Migration

Due to the robots, Marcus had gotten a day off of school. Instead of enjoying his time, he stared listlessly out the window. His mom had told him to stay inside and try to occupy himself. But, everything that he would otherwise have done seemed to be overshadowed, quite literally, by the shapes moving in the street outside. 

It was a small town, the one that he lived in. It was almost always beneath everybody’s notice. But not that day. Cars, all bright and shiny, littered the streets while tourists swarmed the area. Marcus could no longer see The Migration, for there was only one migration of any importance. Of course, Marcus’s mom had told him not to look outside, to keep his lights off and his shades drawn. She didn’t trust the robots, and she didn’t trust any of the ‘crazies’ that would come in search of them. Despite this, Marcus was entranced by the idea of the robots. 

For the last week, his teacher told the class some stories about when every robot just up and left, departing into the sea. There has been no sign of them until, exactly two years later to the day, all of them appeared, walking resolutely southward was deemed a migration after the events repeated themselves at the same time next year.  Now, it was the third year, and most of the adults were no less afraid.

Marcus, through a mixture of wheedling and begging, managed to get his mother to allow him to sit out on the front stoop as the migration passed. His mother was understandably apprehensive. Marcus had been young then, but he could remember the shrieks when all the robots left. Their Cleaning-bot had paused mid-cleaning, and darted for the door, swerving wildly around Marcus’s mother. Outside a seething gray mass 

And now, a seething gray mass was once again outside Marcus’s door. Several other children sat outside on their respective front porches. Some were chattering with excitement, while others simply sat in awe. Many of the adults were seemingly still wary, lurking in the background, though others were quite excited as well. Marcus was mostly excited at being able to get a good vantage point. It would be his first time seeing them up close, and it was breathtaking.

A large shape lumbered across the street, approaching the waiting children who all shrieked in delight. It was a wonder that the pavement hadn’t cracked. And, while Marcus gazed up at its intimidating form, he had to remind himself that no one had been injured by a robot in the migration. Steam leaked from a valve on the robot’s left side, creating a harsh whistle. Large portions of its hide looked like it had been replaced, with a coppery plating covering portions of the otherwise blue-gray exterior. It raised what seemed to be its version of a head up to the sky and began to sing.

A haunting melody filled the air. Children began to fall silent to listen, moved by the music. And the head seemed to turn towards Marcus. He stood and walked over to the robot; it almost seemed to be asking him a question. Marcus brushed his hand against the cold steel. As if from far away, he thought he could hear his mother screaming.