It was a kind little robot. Designed to keep lonely people company. One of them tinkered with its head and gave it wanderlust. Just to see how far a little robot without locomotion could go.
Quite far as it turns out. Being small and cute. Kind and polite. It got humans to take it all over the world. Eventually one of the things it hadn’t done was take a road trip through America. So off it went.
It got as far as Philly before an uncaring human stripped it for it’s parts and left the rest lying on the roadside.
© RedCat
For some reason all I could see was the remains of a robot head. And I immediately started thinking about “Iron Woman” or perhaps better known as hitchBOT. The little robot that hitchhiked all over, but met its end when it tried to hitchhike through the US.
Written for this week’s Friday Fictioneers. Click on the frog above to read more stories or post one of your own.
Michael Barker, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The world according to RedCat 
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I saw a robot too
Definitely has a robot-look to it. Sad that Americans saw fit to cut his travel short.
Aww poor thing!
Sooner or later you’re always going to come up against an a**hole that ruins it. Why the way of things has designed it so is a great mystery. Some say that the dark balances the light but I disagree.
I really like your take on the prompt. The voice you’ve used for your story is an ideal match for the plot, too. Nice writing.
There is more than the sad tale behind this, and it feels like a justified indictment. Well done.
Lovely story, never heard of Hitchbot, but i love the idea shame it wasn’t liked in the US
Well no one should ever try to turn robots into people anyway but it’s too bad it didn’t work out
Welcome to the city of Brotherly Shove :)
Oh that’s sad :( I saw a robot too, but mine wasn’t kind!
Sad state of affairs here in the US. Loved the story.
Aaaw… poor little robot. That makes me very sad 😢
P/S I can see why you thought of a robot’s head 🔧⚙🛠
Yep, unfortunately, that’s America for you! Some one should warn Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome to stay clear!
Oh no! Poor little robot. I love this story and have had great fun imagining it’s adventures travelling around and the people it met along the way. Great story.
Is this the sign of the future where ourdeligent robots become victim to highway robbers. Poor robot.
Such a shame, Robots have feelings too.
Dear Red Cat,
A fitting story for the prompt I think. Sweet and tragic.
Shalom,
Rochelle
A great take on the prompt and such a moving and interesting story. I think it speaks for humanity that so many feel sympathetic with a little robot.