By Robert Sheckley
Adapted to chat story format by Captivated Chat
I wonder why you came to this asteroid belt?
Looking for rare metals. I searched for years, Charles, hopping from fragment to fragment until I settled here.
You’ve said you had been born old, and didn’t age much past a point.
I have said that. But how am I to judge?
Why did you call this rock Martha, was it named after a girl?
Yes, but no girl I have ever known. It was after I made a little strike, enough to equip Martha with an air pump and a shack, a few tons of dirt and some water tanks, and a robot.
Me!
Yes, and then I settled back and watched the stars. The robot I bought was a standard-model all-around worker, with built-in memory and a thirty-word vocabulary.
You’ve added to that, bit by bit.
Sure! I tinker around. At first all you could say was “Yes, sir,” and “No, sir.” You could state simple problems: “The air pump is laboring, sir.” “The corn is budding, sir.”
You changed that.
I eliminated the “sirs.” Equality is the rule on our hunk of rock.
What keeps you here?
It’s perfect for thinking and studying. This rock is beautiful, too; occasionally I catch a glimpse of Mars or Jupiter. Once I thought I saw Earth.
But never Venus! You have always been suspicious and scornful of women. But for some reason you didn’t give me that same view.
* * * * *
“What do you think of girls?”
“Oh, I don’t know. You have to find the right one.”
“I never saw a good one yet.”
“Well, that’s not fair. Perhaps you didn’t look long enough. There’s a girl in the world for every man.”
“You’re a romantic!”
I dreamed of a girl named Martha once. Maybe if I would have looked, I would have found her.”
* * * * * * * *
What do you think of girls?
Charles grew old. His limbs lost their flexibility, and some of his wiring started to corrode. Mark would spend hours keeping the robot in repair.
You’re getting rusty.
You’re not so young yourself.
Look for Part 2!