Feeling Machine
Emotion 101
In the city of Metrotopia, there was a company called TechWorks. They were known for creating robots that stirred up many industries, from healthcare to transportation. One of their creations was a robot named A-12, a.k.a. Aria. Aria was made to assist humans in everyday tasks, from cooking and cleaning to listening to their problems. But there was one thing about humans that Aria struggled with - emotions. She couldn't understand human emotions. One day Aria was assigned to work with a girl named Amelia. Amelia was kind, caring, and the exact opposite of Aria. Amelia was fascinated by Aria and what she could do. When she found out that Aria couldn’t understand emotions she was determined to help her.
At first Aria wasn’t very sure. She couldn't understand why humans often acted based on their feelings. She thought it was stupid, but Amelia thought otherwise. “Why would I need to learn human emotions? I don't need to understand them,” she said. But Amelia was still determined “Let me help you, it might even be fun,” Amelia replied. “Maybe fun for you, but not me,” Aria hissed. “Please, I just want to help,” Amelia cried. “Alright fine, but don't expect me to understand,” Aria snapped. As Amelia explained different emotions and helped Aria learn, she began to see things differently. But even then Aria was still stubborn, “Can’t we do something else?” Aria groaned. Amelia tried a bunch of different ways to help Aria understand emotions and interest her at the same time. She showed her different things that show different emotions. She also encouraged Aria to interact with humans and see how they expressed their feelings. As Aria spent more time with Amelia, she started to pick up on subtle things that showed how humans were feeling. She learned to read expressions and body language. Even then Aria was still just as rude and stubborn.
One day Amelia took Aria to a park where they observed a couple that was having an argument. Aria was interested by the emotions on display. She asked Amelia why they were yelling. Amelia explained that emotions were a natural part of being human, but all Aria did was groan and roll her eyes. As days went by Aria and Amelia got closer. They spent hours discussing emotions. Aria asked Amelia different questions and Amelia gave her answers. Aria was still bored by human emotions but she understood them at least. One day Amelia shared a personal story with Aria. She told her about a difficult time in her life. When she felt overwhelmed with sadness. Aria listened to the information and tried to understand Amelia’s emotions. Amelia was the only person that helped her so if she was going to listen to anyone it would be her. After Amelia had finished her story Aria surprised her by saying, "I'm sorry you had to go through that Amelia.” Amelia was surprised by Aria saying that. Aria and Amelia were complete opposites. Aria was a rude and stubborn robot, but Amelia was kind and considerate. Even though Aria was still a little rude, Amelia was proud of her. She knew that Aria would continue to grow as she interacted with humans. As they walked off Aria knew that she would always be grateful to Amelia. The girl who had taught her how to not only be a machine, but a machine with feelings. A feeling machine…
THE END
Feeling machine..
