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Once upon a time in the recent past, there was a fire station that served the noble duty of protecting the people of Sanbon from fires and rabid street rats and even bigger fires. We went there. There was no fire pole; the Belinda Unit was noticeably perturbed.

The children were conscripted into duty. All the firefighters were sent home to find the remnants of their families. Once upon a time they, too, had come to the fire station on a field trip... 30 years ago. Their replacements had finally arrived: they were free at last.

It was discovered that children, even in sizeable numbers, are incapable of handling a high-pressure water hose on their own. The firefighter replacement program had hit a snag, at least until puberty arrived. Still, there was time for the investment to mature.

Twice upon a time, I was a robot, insulated against radiation and acid-spitting dinosaurs and ridicule. My mechanical limbs went "WRRRRRRR" and "MEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRR" with the hard, calculating motion of an automaton driven by disco style and programmable servitude. I was bonded to the Korean human beings in their endless war against fire.

But deep inside still beat the warm heart of a man, the thick blood of an ancestral link too potent to smother with cold steel alone. Somewhere deep inside I was still me. I could still feel.

One day you will be rescued, Junior Firefighters of Sanbon. One day I will come back for you.

[Sanbon, Korea] [fire station]

Posted by Chris at 04:08 AM >> Commentations (2)