Goddard, Come Home

by Gary D. Snyder

Epilog:

After restoring Jimmy to normal and sending Goddard back home Cindy and the others returned to class. While the whole adventure had lasted about 90 minutes they were uncertain how to explain to Miss Fowl their failure to return following lunch period. As it turned out they didn't have to.

"So there you are, children," she clucked with some relief. "I was beginning to wo-o-nder whether you five had heard the news."

"News?" they all echoed.

"That the crisis is over," Miss Fowl squawked. "You were still at lunch when the school was evacuated because of some emergency in the park. We tried to call all the parents to let them know the students could come back but your parents didn't know where you had gotten to."

"Oh, that news," Cindy fudged.

"Yes, of course," added Jimmy.

"Absolutely," said Libby.

"You know it," Sheen concurred.

"What news?" asked Carl, while others glared at him. Sheen gave him a hard elbow in the ribs. "Ow! What?" Carl protested.

"I am curious," Miss Fowl continued, "as to where you went and what you were doing if you didn't go home."

Despite his quick mind Jimmy looked trapped. "Um…well…you see…" he fumbled.

"We were in Jimmy's clubhouse," Cindy spoke up quickly. "We were discussing our reports for next week."

"Oh?"

"Yes." Cindy gave Jimmy a quick look. "About Goddard…I think that maybe I was…" The next word came very hard. "…wrong…about Goddard not being a pet. I think that Jimmy should be permitted to do his report on Goddard."

Miss Fowl looked confused. "But you pointed out that Goddard is a machine."

Cindy answered rather slowly as she paced back and forth in front of the class. "Technically, yes, he's a machine. And I guess you can argue that he isn't a real dog. But so what? Neither is a cat, or a canary, or a snake. But people make pets of them. And they do it because it doesn't matter to them how their pet looks or whether it has fur or feathers or scales. What matters to them is how their pets make them feel.

"Because a pet isn't just property or something you only have to feed or bathe or clean up after once in a while. A pet is something you share a special bond with. Part of it is responsibility, but it's also love and trust and respect. A pet is a part of your life that nothing else can ever really replace. I don't know that I could ever become attached to a robot like Goddard, but I know that Jimmy is. Goddard is a real dog to him. And whether we think so or not, that's really what makes him a pet."

Cindy fell silent and Miss Fowl cleared her throat uncomfortably. "Well, I don't know…"

Cindy turned to the class. "How about it? Think about what you would do to help if your pet were in trouble. Is there anything that you would do for your pet that Jimmy wouldn't for Goddard?"

"She's got a point," said Nick.

"Yeah, I can believe that," replied Butch.

"So can I," added Nissa.

As the others added their agreement one by one Miss Fowl's expression slowly changed. When the last student had answered she adjusted her glasses. "Well, since the rest of you seem to feel that Goddard counts as a pet, I won't object. Jimmy, you can do your pet report on Goddard."

"Yes!" cried Jimmy, pumping his arm.

"And Carl and Sheen…?" Miss Fowl went on.

"Yes?" asked Sheen and Carl eagerly.

"No plush toys, action figures, or dolls."

"Oh, man," grumbled Sheen as he took his seat.

"Tell me about it," mumbled Carl.

"I guess that's another one I owe you," remarked Jimmy to Cindy as they took their seats. "But why?"

"Well, you know the old saying, Neutron," Cindy replied with a mischievous twinkle in her green eyes. "Every dog has his day."

THE END

Author's Notes:

In 1985, long before AI or Bicentennial Man, there was a movie called D.A.R.Y.L. about a young boy who doesn't know that he's a military project (specifically a Data Analyzing Robotic Youth Lifeform). When the military decides to cancel the project two scientists conspire to help Daryl escape before he can be destroyed with the rest of the project files. The project's military liason officer learns of the conspiracy and demands to know why all the project scientists have acted so irrationally about a machine. The addressed scientist simply replies, "A machine becomes a boy when you can't tell the difference anymore." The same, I think, is also true for dogs.