Thank you, Britta Benson, for inspiring this story. You surely have this Terveen as your personal cheerleader. Please visit Britta’s Blog – Letters from Scotland and Odds & Ends to read Britta’s lovely writing! This one’s for you, Britta!
Cheerleaders are the newest rage.
I know you’re thinking short skirts, tank tops, and sparkly pom-poms.
No, not those cheerleaders. These cheerleaders are the latest offering from the field of robotics.
Your own personalized cheerleader to lift you up from the dumps, set you on your true path, and save you from ruining the remaining days of your life.
A mechanical savior that eliminates self-loathing, procrastination, and detrimental habits.
Once ordered, it takes nearly four weeks to be delivered.
Each robot is fashioned with a face identical to that of its owner. And it responds to the same name. It’s pre-programmed with details of the owner’s vices and faulty areas that need improvement.
I was expecting a bespectacled, moustached, half-bald male, white robot named Monroe.
However, I received a black-haired, brown-eyed, dimpled-cheek, female, brown robot named Terveen.
I wasn’t home when they dropped her off, and returned to find her standing on the front lawn wearing a long white t-shirt covering more than half her metal frame. The wheels attached to her base were blue and the words on her t-shirt screamed – YOU CAN DO IT, TERVEEN!
She asked me where Terveen was. I asked her where Monroe was.
We then stared at each other for a good two minutes. She lacked expression. I resembled a frightened kitten. Then I called the company and told them about our problem.
They put me on hold and fifteen minutes later offered an apology and the correct robot. But it would take seven days. Till then, I would have to keep Terveen. But the robot didn’t agree and insisted on being taken to its rightful owner.
My call was then transferred to the engineering department. I was told to press a red button behind Terveen’s right ear for three seconds. It would erase the owner’s details without corrupting any other data.
Before my hand could clear half the distance, a powerful, metal grip grasped me by the neck and lifted me off my feet. It then threw me ten yards away. I landed on hard ground.
I’m in the hospital with a dislocated shoulder, a sprained arm and three fractured ribs. It hurts with every breath. The company refunded my money, sent me flowers, and a ‘GET WELL SOON, MONROE’ t-shirt.
Robot Monroe should be here tomorrow. I hope my cheerleader helps me wipe out this painful memory.
But I seriously doubt it.
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Oh dear, Terveen the Robot has a quite therage! I am glad you will be getting Monroe soon though. He seems quite the patient sort. Well, I hope you heal fast and one day, please let me know where you order these robots. I could use one around the house, lol.
HAHA! Thank you, Shobana.
Yes, these robots may actually offer some respite from the unkindness we shed upon ourselves. Imagine always having one rooting for you.
You can do it, Shobana! 🙂
haha. Will think hard about it!!
a fun read: you don’t wanna mess with Terveen 🙂
Haha! Not the robotic one.
Thanks a lot, John. 🙂
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Ha! Loved it! Just wrote my daily blog about your story. So I am a muse, that’s my new badge of honour! Thanks Terveen, for being that real life cheerleader for me. Much better than a robot!
You’re very welcome, Britta. 🙂
It’s my pleasure. And the real life ones probably do a better job.
Get back to work now. You can do it, Britta! 🙂
Not to be the one to start anything (I am forever Mr. Above-The-Fray) but I am totally Team Monroe on this one. The needless pain that poor man suffered, not to mention the fright of staring into that emotionless stone *ahem* metal face…he’s entitled to monies for mental distress.
There was no delivery accident. The TerveenBot deliberately altered its delivery destination for the sole purpose of wreaking havoc on some unsuspecting soul just to get its mechanical kicks because that’s what it’s programmed to do.
Hahahahaha! That’s a good one, Rhyan.
And I believe there was a RhyanBot too. He mysteriously disappeared and was never found again. Or are the mechanics on this story wrong?
Could the real Rhyan please stand up and clarify. Or is there a hint of metallic switcheroo? I think someone’s CPU is processing this data and currently outputting a well-programmed reply.
I see you, Rhyan. You cannot hide.
Sticks and stones seldom break bones. (not the ones embedded in metal) 🙂
The RhyanBot (the top of the line bot model, naturally) was gifted with precognition and foresaw the coming TERVinator 2: Judgment Day, and left to join Sarah Connor’s outfit to put a stop to the Rise of the Terveens.
Beware of their stony expressions. If not, that’ll be the end of you.
I wish you well! May the world be saved from stony mayhem.
Ha love it! Super creative!
Thanks so much! Appreciate it. 🙂
When something goes wrong with my computer, I restart it to get it moving smoothly again. Looks like that doesn’t work so well with robots! Good story 🙂
Haha! In this case, it proved to be a pain, quite literally.
Thanks so much, Dave. 🙂
Oh I love it! A really great read!
Thank you so much. I appreciate it. 🙂
Hello!! I’m FAIRY QUEEN, I write to you from Italy. I wish you serenity and peace. Your blog is very beautiful 🌹🌺🌸🌼💐
Thank you so much! I wish you the same. 🙂
It’s only the robot Terveen that does that, right? Right?! 😅
Fun story!
