Another story I wrote for school, this time inspired by a prompt (a picture of a princely dude climbing a rope out a window). If you’re confused… Well, only so many details fit on two pages, and I put mostly useless ones. š Who knows, maybe there will be a sequel!
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Kamalani banged against the unflinching steel door with raw fists. A broken chair lay nearby, the splinters in her hands testament to her efforts. Growling, she paced, blowing on her hands as she thought through her predicament. Here it was, a Friday night, and instead of playing video games or watching movies she was in a cell, dressed as her brother and held prisoner by the Tamatoas in their silly castle.
Kamalani shifted the crown on her head, muttering to herself as she got down on (ouch) hands and knees, feeling for anything to help her escape. Groping under the cot (against her better judgement), she felt cold metal. She grasped it–not a knife–felt it–not very big, oddly shaped–pulled it out into the light–maybe it was… She sighed. A little yellow robot, cute, but no help.
Setting it aside, Kamalani took off her brother’s crown and speculated on its usefulness. Perhaps it could dent the door? Or maybe the toy robot… but the robot was gone. Kamalani rubbed her eyes and yelped–it was standing on the cot, scanning her with glowing blue eyes.
“What–what–” She stuttered.
The robot cocked its head. “English?” It questioned in an oddly not-mechanical voice.
Kamalani regained her composure. “Uh… yeah. English. Um, I’m Kamalani. What are you doing here?”
“I am SAR. What are you doing here?” SAR jumped soundlessly off the bed and moved past her to the door. He–he certainly sounded like a he–moved fast for a little guy, his movements eerily silent.
“I’m a prisoner.” Kamalani explained. “Where did you come from?”
“Unimportant.” SAR’s jackhammer, which took the place of one hand, smoothly switched to a laser, and soon the door was off its hinges.
“Whoa.” Kamalani grinned. “What, no guard? This is great.”
“No Gravitron Prison.” SAR observed dismissively. He pointed down the hall. “There is an unguarded room in that direction. Escape through the window should be possible.”
Kamalani started running, stopping as SAR hurried to keep up. “Maybe I could…” She wasn’t sure how to put it, but there was no need, as SAR was already on her shoulder. She hardly felt him, except for a slight warmth from whatever powered him. They reached the room, and Kamalani was delighted to find a spool of wire, begging to be their escape “rope”. SAR, meanwhile, transformed a broom and a cloth into a runaway-bag-thing. With that over her shoulder, no one would look twice at a girl on the road, or guess that an intelligent robot was in the bag.
Kamalani started down the wire, cold metal between stinging hands. Good thing she’d taken those classes after all. She grinned as her feet touched the ground. The Tamatoa castle, for all its looks, was scantily guarded, and she had no trouble finding the road and starting home. The Tamatoas would find her missing when they woke… but that would be too late.
“Thank you, SAR.” She whispered to her companion as the sun rose.
No answer.
“SAR?” Kamalani stopped and took the tiny robot from her bag. His metal frame was still, blue eyes dimmed grey, the warmth from his power source gone. Tears of frustration built in her eyes. All that, and her little friend was felled by a dead battery.