G. Wright - Broken Things

Josh walked slowly to the sidewalk, dragging his feet all the way. It seemed like the place to start. He could go either direction, it wouldn’t matter. He didn’t know exactly how far Twin Falls was from Boise, but maybe he could walk. His parents went to Boise sometimes. They’d driven here to see concerts and to shop, but they’d never brought him.

He only needed to find someone that would let him use their phone. He walked up to the nearest stranger, a man in a suit that appeared to be texting.

“Excuse me,” he said, “But I need to call my parents. Can you help me?”

“I’m busy, kid,” he said, turning his back on him.

The next two people he approached responded much the same, though the last didn’t even bother to acknowledge him as he passed by. They don’t see a person , he realized, they only see someone’s discarded toy, and one that no longer held any value.

A bright red station wagon pulled up next to him, and for a moment he felt hope. The little girl he had saved in the park sat in the passenger seat, gesturing wildly at him. Her mom, a young woman with her hair pinned up, quickly got out of the vehicle and came up to him.

Were they here to thank him for saving the girl’s life? He wouldn’t ask for a reward, only a ride home. It would be the least they could do for him.

“You attacked my daughter?” the woman shrieked, “Do you realize that you could’ve damaged her? Do you know how much I paid for her?”

“What? No! I didn’t…”

The woman grabbed him by his left shoulder, his injured arm, and shook him. He cried out from the pain but couldn’t pull away. She continued screaming. “How dare you attack my little girl! Where are your owners?”

“They’re not here,” he said, “I didn’t hurt her.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t or I’d break you myself. Stay right there. I’m calling the police.”

With her free hand, the woman pulled her cell phone from her purse and dialed 911. He looked at the girl for help but she only shot back a look of spite. She could tell her mom that he’d saved her. Everything would be okay. He took a step toward her but the mother cut him off. “I said don’t move. Hello? Yes, I’d like to report a dangerous child… yes, it attacked my daughter… at the Julia Davis Park… yes I’ve got him right here.”

With a quick jerk he pulled out of her grip. The park was huge, there had to have places to hide. He turned and ran toward the river. Trees grew thick along the water. It briefly reminded him of the mountains again. An asphalt trail ran alongside it and he quickly turned down the path. He could hear the woman screaming at him, but everyone ignored her too. Adults walked and rode bikes on the trail, some walked dogs. He didn’t see any kids anywhere. He ran as long as he could, desperately trying to ignore the pain of his arm. Once he was sure he’d gotten far enough away, he found a bench hidden in the shade of trees, facing the river. He could hear the traffic of the city but he couldn’t see them, and better, they couldn’t see him.

Josh sat there, the events of the morning sinking in. He pulled his knees up to his chin and cried. He didn’t know how long he sat there, eventually the tears ran out, but he didn’t leave. He didn’t know where to go or what to do. He watched the ducks swim back and forth across the river, feeling once more utterly alone.

“Excuse me,” a man said from behind him, “Are you lost?”

Josh looked up at him with red eyes. The man had a friendly smile, though he seemed a bit twitchy. “Yes, I want to go home. I think my arm’s broken.”

“Well come with me. I’ll take care of you. Are you hungry? Do you like candy? I’ve got lots of it at my house.”

Josh nodded. The man wasn’t parked too far away.

James rubbed his eyes. Police had taped off half of the building and were questioning everyone. This wasn’t the type of thing Kidsmith needed. The three androids that had come in yesterday were missing, and worse, it looked like the adult android had killed Gus. He’d worked with Gus for years. He even saw him most nights on his way out.

A security camera had recorded all three leaving Kidsmith last night, and the adult wearing Gus’s bloody uniform. Worse, upper management was going to have his ass after the police left. He’d left his office unlocked. His keys were dumped out in front of the kid rooms. He’d be lucky to still have a job after the day was through.

They were interviewing others now. He’d moved to an empty office on the second floor while they continued with the investigation. He dropped his head into his hands with a groan.

“What are you doing hiding up here?” He looked up as Tamara entered the office. He must’ve really been feeling sorry for himself to not hear her heels on the tiles. You could hear her coming anywhere in the building. They sounded like a hammer rhythmically hitting a board. Whack whack whack whack whack.

“Your surprise is going to get me fired.”

She grabbed a chair by the wall and sat down, legs crossed. She had very nice legs. He realized he was staring and forced himself to meet her eyes.

“You look a little beat yourself,” he said, “How are you feeling?”

“Not so well,” she said, following the words with a heavy sigh, “I was at the doctor this morning, before I got the call. It looks like my cancer is coming back. I’m starting to think that the cure is a lie.”

He wanted to chuckle, but he just didn’t feel up to it. “It’s like my wife Shirley always says, there are those that have cancer and those that will eventually. It’s one of life’s inevitabilities. She gets cancer every other year. I think she’s had it everywhere now.”

“I know the feeling. I’m going to have to waste another week of vacation to get rid of it again.”

“Did you get your yearly cancer shot?”

“Of course.”

“I get mine every year,” he bragged, “Never gotten cancer.”

“Good for you,” Tamara said, “It runs in my family though. I lost my parents to it before they cured it. I’m just so tired. I don’t want to go to the doctor anymore.”

James leaned back in his chair. It squeaked every time he moved. He wiggled back and forth a few times to see if it would irritate her. She ignored it.

“I used to love this,” she went on, “Kids were easy to work with. Now I’m just tired of seeing them. I hate their fake little faces, their fake personalities, trying to act like they’re real.”

“We give them those personalities,” James said.

“Of course we do! Because otherwise their just glorified dolls. I sometimes wish that they’d all just go away. I think the world is starting to feel the same way. Sales are at an all-time low this year. There’s even talk about closing down some of the overseas facilities. That’s how bad it’s getting.”

“I wouldn’t trade my little girl,” James said, “She’s so much fun. She’s the best one I’ve ever owned.”

“Maybe they’re okay for some people. I just don’t need them in my life. They take up enough of my time as it is.”

“Have you heard what they’re going to do about the runaways?” he asked, changing the subject back.

“Yes,” she said, “I’m heading out after lunch. I’ve got to bring them back. Corporate is releasing a statement this afternoon. I’ve had three threatening phone calls from Gabe this morning telling me why my job depends on finding them.”

“What about the other? The adult?”

“We’re Kidsmith. We don’t deal with adults. Officially, we never even found it. It’s someone else’s problem, maybe the police’s, I don’t know.”