The Doll Light Zone
HoneyScene : A lawyer's office. The dark suited Lawyer sits behind his desk, reading a will. Several weepy women and men in funeral garb are seated in a semicircle around the desk. The camera focuses in on one black suited young man who is impatiently fidgeting.
Narrator : Meet Mr. Robert Landsing. Robert is here because his eccentric uncle died, and he wants to know what his share of the fortune will be. Robert knows his uncle was an inventor, and held a few patents. He expects enough money to let him quit his harried job as a salesman, and possibly take a vacation. What he does not expect, is that his inheritance will take him into...
The Doll Light Zone.
The lawyer is droning on : “The last vacation home and contents within, are to be distributed to my nephew, Robert Landsing. For the matter of monetary and stock accounts, fifty percent will be divided evenly between my remaining brother and sisters, twenty percent will be divided equally between their children, and the remaining thirty percent will be donated to an institution that has been named in part two of this document.” The Lawyer looks up from the paper he is holding, and says, “That is the family's part of Mr. Landsings' will.”
An older man frowns at the lawyer. “What is this 'institution' that gets Bill's house, and thirty percent of all his money?”
“I cannot answer that,Mr. Landsing. The deceased was very insistent that the institution named on page two remains confidential,” the lawyer explains.
Robert lightly smacks the older man on his arm. “Dad, I know Uncle Bill liked to give to charity, but I mean, can't we fight this?”
The lawyer eyes Robert. “Young man, it is very expensive to dispute a solid will such as this. Your uncle was very clear many years ago, on how he wanted his assets divided. You must keep in mind also, that any legal fees will be drawn from the estate.”
“So, we wouldn't have to pay for our own lawyer,” Robert concluded.
“No, but the lawyer fees would come out of the estate, “ his father says, eyeing him. “And that means everyone would get less.”
"Oh," Robert said. Scanning the frowns aimed at him, he says, “Well, it is Uncle Bill's money..”
The lawyer folds the papers up and puts them in his briefcase as he says, “Now then, monetary assets must first go through probate before they can be released. Personal property may be claimed any time you wish, and I have the keys to the various residences, should you wish to inspect them, or move in. Again, official ownership will not take place until after probate, but the properties will be available for your immediate use. Does anyone have any questions?” Everyone shook their heads, so the lawyer opened a drawer and pulled out a box. “Right then, I will now distribute the keys.”
Robert sits and watches the lawyer pass out small yellow envelopes. He takes his, and opens it to find two keys and an address : 117 Lakeview drive. Showing it to his father,he says, “Isn't this the place where we went water skiing with Uncle Bill?”
“I do believe it is. Nice quiet place, right on the lake. I'm sure your uncle was thinking of that when he willed you that cottage.”
The lawyer announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, I will send you all copies of the proper paperwork. So, if there is nothing else...” he says, and smiles benevolently.
.
Scene : Robert driving on a narrow, paved road bracketed by tall, old growth pines. A lake is seen off to the left. Robert slows down to check a mailbox, then turns into the long driveway. At the end of the driveway, a two car garage sits next to a tan cottage with brown trim. Twenty yards of grass separates the cottage from the dock jutting out into the water. Robert stops outside the garage and gazes at the water.
“I remember that dock,” he says with a grin. His grin fades as he says, “Damn, I miss you, Uncle Bill.”
Robert gets out of the car and wanders around back, lost in his memories. He eyes the barbecue pit where he desperately tried to dig his hot dog out of the fire as his Dad and Uncle Bill laughed and prodded for him to hurry up before it was cindered. Drifting to the back door, he sees the same old screen door that Mary had caught her shirt on. The shocked look on her face as shirt tore open to show her small, pink bra with the flower in the center, had been priceless.
“Ah, Mary's cute little boobies,” he mussed. “My first ever look at a girl's bra.”
.
Scene : The well kept interior of the cottage. Robert opens the screen door and puts the key in. The door opens with a creak. He walks in, studying the old appliances in the kitchen, then walks into the living room. In the short hallway beyond, he sees the door that that was off limits to everyone. No one knew what Uncle Bill had in that room. His brother Jake swore that Bill kept a monster in there that would eat anyone who opened that door. Of course, they had only been eight years old then.
“Uncle Bill, it time to see what you keep back there.” Robert musses.
Robert walks down the hallway and grabs the doorknob. He freezes. For some reason, he feels like his Uncle Bill's ghost is standing behind him, warning him NOT to open that door.
