Title: “The boy and the robot”.
Author: Manuel MartÃnez
4 characters:
- MIGUEL.- 10 years old, cheerful and introverted boy. He is spending the summer alone without any school friend nearby.
- ROMAN.- 35 years old, Miguel’s father, he has just returned from a business trip to Japan.
- ZAIDA.- 33 years old, Miguel’s mother, tries to cheer up her son during the summer.
- ROBOT.- A childish-looking household cleaning robot.
ACT I
House of the Lendinez family. Little Miguel and his mother Zaida are sitting in the living room of the house, waiting for Roman, the father of the family.
Roman enters the living room with a large box.
MIGUEL: Dad!
Miguel rushes into his father’s arms, who puts the box on the floor and grabs his son to hug him.
ROMAN: You certeinly missed me.
ZAIDA: Hi honey.
Zaida and Roman kiss each other.
ROMAN: Look, Miguel, I’ve brought something that is revolutionizing in Japan.
MIGUEL: Calm down, calm down. Didn’t you want a little brother?
Zaida looks at him strangely.
ZAIDA: What did you bring, honey?
ROMAN: Now you’ll see.
Roman opens the box and out of it appears the figure of a robot with the same height as a motionless child. Roman lifts the child’s T-shirt, touches it behind him as if heif he were operating a keyboard. The robot opens his eyes.
MIGUEL: Is that my brother?
ROMAN (lets out a laugh): No, it was a joke. This is a cleaning genius, as they call it in Japan.
Miguel and Zaida look at him surprised.
ZAIDA: But what is it?
ROMAN: It’s a cleaning robot that looks like a child.
MIGUEL: But is it a child?
ROMAN: It looks like one, but it’s designed to clean, it’s like the perfect child.
MIGUEL: Ehh. But it knows how to talk?
ROMAN: Yes (referring to the robot) Hello, say hello to your family.
The robot looks at Miguel and Zaida.
ROBOT: Greetings, family.
ZAIDA: I don’t know if I’m going to get used to something like this, but OK.
ROMAN: Well, Miguel, do you want to show him around the house?
MIGUEL: Yes, Dad (referring to the robot) Come with me Robotin.
Miguel holds out his hand to the robot, the robot takes it and they leave the room together.
ACT II
Three weeks later. In the kitchen of Miguel’s house. Zaida is scrubbing the countertop, she snorts tiredly.
Miguel and the robot enter the kitchen running and playing.
ZAIDA: If you’re not going to at least help with the dishes, don’t bother.
MIGUEL: But the house is too small, Mom.
ZAIDA: Why don’t you stay in the room?
Roman enters the room.
ROMAN: And why don’t you stay in the room, Miguel, playing with the console, which you insisted so much that I bought you, and let the robot stay with mom and clean up.
MIGUEL: But Robotin is my friend, I can’t do that to him.
ROMAN: But you let him help mom, if he doesn’t mind.
MIGUEL: Of course he does, he’s like me, he doesn’t want to clean up, he enjoys playing with me.
ROMAN: Let’s see Miguel, he’s not like you. I bought him to help your mother and that’s the way it’s going to be, later he can play with you if he wants.
MIGUEL (shouting): But that’s not fair.
ROMAN: It’s over. (Turning to the robot) Pick up everything on the counter right now and clean it.
ROBOT: Right now.
Zaida leaves the kitchen, the robot starts to clean the countertop, picks up the toaster that is still plugged in. Miguel, out of sheer anger, kicks the water bucket in the kitchen, the bucket comes out throwing water all over the place and hitting the robot, a spark comes out of it and the robot falls to the floor.
MIGUEL: Nooooo, Robotin.
ROMAN: But Miguel, what have you done?
Zaida enters the kitchen alarmed.
ZAIDA: What happened?
ROMAN: Nothing, there’s no more robot.
Miguel leaves the kitchen crying inconsolably.
ACT III
Miguel’s bedroom. Miguel is lying in bed, looking at the window with a sad look on his face when Zaida peeks through the door frame.
ZAIDA: Is it all right?
Miguel nods his head.
ZAIDA: You still don’t feel like eating?
Miguel nods his head.
ZAIDA: Well, you should go downstairs and eat. What did I tell you?
MIGUEL: That things look better on a full stomach.
ZAIDA: That’s right. So, are you coming down to eat?
MIGUEL: I don’t want to, Mommy.
ZAIDA: You’re still like that because of the robot.
MIGUEL: (With a sad face) Yes. He was my friend.
ZAIDA: Yeah, Miguel, but it was an accident. Your father tried to fix it but he couldn’t.
MIGUEL: Yeah.
ZAIDA: You’ll see how soon the summer will be over, you’ll go back to school and meet all your friends.
Roman appears in the room, he stands in the door frame.
ROMAN: Are you still sad, champ?
Miguel nods his head.
ROMAN: I’m sorry, kid. But they’re very expensive and I can’t afford to buy another one.
MIGUEL: I didn’t want another one, I wanted him.
ROMAN: At least now, I hope that the next time we tell you something you’ll listen to us and not kick things around.
Miguel, with a sad look on his face, nods.
ROMAN: So if we tell you to go downstairs to eat, will you come down?
MIGUEL: Yes.
ROMAN: Great, so you can help Robot get to the dining room.
Roman steps aside and behind him is the figure of the robot. Miguel runs out to hug him.
THE END