Jon smiled as he watched his son Billy tearing round the park on his bike. On the bench beside him, Lauren looked on too. Billy whizzed along. The eight year old peddled frantically, laughing in delight. The grey clouds loomed over-head. It would be raining soon, by the look of the sky.

‘Five minutes, Billy, then we’ll make a move.’ Jon called.

‘Ten minutes?’ Billy replied. ‘Please?’

‘Okay, ten and we’re going.’ Jon said.

Billy rode even faster, making the most of the time he had left on the park.

‘Right, Billy, time’s up.’ Jon called. 

‘Come on, Billy, love.’ Lauren said. Billy came skidding to a halt in front of them.

‘Fancy take-away pizza for tea?’ Lauren asked.

Billy nodded, grinning in delight. It would be the perfect end to the afternoon for him. Jon took hold of Lauren’s hand as they walked towards the park gates, Billy peddling slowly beside them. 

Jon and Lauren shook their heads in disbelief as Billy reached for the last slice of pizza from the box. Jon commented that he didn’t know where the boy put it all. 

While Lauren had wanted to serve the pizza on plates, Jon and Billy had insisted take-away pizza had to be eaten from the cardboard box. It just tastes better, Billy said.

That evening, just after she had tucked Billy in to bed, she came and joined Jon on the sofa. 

‘How are you feeling? You looked wiped out.’ Jon said.

‘I’m okay just tired… just tired… just tired.’ Lauren said.

She continued to repeat the two words over and over. Jon swore to himself. He’d had a feeling she was due for a malfunction. Jon gently took hold of her left hand, pressing the small button on her wrist.

‘Request reboot. Request reboot.’ He said.

Lauren gave a long sigh, and blinked several times.

‘Are you okay, Lauren?’

‘Yes,’ she said with a smile, ‘I’m fine.’

Jon and Billy had gotten used to having the robot living with them. You could almost forget that Lauren was a robot. After Billy’s mother died in a boating accident several years ago, Lauren was taken on.

She was there to help raise Billy and provide a kind of mother figure for him. Billy knew she was a robot but the boy loved her anyway. Jon had to admit, the android had really become part of the family unit. 

These days a lot of families had robot members in their household. Some children doted on an aunt or uncle, who would be an android. After the departure of a loved one, a robot could be taken on for company, someone to chat to, to complete the crossword and watch television with.

The way most people saw it, having a robot was like having a domestic pet. They really added something, they often helped make a house a home. 

A couple of days later Jon woke up feeling unwell. He didn’t feel well at all. He felt dizzy, drained. Even moving seemed to be a struggle. He wasn’t sleeping, just found it so hard to switch off at night. His mind seemed to be whirring constantly. As rewarding as it was, being a parent was hard work. It surely had to take its toll. 

He called to his doctors that afternoon and explained to the receptionist how he was feeling. The guy behind the reception desk nodded sympathetically, saying he did the right thing coming in, and told him to take a seat. 

Minutes later Jon was shown through to the treatment room. The doctor asked him to sit down. The doctor took hold of Jon’s wrist, pressing the tiny button.

‘Request reboot. Request reboot.’ 

Jon gave a long sigh and blinked several times.

By Chris Platt

From: United Kingdom