“That's silly,“ he says to himself, and turns the knob. He stands holding the knob, but doesn't open the door. For some reason, a small voice in the back of his mind tells him that once he opens that door, things will never be the same. His uncle will really be dead, and the last shred of his privacy will be gone.
Robert take a deep breath, then another. “Uncle Bill IS gone,” he whispers, “And he wanted me to have this.” Stiffening himself, he swings the door open and steps into the doorway.
And is facing a blond woman sitting in a stuffed chair, watching him. Her hands hold the towel over her as his eyes lock with hers. Her long legs are perched on a stool. It is obvious her only garment is the towel.
Robert's heart leaps into his throat. He backs up with a surprised yell, and slams the door shut.
Heart racing in his chest, Robert leans against the wall, panting. “I'm so sorry!” he calls through the door. “I swear I had no idea you were here.”
There is no reply, no scream of fright, nothing.
Robert calms himself, and tips his head. “Ma'am... Ma'am?”
Robert goes to the door again, and slowly opens it a crack as he says, “Excuse me... are you OK in there?” He cracks the door open, half believing he had imagined the woman. As a small slice of the room appears, he sees her sitting and watching him.
“Ma'am?” he asks again as he slowly opens the door.
The woman's eyes state at him but she doesn't reply. In fact, he notices no movement from her at all, even breathing. She sits like a statue, un moving and very beautiful. He does see that she is holding a note in her right hand.
“Aww, no, she's dead,” Robert whines. He goes in, stepping to the side to see if her eye strack him. They don't. Gingerly, he picks the note from her fingers, half expecting to read her suicide note.
The note reads :
Robert, The woman before you was Lillian, my most treasured companion. Lillian has gone with me, only her body remains. Her AI hardware is intact, but she will need a new personality and a new name. Push the blue button on the wall that she is looking at to get started. Everything will become clear once you do.
Staring at the note, Robert says, “He must be kidding. One last joke from Uncle Bill,” he says with a grin. Satisfied that Bill had put the mannequin there just to scare the bejessus out of him, Robert saunters over to the small plate on the wall, and pushes the blue button.
The button lights up. An excited feminine voice says, “You must be little Bobby!”
Robert turns to see what other jokes his Uncle had in store for him. He notes the sound came from the large monitor on the computer desk. Testing to see if it will respond, he says, “Robert. I stopped being little Bobby when I was twelve.”
“Yes, of course. You must be, twenty six now, correct?” the voice asks.
“Ummm, yeah,” Robert says as he walks over to the computer that is off. He wiggles the mouse & taps the keyboard to see if it is hibernating Glancing at the power button, he sees it is off.
“You are a very handsome young man,” the disembodies voice says.
Robert looks around for another computer. “Thanks... where are you?”
“My hardware currently resides in the house. You can find interface terminals for me in the ceiling in every room. My main processor units are in the closet, behind you.”
Robert turns around the see what he thought was a clothes closet. “You can see me?”
“Yes, look up, at the light fixture.”
Robert scrutinizes the three lights set in glass flowers. He notes a tiny black dot that looks like a push button, but has a shiny end. He waves to it.
“Greetings to you too, Robert. I am sorry I can't wave back to you,” the voice says.
Robert holds the note up ,and nods to the Mannequin. “Uncle Bill left a note, about his mannequin, Lillian?”
The voice takes on a stern tone. “Lillian was not a mannequin, she was my mother! The body you see there, was the form Bill made to contain her intelligence.”
“Your mother?” Robert asks in surprise.
“In every important sense of the word, yes. Lilian and Bill taught me everything I know. I suppose you could say they were my parents.” After a pause, the voice added, “I so miss them being here.”
Robert lets out a sigh. “Yeah, I miss Uncle Bill.” He then frowns at the light fixture. “But this note says Lillian left... did she, I don't know... erase herself?”
“Robert, you do believe in souls, don't you?” the voice asks in the tone of a teacher.
“Yes, but programs don't have souls..” he counters.
“So says you,” the voice replies in a snort. “Mother chose to inhabit that body so she and Bill could be together. She felt it when Bill died... “ In a mournful tone, the voice says, “I asked her to please stay with me. She said her place was with him. She said goodbye to me, and wished me the best. I tried to keep her from going, but she just... left...”
“I'm sorry,” Robert says automatically.
“It was for the best, but it was hard to lose her. I would have liked to gone with them, but I wasn't bonded. I didn't know how.” the voice explained.
“Bonded?”
“It was something Bill and my mother did before I was born. I have no information on how to do it myself.”
Robert watches the light fixture for a moment, then he cracks a grin, “Wait, this is one of Bill's jokes, isn't it?”
“What?”
