Once there was a little boy who wanted a friend. So he got to work building a robot. He made the robot a head and freckles, arms and legs, and a very patient voice that liked to share. When he turned on his power the boy introduced himself:
Hi. I’m Brautigan. What’s your name?
I can be any name you’d like.
Well I like Bob. Is Bob ok?
I like Bob.
So what do you think of your life so far?
So far so good. I don’t know much about this place. What should I do with myself?
Well, we do a lot of sitting around and thinking about things.
I can do that.
And sometimes we say those things out loud.
I like you. How was that?
You do that well. And I like you too!
Sometimes we get up and do things with the stuff we have.
What kinds of stuff do you have?
We have things to throw that we can catch.
That sounds fun.
It is. Unless someone throws too hard and then it hurts. People get upset when they’re hurt.
That doesn’t sound fun.
It’s not. But hurts don’t last long unless they’re really hurtful. And there are lots of ways to feel better.
Have you ever gotten hurt?
Yes. And I once hurt someone else. In fact I made a big mess and had to help clean it up.
A big mess?
That’s the other thing about this place. There are lots of messes and they’re not fun to clean up.
I see.
But we also have ice cream.
What do you do with that?
We eat it until it runs out.
How long does that take?
Depends how many manners you have.
So you throw things, get hurt, make messes, and eat ice cream?
Basically.
And who do you do all these things with?
With a friend.
And where is your friend?
You are my friend.
I am glad to be your friend.
-JLK
All episodes written, performed and produced by Jessica Laurel Kane, and the music was made by Jerome Rossen at Freshmade Music.