Story by Mark L. Ebert

Based on characters & events created by
Brian W. Aldiss, Stanley Kubrick & Steven Spielberg

Martin never knew exactly what had happened to David. The boy and his father had spent the day together and returned home so late that his mother was in bed. The next days, weeks, and months were strange to Martin. His mother, who was usually so full of love for him, seemed to distrust him and have a hard time looking at him. She really had loved David like a son and wanted him to stay. Martin felt ashamed, and suddenly everything reminded him of the robo-boy. Even when they went to toy stores and saw duplicates of Teddy, Martin recalled David and how much he had loved the simple plaything.

As the weeks went by, Martin began to think even more of David. What had happened to him? Where was he? Sometimes Henry received a call from his boss and the employer wanted Henry and Monica to answer questions. Martin’s mother usually left those conversations in tears. She would go to her bedroom and slam the door.

Martin began to think of how he had treated David. David was taller, but seemed younger than Martin. The boy remembered before he was hospitalized, how the other children made fun of him because he couldn’t keep up or play their sports. Even now, since he was fourteen on the outside, but nine on the inside, his friends abandoned him, writing him off as a little child. Martin had written David off. All the while, David had just wanted to be his friend, his brother. Martin had been jealous of David; he had come in and taken his mother. When Martin returned home and was weak, David helped Mom around the house, even taking care of Martin. All the boy could think of is how it had always been he and his Mom and his Dad, no one else.

The boy kept quiet, afraid of this new feeling of regret. One day Martin crept into his mother’s closet while Henry and Monica were away. Monica kept certain things David had left behind in a little box. Martin opened the box and found several little notes written with crayon in childishly large handwriting. “I love you and Henry and the sun is shining," one read. “Martin is your little boy and I’m your little boy, too," another stated. Then, Martin noticed the box - yet unopened - that David had presented to Martin on his birthday. At first, the boy was angry; David had almost killed him that day. Then, he was gone. Suddenly, Martin felt worse than he’d ever felt before. Worse than any childhood sin could make him feel. David hadn’t intended to hurt him - the realization came like a lightning bolt in the youngster’s mind. David simply wanted to be protected-“Keep me safe, Martin” the words still rang in his memory. What, he wondered, could David have wanted to give him? He didn’t have any money to buy anything.

Martin unwrapped the package carefully. He was a little concerned, he was certain his father wouldn’t want him to open the gift. Mom might not like it either. The wrap was removed and he opened the tiny cardboard box. Instead of a lot of little notes, like the ones David had written his Mommy, there was one big letter. The words were multi-colored and the print was a little better, like a child who really hoped to impress the reader:

Dear Martin,

Teddy is helping me write this. Thank you for Teddy. I love him.
You asked me if I could do any power things.
Yes. One.
Do you need a big brother?
Do you need a little brother?
I can be one, or both.

Your brother,
David

PS: Happy Birthday

Martin was not an especially emotional little boy. He nearly couldn’t believe his own tears as they hit the paper. He thought about all the times he’d wanted a big brother, someone who would look out for him, someone who could teach him things.

Other times, he thought about having a younger brother. Someone who he could teach stuff to. Someone who wouldn’t think he was too weak or too sick or too little. Martin realized he had thrown away his chance to have an unconditionally loving friend. To have a brother. A brother. Who in the world had one anymore? Most folks were only allowed one child!

Martin thought about how cruelly he had treated David. How he had wanted him to break, or how he hoped Mom and Dad would get rid of him. Now, he was gone. And although he was supposedly just a robot there was no one to replace him.

“Keep me safe, Martin.” Those had been, and would be, the last words the child would ever hear David say. The pleas of a younger brother. Of a boy like him, who just wanted to be accepted. The boy from the party wasn’t even speaking to Martin anymore, he had moved on to cars and girls while Martin, frozen at age nine, was still into toy anphibocoptors and children’s movies. All the kids in the neighborhood had grown up.

“David,” Martin heard himself say aloud, choking back the lump in his throat, “I’m sorry I didn’t let you be my brother.”

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