“MalCOM”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “Someone wipes up a strange liquid with a sponge.”
— suggested by Mary

The sponge was getting heavy, its corners rounded and plump. Trickles of the strange, green liquid escaped from the sponge’s grasp, separating into droplets and landing on the ground.

MalCOM would’ve been wiping the sweat from his brow had he been able to sweat. Instead, he kept at work, attempting to soak up more of the green liquid with his already-full sponge. He wiped up the fallen droplets. More droplets fell. He wiped them up again. More fell again.

“The Model 1 has not once emptied the sponge,” Professor Elliot noted. “An error in programming, perhaps, or an internal miscommunication.”

MalCOM continued smearing the green liquid over the floor. His movements became more forceful, as if he believed that pressing the sponge into the liquid would make it absorb better.

“The Model 1 appears to be getting frustrated,” Professor Elliot said, tapping his pen against his chin. “A discussion with the programming team is necessary to determine the cause of its apparent emotional capabilities.”

The sponge suddenly splattered onto the glass in front of Professor Elliot. He jumped from his seat, heart racing. The sponge slowly slid down the glass, leaving behind a slimy green trail. Through the green haze, the professor could see MalCOM racing toward the glass.

Professor Elliot raced to the door and slammed on the red button beside it.

“Requesting immediate backup in Lab 384-D,” he shouted. “Model 1 has gone rogue. I repeat, Model 1 has gone rogue!”

Final Comments: This one was pretty interesting to write. I don’t really know much about robots or programming though…

Overall Rating: 😄