yet?'

As he began to wake up Jack, who had been fast asleep, remembered what
day it was.

'Don't know,' he said. 'Shall we go and see?'

Sam nodded and Jack grinned.

The two boys had gone to bed early this Christmas Eve, to try and get
to sleep so that Christmas Day would come quicker.

Sam, who was a few years older than his brother, crept out of the
bedroom first and made as if he was going across to the bathroom. As he
passed his parent's room he glanced in to see if they were asleep. He
could hear his father snoring. He stopped at the top of the stairs and
signalled that it was all clear.

Jack followed his brother across the landing and down the stairs. They
opened the door to the lounge quietly and looked in. The Christmas Tree
lights had been left on and the presents underneath it lit up in
sequence as they twinkled. To Sam and Jack it seemed as though there
were hundreds of parcels, all wrapped in different coloured paper and
decorated with ribbons and bows.

'Look,' said Sam pointing towards the fireplace.

Jack looked.

Above the fireplace hung two red oversized stockings, trimmed with
white fur around the top. Each one bulged with the presents that were
inside it and the two children looked at them, their eyes and mouths
wide open.

Jack ran forward and grabbed one, spilling the contents over the
floor.

'Shhhshhh' said Sam in a loud whisper.

Jack didn't seem to hear him and started looking through the various
parcels that were now scattered across the carpet.

'Look Sam, smell pens.'

Sam ran to where Jack was unwrapping parcels, knocking over an empty
glass and upsetting a plate of crumbs that had been left on the hearth,
as he went.

'What flavour?' he said grabbing the pens from his brother.

Jack yelled as he tried to hang onto them but his brother was too
strong for him.

'Oh, yuk,' cried Sam as he sniffed the first of the pens. 'It smells
like manure!'

'Serves you right,' said Jack, giggling at the faces his brother was
pulling as he sniffed each pen in turn.

'Boiled cabbage, sour milk, smelly socks,' Sam announced as he sniffed
each one and then threw them at his brother. He took the other stocking
from the mantelpiece and began taking out the parcels and unwrapping
them.

Jack, meanwhile, was unwrapping a large oblong parcel. His eyes opened
wide and twinkled as they reflected the tree lights as he saw what was
contained within the wrapping paper.

'Cor,' he whispered.

Sam stopped ripping the paper from the present he was holding and
looked over to his brother.

'What is it?'

Jack held up the half unwrapped parcel so his brother could see
it.

Across the top of the box in large, futuristic, capital letters was
written "ROBO-COMMAND." Underneath this grand title it said "Obeys Your
Every Command" and then, in smaller letters "Batteries not
included."

'It's just what I wanted,' said Jack as he opened the box by ripping
the lid off. 'A robot that will do anything I want.'

He ripped open the rest of the packaging and lifted the robot, turned
it upside down and pushed a switch on its foot.

The robot's eyes flashed twice and its head spun round. Jack put the
robot on the floor.

'Hello. I am Robo-Command one-zero,' said the robot, its eyes flashing
in time with the words.

'Hello robot,' said Jack.

'Hello Jack,' replied the robot. 'I await your instructions. Please
give me your command.'

'It knows my name,' said Jack to his brother.

'Ask it to do something,' said Sam.

Jack thought for a moment.

'Robot, go forward,' he said.

Robo-Command's eyes flashed and it began to whirr.

'Affirmative,' said the robot and moved forward towards the fire.

'Jack, tell it to stop,' shouted Sam as the robot began to get near the
fire.

'Robot, stop,' said Jack.

The robot's eyes flashed again and it stopped moving.

'I know,' said Sam. 'Robot, go and get some sweets from the
cupboard.'

Robo-Command stayed quiet and still.

'He's my robot,' said Jack. 'He only obeys me.'

'Don't be silly,' replied Sam. 'He just doesn't understand, that's all.
He only knows things like forward, back and stop.'

Jack grinned, showing the gap where his front teeth had recently fallen
out.

'Robot, go and get some sweets from the cupboard,' he said. He looked
at his brother and grinned again.

Robo-Command flashed its eyes and whirred.

'Affirmative,' it said in its electronic voice and Sam watched
open-mouthed as it trundled off towards the kitchen.

'See,' said Jack. 'It'll do anything I ask it too, so you'd better
watch out or I'll tell it to attack you.'

Sam stuck out his tongue and made noises that indicated he wasn't
interested in it anyway. He went back to the tree and started
investigating the other presents, shaking and prodding them as he tried
to guess what the wrapping paper was hiding, pretending that the robot
held no interest for him.

Suddenly there was a huge crash from the kitchen.

The two boys turned and watched as the robot came whirring back through
the door dragging a packet of chocolate buttons. Behind it, Sam and
Jack could see the kitchen cupboard door was open and that everything
that had been in the cupboard was now on the floor. There were broken
cups and plates everywhere. The food that was on the top shelves of the
cupboard was now soaking slowly into the carpet and the whole lot was
covered in a dusting of flour, which made it look like it had been
snowing.

