Chapter 3

Zubaida and Hasan both gave a little cheer. But then reality quickly set in. How would they bring the robot home with them without anyone noticing? The streets were not entirely empty on their journey to the factory. On their way here, nobody stopped to look at a boy and a girl walking down the street. But a boy, a girl, and a walking, talking machine would surely not go unnoticed.

So Zubaida and Hasan searched the abandoned factory for some sort of disguise. Eventually, they found a cache of burlap bags. They brought these back to the robot and wrapped him up, over and under his whirring metal limbs.

Zubaida

You won't be too hot in these bags?

Robot

No. My cooling system is still fully functional.

After they were done wrapping the robot, Zubaida and Hasan stepped back and observed their handiwork. While not recognizable as a robot, Zubaida worried he would still stand out on the street, because he now looked like a mummy, or perhaps a leper. She tried to adjust the coverings but it only made it look worse.

Hasan

Mohammed is going to get home from work soon!

Zubaida sighed. Their disguise was the best they could do under the circumstances. She tucked the robot's loose arm into the folds of canvas and shrugged. If you squinted, Zubaida thought, you might think the robot looked like a monk, instead of a mummy or a leper.

Zubaida

Okay. Follow me, and try to act natural. I mean, try to act like a human.

Robot

I understand.

They began their journey out of the factory. There were a few clouds in the sky now, so the sun was not so bright and hot. Hasan acted as their scout, forging ahead along the road to town to see if there were any passersby. The robot had a very stiff gait, his body whirred mechanically with each step, and his feet were three-pronged contraptions like his hands. But he managed to keep up, even with his bulky canvas covering.

As they walked, Zubaida told the robot stories from the Quran and the hadith. She told him about Ibrahim, the first Muslim, and how Mohammed received the words of the Quran in a cave from the angel Gabriel. She told him about the djinn and how many of them were Muslims too. She even told him the folk story about Sulimon commanding an army of the beings.

Zubaida

Do you know what I think, robot? I think that you are actually a djinni! Because you obviously have a soul, and a machine can't have a soul on its own. But then your circuits are powered by electricity, and isn't electricity another word for smokeless fire? There are stories about Sulimon binding djinn into objects like charms and talismans. Maybe that is what happened to you?

Robot

It is possible. But if I am a djinni, would I not know that I was a djinni?

Zubaida

Maybe the Zionists erased your memory so that you would be a better slave.

Hasan

They can do that!?

Hasan was sometimes frightened of the Zionists and the terrible things that they did.

Zubaida

Our brothers have come back from the torture chambers of the Zionists and the Americans without their memories lots of times. I wouldn't be surprised if they figured out a way to do the same thing to a djinni. But don't be scared, Hasan; you know that the occupiers retreated back into their own territory, and God will protect us from them.

They were halfway home when a black truck drove by them on the road, kicking up a wake of dust. Zubaida tried to avoid looking at the men in the car, but she saw that they wore black masks and carried rifles. Good, she thought, the intifada won't bother stopping to ask questions about us. They surely have more important things to do.

The rest of the trip home was uneventful, except for a troublesome pothole that nearly made the robot tumble headlong. Zubaida and Hasan lived on the outskirts of town. Their house was a little one-story with three rooms and a small kitchen. Its yard was made of dust and the outside was in disrepair, but it was actually quite nice inside, with carpets, relatively new and comfortable furniture and a nice-sized TV. They only had one close neighbor, and he was at work with Mohammed.

Zubaida and Hasan ushered the robot inside the house and closed the door.


Chapter 4