It was an unusually quiet afternoon at the Walter Manor as Michael Reed wandered aimlessly around, looking for any sort of movement.
The only time Michael stopped walking was when he heard the soft creek of the front door open followed by a dull thud as it closed.
"Hello?" called out a deep, almost hypnotic voice. "Anyone home?"
"Yes, The Spine," Michael called back as he pocketed his hands with a smile and began to make his way back toward the main hall.
As he turned the corner, Michael opened his mouth to say something, but immediately froze mid stride.
In front of him stood The Spine with the biggest, cheesiest smile a robot could muster. In his arms was a six foot long, three foot high tank filled with what looked like four small turtles chilling on rocks and fake logs that was placed on the bottom of the tai.
"I brought home some friends!," The Spine happily exclaimed as he raised the tank slightly.
A puff of steam and a proud whirring of gears could be heard and seen from the silver bot.
"Why exactly did you get all these turtles?" Michael asked quizzically as he made a sweeping gesture at the tank with his hand.
"They look like mini robots," The Spine replied as he walked into the manor toward Michael. "Plus I thought it would be fun to have more living things here."
"You do know that they need to be cared for right?" Michael asked, a slight tone of concern in his voice.
"Of course I do," The Spine said matter-of-factly as he found a spent in the study to place the manor's newest residents. "I may be a robot, but I am aware of the needs of living creatures."
Michael only shut his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. All the while, The Spine admired the turtle's movements.
"They move like me," The Spine exclaimed in such a tone that could only be described as child like glee.
Michael removed his hand from his face as he opened his eyes and walked into the study. Looking over The Spine's shoulder, Michael couldn't help but smile.
"You know, you're right," Michael murmured with a smile.
The Spine smiled at the little creatures as he sat down and pulled his knees toward his chest, hugging his legs in the process.
After watching The Spine for a few moments, Michael quietly padded over to the robot and sat next to it.
"I think they're starting to grow on me," Michael whispered to his metallic friend with a nudge of his elbow. "I think we should name them."
The automatonic joy that came over The Spine was nothing that Michael ever saw before, and it warmed his heart.
"I think that is a fantastic idea," The Spine exclaimed.
And with that, the two began to name each turtle friend.