"Let me go! Let me go! You are not my friend! Let me go!" Hugo shouted at the automaton.
The automaton was mute. No sound was coming from him.
"Please, please! Let me go! I'm nothing to you!" Hugo was now crying.
The automaton spoke:
"Now you will be here with me forever. We are both automatons. No one will be your friend but me."
"What do you want!"
"I wanted an automaton friend. I never had one."
"But I'm not an automaton! I'm a boy, a human boy…I'll get sick if I stay like this" cried Hugo.
"No harm will happen to you."
"ISABELLE!"
"She is not listening. No one will."
"Let me go…please, please…"
The automaton said yes.
"You can't get out of here. No one will talk to you. Everyone will fear you. She will run away. But you are free to be here. You can lie on the bed, if you want."
Hugo looked at the bed. Then looked at his feet, his legs, his hands. He was an automaton. With clothes and hair.
"What will I feel?" asked him.
"If someone hurts you, you will feel pain. Like a human. You don't feel thirst or hungry. You need to sleep. You need love and friendship."
"And what can make me back to normal?"
"Normal? But you are normal!" exclaimed the automaton.
"I meant, like I was some moments before. A boy."
"Ah…you'll never be like that again. But now you don't need to be a thief anymore! Think positive!"
"Never…again?" whispered Hugo.
"There is one thing. Only one, but I'll not tell you."
"Please…"
"No is no." said the automaton.
So Hugo walked to the bed and lied down. He started to cry. He imagined Isabelle. She was dancing on the station, with other girls. They were learning to dance. Hugo walked towards them and asked her to dance. Isabelle smiled and gave her hand. He took her hand and moved across the floor, leading her into the dance. They danced a beautiful dance, a magical dance. They were almost flying across the floor! The other girls were happy to see them, like everyone in the station.
And then he saw the automaton. He was looking to him. His dark eyes were envy. He desired to be him in the dance, with Isabelle. He never had a girl. And he wanted one. If he couldn't, Hugo wouldn't have one too!
Hugo whispered in Isabelle's hear:
"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"
"Why?" she asked.
"I'm sorry…" and he started to transform into an automaton.
"HUGO!" she shouted, full of terror "WHAT'S THIS? HUGO, NOOOO!"
Isabelle hugged Hugo and shook him, but he was not a boy anymore.
The tears were falling across her face. The other girls run away, as everyone in the station. Only Isabelle and Hugo were there. Even the automaton was gone.
"HUGO!" she cried "HUGO, PLEASE, HELP HIM! PLEASE! SOMEONE!"
But the station was empty.
…
"DON'T LEAVE ME!" shouted Hugo.
He was dreaming. He was still on the bed in his room, with the automaton seated on the chair.
"Do not shout!" argued the automaton.
"Sorry…"
And then Hugo noticed one thing. He didn't was like the automaton in some things…he could move his mouth. He took his hands to his eyes. He's eyes were not like the black ones of the automaton. Hugo's eyes were still in the same shape!
He jumped from the bed and went to the mirror. He looked at his image. He was silver and rusty. Some parts were golden. He had hair, dark hair. And his eyes were still blue. And he could move his mouth.
"I'm not like you." He said.
"Of course not, you are unique. I'm unique. We are not a real automaton. You are transformed into one."
"So, I can eat and drink…"
"Do not try to! You will end up bad."
"Why?"
"Automaton's do not drink or eat."
"But I'm not a real automaton, so…"
"I said "no!"".
Hugo nodded and set down on the sofa.