Athena's First Christmas

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel

It was cold in New York City, cold enough to make even Athena uncomfortable. Her thermal sensors told her it was 11 degrees Fahrenheit! Now that was cold.

She shivered as they walked down the sidewalk. This shivering was not prompted by her body attempting to warm itself up, as a human body would. No, it was caused by the low temperatures interfering with her servo control circuits, causing mild trembling. This was a new sensation to Athena. She did not like it.

Frank was shivering too. He had zipped up his coat and was walking at a healthy pace towards the hotel.

But Athena could not get enough of the sights around her. White powder which she assumed was snow was falling softly, tickling her nose. She wondered if this sensation had been programmed into her by the Dreamers or if it was a glitch that had developed later.

There were lights everywhere. Bright lights, dim lights, clear lights, colored lights. Athena doubted if even Tomorrowland was as brightly lit as New York City.

"It's beautiful." Athena said, gazing up at a skyscraper. Then she frowned, confused. She was not programmed to think of anything as "beautiful". Yet another glitch, it seemed.

"Yeah, it's really pretty." Frank said sincerely, walking faster. "But it's also getting late, not to mention we didn't dress warm enough for this kind of weather. It's freezing out!"

Athena caught up with him. He had shoved his hands in his armpits to try to stay warm. She could tell he needed to get someplace warm.

"Actually, it's even colder than freezing." She said to him. "It's 11 degrees Fahrenheit, and the freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit." She was sure Frank already knew this, so she didn't really know what compelled her to say so.

Frank laughed. She had said something funny again, it seemed, without even knowing it. That seemed to happen a fair number of times. She didn't mean to say something funny. But still, Frank's laughter had made her smile. Why?

Frank stopped laughing. "Wait, how do you know the temperature?" He said.

Athena, realizing her mistake, thought quickly.

"There was a thermometer on that building back there." She said. Frank seemed to accept it.

They stopped in front of a building that towered above all the others. It was grand and elegant looking, and was lit up with thousands of Christmas lights.

The sign in front, topped with snow, said:

"Welcome to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel."

Athena and Frank smiled at each other. They were both excited to see what it was like on the inside.

Hefting their bags, they approached the entrance.

A Doorman dressed in a red uniform and white gloves opened the door for them with a tip of his cap.

"Sir, madam." He said politely.

They thanked him as they walked in, looking around in awe.

The lobby was massive! It could easily fit an entire house on the floor, and had several overstuffed couches and chairs to sit in. There was a huge fireplace that Athena could easily stand in, though she'd rather not at the moment, because there was a blazing fire inside it. The fireplace was surrounded by several more cushy chairs, and to the right of it stood a Christmas tree that must have been at least 15 feet tall, and very ornately decorated.

Christmas lights were strung all around, shining brilliantly, and there were several strands of garland all over.

It all gave off a very cozy feeling. It was so beautiful.