I don’t know how long it’s been but it’s stopped raining. I don’t know when it stopped but it did at some point. The river is still rising. It’s close to me now. It already was but now, it’s almost reached the root that’s stopping me from sliding into the depths.

The voice won’t reply to me either. I keep trying even though it feels pointless but I just don’t want to be alone. It’s gone. I don’t know what to do. What can I do? The mud is still too wet, I tried to move again a little bit ago but nothing happened. Maybe, if it doesn’t start raining again, the mud will harden and I’ll be able to escape.

Or maybe the voice called for help. Maybe that’s why it stopped talking to me, it had to because help is on the way. No, I know that’s not right. It’s left me. I’m alone. I’m stuck just out of reach of the river, alone and abandoned.

I never got to deliver my order. I hope another robot got sent out to them, one that went around the park, not through it. I hope the customer got their food.

What will happen to the food in me? Will a squirrel or something come and pry me open? Maybe. I wouldn’t mind that too much. As long as the customer got their food somehow, I don’t mind what happens to the food that’s in me. I try to unlock my lid but nothing happens. It’s not listening to me. My body won’t listen to me anymore. Hopefully, the lock isn’t too hard and some animal can open it.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

I wish that I could fall asleep or power off rather than just stay awake, sitting in the mud and staring at the steadily rising water. I can’t though. I keep trying but nothing happens. I can’t switch off even though my battery is getting lower and lower. It’s at sixty-three now. What’ll happen when it hits zero?

A noise from further up the slope catches my attention and hope briefly flares within me. A white spot appears at the top and meows loudly. I can barely see it through my mud-caked lenses but I watch as best as I can as it climbs easily down the mud, jumping from root to root.

I try to cry out, to shout at it to stop, it’s too dangerous, but no noise comes out. Something tells me that it wouldn’t matter anyway. The cat is determined. But then, so was I. That’s what got me in the end. Maybe if I was less determined, if my stat were lower, I would have just given up and taken the longer route.

It reaches me finally, jumping carefully onto my lid and I stare at the root, scared that the cat’s weight will be enough to send us both into the water. Nothing happens though. We’re safe for now. I look back at the cat. It’s staring straight into my lens as if it can see me. The real me.

I don’t speak. I can’t. I can’t say anything to it, no noise would come out even if I tried but it doesn’t matter. I just like that it’s there. It means that I’m not alone.