Mouth open in surprise, Veda’s answer comes after several false starts as she tries to find the words to explain. “I am… I am not quite certain if I understand the term correctly. If my guess is correct, then… yes, we are.”
Realizing how odd it might sound, she turns away, attention focused on her lap as she waits for his answer.
Jack was silent for a few moments as he took that in. In his mind, the idea of someone making himself a robotic girlfriend was more than a little creepy. But, the artist reflected, it didn’t sound like that was what had happened with Veda. From what she’d said, she’d been created first, and the relationship had come after. And she didn’t sound like she’d been programmed to love her creator. If Jack hadn’t known better, he would have thought she was a normal (if shy and socially awkward) woman in love.
“… Veda,” he asked quietly, “have you ever heard the story of Galatea?”
Of the questions she had been expecting, that wasn’t one of them. Looking up suddenly and over at Jack, Veda smiles nervously before shaking her head.
“I have not read much, I am afraid. I have not heard that story yet.” The name itself was one completely unfamiliar to her, as well. Her lack of experience in all of this, though, was normal enough that she didn’t worry too much about it.
“Well, it’s a very old story, from ancient Greece,” Jack explained. As he fell into a storytelling voice, his stutter faded. “Long ago, there was a sculptor named Pygmalion. He was the greatest artist in the land, and he lived for his work. He didn’t have many friends, or go out much,” he added with a small, awkward smile, “but he didn’t care – all he wanted to do was make beautiful art.
One day, he started work on a new statue. He made it in the image of a beautiful woman, and he worked on it day and night, pouring all his heart and skill into it. By the time he was done, the statue was so perfect, you could almost believe she was alive."
Jack gave a dry chuckle. "And the thing is, the statue was so real-looking, that even though he knew she was just a statue, Pygmalion fell in love with her. In the end, he prayed to the goddess of love to bring her to life, and the goddess granted his wish and turned the statue into a living woman. Her name was Galatea, and when she was awakened, she fell in love with Pygmalion too, and they lived happily ever after."
The myth had been one of Jack’s favorites for a long time; anyone who knew about his past would have understood why it had held such strong appeal for the shy, lonely artist.
Jack Maple 