"Hilda" , uma pequena história de H. B. Hickey ; Publicado pela primeira vez em A Revista de Fantasia e Ficção Científica , setembro de 1952 , disponível no Arquivo da Internet ; reimpresso em Science Fantasy , vol. 5 No. 14, 1955 , também disponível no Arquivo da Internet . Você pode ter lido na antologia 50 curtas histórias de ficção científica editado por Isaac Asimov e Groff Conklin .
O personagem principal era um artista de sedução desprezível. No início da história, ele está ficando físico com uma mulher. Ele a elogia e, no curso das coisas, ele a aperta; ela protesta, mas ele só aperta com mais força.
"Ohhh," said Mrs. Williams. She was completely limp. "You're so strong, Roger. When you squeeze me like this it hurts."
"The strength of my deside," Roger said. He squeezed harder.
She was now in the bag, Roger knew from many such experience, and good for anything from jeweled cuff links to an investment in a play starring Roger. A dozen women had made that same investment, but the only lines Roger had ever memorized were those of his love-making routine.
"You're hurting me," Mrs. Williams gasped.
"I can't help myself," said Roger, and squeezed her even harder, deliberately.
Evidentemente, esta rotina funciona, e ele recebe algum dinheiro dela depois que eles podem canoodle.
Não desta vez:
The door of his bedroom burst open and a man rushed in. He was middle-aged and he had a paunch and he was the chairman of the board of Tri-Planet Mining, with assets of over ten million.
He was also Mr. Williams.
Então o homem vai para casa, onde mora em um apartamento decadente com sua empregada robô dedicada, que cozinha e limpa para ele.
Ele já estava em seu apartamento:
Something big and shiny, with arms of chrome steel and an alloy middle, came storming into the room. It took the gun away from Mr. Williams and tucked him under one arm. It scooped up Mrs. Williams, who had rushed to her husband's aid, and tucked her under the other arm.
It carried them from the apartment and slammed the door behind them.
"I will make you coffee," Hilda said metallically. "I will make you Swedish meatballs."
Não há muito dinheiro para ganhar; Sua rotina de sedução com mulheres ricas e solitárias é arriscada e pouco lucrativa. Ele e o robô falam, e ele pede desculpas por ter mencionado isso, mas acha que pode ter que alugá-la para uma fábrica que contrata robôs para trabalhar em meio período, até que ele possa se levantar.
"Hilda," he said, "we are broke."
"Broke," said Hilda. She had been through this before.
"It hurts me to ask this of you, Hilda. But there's a factory I know of, a place where they use leased robots—"
A empregada ouve e diz ao homem como ele é bom naquilo que faz.
Isso não está na história.
Ela o elogia e começa a usar seus próprios movimentos de sedução.
"Kiss me," Hilda said.
It was so vaguely familiar it puzzled him, and yet so funny he had to laugh. And because the brandy was making him feel so good he actually did plant a kiss on Hilda's faceplate.
"Mmmm," said Hilda. "Kiss me again."
"Hilda! Where did you ever learn such things?"
"I listened."
So that was why the routine seemed so familiar. What a robot!
Ela o aperta e ele protesta, mas ela apenas aperta com mais força.
"Hilda," Roger laughed, "there's nobody in the world like you." His laughter took on a twinge of pain. "Hilda! You forget those arms are steel. When you squeeze me like this it hurts."
"The strength of my desire," Hilda said metallically.
"You're hurting me!"
"I can't help myself," said Hilda. She squeezed harder.
Ele sangra um pouco e seu corpo fica mole.
Roger went limp in her arms. She let him go and he fell to the floor. He made a sound in his throat and blood ran from his nose. Then the sound stopped and the blood stopped too.
O robô libera-o de seus braços de metal e vai para a cozinha para fazer-lhe algumas almôndegas suecas.
Hilda marched to the closed and got the cleaning things and wiped up the spots on the rug. She lifted Roger and laid him on the couch.
She put the cleaning things back and clumped to the kitchen.
"I will make you coffee," Hilda said.