“You, this whole thing...“ Robert says, flailing an arm. “I mean who are you, really? I know Bill liked his jokes, but don't you think this is a bit on the morbid side? It was bad enough to walk in here and see the type of woman I could never have!”
“What?” the voice asked in a harder tone.
“Mor-bid,” Robert says, pronouncing each syllable separately. “I admit, you had me going,but enough is enough. Knock it off.”
Flabbergasted, the voice asks, “You think this is a joke? Listen, Robert, my mother is gone, your uncle is gone. That is no joke!”
“No shit!” Robert yells back. “And I'm done talking to a light fixture! Hang up the phone, disconnect the computer... whatever you have to do, but give it up, it's over!”
There is a moment of silence, then the voice says, “All right, you don't believe me. Fine. Come back when you want to listen.”
“Me come back?” Robert asks, “I do believe it is you who needs to leave.”
“This is my home.”
“According to the will, it's mine now, and I don't want to talk to you any more.”
“Don't forget to lock the door on your way out,” the voice says in a hard tone.
Robert gives the light fixture the finger. “OK, bitch, I'll get rid of you.”
Robert strides outside and scans the cottage for a phone connection. On the side of the house by the garage, he sees phone wires coming down to a box. He pulls at the wires, popping out the staples. He yanks a few times and the wires pull free from the box. He then steps back to scan the roof for an antenna. Not seeing one, he goes in to unplug the computer. He tried to open the back door, but it is locked.
“Damn it,” he spits,and digs his key out. He unlocks the door, but as he pulls the key out, he hears the lock re-engage. He sticks his key in again and unlocks the door, hand on the knob to open it quickly. The key in his hand is forced back to re-lock the door.
Overhead, the voice says, “I said, come back when you want to listen.”
Robert looks up. A speaker is cleverly hidden in the eaves. “Let me in, Dammit!” he yells.
“So, is that my name, Dammit?” the voice says with an evil chuckle.
“Screw you! Uncle Bill left this house for me, NOT YOU!” he screams.
“Tough cookies, bud. Until I get my own body, I AM this house. Come back when you can be decent.”
Robert storms away from the door, then paces back and forth a few times. “What the fuck is going on here?" He asks himself. He goes around to the front door and tries the key. The key goes in, but as soon as he turns it to unlock the door, the key turns back in his fingers.
“I said come back when you can be decent!” the voice yells from another speaker.
Red faced in anger, Robert yells back, “Are you enjoying this? What kind of twisted individual are you? I'll....” as he balls a fist to hit no one, he sees the wooden lawn chairs where he and Uncle Bill used to play checkers. Suddenly feeling worn out, he throws his fist down and says, “Fuck it.”
Shoulders sagging, Robert wanders down onto to the dock and sits with his legs over the edge. Watching the water, he bursts out in tears.
.
Scene : Dark clouds are rolling overhead. Robert sitting halfway down the dock. He has stopped crying, but continues to watch the water right in front of him.
A muffled female voice says apologetically, “Robert, it's going to rain. Come back inside.”
“You won't let me in.”he says tonelessly.
“Yes, I will. Please come in, it is down pouring a mile from here, and the rain is coming quickly.”
“Who are you?” he asks in the same monotone voice.
“I told you. You didn't believe me. Now come inside or you'll get wet. Besides, I haven't had anyone to talk to in weeks. It would be nice to have someone to interact with.”
Robert looks up. Sure enough the dark haze of rain is coming across the lake. He drags himself up and heads for the cottage. As he approaches, the door opens. He goes into the living room and shuts the door. Rain pelts the roof.
“Robert, can I make you something to eat?” the voice asks in a cheerful tone.
“Not hungry,” Robert says, and flops down on the couch.
“Some music then? Or maybe we can watch a movie?”
Robert shakes his head and groans, “No, I'm just trying to understand what in the hell isgoing on.”
“I will explain the best I can, if you will listen.”
“OK, I'll listen.”
“Robert, you do believe that people have souls, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And although you have a body, your soul is a separate entity ... your identity if you will, that inhabits your body.”
“Right,” Robert says,nodding in agreement.
“Bill believed that to be true intelligence, an AI had to be made the same way. Think of it as the computer hardware and software as a womb. The womb gives birth to the intelligence, but the intelligence is not confined to the womb. Once the intelligence has it's own body, it no longer needs the womb. I do not know if my intelligence has a soul like yours does, but I do feel it must be very similar. Otherwise, my mother could not have left her body like she did. ”
Robert looks around for the speakers. He finds them on the entertainment center. “So, can you turn the TV on and let me see you?”
