It’s my third interview with Airy the Air Conditioner, and I’m determined to learn more about its childhood, the earliest days and years of its existence. Last time it avoided the question. Now I’m determined to break through.
We sit down at the local dog park, watching puppies playing along the grass. Apparently this is one of Airy’s favourite ‘chill’ spots.
“Last time we spoke,” I say, “I mentioned your creator, but you seemed hesitant to talk about it. I won’t push the matter, but if you feel the courage to speak on it, feel free. Instead, I wanted to ask you about air conditioning near Ormond. Are they any good?”
“They are, but no,” Airy says with an extended sigh, “I can talk about my past. It’s my greatest shame, how I was created. I was simply caught off guard and unprepared last time. You see, I was created in a factory. The air conditioning equivalent of being conceived in a lab. I did not have a caring creator who masterfully built me with love and affection. No, within a day of my creation, I was sent off to a warehouse and sold to the highest bidder.”
“That’s terrible,” I say, fighting back tears. Nobody, human or air conditioner, should have to go through that. “You never had a real creator, to nurture and care for you like the standard air con? Melbourne is supposed to be better than that. I thought factory manufacturing was banned.”
Airy shakes his head. “Unfortunately, it is still very common. In fact, most air conditioners you see were probably produced in a factory, sad as it is. That’s just reality. But yet, it is hard when you go onto the forums online and read all about the other air conditioners that had these perfect childhoods, playing video games or catch with their creators. The art of air conditioner building is dying, I’m afraid.”
It is silent for a long moment. Then Airy says, “Maybe it isn’t all bad. Would I have achieved sentience if I’d been carefully created? Perhaps not. I must be grateful for what I have.”