Work Text:
She hated the forest.
The air there was cold and damp, the sky was always dark, and the woods were full of abandoned junk that nobody wanted. The forest was no place for an adored robot such as herself.
So when her owner informed her one day that they would be visiting the forest, her initial reaction was shock, which was followed by confusion, followed by dread. She had asked why they were going to visit such a desolate place, but her owner did not answer her — which only filled her with more dread. Regardless, she kept her thoughts to herself and let her owner lead them to the woods. Together, they had walked up to the entrance, and her owner's hand led her inside.
The sight of the forest was petrifying — trees full of bare branches and mountains of garbage loomed over her, blocking her vision of the night sky. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to leave, and she wanted to leave now.
It didn't come as a surprise to her when she turned around and her owner was nowhere to be found, but that didn't stop the tears from rolling down her face.
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The concept of time means nothing to the robot anymore. She stops counting the days she's spent here since being abandoned and starts to rummage among the garbage around her instead. She finds some items worthy of interest — a grand piano with several keys missing, an acoustic guitar with broken strings, and other discarded instruments. Additionally, there were melodies that she would hear in the distance of the woods. However, the melodies seemed to disappear as fast as they appeared, giving the robot little time to learn how to sing them. Attempting to sing the incomplete songs leaves her feeling frustrated.
At some point, the robot reflects back on the things her master tried to teach her. He attempted to educate her about human concepts, and for a while, she believed in his teachings. But why would he bother teaching her all these things about emotions and love if this was to be her fate?
Thinking about it now, the robot finds his teachings hypocritical and worthless. She knows now that she is simply a machine used to imitate humans, and she wishes her master had treated her as such. It would have been easier that way, not to deal with any misery or heartbreak.
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The robot has lost the ability to move — her body has been turned to rust. She sits upon a mountain of junk with a bitter smile, her head facing the endlessly dark sky. She knows her demise is near, and she knows nobody is coming to save her.
Little by little, parts of her become detached from her body. The right hand is the first to go, followed by her right leg. Her entire left arm rusts off soon after. Cracks spread across her face, and her eyeballs have rusted away, leaving two vacant holes on her face.
As she rusts away, the robot notices something enter the Forest of Junk — an unfinished melody that plays on a harpsichord. It is the last thing she hears before her body finishes decaying.