Chapter Four: The First Day

A Chapter by Jeheto

This chapter continues to expand on the world around.

A rooster signaled the beginning of a new day. Som’s eyes gently opened to darkness before dawn. A moment was spent in fear, not knowing where he rested. But that fear quickly passed as memories flooded back.

Som got out of bed while examining his new domain. The colors were neutral and earthy. A dresser sat in the corner, a nightstand in by his bedside. The room was surprisingly Spartan. A set of light clothing sat on the end of his bed. The shirt was short sleeved and green, made of a material that let the breeze pass through. The pants were black and resilient; important for young boys that tend to wear gouges in the knees. The child dressed and walked over to the door, opening it gently.

From down the hall he could hear the sizzle of bacon and an odd clanking. Som approached the kitchen warily.

Inside was an odd sight. Three automatons with glowing crystal eyes prepared the morning meal under Catherine the mountain lions supervision. Each one looked to be made of a dark silvery metal, with minor differences in their physical make. Som blinked, then pinched himself, then rubbed his eyes. Nothing changed.

Sir walked up behind him, dressed casually in blue jeans and a brown long-sleeved shirt. Som opened his mouth but before he could ask for an explanation Sir offered one, “I see you’ve seen the golems. They help out around the house. The one on the left is Fred.” Fred waved, while holding onto a hot cast iron pan with his metallic fist. His body was sleek and the most human. Fred seemed like a knight in shining armor.

“The one making orange juice is George.” George held a glass pitcher filled with peeled oranges in one hand. His other “hand” was three sharp looking blades that he was rotating in a clockwise motion to juice the oranges. George was a slightly lighter shade of gray than Fred, with longer legs than either of the robots.

“Maynard is cooking the hash browns.” At that moment Maynard let out a ding, and opened his belly. Out he took a pan of cooked and cut hash browns. Maynard was the widest of the three. He looked like a refrigerator due to the notable division between his chest and belly.

And just like that, breakfast was finished. The golems took their leave and traveled to the backyard. Sir, Som and Catherine ate their meal at the countertop.

“So what do you think of the bots?” inquired Sir.

“I’ve never seen anything like them. Where did they come from?”

“I got them from a friend.” Replied Sir. “They do a lot of the physical work. They cook food, till the fields, fetch books. Menial things.”

“Can they speak?”

“Nope.”

“Do they think?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“So how do they do all that work?”

“How do worms know to crawl? It’s instinct of a sort. You’re a bit too young to understand.”

Som felt betrayed, his lip quivered.

“Now now,” Sir came down on a knee. “I’ll teach you soon enough. But first we have to go over a few things. Let’s start with today’s schedule.”

Som still felt hurt, but less so than a moment ago. He followed Sir to the refrigerator and examined a piece of paper attached to it.

Som’s Schedule

7:00 �" 8:00…	…Exercise
8:00 �" 9:00…	…Language Class
9:00 �" 10:00…	…Arithmetic
10:00 �" 11:00…	…Sciences
11:00 �" 1:00…	…Luncheon & Break
1:00 �" 2:00…	…Magics
2:00 �" 3:00…	…Lollygagging
3:00 �" 4:00…	…Lore