"There's no greater joy in childhood than playing games. Going out to eat comes to a close second. Talking animals are third. Why not combine all three and come on down to Callie Catton's Cookie Cafe? We have everything from games, to yummy food and even our own walking, talking animal friends: Callie, Macaroni, and Duke! Come on down and join the fun at Callie Catton's Cookie Cafe!" The television advertisement would end with all three cartoon-versions of the animatronics around the logo and name.

Parents from all across town were dragged by excited kids to the brand new eatery. I was one of those kids, along with my brother. The spinning door was spiraling as fast as a helicopter's propeller as a stampede of little kids ran through, hoping to get to the games first. Each kid had their hands pressed with a stamp and sent off, their parents being dragged behind them. I remember it as clear as yesterday…

It was a Saturday, May 2nd. I was the first to get in, my brother dragging our parents behind. I got a stamp: purple and invisible, unless you had a black light; it was a flower. As soon as we got in, it was paradise unfolding in our eyes. The games shouted with so many different phrases, all having the same 'Play us!' lure. My brother had ripped from our dad's hand by the dining room and ran off to play a nearby racing game. He started to shout in joy as he raced around the virtual track. I was more intrigued by the animatronics. I had always been an animal lover at heart.

Callie The Cat stood frozen on the stage, head dropped behind the curtain. After a couple other kids waltzed over, a bright beam shown on the backdrop, lighting up Callie like a shining diamond. The purple cat robot opened her eyes, revealing two yellow LED lights for eyes. She had a little flower in her ear which was the signature of her icon, and various white stripes crossing her back. She even had white whiskers that twitched! The feline's voice rang through speakers and her jaw moved up and down with a screw covered with bright red cheeks."Hello k-kids! I'm Callie The Ca-Cat. Welcome to the Cookie Cafe!" The animatronic feline called to the crowd. A chorus of cheers came from below, mine being the loudest. She shut her eyes and clapped. "I'm so glad-d that you all are so exc-c-cited!" The cat then opened her eyes, head tilting to the side. "Now, wanna see a magic-ic tri-trick?" She asked, leaning toward the ground.

The kids screamed in reply. "Yes! Show us Callie!". Magic wasn't something that could be debunked with science at that time. All we had was innocence and wonder in our eyes. It was grand enough to have a animal come to life to talk. What would happen next would leave all kids in shock and amazement beyond compare.

Callie held up her paw for silence. Her eyes' lights dimmed as her plastic eyelids slid fluently down. Her eyebrows moved down to create an expression of concentration. A magical chime played and slowly Callie's paws lifted off the ground, one and a time. She took one step, and another. The robot was walking right off the stage, down the steps in front of her. All the kids cheered.

The first time I had seen Callie was pure enjoyment. I had cheered the loudest and was the most excited, I believe. I was the oldest at ten years old, while my brother was seven and the rest of the kids were six to nine. The animatronics were always enticing. Some of the other kids had teased me at school, but I didn't care. Those fuzzy robots were as awesome as a chocolate fountain. If I had grown up, I'd probably create some for movies or something. Too bad that would never come to pass.

I suppose I got my wish, a bit. Although, I'll admit it's more of a prison than a dream. Sometimes it feels like a dream when the circuits and recordings take over in the day. And to think, it all began with that Saturday.

I'm getting ahead of myself. One must go in order for a story such as mine. I was cheering and clapping for Callie as she walked off the stage and waved to all the kids.

"Who's ready to have a dance party?" She asked, and started to shake her hands up and down, lifting one foot and twisting about. A sweet hum of music began to play.

A mechanical voice joined our cheers of agreement, and yet another furry friend came over. "Did I hear-r-r someone say dance party?" The tomboy-equse robot asked. "Macaroni the Mouse never wants to miss a party!" She cried in delight, the mouse's ears twirling. Macaroni had orange spots all over and was bright yellow, her eyes a clear crystal blue. Macaroni had a special talent. Her operational voice system was specially designed to interact with the kids and an updated software allowed her to learn names and store them in a database. She could also combine unique phrases. I noticed Brian, my brother, come over with her.

Callie nodded her approval. "Why, sure Maca-ca-caroni! You can join our dancing. C'mon! Let's dance-ance."

Mark and I grabbed hands and were about to twirl around like a washing machine when I heard a call of "Catherine!" My heart dropped to the floor.

My father waved to me from the table he had sat at. Each table had a coffee cup for the adults. Perhaps it was just for enjoyment, but now I am sure that it is to keep the parents awake and unaware of how long they've stayed at the cafe. I sighed, letting go of one of my brother's hands and walked over, leading him to our father.

"What Daddy? We were gonna have a dance party!" I complained. My eyes darted back, expecting Callie to be looking at the kids and still dancing. She was still dancing, yes, but she was looking directly at me, her LED lights turning to a dull gray. The animatronic's eyes flickered back to yellow when she noticed me staring, and she glanced down at the kids, her mouth opening and closing and playing a "Tehe~" track. I had liked the little giggle at first. Now, looking back, I should've feared it.

My father glanced up from where he sat. "Now, you kiddies were having a lot of fun, but I just don't want you guys getting too close to the rob-animals." He coughed quietly, trying to clear his mistake. We were too impatient and anxious to get back to notice. "They may bite or be a bit clumsy. Like Mr. Spinachface!" Mr. Spinachface, our black cat was very clumsy. He always knocked over something every five minutes. Guaranteed.

I didn't believe him. These robots were real! They had personalities. They had life. They'd never hurt us. Brian, on the other hand, didn't. "Alrighty Dad." He said, his head slightly lower than before. Brian listened to our dad. He was most close to him. Catch, videogames, even handy work with wooden cars. I was jealous. I had never been close to anyone. I hardly knew my mother, as she disappeared. Brian was my father's pride and joy. I was just another mouth to feed. I guess that's why I liked Catton's. It made me feel wanted and cared about. It actually let some girls in my life.

My dad chuckled. "Alright. Go have fun." He shooed us away. Mark eventually raced off to another game. I walked slowly away. Callie had gone back to the stage behind the red curtains, and Macaroni was roaming around the video games. I looked around for Duke. Duke was a fuzzy, green dog who was created to make music with his magical tail. It was super long and had various buttons to make different sounds. Duke walked on all fours and at that moment he sat near the side of the prize redeeming station. His eyes were illuminated with a purple light. I walked over to the fuzzy dog, rubbing his ears affectionately. Duke had certain sensor spots that would let him react in different ways. The robot lifted his head. "H-H-Hey kid!" He barked to me, tongue rolling out from the side of his jaw.

I chuckled. "Hello Duke!" I said affectionately. The dog barked twice and then shut off abruptly. I sighed. I hated when the animatronics went to sleep. It left me all alone. And loneliness is the worst feeling in the world. I sighed and walked around for a couple minutes, and stopped, playing a few games before going home. I wish I had appreciated going home instead of whining to stay at the cafe. I'd be the only thing I'd want for the rest of eternity.