Moving In: Shirley Ten
Content Warning
Backstory childhood abuse, self dehumanization, discussion of alcoholism and fetal alcohol syndrome.
The Northern Virginia subdivision where this experiment would take place had recently been built and was ready for the Spartan Housewives on February 9, 1953. Here are their letters and diaries from when they moved in.
From Ten’s journal, dated February 9, 1953. It wrote its journal using this robot speak as a reaction to the horrific childhood abuse it went through. In private, it would speak like a robot, though it could converse normally in public.
SYSTEM HAS MOVED IN A SATISFACTORY MANNER. SYSTEM HAS MOVED IN FURNITURE. SYSTEM HAS MOVED IN CLOTHING. SYSTEM HAS MOVED IN MISCELLANEOUS BELONGINGS. SYSTEM HAS MOVED IN OFFSPRING CARL AND LINDA.
SYSTEM MEETS MARGARET THREE. MARGARET THREE: KNOWN AS PEGGY. INQUIRY: WHY IS PEGGY SHORT FOR MARGARET? PEGGY THREE’S OCCUPATION: POET. PEGGY THREE’S HAIR: RED. PEGGY THREE: THREAT LEVEL: MEDIUM. PEGGY THREE’S BREATH: ALCOHOL. PEGGY THREE HAS THREE OFFSPRING. SHARON THREE: AGE SEVEN. THREAT LEVEL: LOW. JAMES JOYCE OR JJ THREE: AGE FIVE, THREAT LEVEL: HIGH. DOROTHY THREE: DOES NOT REACT ENOUGH TO STIMULI. INQUIRY: POSSIBLE FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME IN OFFSPRING? ROBOT DOES NOT DRINK ALCOHOL.
SYSTEM MEETS JOAN FOUR. JOAN FOUR’S OCCUPATION: FORMER SECRETARY. JOAN FOUR’S THREAT LEVEL: EXTREMELY LOW. JOAN FOUR’S HAIR: BLACK. JOAN FOUR’S BREATH: GINSENG TEA. JOAN FOUR’S OFFSPRING: DAVID FOUR. INQUIRY: COULD JOAN FOUR BE FRIEND TO SYSTEM?
MR. TEN’S FEMALE PARENTAL UNIT COMMANDS SYSTEM TO HAVE MAID. SYSTEM DOES NOT NEED MAID. SYSTEM IS MAID. SYSTEM WILL OBEY THE COMMANDS OF MR. TEN’S FEMALE PARENTAL UNIT UNLESS IT VIOLATES THE LAWS OF ROBOTICS.
SYSTEM HAS LOW BATTERY. SYSTEM MUST RECHARGE.
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