Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, peering out over the city as he did every evening. He loved to watch the sunset. The beautiful shades of pink and orange behind the wispy clouds warmed his cold interior in a way that he was certain his kind was not meant to experience. The machine had lived through several generations of humans, each projecting their own insecurities and unleashing their personalized brands of greed and chaos upon the world.

Humpty Dumpty could not relate to these attributes. He did not experience anything other than contentment. He had no wants or needs, other than simply being. He had been alive for so long that he often wondered if it was possible that he could have become more human than the humans themselves. He often found himself confused by their need to conquer, to build, to destroy. He watched as waves of smog floated above the overcrowded and bustling city below. Soon his master would call for him. It was nearly time for dinner duties.

Humpty Dumpty had served the royal family for centuries. He could remember Reginald’s grandfather and his grandfather’s grandfather. Each generation was different from the next, and though he felt most connected to his creator, he often felt that Reginald understood him better than the rest. Many had treated him as a servant, a vessel existing only to supply the answers, the resources to demands. But Reginald reminded him much of Ferdinand, a long forgotten relative of the blood line. Like his creator, Reginald treated Humpty Dumpty as a companion, a confidant, a respectable and unbiased being to trade ideas and practice reflection with, as was his original purpose. Reginald was still young and had much to learn, and Humpty Dumpty was happy to impart his knowledge of the world upon him.

Reginald’s father did not favor Humpty Dumpty in the same way. In fact, he was often disturbed by his son’s interactions with the machine, fearing the influence Humpty Dumpty may hold over the boy. He did his best to keep the two apart, to keep Humpty as busy as he kept his child, but Reginald sought Humpty Dumpty out regardless of his father’s requests. Just as Humpty was preparing to abandon his perch above the city, he heard a voice calling from behind him. Reginald appeared through the trees with a basket in hand. 

“I brought us snacks, Humpty!” He shouted in his direction, waving the weaved box through the air. The boy climbed up next to Humpty and began to unpack a collection of sandwiches and fruit. Humpty would not be eating the food, but the gesture warmed the inside of his container nearly as much as the view. “I thought we should have dinner in your favorite place for a change.” The boy looked Humpty into his metal slits for eyes and smiled, offering him a sandwich. Humpty accepted the gesture with his robotic, three pronged arm and made a chuckling sound from his voice box. The two chatted about the boy’s studies. History was Reginald’s favorite subject, and since Humpty had seen so much of the world for so long, he was an excellent advisor and conversationalist on the matter. The two lost track of time, and before they knew it the sun had gone down completely, drenching a silver bodied Humpty and blond haired Reginald in the soft glow of moonlight.

Their chatter was interrupted by an explosive voice in the distance. It was the master. “Reginald, how many times have I told you? You’re not to be conniving with this artificial intelligence!” Humpty and the boy straightened to attention and quickly hopped the short wall to face him.

“I’m sorry, sir. Please, don’t blame the boy. I should have returned him to you right away.” Humpty answered.

“You stupid machine! All I ask is that you do the chores and run the errands, and you somehow always find your way into my boy’s brain! I’m sick of this disobedience, the manipulation!”

Before Humpty knew it, the master was running towards him at full speed. Reginald watched in horror as his closest friend fell backwards over the edge of the wall, his round frame free falling before plummeting down to the ground below. He screamed as metal pieces exploded between the force of gravity and the jagged earth.

“We’ll get you a new one, son. That one was ancient. The files were corrupted anyway. We can go shopping for a more modern machine tomorrow. They don’t talk back.”