The Return 1

By Thomas Mazzarella

Nine Fantasy Short Stories

 

Josh grapples with the flawlessness of his Intellidomestic android.

Scott encounters his son's girlfriend, sparking dreams of being 16 again.

Once upon a time, a painter crosses paths with a candlemaker, the King's chosen future Queen.

Zone, assaulted by a bear during a camping trip in a secluded area, is saved by beings far from human.

Jason sprouts wings and aspires to harness them for the good of his community.

Carson is eager to experience the debut of a new nightclub, but recalls three singers he'd previously seen there.

A presumed simple alliance between Earth and Gratos is more complicated because of a humanoid race.

Once upon a time, a queen hosts a magnificent gala to uplift her kingdom's spirits, only to vanish afterward.

A hiker in search of a deserted silver mine from the 1890s finds himself living through that very era.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Mazzarella
• Release date: May 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9798990201040

Book preview

THE RETURN 1

THE RETURN 1

by

Thomas Mazzarella

THE RETURN 1

The Return 1 is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or deceased, is entirely coincidental. The author’s experience and familiarity of present day and historical figures have inspired the attributes of the characters in The Return 1.

Copyright © 2024 by Thomas Mazzarella

All Rights Reserved. This book, in total, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced without the permission of the author.

First Edition, May 2024

ISBN: 979-8-9902010-4-0

Thomas Mazzarella

Denver, CO

[e-mail]

V2.3

DEDICATION

Dedicated to my wife Margie for all the care and hope that she has given me throughout the years.

Table of Contents

* The Return of My Perfect Bot *

* Return to the Past *

* The Return of the Painter *

* Return to the Woods *

* Return to the Building Top *

* The Return of Rocky’s Mountain *

* The Silvaticas Return *

* Return of the Gala Queen *

* Return to Cottonwood Canyon *

The Return of My Perfect Bot

IT WAS FLAT OUT ANNOYING when I would go to my mailbox on the curb and find my neighbor Conrad just so happening to be getting his mail at the same time I was. It seemed like he started to create that opportunity to snoop into my life right after my wife left me about six months ago. I hadn’t seen or heard from her since.

Conrad was more interested in why she left than I did as I just figured that Carolyn left because she was bored of me and didn’t think that I was her kind of guy for the long-term. That was fine with me. I didn’t think that she was my kind of girl for the long-term either.

Hey Josh, he said as I picked up my mail and started walking to my front door.

Yeah Conrad, what’s up? I said curtly.

"You ever think of getting one of those Intellidomestics? he asked. I’ll tell you right now that if I wasn’t already with Randi, I’d be all over getting one for myself."

Maybe you could get one anyway, I said walking into the house.

I slapped the mail on the table and damned if there wasn’t an Intellibots brochure sitting right on top of the three pieces of mail that I just picked up. I decided to read it.

Do you need help? Too much going on in life that you can’t get everything done? Don’t have enough time for yourself? Now there’s help! Bring on Intellidomestics by Intellibots!

With advancements in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, we have synergized both technologies into an Intellidomestic, a customizable home assistant to manage your every undesirable task so that you can focus on those things that you find MOST desirable and leave the LEAST desirable things to your own Intellidomestic.

Text, call, or send a request to us online to schedule an appointment now! You can’t wait. There are better things that you need to be doing!

WELL, I SUPPOSE IT was just a matter of time before something like that was going to be available to the mass public. Robotics has been in science fiction for over 100 years and if you watch the trends in automation, we’ve always been fascinated with creating the perfect being.

I could almost imagine Conrad being aware of me getting an Intellidomestic and asking me a ton of questions. Hey, Josh, what’s it like? Do you have her doing all your nasty housework? Do you get intimate with her?

That would absolutely be the worst part of getting one. Having to listen to Conrad’s nosy questions. But there is a plus side. I sure could use some help. Why does Conrad assume that it is a she? Maybe it will have no gender at all. That would teach him to make assumptions. I decided that it wouldn’t hurt to contact them and learn more about the technology.

I submitted an online form and not more than five seconds later I got a phone call. Not a joke. It was a call from an Intellidomestic scheduling an appointment for me to come see a demonstration.

