--Bertha Oneshots--

Nature TOM

This week at Spottiswood and Company, Bertha is making plants. No, not real plants. She is making plants that do not require water nor sunlight, meaning that it will not grow to ridiculous heights or go all dry and dull when not properly taken care of. Yes, she is making artificial plants!

The factory floor workers had just started their first order of plants to be shipped to the shops. TOM, the factory's small robot was also helping out, stacking the plants ready to be dispatched (though the workers had to stop him planting the fake plants outside as TOM thought they were real). The robot watched as Panjit came over on his forklift truck, lifting the plants in the air then flying them out of the room. The plants would then be stacked up in the dispatch department in rows, still as a small forest.

Something about these tall, green things really pulls TOM's screws in his head. He knew the plants were not real but he became too fond of them to even care if they were. Seeing all that pine green and hints of earthy brown and orange is much more different to the boring, beige walls of the factory. It was more vibrant, more interesting. TOM hopes that one day, he would go out and find more of these leafy sticks!

Wait...

TOM never goes out of the factory. Not even by himself, the workers wouldn't allow him - especially his mother Bertha. The robot gave out a few discouraged beep boops as he faced the workers. TOM thought they were lucky. They can go out in the real world and view all the wonders of the world whilst he is stuck in some cage with boxes scattered everywhere. Bertha was there, of course but she became more cautious of TOM's whereabouts after his 'mishaps'. Sometimes, the robot wished that others would let him explore his curious little mind outdoors. One day-

"TOM?" TOM snapped back into reality. Someone is calling him. "Take this note to Panjit in the dispatch department." the apprentice, Roy told the robot. He handed the note to TOM. Got to go quick, the note might be important. He scurried out of the factory floor towards the corridors that connected the two areas. The robot was still a bit saddened by the confining truth though would not admit it to his worker friends.

TOM immediately stopped after receiving that thought. Friends. What 'friend' leaves their friend locked up in a factory with nothing to do? Is it to show how much you care for them? Or how much you hate them? The factory was like his own little family. TOM couldn't understand nor compute it, his job was to help out everyone in the factory...is he their slave?

TOM lowered his pincer hand. How could he not calculate this sooner? Did Tracey not programme him to not figure it out? Maybe it is time to be free. Explore the world and find more of those leafy plants. The robot abandoned the letter on the floor after he seeing the big doors being left open. His chance had come. With pistons full of power and a pair of small zippy feet, he raced out of the doors looking for adventure.

Arriving back with goods, the forklift driver, Panjit laid out the boxes on top of each other not knowing TOM sped off outside unattended. He hopped off the forklift truck, noticing a sheet of paper on the floor. He picked it up and read out the curved words: 'More plastic for Bertha'. Panjit knew that young Roy wrote the message as his handwriting was a bit messier then Ted's. Though, how did it end up here? TOM usually brings the notes to and fro but he was nowhere to be seen. "Very strange." Panjit muttered to himself.

TOM tripped slightly as he continued to speed up faster along the rocky road. The breeze welcomed him to this strange new world as it hit the robot's face gently. Upon the breeze came a few floating leaves that also gave a greeting. TOM thought that he had already made some friends and decides to play a chasing game (needless to say, the wind is much more faster then the little robot). The leaf led TOM on a wild goose chase until the breeze died down slowly, introducing him to a strange new place.