Mechanical Danger

By Rimin Johnson

The human world has brought a lot of changes to help our daily lives. Machines, automobiles and lately humanoids and androids.
But are they supposed to make our lives better? Or are good housekeeping, under-human-control robots still a myth?
Follow the story of Madeline Hinson who was a typical teen untill one incident changed her life forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Nov 13, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477242490

Rimin Johnson

Born in Kerala, India, Rimin Johnson was fascinated by all the books she has ever read. She started writing at the age of 12, her first being a novella named The Space Kids. Now 15, she is student in 10th grade in International Indian School, Dammam. She continues to write and lives with her parents and sister in Saudi Arabia.

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© 2012 by Rimin Johnson. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 11/05/2012

ISBN: 978-1-4772-4247-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-4248-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4772-4249-0 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

‘There is no grief like the grief which does not speak’ says the proverb. For the past one month, I have been trying to stuff the melancholy down my throat. It’s hard.

As I went down to dinner, I glanced at my silent parents whose eyes were full of pain. I sat down on my chair at the square table facing the empty seat in front of me with a sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach. I remember the day, which caused this pain, so very clearly . . .

About three months before fall on a very bleary day I awakened to my mother’s crisp call. Madeline! Madeline, wake UP! Time to go to school, My mom shouted from downstairs. I groaned to myself as I got up. Why can’t the school start at 09:30 instead of 08:30?

As I went downstairs to the kitchen, immediately my elder brother Don sang Maddy, the mad Hinson was born in a bin near the . . . Shut up, I growled. Enough said, said my father looking up at us from his newspaper. Yes and eat your breakfast. Did you learn thoroughly for the test today Madeline? asked my mother as I nodded.

Hey! Your sister is in the newspaper Jane, said Dad. What? What are you talking about? exclaimed Mom. Listen, ‘Scientists Dr. Jenny and Martin Signoura and team have been working secretly on a project for over one year. An unnamed source has said yesterday at the Des Moines Science Sector, Iowa that they are nearing the possibility of creating artificial life. He has also said about in five days or so they will be launching the android that will have an extract of DNA combined with the chip of the artificial life.’ And they have a picture of your sister and brother-in-law with the rest of their pep squad inside their building, Dad finished with a smirk.

I leaned sideward to get a look at the paper. Well, that does sound really great, said Mom nodding reaprovingly.

The picture shows them inside the building? Why can’t they come outside? I asked confused.

I think they are probably not allowed to state things like these until it is tested honey, said Mom.

Is that so? Then how come this piece come in the newspaper? asked Dad shrewdly.

Mom started to reply back but we heard the horn of the school bus. Yikes, I said taking my plate to the sink and rinsed my mouth in the bathroom. Madeline, come on! called my brother. I grabbed my backpack and rushed outside.

So remember David, metal can be shaped by molding them with fire and not water ‘cause it is what is said in the textbook, said our Science teacher Alex Davies. Everyone laughed while David’s forehead became crimson with embarrassment.

Okay, there is just about a minute more so I will tell you that your assignment is about the ‘Creation of Metal’ and it should be submitted on the day when the school reopens. Happy Summer vacation! said Mr. Davies. The bell rang and I gathered my books and headed out of the class.

Well, just two more periods and then—holidays! Yahoo! exclaimed my best friend, Allison Stonner.

Yeah, want to come over to my house? I asked.

Sorry. I have to pack. We are leaving for Hawaii tomorrow, she replied.

I frowned. My family had just cancelled a cruise trip to the Caribbean because my Dad’s boss had a meeting with some very rich company, he needed Dad for that (My father is the executive manager of one of the biggest electronic company in the state.)

Hey! My Dad owns a steel manufacturing company. Maybe he can give us a tour, Allison said thoughtfully.

Yeah, that would be great, I agreed. Say what. I’ll ask him to fix a date for the both of us and we will go together. It’d awesome. She gushed. I smiled at her.

*      *      *

A week later, I turned on my computer and went through my mails. There was some junk mail as well. I idly scrolled down when a message from my cousins showed up. I frowned and clicked on the message looking for more details. This was what I found:

Dear Madeline,

Surprise! We are coming to your home tomorrow in the morning. See you.

George and Georgia

Just then, the phone rang. Someone took it. I turned my attention to the message. I read it several times. I sighed and closed the mail.

Let me give you a brief account about my cousins who happen to be twins about my age. George and Georgia come from Illinois. They both are in a well-known boarding school-St. Martins. (They have been there since they were in first grade.) They both are really a bunch of nerds. I mean, they would rather choose to learn anything over playing something, even scrabble. They both have an IQ about a billion. Therefore, in whole,