//006 creator log no. 00023
the first day you give me clothes to wear is strange. i am a machine. i do not know modesty. but you insist on seeing me as a person. and so the time comes that i am more than a doll reciting lines; i can draw conclusions and create independent lines of thinking and ask you questions.
that very same day you begin dressing me in a gown when we go to your lab. i am not ashamed, my delicate wiring and machinery is all hidden by my frame -- and yet, you seem flustered by my nudity. you give me clothes to wear around the facility. at first they are slip-ons and pullovers; when you fine-tune my motor controls, you give me buttons and ties and zippers.
this time, after you close up my access panels, you lead me by the hand to another room, near your apartment.
inside, it's a typical bedroom. my charging pod is in the corner. beside a bed.
it's yours, you say. you lead me to the closet, opening it to reveal clothes of all different kinds. these too - i want you to pick out something yourself, okay?
where my program would previously stutter and stall, i instead feel my fans kick on, warmth releasing through my vents and faceplate. you trust me with this. you want me to do it by myself.
thank you, i say. i know this is part of it, of growing and becoming more capable and being what who you want me to be
but
i don't want to be more independent, if it means less time with you. if it means you stop making decisions for me. i want to stay with you. can't we stay together? why are you pushing me away?
when i know you're gone, i find my way into your rooms. i open your closet, pull out one of your old shirts, and put it on.
i kneel next to your bed, and wait. i can be good. i can make you want me again.
i awaken from rest mode to the sound of the door opening and your rushed footsteps.
when you see me, your eyes go wide, and you hurry toward me.
there you are, you say, and i don't understand why you sound so relieved. you crouch next to me, and hold my face in your hands, caressing my jaw plate with your thumb. i thought... i thought.
you look away, and i'm beginning to think you need to upgrade my processors again, because i can't understand why you seem so sad
is this my shirt?
i nod. i can't speak.
my baby, you coo, pressing your forehead to mine. i love you so much.
//end log













