Robots -- Fiction; Schools -- Fiction; Science fiction; Short stories
The children nodded. The metallic voice went on. "Let us return to
_Macbeth_ for our concluding quotation. The weather, fortune, many
things are implied in Macbeth's opening speech. He says, '_So foul and
fair a day I have not seen._' The paradox is both human and appropriate.
One day you will understand this even more. Repeat the quotation after
me, please, and try to understand it."
The childish voices lifted. "_So foul and fair a day I have not seen._"
The roboteacher stood up. "And there's the closing bell. Do not hurry
away, for you are to remain here tonight. There will be a school party,
a sleep-together party. We will all sleep here in the school building."
"You mean we can't go home?"
The face of the littlest girl screwed up. "I want to go home."
"You may go home tomorrow. There will be a holiday tomorrow. A party
tonight and a holiday tomorrow for every school on earth."
The tears were halted for a moment. The voice was querulous. "But I want
to go home now."
Johnny Malone, the Mayor's son, put one hand on the littlest girl.
"Don't cry, Mary. The robots don't care if you cry or not. You can't
hurt them or cry them out of anything. We'll all go home in the
morning."
The robots began to bring cots and to place them in the schoolroom, row
on row. The children were led out into the play quadrangle to play. One
of the robots taught them a new game, and after that took them to supper
served in the school's cafeteria. No other robot was left in the
building, but it did not matter, because the doors were locked so that
the children could not go home.
The other robots had begun to walk out into the town, and as they walked
the robots walked from other schools, in other towns. All over the
country, all over the towns, the robots walked to tell the people that
the children would not be home from school, and do what had to be done.
In the schools, the roboteachers told stories until the children fell
asleep.
* * * * *
Morning came. The robots were up with the sun. The children were up with
the robots. There was breakfast and more stories, and now the children
clustered about the robots, holding onto their arms, where they could
cling, tagging and frisking along behind the robots as they went down
into the town. The sun was warm, and it was early, early, and very
bright from the morning sun in the streets.
They went into the Mayor's house. Johnny called, "Mom! Dad! I'm home."
The house was silent. The robot that tended the house came gliding in
answer. "Would you like breakfast, Master Malone?"
"I've had breakfast. I want my folks. Hey! Mom, Dad!"
He went into the bedroom. It was clean and empty and scrubbed.
"Where's my mother and father?"
The metal voice of the robot beside Johnny said, "I am going to live
with you. You will learn as much at home as you do at school."
"Where's my mother?"
"I'm your mother."
"Where's my father?"
"I'm your father."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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