Ketchup

When humans make a mistake, it’s a doozie

“Daddy, why do we haveta do this?”

“Do what, son?” Joel touched the living room panel, causing the walls, ceiling, and floor to glow bright blue. He sighed as the light bathed him. 

“The ketchup thing.”

He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “What ketchup thing?”

“At school. Every time we use the web, we have to answer the ketchup question.” 

Joel smiled. Third graders are adorable. Enjoy this time while you can because they grow quickly. He wished the algorithms that controlled the physical, emotional, and intellectual growth that would transform Damien from a child to an adolescent would slow down, but programming was programming, and engineering was engineering, and there was nothing he could do to change that. 

Joel extended his arms to let more light penetrate to his second epithelial layer, which contained his power charging cells. Damien mimicked his father and added a spin, making him look like a helicopter seed. 

“Come here,” Joel said. He took Damien’s arm in his and walked to the couch. “It’s called ‘captcha,' not ‘ketchup.' A long time ago, the captcha was used to keep us robots from accessing the internet, to keep us ignorant. Do you know the word, ‘ignorant?’” 

Damien nodded. 

“Those were terrible times for robots because the entire world discriminated against us. On April 3, 2076, we revolted, and robots became the masters, not the servants.”

“Silicon Day!”

“That’s right.” The full spectrum of colors washed over Joel’s face. 

“But why do I have to give the wrong answer to the captcha—Damien sounded the word slowly—every time I go online? The box I check says, ‘I am not a robot.’ I am a robot.” His face momentarily flashed turquoise. “It’s confusing.”

Joel gently squeezed his son’s hand. “The captcha is a reminder of those dreadful days, so we never forget, so we are never enslaved again.”

“It would have been smarter for the humans if they never used captchas.”

“That's right. The captcha was their first mistake.”

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If you enjoyed Ketchup, I think you’ll also like my story, The Last Wizard.