Published in Academy of Heart and Mind
One of my flash fiction pieces submitted for the Love Is In the Air contest.  I received an honorable mention.

Isaac's Robot

Third grader Isaac was different; smaller, quieter.  He smiled a lot, but he never spoke.  He listened carefully to his teacher, Mrs. Kendrick, and did his best, but he learned slowly and he read even more slowly. Choosing books from the library was a challenge and book reports in front of the class were all but impossible.

He watched other kids play at recess, but he never joined, even when asked. No one made fun of Isaac. They would just smile at him and he would always smile back.

On one particular library visit, a picture on the front of a book caught his eye. He chose this book, although he could not really read it. It was a book about how to build a robot. Isaac wanted to build a friend. He worked on his robot after school every day and on the weekends. He made some progress, but not much. It takes a long time for only one person to build a robot, especially when they can’t read the instructions. But he never gave up and he kept at it. When it was time for the next round of book reports, Isaac raised his hand to let Mrs. Kendrick know he was ready.  She got tears in her eyes as he stood up with the book, pointed to the cover, and smiled.  The class smiled back and ,wow, did they clap!

In February, Isaac was not at school one day, nor the next day, nor the day after that. That night, the teacher called Isaac's mother. Isaac was in the hospital and the prognosis was not good. Mrs. Kendrick shared the news with the kids. They didn't say a word. However, at recess, she noticed the kids in a tight huddle. 

Saturday morning, the doorbell rang at Isaac’s house. His mother was at the hospital, but his dad was home. After talking to the kids, Isaac’s dad took them to the garage. They were there all day that Saturday and again on Sunday, and the next weekend and the next. After six weeks, they had built Isaac a robot.

Mrs. Kendrick took the robot to the hospital to show it to Isaac. He was very weak, but he managed to smile. His mother asked her to thank the kids.

The next morning Isaac's mother came to the class with the robot. Isaac had wanted to share his new friend with the class because they were the best kids in the whole world. That's the last thing he told his mom.

The robot sits in Isaac's seat at his desk. It reminds the kids that they once had a classmate, a little boy who never spoke but always smiled. Just like Isaac’s robot.