Haha! I hope so…
Thank you. 🙂
Alright, Terveen, your two for two tonight – laughing to tears here. Wonderful writing, my friend. I love it. ☺️
HAHA! Thanks so much, Jeff!
A hearty laugh is what this writer prescribes. May you always be filled with joy and cheer. Take care my dear friend. 🙂
One thing is sure, the company is good with printing custom T-Shirts. Whether it’s “You can do it, Terveen” or it’s “Get well soon Monroe”.
I wonder if there exists a red button behind the ear of humans. Let me check mine. Oh there is one button here I should press! ……
Hey where am I? Why am I typing? ……..
Haha! That’s a good one, Mayank!
I think if we had that red button, we’d be determined to reset others all the time. And often wipe away our own blues too.
“Keep inspiring and shining, Mayank!”
A perfect t-shirt.
Haha indeed, we’d be determined to reset others all the time.
Thank god there is no red button though. An experience good or bad is meant to be a lesson.
Thank you for the T-Shirt, Terveen. That’s a perfect one for me!
I. thought. I. was. the. only. robot. around. here. in. pajamas. all. day. no less.
LOL… good Flash Fiction 💜
Haha! I like that robot voice. Yes, we could all call for a robot pajama party.
Yay. let’s. do. this. 🙂
Hahaha. You make me laugh so hard. What a beautiful story. You go, Terveen. That’s the spirit. When I stop laughing, I realize that I do need such a robot too so that I can eliminate “self-loathing, procrastination, and detrimental habits”, which I have a huge amount of. In particular, I am terribly disorganized and very messy. I hoard all my notes to the point that I can never dig out anything from my storage. I am rushing from point A to point B without any planning or scheduling, often getting things done at the last minute. I loathe myself very much and please send me a robot. And I would love a Terveen robot too. So even if it is sent to me by mistake, I will not want to return it. That Monroe is an idiot. He doesn’t recognize the beauty and the talent of Terveen and he is swiftly punished.
I must have your words framed on a wall so that I can read them again and again. Thank you so much, Haoyan. This is so sweet of you to say. I fear I may get diabetes. Haha! And we all have our ways of functioning. And many things are never ideal. I like to hoard information too and many times I never go back to it. And this Terveen will always be cheering you on no matter what.
Yes, Monroe should’ve thought things through. Hahahaha.
‘You are amazing, Haoyan!’
interesting, the day isn’t far when this would be a reality!! I always like how you end your stories, something to look forward too, letting the reader unleash their own imagination!
Thanks a lot, Deepak. 🙂
Yes, the day of the droids is near. Let’s hope the humans don’t corrupt them. That would be such a let down. Take care.
Absolutely 😊
This is brilliant writing, Terveen!👏👏 Love how the “red button” bit has a deep, dark undertone – neither us nor our robot versions can be that easily controlled! Awesome!
Thanks for pointing that out, Aaysid. I appreciate it.
We live in uncontrollable times. Yikes! Scary…
🙂
We do. You are most welcome, Terveen.😊
Mixing it up with a little sci fi. I love it. This is why you shouldn’t order cheerleaders through the mail. And what happened to Robot Terveen did she get returned or is she still lurking the halls ready to sabotage Robot Monroe when he arrives? I need a sequel!
Haha! Who knew a cheerleader could be so touchy. And Robot Monroe better be ready to lift Monroe’s spirits and ward off any future attacks. I think Robot Terveen may have gone into ‘perpetually pissed’ mode. Watch out!
Thanks so much, Tony. Your comments always add meaning to the story. 🙂
Lol. You better stay away from Terveen. But I guess the damage has already been done 😀
That was a fun read Terveen (human) 😀
Haha! Thank you so much, Vignesh. 🙂
Human Terveen isn’t so rigid.
That was pretty hilarious. I love that the Robot (Terveen) was demanding to be returned to the right owner. Perhaps it had something to do with the owner. Great read, thanks for sharing. Who knows they might just have something just like this before too long. They have sex robots that cost thousands of dollars and they can’t keep the orders filled quick enough. Pretty crazy world we live in today. Hugs, Joni xoxoxo
Thanks so much, Joni. It could be the owner’s charm and magnanimity. Haha!
Wow! I think the world is really losing touch with reality and seeking comfort and satisfaction the easier but more expensive way. I guess feeling validated could be the reason. Imagine, the robots finally taking over. That would be a self-inflicted blow. I appreciate your informative and lovely comments. Take care. 🙂
Oh definitely. Yes, this was a great piece and you are right. Things are turning so quickly it is hard to keep up. The robotic technology is getting pretty crazy. I liked this ideal for a robot. I think I might order myself. I will stick it in the center of the room and have it tell me about every one of my positive traits but what would it do with the rest of the 23.75 hours a day. Haha, have a blessed evening. Hugs 🤗 Joni
Haha! That’s so funny, Joni. It’s good to laugh at oneself. You’re such a gem. 🙂
We have to laugh sometimes don’t we. This was a very cleaver story. Let me know if you go in the biz as I will definitely order one. Enjoy the rest of your week Terveen. Hugs 🤗 Joni