Making a Difference | Teen Ink

Making a Difference

November 2, 2014
By Sam Daybell BRONZE, Springville, Utah
Sam Daybell BRONZE, Springville, Utah
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Cold, dark and cold. I sit here sweating out rhythms and funk progressions. Depression has overcome my life. The fame wasn’t worth it, it has destroyed how I generate music. The world needs something new that can affect more than one sense. I sit and stare at my computer screen and wonder how I can change that.
I lay in bed wondering. I knew that I made electronic music and that there is a lot that attributes to that, but I just couldn’t think clearly. With this veil of unclear thoughts, I got exhausted and went to sleep.
I wake up to see that on the news a scientist named Manny-G. has created robots that help everyday life, such as pour cereal and take out garbage. I sit in front of my television screen patronized with the idea I have, electronic music performed by a robot. How could anything get anymore confusing and exciting than that?
I began researching  about robots and how they function. I don’t really know where to begin because how is a stupid musician supposed to know how to build and program a robot?
After hours and hours trying to figure out how to make this happen I give up. I decided that staring at a computer screen all day wasn’t the best, so I got out of the house. I pick up my favorite scarf and wrap it around my face to make sure that the paparazzi didn’t find where I live and where I was going.
As I walked, I thought about life, the only way I can get out of this depressing stage is to make a robot and make other people happy. Making other people happy was my life goal, but it also makes me happy. I’m so tired of getting up in the morning and looking forward to nothing. I needed something more.
I walk through these puddles without caring. Kids laughing and parents wondering and I not caring.  Somehow I make it to my apartment building and I uncaringly walk up the stairs and lay in my bed with my wet clothes.
Waking up is tragic, the sound of my alarm clock beeps in unison with the second hand of my clock. The thought of the robot hits my mind again with the technology, I sit there and wonder. “I can’t build this robot by myself, I need a partner or a mentor,” I thought about who I could call up. I couldn’t think of anybody. I need help from one of the best, Manny-G.
I pull my sheets off of my frail, boney body. The walk to my computer was exhausting. I had only eaten a bowl of soup while I was helplessly searching about robots yesterday so I wasn’t full of energy. I push the power button with my boney long fingers and wait about a decade for it to boot up. When the computer finally powered up I typed the name Manny-g into the search bar and I was amazed. Lines after lines of websites that had articles about him. The one that caught my eye was the website that was established by Manny-G. himself.
Manny-G.’s website was full of pictures of the robots that he’d made and programmed and videos that showed what they did. I was specifically looking for a way to contact him but I couldn’t see anything that would help me to this until I scrolled to the bottom of the page. His email address was submitted in little faded letters. Mannyg@mail.org was the email address that had the potential to change everything.
I click the exit button and logged in to my email account. It took me a few times to login because I rarely use my account. I slowly, but accurately type in Manny-G.’s address. Once I finished that I froze, how was I supposed to ask him? Why would some genius scientist want to work with some dumb musician like me? but I still wrote to him.

Dear Manny-G.,
You might not know who I am, but If you turn the radio you are sure to find out. Anyways, I am a french electronic musician that want’s to make more out of his music and I need your help.
I am thinking that we can join together and make and program a robot. I think that a robot performing live electronic music would be so confusing but also patronizing enough that the crowd will remember us for a long time. If you are wondering what my music sounds like just look me up on the internet and you’ll get a taste.
So what do you say, lets begin a legacy? If so please write me back.
      from, Thoma Gellar
Day after day I waited for a response. anxiously waiting for that one simple answer, sure enough I got it. I was just listening to music and I got a notification from my email account. The email was from Manny-g. With very  jittery hands I clicked “READ” button and opened it. I read the email with slight disappointment, all It said was to call this his number.
I spun  out of my chair and walk slowly to my cell phone that was sitting on the kitchen counter. I carefully dial his number. Beep after beep I push call. His phone rang two times before he picked up.
“Hello this is Manny.”
“Hi this is Thoma Gellar,” I said in a nervous tone
“Oh yes, I have been expecting you to call.”
“So what do you think about my idea of the musical robot?” I asked trying not to sound excitedly.
“I think it is brilliant, When are we going to get together and work on it?” Manny-g asked
“Wait so you want to make it with me?” I asked
“Yes, it sounds like a good way to get known,” Manny-g replied “Don’t you live in France?’’
“Yes I do,” I replied
“How about I fly out to France and meet up with you?”
“Thats sounds great. I will email you directions to where I live,” I said happily
“Ok, I will try to leave as soon as possible,” Manny-G.said
“Ok, if you have any more questions just call me on this number,” I added
Without confirming Manny-G. hung up.
The next couple of days I waited and waited. I ate food about every hour and watched Television. Three days have gone by and Manny-G. hasn’t showed up. I got disappointed but I knew it took time to get a passport and that stuff. I wait even longer, about two weeks. I didn’t want to call him because I think that would be kind of rude so I had to have patience,
I woke up this morning and started surfing the web. My computer screen freezes and shuts down. fortunately, I rebooted it and got it working again. I logged  into my email hoping for some kind of sign that Manny-G. was still coming. The most I got was an email from him. The email stated that he designed a robot that could perform music and that it was getting sent in the mail. He also said that he was sorry for not coming to France and helping me.
I don’t really care that Manny-G. didn’t come out to France, because I was too happy knowing that the robot was on its way. The only thing that I did care about was that I had to wait even longer for the robot, but I guess it’s worth it. Immediately after I read the email I started looking for opportunities for a show that the robot could perform in, and I found one. The show was called “The Grand D.J. Rave Party”. I knew that the name was pretty cheesy but I still entered in for an act. 
As I had done before I waited and waited. It took three weeks for the robot to arrive in the mail. I went down to the mailroom to see that the BIG box next to my mailbox was addressed to me. I instantly knew that this was one of the best days of my life.
I “carefully” scooted the box in to the elevator. I pushed the number two button on the side of the elevator’s door and began to rise. I scooted the box fifty feet from the elevator to my apartment room and opened the door. I scrambled through every drawer to find some scissors, when I found some I then  rushed over to the box. I hurriedly split the tape and got the box open.
The robot was big, really big about the size of my recliner. Once I had tore the box away from all around the robot I found that there was an awkward chord that was about three feet long that had to be plugged into the wall. I had even more trouble moving that big piece of metal over to my wall then most people would think. With shaky hands I dropped to my hands and knees to plug it in.
I plugged the robot in and It powered up. I walked over to the box to see if there was any control instructions, with my luck there wasn’t any instructions.  I walk back over to the robot and it starts talking to me. I try to make out the words that it was saying but I think that the robot was speaking chinese.
I didn’t know what to do then so I just started fiddling around with the robot. In the blink of an eye the robot’s eyes turned red. I started getting nervous. I crawled to go and unplug the robot but all I could do was lay on the ground.
Sharp metallic objects had been stuck into my side by the robot. The robot had put his limbs on me and started shocking me vigorously. I just sit on the floor. Thinking about how I am getting killed by a robot that has been programmed to do this to me. Blood spurting out in fountains my skin black from the electrical shock
I knew this was the best for me. I didn’t want to be alive anyways, even waking up in the morning was a tragic event. I kind of thought that Manny-G had done a good thing in some weird way. before I died and took my last breath I say thank you to the robot. I took my last painful breath and lay on that floor dead.



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