"A lonely scientist developed a robot
The result was said to be a 'miracle'"
It had been quite some time since the machine had last seen its- or rather his- maker. His maker was a man named Berwald Oxenstierna, or Ber for short: a scientist who holed up in a house overlooking the Swedish countryside. Berwald was a rather odd figure in the robot's lifestyle. He was always trying to teach things he just couldn't understand. The robot performed his directed tasks without flaw, but the scientist's head would hang at something every time- something the system couldn't comprehend. The machine's given name was Tino Väinämöinen. Not like it really mattered to him, but Tino always wondered why the Swede even bothered to give the system a name?
.
.
.
Tino looked out at the scenery of the Swedish countryside. The area was rather remote, far away enough for a scientist to work without having to worry about prying eyes. The android turned around to look back at an aged little house- a residence that looked abandoned from a distance with its chipped and faded paint, dirty windows, rotting wood, and overgrown plants. But to him, it didn't make much a difference.
The machine began to make his way back to the house; on the way, he passed by a little creek and an oak tree near its bank. That was the last place Tino saw Berwald and he never took the time to worry about where he had gone. The scientist did tend to wander off every now and again and he usually wouldn't return for some time. He would surely be back soon. Tino reached the porch steps and walked through a squeaky front door. 'Needs to be oiled...,' he thought, flipping on the light switch. As old bulbs flickered on, rodents scurried away from the light and hid in the dark reaches of the house. The android didn't mind the rodents much, even when they first started making their home within the walls of the house. Tino actually liked their company- although the same couldn't be said about Berwald. Tino could easily lay out a scenario. The slightest sign of a mouse would send the Swede climbing up a piece of furniture with a girlish squeal. After a couple of moments of just the grown man calmly trying to ask the machine to dispose of it, and Tino would eventually take the little rodent out of the house and set it free into the brush.
As the android moved around the house, he passed by Berwald's computer: a system with a dual screen desktop that remained dormant for the past few years. Tino had fought his curiosity for all of this time, but looking back at the computer screens this one time... The machine just couldn't handle it. After all, the scientist spent almost all of his time with his nose dug into his programming, his codes, and his documents. There must have been some reason to cause that... A memory suddenly flashed in his mind- a memory of Berwald turning around in his swivel chair after a long night or typing away on a keyboard.
"Another all-nighter? What kind of program are you working on? Touching up the system troubles I told you about?"
Berwald blinked back sleep and shook his head. "No, it's something different."
"Oh, really? What then?"
The Swede took a moment to respond. His eyes held a hesitant expression. "It's a very important program and I don't ever want you to open it."
"Why not?"
"It could override your system,"
He remembered Berwald's words as if they were said yesterday. Berwald had answered him with such a blunt answer then, it only fueled the spark in his gears. Tino pushed down on the power button. Nothing. Of course it wouldn't have turned on that way. What on earth made the machine think that would work? Tino stood back with his arms crossed.
"So much for that..." he muttered, trying to think of another way to get into the computer. It didn't take very long for the robot to come up with another idea. Tino placed his hand on the computer's hard-drive and gave it a little spark and almost immediately the screen illuminated. Violet eyes roamed the screens decorated with files consisting of pictures, documents, graphs, notes, et cetera. Though the sea of folders were rather intriguing, the certain files that stood out to him were Berwald's projects. Tino scanned through all of the scientist's works, some being completed and others were left unfinished or barely even started.
"I want to know, why
Until the end of that person's life
He built a 'heart'
For me"
The andriod stood there for countless hours, his eyes moving back and forth from one screen to the next as he searched through the files until Tino finally found the X marking his treasure. Tino clicked the folder and up came the icons "HEART PROGRAM", "NOTES", and "FOR TINO". The machine quickly moved the cursor over the document assigned to him and opened the file.
Tino,
I'm assuming that you've found this file, though I asked for you to never find this. Even for a machine, your curiosity is strong, much like a human's- an innocent child or a cat. This is the program I've been working on my entire life to give to you in hopes that'd you, my most prized creation, could one day know what it was like to exist. To cry, to smile, to laugh, to hurt, to grieve... I'm giving you permission to open the program. Cherish this, and keep it close to your new "heart".
Berwald.
Without a second thought, Tino clicked out of the message window and hover the mouse cursor over the program icon. After a moment's hesitation, he opened the program.
"Now, movement has started, the miracle is accelerating
Why? My tears don't stop...
Why am I shaking? The beat is accelerating
This is the 'heart' I hoped for?"
