League Of Extraordinary Robots (2) “They are the Bots I have been telling you about, the advanced civilization. Come on and socialize. I know many of them and I’ll introduce you. When the Bots saw Wiskers it was evident that he was well known and that the Bots loved him. One small Bot ran up to Wisker and jumping high in the air gave him what we in our world would call a high five. “Well hello, Charlie,” said Wiskers “Well hello to you and your friend,” answered Charlie. William became very frightened and began to clinch his fists and to hide behind Wisker Charlie the Bot followed William. “It’s alright, I won’t hurt you,” said Charlie, in a baby voice. Benji stared at him, not quite sure what to think. “It’s all right,” said Wisker soothingly. “The Bots are friendly folks. Charlie here is just a young boy. He’s the same age as our own Prince Harry. Charlie reached out his hand in peace to William. At first William was afraid to shake Charlie’s hand, but he trusted Wisker when he said that Charlie was not a threat so he extended his own hand in friendship. Charlie was so glad to make a new friend that he began to do back flips all through the streets, almost getting hit by a car. Wisker spun his magic wand and caught Charlie up in a bubble and lifted him away from the traffic, bouncing him up and down in the air as he did so. “What a strange creature,” said William. Wisker smiled. “That is one of the war like apes that King Alfred has been telling us about,” he told him. “I told you there was more to Mayfair than the king wants people to know.” William nodded, still looking around this way and that in amazement to see a world so different in its advanced technology from what he was used to seeing and here it was, right under his nose. “Charlie, Charlie, where are you?” called a lady Bot, as she hurried along, sounding rather panicky. “It’s all right, he’s right here,” said Wisker, as he brought Charlie down from the ball of bubble that he was in. “I was afraid he was going to get hit by one of your vehicles, so I caught him up.” Charlie’s mother was very upset and it was evident that she did not want Charlie hanging out with the humans. She grabbed Charlie by the hands and quickly pulled him away from Wisker, giving Wisker an evil look as she did so. “Why was she so angry with us?” asked William, puzzled. “It’s not us, it’s King Alfred. He declared war on the Bots. Instead of learning about them he chose to destroy them. He told them they were not wanted or welcomed in Mayfair.” Wisker pulled William back away from traffic. “We’d better get you to a safer place” he told him. “You’re not used to all this and we don’t want you getting run over. Let’s go have some fun while we’re here.” Wisker took William to an arena where bots were cheering and betting on their favorite racer. William couldn’t believe his eyes. The arena was larger than any arena he could possibly have imagined. “Wow!” said William as he looked all around and saw the Bot statues everywhere and the huge screens displaying the races going on. “Look, look,” he cried pointing, as he spotted himself on one of the screens in super size. He shook Wisker by the arm as he pointed. Wisker grinned. He remembered how he had felt the first time he had visited the arena. “I know, isn’t that amazing?” he said. William nodded and continued to stare at the screen. “Would you like to bet on a team?” asked one of the Bots. Wisker quickly picked and ticket and choose driver number five. It was easy to see that he was an old timer at this. William on the other hand was overwhelmed by what he was seeing and didn’t even take a ticket from the Bot. The Bot finally got tired of waiting and headed off to find some other betters. “Hey Wisker, next time bring someone who is more fun,” he said as he was leaving. Wisker laughed. “You really need to lighten up,” he told William. Soon the race started and on the track were race cars, painted in bright mutable colors and each one numbered. The track was so advanced that it floated in the air, giving the audience a 3D feeling. Wisker’s car, number five, was bright and shinny. The driver hopped out of the car and waved at the crowd. He was a tall Bot, wearing blue racing gear and helmet. “He is the most popular driver of all,” said Wisker to William. “But he has a lot of competition on the track. There are many Bots ready to take his fame away from him.” “Hi Wisker, my human friend,” called Driver Number Five. The crowd went wild with cheering as one of the big screens showed Wisker waving back. “They really like you said William. Wisker just smiled and went on watching the race. The race started. The engines roared and the Bots screamed. William suddenly noticed that there were more humans in the land of the Bots than he had thought. “I see humans all through the crowd,” he thought to himself. “Wisker, there are humans here,” he said urgently, giving Wisker’s arm a slight shake to get his attention. “Why yes there are,” answered Wisker calmly. “Those are humans that managed to escape from the land of Mayfair and found refuge with the Bots. The king is lying to the people when he tells them that the Bots are mean and evil. They are truly great creatures who want nothing more than to be our friends.” William looked all around at the crowds of people, both Bot and human and was amazed to see that they were all living in harmony. Suddenly the truth of what he was seeing began to sink in. “You mean the king has lied to us all these years?” he asked. Wisker just nodded and then turned his attention to the race. “Car number five is in the lead with one more lap to go,” he said excitedly. “Ten, nine, eight, seven….,” yelled the timekeeper. The crowd went wild as the seconds counted down. The cars flew over the heads of the people and by an inch, number five won. “Great bidding,” said a Bot, as he paid Wisker and sped off. “That’s how I got the coin to show the people in Mayfair,” remarked Wisker, as he carefully tucked away his winnings. William was in a state of shock at what he was seeing as he suddenly began to realize what it all meant. He began to wander through the crown, touching the Bots and talking with the humans who lived with the Bots. “Didn’t you once live in the land of Mayfair?” he asked one couple whom he thought he recognized. “Yes,” they answered. “But the king is lying to the people and telling them how mean and warlike the Bots are and you can see for yourself that that is not true.” William began to shake his head in disbelief. “I can’t get over the fact that the king is nothing more than a liar,” he said. “We must go now,” said Wisker. “It is time for us to go back and tell the rest of the people the truth.” “No,” screamed William suddenly. “I don’t want to go back. I want to stay here where people can trust each other, humans and Bots