A Walk in the Park John Bennes
Berganzoa National Park, 2/2/51, 2:00 PM The green trees around me sway peacefully in the summer breeze. The National Park sign, sticking proudly out of the shrubs, the only man-made object in sight. If you turned around, the vast concrete city stuck out, making the park obvious, the last remnant of a past world. I look to my right, to see Ari, his kind smile and deep blue eyes hypnotizing me, and I struggle to look away. “Get your face fixed, Ari” I say, laughing. “What’s wrong with it? Last I checked I was the hottest guy I know!” He laughs with me. I hit him, but he doesn’t stop. I turn, sigh, and continue walking. Frustrating boy. I hear a bush rustle behind me, and I spin around. Where’s Ari gone now? “Ari, no games please.” No response. “Serious-” I briefly hear something moving then I’m lifted off my feet. I felt as if I was flying, and for a brief moment I relaxed, to enjoy the moment. I open my eyes to see Ari, holding me as we swing on a long vine out over the creek. I scream, realising how high I was above the creek, and I squeeze Ari so tightly he was probably suffocating. “You’re killing me, Sarah!” he pants, and I loosen my grip slightly. We swing back down toward the track and I land, but Ari stays clinging on. At first I thought it was an accident, but then he yells out my name. “SARAH!” I stare at him and see the problem. His leg is thoroughly wrapped in the vine. Next thing I know, he’s falling down into the creek, metres below. “ARI!” I scream.
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Sarah’s Bedroom, 2/2/51, 3:00 PM For the rest of the day, I lie crying in bed. I could never get over losing Ari. I never even got to tell him how much I liked him before he went and got himself killed. I hear Mum knock on the door. Go away Mum. Please. “You’ve got to ease up on the crying, Sarah.” She says calmly. How can she be so calm? I feel like punching her right now. Uugh. “How?” I sob. “Don’t you know how much he meant to me?” “Yes, but…” She sighs, “But he was only a…” “Please just leave me alone, Mum.” Mum walks out of my room, and the pillow greets my crying face. **** I can hear Mum and Dad chatting on the other side of the door, and I silently step out into the dark hallway. “We’ve got to do something about this.” says Dad, not realising I was listening in. “What? You can’t bring things back to life!” BRING Mums phone vibrates and falls off the table. “Dammit.” Mum picks up the phone and answers the call. “Hello? ...Yes, Yes, she’s my daughter… What? … Yes, they were very close” Someone’s calling about Ari? Maybe he’s alive? “You have? … You can? … When? … Great! Bye!” I step cautiously into the room, and Mum’s smiling face looks up at me. “The paramedics think they might be able to save him!”
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Berganzoa National Park, 2/2/51, 3:30 PM I pull up in my self-driving Mini, and run down the leaf littered track to the creek where I had seen Ari last. I spot a group of paramedics through the trees, and I sprint to them. “Is Ari alive?” I yell, and the paramedic nods. “We connected to his micro-chip and jump-started his body. And it worked!” Said the paramedic happily, obviously proud of his resurrecting skills. “Is he badly hurt?” “Besides the fact that he just died, he broke both legs.” I turn and look at Ari, who blinks and smiles. “Sarah…” “Oh Ari” I run over to him. I lean over him, his scrawny body lying on the stretcher. I hug him, tears running down my face. I guess Mum was right. You really do get attached to these robots.
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