'Jack,' said Sam in horror. 'Look what its done.'

Jack grinned and took the sweets from the robot.

'Stop moaning Sam. I can ask the robot to clear up.'

'Don't be silly. It's too small to hold a broom.'

'Very funny.'

Jack turned to the robot.

'Robot,' he said, 'go and tidy the kitchen.'

'Affirmative.'

Robo-Command's eyes flashed once more and it whirred its way towards
the kitchen. As it got to the door it stopped and held its arms out in
front of it. One of the robots hands began to change into a small
brush. The other changed into a dustpan.

'Wow,' said the two children together.

The robot proceeded to tidy the kitchen. It swept up the flour and put
all the food back into the cupboard. It then picked up the pieces of
broken plates and cups and put them in the rubbish bin.

Then the robot began to do the washing up.

Sam ran into the kitchen and picked up the robot.

'I want to play with it now,' he said. 'You can play with my video
games.'

'It's my robot,' said Jack. 'I'll tell it to hit you if you don't give
it back to me.'

The robot squeezed the washing-up liquid bottle it was holding and
squirted Sam in the eye. Jack laughed. Sam threw the robot on the
floor.

'Stupid thing. I don't want to play with it anyway!'

Jack screamed and ran over to where the robot had landed. It was
spinning round and round, its eyes flashing. Jack picked it up, walked
back into the lounge and sat down next to the Christmas Tree.

'Are you all right robot?' he asked.

'Affirmative,' replied the robot.

'Sam's horrible. I hate him.'

'Please give me your command.'

Jack looked at his brother and then back at the robot.

'I wish he'd go somewhere where I couldn't see him.'

'Please give me your command,' repeated the robot.

'Robot,' began Jack. 'Robot, take Sam somewhere so I never see him
again.'

'Affirmative.'

Robo-Command flashed its eyes and whirred its way towards Sam.

'I'm not scared of that little thing,' said Sam as the robot got closer
to him. He tried to kick it but the robot managed to dodge out of the
way each time.

Sam yelped as the robot grabbed his feet and somehow managed to lift
him off of the ground. Jack watched as Robo-Command carried his brother
across the lounge. Then they were both gone.

Jack sat down in front of the fire and began unwrapping more of his
presents. He was enjoying being on his own and not having his brother
interrupting him or pinching his new toys.

After a while he had opened all his presents. He sat and looked at
them. There were some nice cars, a couple of jigsaws, some clothes for
his Action Man and some games.

He looked at the games and thought what fun they would be to play. Then
he remembered that he had no-one to play with. He began to miss Sam,
even though he had only been gone a short time. Tears began to well up
in his eyes.
Where had the robot taken him? He looked around but couldn't see Sam or
the robot. He began to cry louder.

'Jack, whatever is the matter?' said a voice. It was his mother.

Jack ran over and cuddled her.

'Oh Mummy,' he cried. 'Sam's gone. The robot took him.'

'What do you mean, Sam's gone?'

'The robot took him,' said Jack through his sniffles. 'I told it to.'
He burst into tears again.

The boys' father came down the stairs.

'What's the matter?' he asked.

Their mother shrugged.

'He says that a robot took Sam,' she said.

'I think he's just had a bad dream.'

'No,' cried Jack. 'He's really gone. I told Robo-Command to take him
away and now I'll never see him again.'

The boys' father looked over to where Jack was standing. Standing
directly behind Jack was Sam. Every time Jack moved, Sam moved so that
he was still behind him. When Jack looked up, Sam ducked down.

'Sam, stop playing around,' said their father.

Sam took no notice and continued to move so that he stood directly
behind his brother at all times.

'He's not here,' said Jack.

'Jack,' said his mother thoughtfully. 'What exactly did you tell the
robot?'

'I told him to take him somewhere where I'd never see him again.'

His mother smiled.

'Have you asked the robot to bring him back?'

'No,' sniffled Jack. 'They've gone away. They won't be able to hear
me.'

'Well, try anyway,' said his mother. 'It can't hurt can it?'

Jack shrugged.

'Robot, please bring back Sam,' he said.

There was a whirring noise and Sam and the robot appeared again. At
least that was how it appeared to Jack.
The boys' parents watched as the little robot carried Sam round from
behind Jack.

Jack hugged Sam.

'I'm sorry Sam,' he said. 'Where did you go?'

'I don't remember,' replied Sam, 'but I'm glad I'm back.'

'Me too. Lets play.'

'Oh no you don't,' said their parents together. 'It's four o'clock in
the morning. You can go back to bed now and play with your toys later
on.'

The boys looked at each other and went upstairs. Halfway up the stairs
Jack stopped and poked his head through the banisters.

'Robot,' he said, 'go and find someone else to play with.'

Robo-Command's eyes flashed.

'Affirmative.'

The robot trundled towards the front door. The boys' father opened it
and the robot whirred its way out into the street.

Jack went up the stairs and climbed into bed. He heard the front door
shut, and he fell asleep listening to the robot whirring its way into
the distance.

THE END