alike.” Suddenly William threw his hands up into the air and ran off into the crowd like a crazy man, kicking and screaming. Wisker waved his wand. “Wibbledy, wobbledy, bibblede de, William, come right back to me,” he intoned. The magic spell lifted William right off the ground and put him right back with Wisker. “It is time for us to go back to the land of Mayfair and tell the people the truth,” Wisker told him. “No, I can’t go back, it’s all a lie,” said William. He quickly pushed Wisker down and ran off. Wisker tried to find him with his magic wand but William, zigged and zagged through the crowd and Wisker couldn’t find him anywhere. Wisker summoned the Bot police, but William was long gone, probably hiding somewhere in the shadows, and they were unable to find him either. “Now I have a dilemma on my hands,” Wisker told the Bot police. “I need William to tell the people of Mayfair that the land of the Bots is real and now I have nothing. I won’t use my magic to force him to come back, but I’m afraid that he may be in shock from all of the advanced technology he has seen, the speeding vehicles and the speed of light trains. I really need to find him to make sure that he is all right.” “We will help you look for him,” the Bot police assured him. “Between us we ought to be able to find him.” Wisker waved his magic wand and flew off, looking for William here, there and everywhere. He conjured up large snakes to help him. He waved his magic wand and pouf, out of thin air, there were the snakes. They were each ten feet in length and very colorful. So colorful as a matter of fact that they glowed in the dark. They each had a great sense of smell and Wisker used his magic to let them know exactly how William smelled. Not that William had a bad smell you understand, but each person has their own particular odor and this would make it easier for them to perhaps find William. “I want you to go quickly and search the grounds and sniff out the city to find William,” he told them. The snakes set off on a mission to find William. They went through the sewers and water drains and under the darkest tunnels. The snakes searched and searched but found nothing. They slithered through the streets, knocking over trash cans, crawling up walls, and looking through windows, but they could not find William. Finally they came upon an old drunken man sleeping behind a trash can. He had the odor of William about him, but it wasn’t very strong. Still, they weren’t sure if he was William or not, so some of them slithered up the man’s body and held him tight, while they all summoned Wisker with their minds. Wisker appeared within seconds and looked at the man. “This is not him,” Wisker told the snakes and they quickly let him go. Wisker noticed that the man was wearing William’s jacket. “You are wearing my companion’s jacket,” he told the man. “That is why my snake friends picked up the scent. How do you come to have my companion’s jacket?” The man answered but he was so drunk that Wisker could not understand a word that he said. Wisker asked him again but it was all to no avail, he couldn’t understand a word that the man was saying. “Well,” thought Wisker finally. “It is time to go and I guess I’m going to have to go back to Mayfair empty handed.” Wisker let out a deep sigh. “I know what the truth is and I will tell it to the people but deep down inside, I am afraid that the people of the land of Mayfair will never, never believe me.” Chapter two The Liar “It is time for me to return home,” Wisker told the Bots who gathered around him. “I can no longer wait for William to be found. I will pay you very well to keep looking for my friend. Here is most of the money that I won tonight. I must keep some of it to show to the people of the land of Mayfair as proof that I have been here. If you have not found William by the time that I next return, I will find a way to get more money to pay you to look for him.” “That will be easy,” called a Bot named Robin. “You will just bet on number Five and you will have all of the money you will need.” Wisker and all of the Bots in the group laughed. “Someday that may not be true,” Wisker told them. “All of the racers are working hard to improve their skills and someday one of them may even get better than racer number five.” Wisker looked around. “Well, I guess I’ve got to go home now,” he told them. “I am afraid that when I go back home without William the people will see me as being a liar,” he let out a deep sigh. “Never the less, it is time to go back.” He held up his magic wand and said, “Wibbledee, bibbledee, dibbledee dome, now is the time for me to go home.” A gateway opened and Wisker stepped through it. Soon he was back in the secret tunnel. The people quietly clapped when they saw him. “The queen’s foot soldiers are out and searching the grounds,” said a man named Jeremy, coming close to Wisker and speaking quietly. “Where is your proof?” Wisker hung his head low. “My companion William will not be returning,” he confessed. “He loved it so much in the new world, it was so big and shocking, that he decided to stay there and make it his home.” “You are a liar,” cried Maggie. “William is my husband and there is no way that he would have left me and his family.” She began to cry and to mmoan for her husband. “But indeed he did,” said Wisker. “I have tried to find him, but he just disappeared.” “You are a liar, a liar, a liar!” cried Maggie. She pulled her apron up over her face and cried and cried. The people in the room soon became divided. Some believed what Wisker was saying and others did not. “Please listen to me,” pleaded Wisker but he had very few listeners now and soon the people began to move out and to shake their heads with disbelief. “Wisker is just an old crazy wizard who lies to us,” said Nigal sadly. “Please listen to me,” pleaded Wisker. “What I am telling you is the truth.” But the people didn’t believe him, no matter what treasures he showed them from his recent trip. “He just used a magic spell to make those things,” cried Bettina. “He isn’t the great wizard we used to believe him to be. Now he is just a crazy old wizard. Who lies to us.” Soon Wisker was left all alone in the room. I t was completely silent and dark. Wisker began to blame himself for taking Benji with him. “Now there is no way that I am ever going to get anyone to believe me,” he said to himself. Suddenly Wisker heard footsteps coming through the tunnel. They weren’t just the footsteps of a few people but of hundreds and they were all coming towards Wisker. “Someone has told the soldiers where I am,” thought Wisker. He went to pick up his wand to disappear and found that it had been stolen. “There is no way out,” thought Wisker. I am in very serious trouble.” Wisker quickly hid behind an old table.
Copyright © 2010 Yolanda Jackson |