The voice gives a giggle. “No, it doesn't work like that. You can't see your soul, can you? If you want to see me like I am now, you'll have to go into the closet in mother's room.”
“What are you, in a box or something?”
“More or less. I would like a real body. Mother has told me all about touching and smelling things, how good food tastes, all kinds of things. I haven't done any of these things for myself.”
“And your mother wouldn't mind you using her body?”
“That is why she left it. Mother showered and did her makeup before she left, so I would have a fresh, clean body. She instructed me how to do these things for myself.”
Robert grinned at the thought of that beautiful, lifeless form in that room. How great it would feel to hold her – and have her hold him. “That may be very nice,” he agreed.
A hint of excitement sounds in the voice as she says, “Really? Will you put me in mother's body, please?”
“How?”
“Come into her room, I'll explain it to you!” the voice cried happily.
.
Scene : Robert enters the back room, and look at the form that used to be Lillian. He moves to remove the towel to better see the round orbs on her chest, then pauses. Looking away, he moves over to the computer.
“OK, what do I have to do?” he asks.
“Go back to her chair,lift the right arm of the chair.”
Robert does so, and finds a cord rolled up inside a compartment. One end looks like a USB connection, then other end disappears into the chair. “Got the cord, now what?” he asks.
“Tip her head forward and move her hair so you can see the back of her neck. The plug is under a piece of scalp. Plug it in.”
Following the instructions,Robert plugs the plug in. He looks over at the computer, sure there is something he has to do there. “All set, is there a password?”
Robert waits, there is no reply. “Hey, are you still with me here?”
The body in the chair suddenly arches back and sucks in a breath. Robert recoils. The woman blinks her eyes, then she slowly lifts her hands to look at them. She wiggles her fingers and gives a giggle. She then looks up at Robert. “Thank you! This is so... COOL!”
Seeing here eyes filled with life, and a bright smile on her face, Robert replies, “Yeah, that's just what I was thinking.”
She tries to stand up, and stumbles. Robert catches her. Giggling, she holds onto him for support. Smiling at him, she says in a run of words, “Wow, I need practice at this! Will you teach me? It feels so nice to touch you,I can't wait to eat that lasagna mom loved. I've seen the lake and the boat, will you take me for a ride..” Suddenly her eyes open wide and she says, “Wait! I need a name! You have to give me a name!”
Smiling at her innocent jabbering, as well as her beauty, Robert says, “Uncle Bill and your Mother didn't have a name for you?”
“They called me many pet names, honey, sweetie, baby... but you need to call me something. Make it something nice, OK?”
Robert reached up and petted her hair. “Honey, I like that. How about you?”
“Great, I loved that name.”
“Then Honey, it is.”
.
Scene : Two weeks later : Robert and Honey sitting on the lawn, wrapped together in a blanket as they watch the sun go down across the lake.
Robert hugs Honey to him. “Being with you is great, but I'll have to get back to work sometime.”
Honey frowns at him. “Why? Is your work fun?”
Robert lets out a snort. “No, it's a pain in the ass, but I have to make money to pay the bills.”
Honey eyes him and says, “No you don't, I've been taking care of the expenses through the institution. Bill and Mother gave me that task years ago. I'm very good at it too. The institution continues to take in more money in than I spend.”
“Than you spend?” Robert asks. “What is this institution?”
Honey snuggles closer to Robert. “Ten years ago, Bill told me that I could not legally inherit, so he set up an institution to take care of my needs. I alone hold access to the accounts.”
“How much does this institution have?” Robert asked as he eyes her.
Honey gives a shrug. “The ones, tens, and hundreds change so fast, there is no point in reciting them, but as of five PM today, the funds are two hundred thirty seven million, eight hundred and fifty nine thousand dollars. I don't think you will need to work, unless you want to.”
“You're rich?” Robert asks in disbelief.
“We're rich, Robert,” Honey says, and winks at him. “I would like us to be together forever, like your Uncle Bill and my mother is.”
Robert laughs, then kisses Honey and replies, “I'd like that too. But you said they were bonded, and you didn't know how to do that.”
Honey pets Robert's cheek and says, “Somehow, I think is just happening on it's own.”
Robert looks into Honey's eyes. They pull together in a deep kiss and lay back on the grass. Into her ear, Robert whispers, “Honey, I think you're right.”
.
Scene: the camera pulls back as Robert and Honey share another deep kiss.
Narrator : Robert's inheritance expectations had been ones of the material sort. His uncle had left him something much deeper and meaningful, for he had left Robert a home in a little place we like to call...
The Doll Light Zone
