Yunaria: Missing Robot! [Scene 8]

Director's Cut: Character Edition!

Name: Ben Ranter

Age: 55

Birthplace: Portland, Oregon

Date of Birth: December 22nd

Astrological Sign: Capricorn 

Fact: Believes in brushing his teeth 3 times a day and flosses up to 7 times per day. His teeth have never waned in whiteness.

Action!

***

Normally, I walked through the arch of books and put a fresh container of gasoline on the table for my girlfriend to drink. As strange as it sounded, it had become a routine for me. Recently, I would walk in to find Yunaria on the couch either indulging in ridiculous vampire novels, enthralled on the Internet, or doing God knows what in her room. It was always so loud. 

I finally had a semi-win, if you could call it that, with the halfway point of Space Cowboy Robot Love coming to boot. It was a one take, and everyone seemed to acknowledge the importance of the scene. If Ryan Ashley was good for one thing, it was doing the most random shit ever and people loving it. Obviously, we were a long way off until the movie actually released, but it felt like a milestone.

 When I walked in the door, gasoline in hand, I didn't immediately see Yunaria on the couch. Okay. No big deal. An opened book that was folded in the seams of the love seat had been left unattended, as if it was in the process of being read. Glancing around, my first thought was that she might've got abducted. The government found out about an alien on Earth and was going to send her to Area 51. I would save a lot of money on gas to be honest. But that seemed too drastic, so I figured she went to the bathroom. Though, come to think of it, I'd never seen her use it...

All she did was work at a tea shop, which, by the way, sort of pissed me off. But since it was Yunaria, I couldn't even be surprised. In a matter of a couple of weeks, she became the lead cashier, assistant manager, then the store manager. A fucking robot! Maybe there really was a robot revolution happening. It was right underneath our noses. If all robots were this seductive, I mean, productive, we might be doomed. 

Apparently, from what she told me, a man with a piece of paper came dressed in a crisp shirt and started making 'noises' on his brown board. Once he was finished, he put a 'B: 88.7' on the wall. As he was leaving, he came across a secret room. An hour later, scary men in blue suits (police) came and took the store manager away in metal locks. Turns out there really was a trafficking ring that was operating out of the tea shop. Urgently hiring was actually a front. It was all over the news. Shortly after, she was promoted to store manager. 

So maybe being abducted wasn't far off, still, she wasn't in the living room. I glanced in the kitchen, nothing. My room was empty. There were only two bedrooms, mine and hers. I gently knocked on her door, no answer. That was usual but it was silent in her room. Noise had become the background for the house. I had to admit, it gave it more life. Pushing the door open, the mountain of books continued to stand tall, but she wasn't there. Where was she?

Her computer, or well, my computer that she took over, laid upright and when I knelt down to look at the screen, the search engine was filled with questions of Yalina, her home planet. I never doubted she existed as an alien robot because, let's face it, what sentient being would willingly drink gasoline and read vampire romance. But at the same time, it made me realize I knew nothing of her besides that she wasn't from Earth. 

"How far is it from Earth to Yalina?"

"Can you return from an outer space planet and reach another galaxy?"

"What is the difference of time between Earth and Yalina?"

"Do humans know that Yalina exists?"

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed her, no answer of course. She could use the Internet but not answer a phone call. I had to take matters into my own hands. I know, she was probably at the tea shop. Yunaria constantly reminded me that what humans considered work wasn't equal to the papered money they received and that she was always so tired when she left the tea shop. Welcome, the glorious progress of humanity. Exploitation.

I jumped in my sweet, fancy Sedan and headed towards Emerald Cove Tea Shop. The sun had faded, and the full moon glared against the sleek highway as I enjoyed the warm breeze of the California roads at night. With no traffic, I could take it all in. Before I left the house, I decided to print a hundred copies of her picture on a poster in large lettering,

Yunaria: Missing Robot!

Height: 5'7

Skin Color: Grey/Blueish

Race: Robot Alien

Last Seen at Glendale Hills. If you have any information, call this number XXX-XXXX

The tea shop was closed for the day. I should've expected that. It was already pitch dark and I had no idea where she could've gone off to. I called her a few more times with no answer once again. I stuck a poster on the front of the store, hoping someone might come by and give me some information. Before I headed off, around the corner of the store, I heard a grumbling. It was low, but not very scary. This fucking guy.

It was the coyote from the other day. I knew it was the same one because its fur was wet and scruffy, and he had that same look of desperation. 

"What do you want? I'm not in the mood," I muttered to the coyote. 

The coyote walked over to the poster and snatched it between his teeth, then handed it to me.

"What?"

It puts its paw right over the line that said, "if you have any information, call this number". Wait!

"Do you know something, coyote? If you do, you have to tell me."

The coyote nodded his head in agreement. I don't know how it knew or why it was so intelligent, but I was thrilled. Well, fuck it, I guess it didn't matter. Sentient robot women, intelligent coyotes, and banana suits...could this world get any weirder?

"Ok, let's go. I can give you a ride, just hop in the back. It's cramped, but it should be okay." I looked at the coyote and thought of all the fur it would shed. He also smelled worse than Yunaria the first night we met. Yuck. 

"Grrrrrrr..." he growled at me.

"What? I said I would give you a ride-"

He interrupted me and held his paw out. Oh. He wanted money. I was silly to believe coyotes did anything from the goodness of their hearts. 

"Uh, well, actually, I get paid next week. You live here, right? Next wee-"

"Grrrr...."

God. I had no choice. I was out of options. I pulled out my wallet and conveniently found a few dollar bills mixed in with the hundred-dollar ones. I gave him one dollar. What could he need money for?

The coyote stared at me and dropped the dollar on the ground, with beady eyes and panted. What the fuck? I was being swindled. I gave him two more single dollar bills and he growled at me. 

"Okay, this is ridiculous. I'm trying to be fair..."

The coyote directed his paw again to the line that said 'information' on the missing person poster. He continued to hold his paw out.

***

In the end, we negotiated to four hundred dollars. One hundred for the location of Yunaria, two hundred for pain and suffering due to his embarrassment when we first met, and another one hundred for the road. This coyote was going to make it far in life. I could tell.

Surprisingly, he was a cool guy. He gave sharp directions at every turn, put his seatbelt on and made sure to not leave a mess in my car. His head barely fit out my windows. It didn't dawn on me until we arrived, but I realized when we stopped, we landed at Echo Park. The same location I first met Yunaria and asked her to be my girlfriend. The coyote assured me that she was here. 

We said our goodbyes and I was left alone wandering the ponded area myself. A full moon shined above it. Blades of grass gently swayed around the edges. I scoured the entire area, and no one was there. Until I saw her, sitting on the same bench she appeared on.

Her hair blew in the wind with her metallic grey skin reflecting perfectly from where I saw her. She must've saw me walk up and it looked as if she was staring right through me. 

"Say," Yunaria spoke softly, glaring at the white moon, "If I found a way back to Yalina, would you come with me?"

Honestly, I didn't have an answer for that. It was ridiculous, but the way my heart was beating seemed even crazier. 

I couldn’t stop blushing and turned away of course. I couldn’t let a robot make me feel so alive, no.

Damn, Yunaria.

***