Brightbill looked up and said, “Mama, sit!”
Roz sat down.
Then he said, “Mama, hold!”
Roz held him. The robot’s body may have been hard and mechanical, but it was also strong and safe. The gosling felt loved. His eyes slowly winked closed. And he spent the whole night quietly sleeping in his mother’s arms.
CHAPTER 32 THE DEER
The deer family did not run from the sound of snapping twigs and crunching leaves. They had heard all about Roz and Brightbill, and they knew there was nothing to fear. Crownpoint stood before his doe and his three spotted fawns, and the family watched as the robot approached with the gosling on her shoulder.
“Hello, deer, my name is Roz, and this is Brightbill. We are looking for a doe named Tawny.”
Crownpoint moved aside, and the doe silently stepped forward.
“Mr. Beaver helped us build a lodge,” said Roz, “and he thought you might help us grow a garden.”
“Mr. Beaver helped you?” came Tawny’s gentle voice. “You must have done something for the beavers.”
“I brought them freshly cut trees,” said Roz.
Tawny looked at Crownpoint, and the buck slowly nodded.
“I will help you grow a garden,” said the doe to the robot, “if you will let my family eat from it.”
The robot nodded in agreement. And then she quietly led Tawny back to the Nest.
CHAPTER 33 THE GARDEN
After inspecting the grounds, Tawny asked Roz to remove all the dried brambles and weeds and leaves from the garden area. She asked her burrowing friends, the moles and the groundhogs, to dig through the dirt and loosen the soil. And then she asked all the neighbors to do something rather peculiar.
“Please leave your droppings around the Nest! The more droppings, the richer the soil, the healthier the garden.”
As you can imagine, Tawny’s request got everyone’s attention. The place was soon crawling with woodland creatures curious to hear more about the garden project. And just like that, the robot was meeting her neighbors. The plan to help her make friends was already starting to work.
There was a festive feeling around the Nest that day. Animals were coming and going and chatting and laughing. After some pleasant conversation, each neighbor would choose their spot, leave their droppings, and be on their way. And always with a smile.
“We’re happy to help!” said two smiling weasels after finishing up their business.
“It was our pleasure!” said a flock of smiling sparrows before they flew away.
“I shouldn’t be much longer, now,” said a smiling turtle as he slowly made his contribution.
As all this was going on, Roz walked around and thanked everyone. “I am not capable of defecating,” she explained, “so your droppings are most appreciated!”
Once the grounds were fertilized, it was time for the plants. Tawny brought Roz and Brightbill out to a lush meadow. The robot sank her fingers into the ground and felt the spongy layer of roots below the grass. Slowly, carefully, she rolled up wide strips of sod, exposing the dark, wormy soil. She carried the rolls back to the Nest and spread them out to make a patchy lawn. Then she transplanted clumps of wildflowers and clovers and berries and shrubs and herbs until the Nest was surrounded by a scraggly collection of plants.
“It’s not much to look at now,” said Tawny, “but the grass will grow into these gaps, and the flowers and bushes should perk up in a few days. I’ll return soon to make sure it’s all taking root. Before long this will be a lovely, wild garden.”
CHAPTER 34 THE MOTHER
Like most goslings, Brightbill followed his mother everywhere. He was a slow, tottering little thing, but Roz was rarely in a hurry, and together they loved meandering along the forest paths and around the banks of the pond. However, they spent most of their time right in their own garden. You see, the garden was no longer scraggly. Thanks to the robot’s careful attention, it was now bursting with colors and scents and flavors. Clearly, Roz was designed to work with plants.
“Oh, Roz, you’ve been busy!” said Tawny as her family grazed on the wonderland of growing things. “This garden is glorious! You’ll be seeing quite a lot of us around here.”
Tawny meant what she said. Each morning, around daybreak, Roz and Brightbill would hear quiet footsteps outside the Nest. And there would be Tawny and Crownpoint and their fawns, Willow, Thistle, and Brook, happily nibbling on the garden.
The deer weren’t the only regular visitors. The beavers became quite fond of gnawing on a certain hardy shrub at the edge of the garden. Digdown, the old groundhog, popped up to munch on berries. Broadfoot, the giant bull moose, came by to chew on tree shoots. And of course bees and butterflies were there every day, happily floating through the flowers. There always seemed to be friendly animals hanging around the garden.
It was amazing how differently everyone treated Roz these days. Animals who once ran from the robot in fear now stopped by the Nest just to spend time with her. The neighbors smiled and waved whenever Roz and Brightbill wandered past. And at the Dawn Truce, the other mothers were eager to share their parenting advice.
“Make sure Brightbill gets plenty of rest. A tired gosling is a cranky gosling!”
“When the wind starts blowing from the north, you must immediately get Brightbill to safety. North winds always bring bad weather.”
“You’ll never be the perfect mother, so just do the best you can. All Brightbill really needs is to know you’re doing your best.”
No gosling ever had a more attentive mother. Roz was always there, ready to answer her son’s questions, or to play with him, or to rock him to sleep, or to whisk him away from danger. With a computer brain packed full of parenting advice, and the lessons she was learning on her own, the robot was actually becoming an excellent mother.
CHAPTER 35 THE FIRST SWIM
“Good afternoon, you two!” said Loudwing as she waddled into the garden. “Remember me, Brightbill?”
“Loudwing! Loudwing!”
“Very good!” The old goose giggled. “Now, Roz, do you know what tomorrow is? Tomorrow is Swimming Day! The day when all the parents take their goslings out on the pond for the first time. And you simply must bring Brightbill.”
“Swim! Swim!” said the gosling, shaking his tail feathers.
“Brightbill can go,” said Roz, “but I cannot swim. I cannot go on the pond with him. I will not be able to protect him.”
“Who’d have thought a big thing like you would be afraid of a little water?” Loudwing laughed. “Well, don’t you worry about Brightbill; he’ll be safe in the flock. And he’s going to have so much fun swimming with the other goslings! We begin at sunrise, so don’t be late! See you in the morning!” And with that, the goose plopped into the water and glided away.
“Swim! Swim!” said the gosling.
“Yes, Brightbill,” said the robot, staring at the pond. “Swim, swim.”
Early the next morning, peeps and honks and splashes began echoing across the calm water. Roz and Brightbill followed a trail through the fog and over to a beach that was crawling with fluffy goslings and proud parents.
Roz took a few steps into the water, and her Survival Instincts immediately flared up. The robot’s computer brain knew that if water got inside her body, it could do serious damage. And so as the other parents began swimming across the pond, Roz stood safely in the shallows and watched.
Brightbill ran up and down the beach with the other goslings, peeping and laughing and pretending to be afraid of the tiny waves. When one wave finally pulled him in, he felt his body floating on top of the water. A big smile appeared on the gosling’s face. Clearly, Brightbill was designed to swim.