‘And you’re going there now,’ said Jasprit. ‘Going to find your wife?’
‘Yes.’
‘And do you love your wife?’
‘Yes. Of course.’
‘Do all robots love their wives?’
‘Usually. Often, when a child is being made, it is woven into their minds to love someone.’
‘I know about that,’ said Jasprit, ruefully, and the other two humans laughed, the machines they wore translating the harsh, juddering sounds they made into the sweet hiss of robot laughter.
‘Tell me about him,’ said Melt, suddenly, pointing at Simrock.
The laughter ceased.
‘What about him?’ asked Ruth, all businesslike.
‘You spoke to him. How?’
‘Don’t you know, Melt?’ asked Brian.
‘I asked the question first. Answer me!’
‘I’m sorry, Melt. We don’t mean to frustrate you. That’s our training. Often telling what we think to be true corrupts or changes the people we are trying to learn about.’ Brian held his arms apart in a human gesture. ‘But you must know how we spoke to Simrock. Don’t you use radio to communicate?’
‘Yes, of course we do…’
Then it struck Karel and Melt what she meant.
Ruth leaned forward, genuinely interested. ‘Don’t you find it odd that so few robots on this planet have exploited radio as a means of communication? I mean, the pilgrims, the whales, the hive insects do. That’s about it. Why don’t you?’
‘Why should we?’ blustered Melt. ‘We build radios when we need them.’
‘You have so little curiosity. All of you. You just accept things as they are.’
She was right, thought Karel. We do. He looked at Brian and Jasprit, saw the way they were looking at each other.
‘You know about us,’ said Karel. ‘You know more about us than we do ourselves.’ Something occurred to him. ‘Have you been to the Top of the World?’
‘Why?’
‘No more questions!’ shouted Melt.
‘I’m sorry. Force of habit. No, we haven’t. Why do you ask, Karel?’
‘I’ve been to the top of Shull. There is a place there.’
‘Can you show me on the map?’ asked Brian.
‘I’m sorry. No. But there is a building. I was forbidden to enter, but I looked inside anyway. There is an arrangement of robots in there, all lined up, showing how we evolved.’
Jasprit began to dance at this.
‘Really? We’ve got to go, Ruth.’
‘We will! What else is there, Karel?’
‘A map of the stars on the wall. And the titles of three stories: The Story of Nicolas the Coward, The Story of the Four Blind Horses, and The Story of Eric and the Mountain.’
That had them.
‘Really, Ruth, we have to go!’ said Jasprit. ‘We need to see that place!’
‘We’re interested in stories,’ explained Ruth. ‘They tell you a lot about a culture. I’ve heard the story of Nicolas the Coward. Simrock told us that as you walked here.’
They looked at Simrock, standing placidly nearby. He seemed to have lost interest in the conversation.
‘I don’t know the other two stories though,’ said Ruth. ‘Could you tell me them, Karel?’
‘I’m sorry, no. I never heard them.’
Melt made a noise.
‘Do you know them, Melt?’ asked Karel.
‘I thought everyone knew the story of Eric and the Mountain,’ he replied.
‘Everyone? No.’ Karel gazed at Melt. ‘Melt, where are you from?’
‘Karel, do we have time for this?’
Karel was torn between Melt and the animals. To think he had walked all this way next to someone who knew one of the mysterious stories.
Melt spoke up.
‘Ruth, maybe we can do a deal,’ he said. ‘We need to get down to the plain below. If you help us, I will answer all your questions.’
The three humans looked at each other.
‘We could call up a craft,’ said Brian. ‘But I’m not sure it would take all three of them.’
‘I’m staying here,’ said Simrock.
‘Why?’ asked Melt.