The sun's light shone in Tino's violet eyes as if he had been brought to life. Ba-bump. He shook violently, his joints gave way, and he collapsed onto his knees. He doubled over, clutching his chest so tight that his knuckles starting turning white. What was this weight in his chest? Why was it making his body ache so? Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Tino felt something moist roll down his cheek and drip off his jaw. He reached up to wipe away the feeling of moisture that still moved down the sides of his face.
"Tears?" he whispered. And the tears continued to roll down his face. "Why?" Tino asked, repeatedly brushing then away, "Why won't they stop?"
He rose to his feet and stumbled forwards, relaxing his clutched hand and trying to calm his accelerating heartbeat. This feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was certainly a miracle. Yet… he was still a machine. A mechanism built and programmed by a genius. Why was he able to have emotion? To be able to shed tears? His questions could only be answered by a single man; and that man (as he had come to realize) was long gone. It had been that way for almost two centuries. Funny how time doesn't exist until one is able to feel it.
Tino shuffled over, returning to the computer screens. He clicked on the last icon, "NOTES", and brought up two more files. One contained photos, the other journal entries. The humanoid would take time to read the entries later- for now, he wanted to go through the photos.
Selecting the photos folder, Tino was greeted by many, many pictures. These preserved moments contained Berwald and a couple of familiar faces. There was a curious looking tall blonde in almost every picture but he seemed out of place.
"Oh, what's it called..." Tino thought out loud. "Photo bombing or something..."...
As the pictures went on and on throughout the years, there were more picture of Berwald and that feminine face together, whether it be laughing, holding hands, or harmless kisses on the cheek. That boy with Berwald was Tino... A human one. The android felt a surge of anger and confusion. Why was that? Was he supposed to be some recreation of Berwald's lover? The thought infuriated him, made his insides burn, and made his cheeks burn with anger and embarrassment. What the hell was that man thinking? Was he just made for Berwald's own selfish wishes? Who the hell was he? Not "Tino". Not the man who obviously loved Berwald with all of his being. The machine was rapidly beginning to resent the program the scientist had made for him.
The machine closed out of the photos window and furiously clicked into Berwald's journal entries. The man wasn't one for telling lies. If he told any, he'd be sure to write them down to clear his conscience. As "Tino" skimmed through the entries, he felt his anger slip from his grasp as he found himself in tears once again. Even though he was brought into this world through selfish reasons, the android knew why Berwald wasted all of his natural life typing away at the keyboard. The Swede was but a lonely man left with a void in his heart.
He wouldn't dare reject the life and gift Berwald had sacrificed his entire life being for. Tino could only love and respect him on a whole new level.
"Love?" Tino's mind spun at the sound of the word- the way he inflicted its meaning, the way it made him feel. "Love," he said more confidently, "the only reason a man, or anyone, would do this..." The android wiped away his tears and stood tall, making way for the exit.
Tino burst through the front door and looked at the scenery with a new view of everything He stared up at the clouds and made images out of them, he marveled out of the rolling hills, the way the wind blew over the tall grass to give the impression of a beautiful green sea. The world had seemed so dull before and now it was getting revamped with vibrant colours. Tino felt a whole new wave of emotions: a giddy feeling that made him want to jump hurdles.
"Thank you... for bringing me into this world
Thank you... for the days we spent together
Thank you... for everything you have given me
Thank you... I will sing for eternity"
The "miracle" of the robot having a "heart" was phenomenal. The machine flaunted around, laughing, smiling, and exploring all of the emotions he could. It was a remarkable feeling for him. Though the consistent heartbeat would hurt Tino every now and then, he would truck through it and carry on with his little excursions.
"The robot that obtained the 'heart' kept running. He explored all of the feelings he could.
But the miracle only lasted for a moment."
Tino soon began to grow weary and walked down to the large oak tree by the creek, where he sat down and leaned against the bark to indulge in his feelings of nostalgia. He remembered the moment he and Berwald shared in the spot when the tree was nothing but a little sprout with nothing but a leaf or two sheltering it. Funny how he thought nothing of it until he obtained his "heart." Tino placed his hand on his cheat, closing his eyes. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
"The 'heart' was far too much for him to withstand.
In the end, the machine shorted out and was never to move again."
"However, at the very last moment, his face was still painted with a little smile.
He truly looked like an angel..."
Ba-bump...
Ba-bump...
Thank you for reading! Yes, i know there are a lot of plot holes in this chapter but that's because there is another chapter coming out. Telling Berwald's story. Big thanks to my editor who's always watching my back and keeping up with my grammatical fails.
See you soon in the finishing part...