Free «The Invented and the Supernatural» Essay

“2250, March 23. Report: this is TH39; I have reached the given destination; everything is fine; my mood is great; a diagnostics is unnecessary; you will receive the next report in twenty-four hours.” TH39 is a robot and he is able to think. Actually, he prefers when people call him Jack, but he does not mind using his serial number for such reports. If to look at him, nobody would guess that he is not a human – he is quite tall; his hair and eyes are brown; his skin is flawless; it is possible to state that he is rather handsome; he speaks all languages and he is quite friendly. Now TH39 is on a mission.

As any robot in 2250, TH39 has a well-paid job. It is surprising, but now robots need money and they have to earn it. People are not allowed to discriminate robots because now they are a part of society as they have feelings, so it is easy to hurt them. Some robots use money to purchase things that can make them happy, others use it to help society – they sponsor research and work for charitable causes. Three months ago, the company that Jack works for sent him to the Pacific Ocean to explore the Mariana Trench. At first, he became upset because the mission would last for almost six months, so he would miss his friends. However, the company offered Jack good money, so he figured out that he could buy so many gifts for his friends when he returned. Now he is in the deepest part of the trench. He gathers all the necessary data, saves them, and sends them to the server every five hours. He cannot send it more often because the signal does not reach the deepest spot, and he has to move a mile up to do it.

It is time to move up. Suddenly, TH39 notices something strange. His sensors show that something big and alive is close to him, but he cannot see anything. If he were not so deep, he would think that it was a dolphin, but dolphins cannot be here. Jack wants to move behind one of the rocks to check, but he is not able to move. Other systems seem to work, but he just stands though he commands to move. He sees something or someone.

TH39 starts to panic – he should have agreed to have diagnostics, and now he goes mad – he stares at a mermaid, and mermaids do not exist.

A beautiful red-haired mermaid asks him, “Who… no, what are you? Why cannot I hear your heartbeat?”

The robot replies, “You cannot hear it because I am not a human being. My name is TH39, but friends call me Jack. How can I hear what you are saying under the water?”

“It is strange, you look like one. I heard stories about the progress on earth, but I never believed them. I could not imagine that those humans were capable of constructing something like you. You can hear me because you are under a spell.”

TH39 tells her about the contemporary life on earth.

The mermaid asks, “Tell me, Jack, do you serve humans or do you serve this planet?”

“Both. They are intertwined. Why are you asking?”

“I need your help. I do not want to see humans here. Actually, you are lucky that you have met me, but not the Beast. Do what you want, I will let you come here again, but no humans should ever be here. Remember it!”

The mermaid disappears, and Jack can move again.

When he returns to earth, he tells two robot-friends about his new acquaintance. They process the information, the three THs give all the money they have and purchase the company that explores the trench. Since that time, nobody goes so deep in the ocean except Jack. He used to think that he and the ones of his kind were so powerful, but it turned out that nature was in charge of everything. TH39 may have no soul, but he realizes that if an ancient supernatural creature tells someone not to do something, it is better to follow the advice.