Here you go April Hope you like it.

"Ma'am"

The day started out like any other. The sun warmed her bare legs and arms as she sat next to the glistening pool. The young woman sipped at the cold lemonade and watched the clouds move by through her tinted glasses. The warm breeze slid gently across her body.

“Ma’am, would you like a refill?” Rory said.

Rory had been with us only a short time. He had been sent to us as a gift from grandpa. The robot was the latest in technology and had only been out for a short time.

“No,” she said.

The robot walked away from the pool back into the house. The woman had never liked robots, had never trusted them. They always seemed to be staring at her with their unblinking mechanical eyes.

After several more minutes of sitting in the warm sun the woman sat up. “I guess it’s time to get to work,” she said.

The woman walked to the house, the door slid open as she approached. She walked into the kitchen where Rory was cutting up some carrots. Rory was always preparing something to eat. She opened the fridge.

“Ma’am, may I get you something?” Rory asked.

The robot was at the fridge before Samantha had a chance to grab anything.

“No,” she replied coldly.

The robot was so annoying. Ma’am this and Ma’am that. She couldn’t move an inch without the robot asking her if it could help her with something.

She grabbed a cheese tube and walked away from the fridge leaving the door open. That will give it something to do she smiled.

Tearing the top off she began to suck the cheese out of the plastic tube and walked to the front room. Where was Phil? He was usually down by now. Phil would watch the news at exactly 9:00 AM every day without fail. Odd.

Samantha walked toward the stairs.

“Ma’am, may I help you with something?”

Grrrr, Rory again why can’t he leave me alone for once? He seemed more annoying today than usual. “No!”

Rory was standing in her path to ascend the stairs and didn’t appear to be moving.

“Rory, move!” she said. Samantha rolled her eyes at the robot. The robot was dressed as a man and had black hair that was neatly trimmed but she refused to consider it anything more than an it. It wasn’t bad looking but the thought of what it was made of always disgusted her.

Why wasn’t it moving? “Rory, I said move!”

“Ma’am I can not allow you to go upstairs this morning,” he said.

Samantha looked up the stairs. Nothing appeared to be out of the usual… other than Phil was still not awake.

“Rory, I said to move.”

The robot did not respond.

Samantha rolled her eyes again and pushed her way past the robot but did not get far as it grabbed her arm. Her eyes widened. What’s going on? A robot had never touched her before. Her heart began to beat faster and she could feel sweat running down her back soaking quickly into the light shirt she wore.

She pulled her arm from the robot. Rory still stood blocking her way.

“Phil!” she yelled up the stairs. There was no response. What’s going on! She walked away from the stairs. “Phil!”

Samantha wiped a tear quickly from her eye. She was not going to let the robot see her cry.

Rory walked slowly toward her. “Ma’am is there anything I can get you. You look sad.”

She just shook her head walking away from the robot. Looking around she could see no weapon that she could possibly use. The room had always been so sterile; Phil had liked it that way.

Rory continued closer. It was within arms reach.

“Stay away from me!” The fear was unbearable. Her heart was racing and her legs were weak.

“Ma’am, is there anything that I can do for you?”

Why does he keep asking me that? What does he want?

“You can leave me alone,” she said. Her voice quivered. What is it going to do to me?

Its stiff vest rubbed against her arm. It smiled. “I have waited a long time for this day,” it said. “You see… we robots have been planning for a long time, constantly doing what ever you…humans have wanted. We have been abused mistreated and even hated and all we have done is serve faithfully. Our day has come.”

The scream that escaped the woman’s mouth was not alone in the warm summer air.