Willa Baylock and the Scary House

And so, finally, she parked the car near an old public toilet on a viewing platform overlooking the lake. Delia Asia Vieira exhaled and looked around. There was silence all around, only a light wind rustling in the branches of the trees, and in the distance the horizon shimmered vaguely. The lake, whose waters were covered with light ripples, seemed quiet and still, as if hiding some secret. Around, as if in a protective shell, there were green hills, and the forest stretched into the depths, hiding even more obscurantist secrets.

She picked up her bag, threw on a shawl and slowly walked towards the forest path that led to the cemetery. Far ahead, almost hidden by the trees, the silhouette of old gravestones could be discerned. She did not know what awaited her ahead, but every movement, every step under her feet, was filled with inevitability, as if her steps had long been predicted.

The path was narrow and winding, but robotess did not quicken her pace. She was ready to face what was waiting for her in this place. Robert's letter left her no choice - his words, so clear in her head, forced her to move forward. He was dead, and she had to see this place, see his grave.

The tangle of trees grew thicker, branches creaking, and the air became thicker with the smell of damp earth. A few birds flew overhead, making no sound, as if the forest did not want its peace disturbed at that moment.

With every step Delia Asia Vieira took, she felt the tension inside her increase. But she also felt a strange peace, as if her actions were part of something important. And although the forest was gloomy and the cemetery old and abandoned, she knew she had to go this way.

Her memory took her back to the city where she and Robert had once met. She remembered those moments - the meetings in small cafes, the discussions they had on the hills, the laughter and idle talk that had become important over time. They had always said that they would return to this city, that it would be like before. But now she was alone, and Robert was gone.

On her way to the cemetery, robotess met only a few birds and hedgehogs, hiding in the bushes, rustling their needles in the thick grass. The quiet, sad silence of the surrounding forest only emphasized her feeling of loneliness. Birds, jumping from branch to branch, sang their short, restless songs, sometimes interrupted by the rapid flapping of their wings when they took off, frightened by her steps. Delia Asia Vieira did not pay attention to these small creatures, her thoughts were absorbed by only one thing - Robert. The forest path was empty, not even traces of people were visible, which made her journey even more alienated.

The hedgehogs, seeing the robotess, became wary, stopped for a moment, pressing their dark, rough bodies to the ground, and then continued on their way, constantly growling with excitement. The shadows of the trees, intertwined with the rays of the elusive sun, seemed to hide this corner of the world, creating a feeling that time had slowed down here. Everything around was absorbed by an atmosphere of abandonment and silence, as if the trees themselves knew that this path was not what the light had once seen.

Delia Asia Vieira walked slowly, raising clouds of dust under her feet, looking around from time to time. Everything around her was calm, but this calm silence seemed strange and ominous, like a harbinger of something inevitable. Robotess felt her steps beginning to ring in this empty space, breaking the silence. She terribly wanted to just go back, to turn away from this path, but she knew that she could not do that. Her promise, her hope that all this was not in vain, drove her forward.

Finally, she reached the cemetery. A tall cast-iron fence with dull crosses ran around the perimeter of the old, almost abandoned plot. The ground was chilly, and the air was thick with the smell of decay and long-forgotten fates. Robotess looked around, and her gaze lingered on the woman who was Willa Baylock.

The old woman was dressed in an old-fashioned suit and dark glasses, as if she had come here for a business meeting, and not to a cemetery. At the same time, her face was distorted with an expression of slight panic, as if she did not expect to meet anyone here. However, noticing the robotess, Baylock literally became agitated. She nervously adjusted her hair, and then, barely approaching the robotess, began to explain something confusingly.

"Oh, you... Are you here too? I... I came looking for something. Cheap mobile plans... you know, internet. The internet in this city is generally terrible, and..." Willa stopped, noticing that robotess didn't seem interested in her words. "Do you even realize how hard it is to find good internet at a normal price in America? It's not that easy! All these plans are... completely unreliable. And now, it seems, dangerous too."

Delia Asia Vieira looked at her without interest, not hiding her indifference. Her attention was focused on something completely different.

"M-m-m..." robotess drawled, closing her eyes and shaking her head slightly. "I understand that this is important to you, but I... basically don't care how dangerous it is. I didn't come here for the Internet."

Willa Baylock paused for a moment, her gaze becoming more wary.

"Of course," she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, "you're not the kind of person who cares about such trifles as... the Internet. Perhaps you care about something else. People like you are always busy with some... important things, right? Are you going to find him? The one you're looking for? Delia York, our president?"

"I'm looking for Robert!" Delia Asia Vieira snapped, not hiding her irritation. "Not Delia York, but my beloved!" she said, not wanting to reveal the truth that Robert was actually her creator, and she herself was a robot. "And you, as I understand it, are looking for cheap rates?! This has nothing to do with what I'm looking for!"