Fiction: Group 3
Both Ben and Kevin decided that the Shenzhen Central Park was probably one of the most
beautiful parks they’ve ever been to. “There are many healthy trees and plants here. Many GreenBots are on
duty and there are exactly 99 people here,” the robot observed. Kevin sat on the lush, well-trimmed grass,
his fingers fiddling with a tiny flower. “Hm, I don’t know about the plants’ health, but I like the view of
both nature and the city.”
They stayed silent for a while, surrounded by the crisp, cool air, listening to the traffic and the
soothing sounds of rustling leaves and chirping birds. The branches above their heads were swaying gently to
the breeze, and a few leaves slowly drifted to the ground. There were several people fishing by a lake, where
the crystal clear water was glittering under the warm rays of sunlight.
Kevin broke the silence first. “Hey, you think we should see what the shopping streets looks like?”
Ben smiled robotically. “Of course.”
The robot helped Kevin up and they made their way past the loud traffic and into the closest
shopping street they saw. Almost immediately, the voices of people advertising products filled their ears.
From time to time, a slight breeze would carry the smell of freshly baked pastries and perfumed the air with
the sweet fragrance. It was also much busier than Ben had thought. People were entering and exiting shops,
carrying bags, eating fast food, and there were plenty of tourists wandering about, taking pictures. And the
advertisements were
everywhere
. Before Ben could feel overwhelmed by the number of ads his scanning
system was counting, Kevin ran towards a shop excitedly. “Hey look! It’s the new phone!” He stared at the
big announcement board, which said, “APPLE IPHONE 54 OUT TODAY”.
Ben walked over and examined one of the iPhones on display. “This phone has some new
features,” he started, “it can shrink and enlarge to a certain size. I suppose that explains why the iPads and
iPods aren’t going to be continued anymore.” Kevin was about to reply, but something caught his attention.
The robot looked back at Kevin and detected surprise and worry in the boy’s eyes. “What is it?” The
thirteen-year-old remained silent, and his expression grew dark. Ben directed his gaze at where his human
was staring, and understood. Kevin’s two tormentors from school were here as well, and they were coming
closer. One of them spotted Kevin and snickered, whispering something to his companion. Then he
shouted, “Hey, look, it’s the loner and his robot!” The other bully joined in. “What, can you only make
robot friends
now? You truly are pathetic.” The two barged past Ben and Kevin, laughing. “Ben is a better
