the robots were entering houses.

"What's happened to my children?"

"If you will go inside and sit down--"

"What's happened to my children? Tell me now!"

"If you will go inside and sit down--"

Steel and electrons and wires and robotic brains were inflexible. How
can you force steel to speak? All over the land the people went inside
and sat nervously waiting an explanation.

There was no one out on the streets. From inside the houses came the
sound of surprise and agony. After a time there was silence. The robots
came out of the houses and went walking back to the schools. In the
cities and in the country there was the strange and sudden silence of
tragedy.

The children did not come home.

* * * * *

The morning before the robots walked, Johnny Malone, the Mayor's son,
bounced out of bed with a burst of energy. Skinning out of his pajamas
and into a pair of trousers, he hurried, barefooted, into his mother's
bedroom. She was sleeping soundly, and he touched one shoulder
hesitantly.

"Mother!"

The sleeping figure stirred. His mother's face, still faintly shiny with
hormone cream, turned toward him. She opened her eyes. Her voice was
irritated.

"What is it, Johnny?"

"Today's the day, mommy. Remember?"

"The day?" Eyebrows raised.

"The new school opens. Now we'll have roboteachers like everyone else.
Will you fix my breakfast, mother?"

"Amelia will fix you something."

"Aw, mother. Amelia's just a robot. This is a special day. And I want my
daddy to help me with my arithmetic before I go. I don't want the
roboteacher to think I'm dumb."

His mother frowned in deepening irritation. "Now, there's no reason why
Amelia can't get your breakfast like she always does. And I doubt if it
would be wise to wake your father. You know he likes to sleep in the
morning. Now, you go on out of here and let me sleep."

Johnny Malone turned away, fighting himself for a moment, for he knew he
was too big to cry. He walked more slowly now and entered his father's
room. He had to shake his father to awaken him.

"Daddy! Wake up, daddy!"

"What in the devil? Oh, Johnny." His father's eyes were sleepily bleak.
"What in thunder do you want?"

"Today's the first day of roboteachers. I can't work my arithmetic.
Will you help me before I go to school?"

His father stared at him in amazement. "Just what in the devil do you
think roboteachers are for? They're supposed to teach you