大象传媒

By Julia Bakeeva

Yix is a small girl from a poor family and she lives in the year 2519. Her teacher robot, Rusty, is 300 years old because they can't afford a new one.

Rusty uses extravagant words that Yix doesn't always understand. Her brother once said that these words are about "emotions" which people used to have in the past before genetic modification. Sometimes Rusty's actions are quite incomprehensible too.

For example, when Yix was seven, she accidentally toppled over a cupboard, falling to the floor with dishes. She had enough time to run under cover before her father entered the room. "What were you thinking you despicable child?" - cried her father. "It was me." - whispered Rusty - "Sorry, Sir." "You should be in a junkyard" - rambled Yix's father and left.

"Why did you lie?" - asked Yix later. "Because I love you" - answered Rusty. She had no idea what he was talking about.

Another time, their dog injured itself. It was howling in pain, so Yix's mother asked Rusty to dispose the dog and bring a new one from the factory. "Yes, Madam" - Rusty answered. Later, Yix met her old dog again. It was joyfully jumping near a kennel made from old planks. Yix also noticed a bowl of food and remembered Rusty's frequent absences from the house recently.

One day, a chain of unfortunate events occured.

That day, Yix was playing in a cellar and accidentally discovered a hidden passage which was full of rectangular-shaped objects. Yix realized that she saw them in museums and they were called books. She picked one out and started to read .

She couldn't stop for a while. It was weird because sometimes her heart pumped quickly or her hair stood on end or she jumped frantically. Next day, she couldn't resist bringing the book to school.

After her lessons, Yix sprinted to her bag, grabbed the book and continued to read. It didn't last long. When she was turning a page, a hologram of the stern looking principal appeared from the immense wall. "Our system detected an illegal object. You are accused of possessing a book with emotional content which is a criminal act under the anti-resistance law of 2038. You are facing expulsion and court."

Yix had no idea what was happening to her. It was as if something gripped her inside. People don't scream in 2519. They talk in monotone voices. Nevertheless, she screamed: "I didn't know!" And then she passed out.

When Yix woke up the next day, her dad was staring at her. Next to him stood a brand new robot. "Your new teacher" - her dad announced - "The government paid for it."

"Where is Rusty?!" - asked Yix. "Disassembled." - answered her father. - "He confessed that he gave you that book. Not your fault."

Yix said nothing and turned to the wall. Strangely, she felt minuscule pieces of liquid trickling down from her eyes.

She knew that someday she would go into the cellar again and read the other books. All of them.