The teenage girl walking around the circus wasn't an odd sight. With how often the contractors came to pester the robot ringmaster, it was almost unusual to NOT see the girl with the circus.
But the girl... Something seemed a little bit off about her. She always seemed too pale, shaky, and was cautious.
Extremely so.
It caught Yesman's eye, after a while. Why did she treat herself like she was glass? Why was she so jumpy? Why did she never take any risks?
The robot ringmaster was only walking by a tent when he heard her explain why to some of the performers, Trickster, Walkie, and Hocus why.
He paused besides the tent, listening.
"I.. I'm jumpy because I'm scared. I'm cautious because I'm scared. I never take any risks because I'm scared. I'm too scared. I have thanatophobia. Ever since I could understand what death was, I've been utterly terrified of it. I've gone to specialists, and therapists... Nothing changed. It's the reason I'm homeschooled. I can't function normally because of it." The girl said.
Yesman's eyes widened, and he stepped away from the tent, walking away. He wrung his hands together, and frowned slightly.
'She... She was scared of leaving. Terrified by it.' He thought.
He wanted to help.
But, she didn't want to join the circus.
He went inside his personal tent and sat at his desk, tapping his fingers against the wooden desk.
Then, a idea formed in his head.
The next time Yesman saw the girl, it was a week later. She was at the edge of the circus, sitting on a stack of hay, watching the clouds. He waited until nobody was watching, before joining the girl.
"Heya!" He grinned and waved, laughing a little nervously.
"Oh!" The teenager jumped slightly and turned to Yesman. "Hi, Mister Yesman."
"Just call me Yesman. Or Yessie! Yessie's alright too!" Yesman said, waving his arm dismissively.
"Anyways I wanted to talk to you about what one of my workers told me."
Yesman laced his fingers together and looked at the girl.
"Are you really scared of leaving?"
Silence.
Then, a soft, "Yeah."
Yesman's words jumbled up in his mouth and it took him a tries to get it out.
"I know a way to make it so you don't have to leave. Ever." He said softly.
The robot had the girl's full attention now.
"You better not be talking about Jesus or some spiritual stuff." She was skeptical.
"Nononono! Nothing like that! You see, if I made you like me, then you'd never have to leave! You get it?" Yesman explained excitedly.
"Change a human.. Into a robot? Is that even possible?" Her eyebrows wrinkled.
"Of course it is! Just ask Dotty! She used to be like you, but now, she's like me! And she won't ever leave now!" Yesman bounced a little bit in his seat.
"Who... Who did it?" She asked.
"I did of course!" He smiled at the girl.
She knew something was seriously wrong with this...
But she was still considering it.
She only had one question left.
"Does it hurt?" She asked softly.
Yesman frowned.
"I'm not going to lie. I think it does. A lot." Yesman paused. "But I think that it'll be worth it."
Yesman looked up at the teenager, awaiting her decision.
"You could get in huge trouble for doing this. And if I just walk away from here as a robot, without any information, I could get shutdown. If I do this, what do I tell my dad? Where do I go?" She said to the ringmaster.
"That comes to second part of my offer. You can become a performer here in my circus if you so choose! I'll keep you safe, and all you have to do in return is be a part of my circus! Think of it as getting a family that won't ever leave you." Yesman said, his voice dropping at that last sentence. "I know I do."
"So what do you think?" He asked, holding out his hand. "Do you want to never leave?"
There was silence from the girl, as she thought. She'd have to sacrifice so much for this. For a chance to be free from this fear that held such a tight grip on her, her body, her spirit... and her psyche.
She looked into Yesman's eyes.
And took the ringmaster's hand.
That happened on a Tuesday.
That weekend, all the way up to following week Wednesday, the news talked about young Willow Foster, an 18 year old who ran away, after leaving a rather ominous note for her father.
The note read:
'I love you. I'm sorry. You won't see me again.'
Police, after investigating, found that she left similar notes to the few friends she had. The strangest thing was, she left all her belongings in her home. She didn't even take a small backpack.
Police couldn't figure it out. She disappeared without a trace.
- - -
"Yesman..?" The girl asked. Yesman picked up a pair of surgical scissors and turned to face the girl.
"Hm? Yes?"
"I'm scared."
"Don't be. I'm here. Here-" Yesman detached his hand and put it in one of the girl's hands, his fingers wrapping around the girl's fingers. "I'm here. Squeeze my hand if it hurts, alright?"
"What if it doesn't work?"
"It will."
Yesman began to spin the girl in her chair.
"After tonight, you won't EVER have to leave. I promise."
"I'll hold you to that."
- - -
"You can stop squeezing my hand now, y'know? I'm finished. You're done."
The girl kept squeezing Yesman's hand, but her LED-lighted eyes opened. She looked at her reflection in the hand mirror Yesman held in his other hand, taking in her new, robot form.
She slowly released Yesman's hand, and looked at Yesman. He stood, eagerly awaiting a response, a reaction, anything at all.
She raised a metal arm to her eyes and wiped the oil that began to trail down her cheeks.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you..." She whispered, ignoring the massive pain she felt.
Now she had no reason to be scared.
Now...
Now she'd never die.