I watched the one-hour video that they sent me highlighting the features and limitations of the Intellidomestics. There were a number of models for home use that had the same capabilities and noticed that they were working on Intellicommercials to be used for construction, heavy manual labor, or tasks that would be difficult or unsafe for Humans.

Two days later, on a Saturday morning, I went to the warehouse and showroom and the Intellidomestic with whom I had scheduled the appointment greeted me at the front desk.

Hello, Mr. Cavanaugh, thank you for coming in, she said. I suppose that it was a she. They certainly made sure to make a good marketing impression based upon her appearance. Her face was very smooth and clear, well proportioned, and quite attractive. She had crystalline blue eyes and silky silvery hair. Her figure was very feminine and shapely. I could see evidence of metallic joints at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, and knees but it didn’t detract from her appearance.

"We can configure your Intellidomestic according to just about any parameter that you may wish to have anywhere from physical appearance and presentation to personality and demeanor, she said. Although, as you might guess, customizations could take up to six months before the Intellidomestic would be ready for delivery."

Yes, that would make sense, I said thinking about how long something like that might take. After six months, I might not even be interested in one.

Would you like to visit the showroom? she asked. May I get you some coffee or something to eat?

Coffee would be wonderful with just cream, thank you, I replied. And yes, I would like to see the showroom.

Absolutely Mr. Cavanaugh, she answered with a very wide and brilliant smile. She walked over to the counter behind the front desk. With amazing dexterity and speed, she prepared me a mug of coffee and added a croissant to a tray.

"I’ll carry this into the showroom, and you can sit at one of the tables while I prepare the Intellidomestics for you," she said.

I followed her into the showroom which looked like a steampunk conservatory with floor to ceiling windows of very thick glass and multi-colored wall panels. The floor was a randomized swirling of brushed nickel and copper. I could see a number of different domestics from those presenting as men or women, some young and some old, to those presenting as more like machines. My hostess was definitely the most elegant of all of them. She guided me to a half circle of a table, placed the tray of coffee and food on it and proceeded to the center of the room.

I hope to make our demonstration quite interactive, Mr. Cavenaugh, she began. "Don’t hesitate to ask any or all of them any questions as the true test of the demonstration will be on how well our domestics can satisfy your requests or provide accurate answers."

I noticed that they were wearing name tags, so I picked Daniel to answer my question.

Daniel, I began. What’s our weather looking like for the rest of the day?

Looking a little grim late this afternoon and into the early evening as clouds will be rolling in, Mr. Cavanaugh, he said. Later, there is a high chance of thunderstorms before midnight.

Thank you, Daniel, I said and then I was going to choose an older looking domestic to ask a question. Melanie, how did Daniel know my name?

He heard Perfecta address you, Mr. Cavanaugh, she said smiling. Just as I did.

Perfecta is my hostess’ name. How appropriate!

Thank you, Melanie, I said.

What do you think, Mr. Cavanaugh? Perfecta asked.

They are very life-like and so responsive, I commented. And you didn’t tell them what my name was in advance of my visit?

No, she said. "If I did then they would have told you that that was how they knew your name. The concept of honesty is a vital component of your domestic. We understand that dishonesty is a characteristic of humanity that is an attempt to protect oneself from adverse consequences. But if your domestic were ever to be dishonest, we believe that it would compromise the relationship with your domestic in the long-term and erode trust. And we want trust. It is important for our business and reputation."

Would you like more coffee, Mr. Cavanaugh? Daniel asked.

Yes, I would, I replied noting that I only had a sip or two left and obviously he noticed that also.

Daniel retrieved the coffee carafe carefully filling up my coffee mug and then waited for my reaction.

Thank you, Daniel, I said.

My pleasure, Mr. Cavanaugh, he replied walking back to the position where he was standing.

The movements of all the bots were very precise and smooth. Their faces and physiques were flawless.

May I join you at your table, Mr. Cavanaugh? Perfecta asked. I would like to find out if you have any questions or comments.

Yes, please, I answered. You can call me Josh.

Thank you, Josh, she said sitting down with careful grace and precision. "You may feel free to touch the Intellidomestics if you like. You will find that we are durable and can help with lifting and carrying items that you might find difficult or that would generate fatigue for you. As you have seen, I believe that Daniel