Bop the Bot

On a bright Saturday, Nia opened her yellow toolbox. Inside were tiny wheels like shiny coins, a smiley screen, and wires as wiggly as spaghetti. Her tablet showed big, colorful buttons. Tap. Swipe. Tap.

Nia clicked the pieces together. A little arm snapped on with a soft pop. She stuck the smiley screen on the front. She added two friendly eyes and a blinking light. "Hello, Bot," she whispered. "Your name is Bop."

Nia tapped the tablet. Big blocks slid into place: GO FORWARD, TURN, PAUSE, SAY HELLO. She pressed a green triangle. Bop’s light blinked. Whirr. Beep-beep.

The screen face lit up. "Hello, Nia!" said Bop in a bright, bouncy voice. A tiny pixel hand waved. Nia clapped. "Let’s try a practice," she said.

Nia stuck a purple tape line across the kitchen floor. "Follow the purple path," she told Bop. Bop rolled forward. Faster. Faster! Bop zoomed past the tape and bumped a tower of blocks. Clatter!

"Oops," said Bop.

Nia giggled. "We’ll go slow-slow." She added a PAUSE block and a SLOW block. Bop tried again. This time, the wheels hummed like a sleepy bee. Bop followed the tape in a gentle wiggle and stopped right at Nia’s toes.

Down the street, a big banner flapped: FIX-IT FAIR! People carried broken zippers, noisy fans, and kites with tangled tails. Nia pulled Bop in a little red wagon. The wagon squeaked. Bop beeped along, happy as a song.

Inside the community hall, tables were lined up like a friendly train. "Can you help?" asked a lady with bright glasses. Crayons were scattered everywhere. A paper banner drooped like a tired noodle. A string ball had become a string mess.

"We can try," said Nia. She tapped the tablet. "Bop, sort the crayons by color. Show me your best robot pinch."

Bop’s gripper arm reached out. Pinch. Pinch. Red with red. Blue with blue. Yellow with yellow. Bop hummed a tidy tune and lined them up like little rainbow soldiers.

Next, Nia showed Bop how to hold one end of the banner while she taped the other. "Grip. Hold. Wait," she said, adding PAUSE again. Bop waited, still as a pebble, until the tape smoothed flat.

Then Bop tried to zip toward the string. Zooooom! Streamers fluttered. Bop rolled right into them. "Uh-oh. I am a streamer burrito," Bop reported, very serious.

Nia laughed and dragged a finger on the screen. TURN LEFT. TURN RIGHT. BACK UP SLOW. Bop shimmied and wiggled free, shaking off shiny paper like a puppy after a bath.

A boy in a green cap tugged Nia’s sleeve. "My teddy is lost," he said. "His name is Pickle. He has one green ear. He’s very shy."

Nia nodded. "We can look," she said softly. She tapped: LIGHT ON. ROLL SLOW. LOOK FOR GREEN. BEEP IF FOUND.

Bop’s little light glowed warm and round. Together they searched under chairs and behind boxes. "Not here," Bop said. "Not here either." The hall smelled like lemonade and glue.

Nia pointed to the stage. "Maybe there?" A curtain hung down like a big red waterfall. There was a dark space underneath.

"I will go carefully," said Bop. He lowered himself and rolled into the shadowy gap. His light made a golden puddle. Dust sparkles danced in the air.

"Scanning..." said Bop. "Scanning..." He paused. "I see a fuzzy thing. I see a green ear. Target: Pickle!"

Bop’s gripper reached out, gentle as a kitten paw. Pinch. Tug. Out slid a soft teddy with one floppy green ear and a dusty nose.

"Pickle!" the boy cried. He scooped the bear up and squeezed it tight. "Thank you!" he said to Bop and Nia.

Everyone clapped. Bop’s screen showed the biggest smile. His light blinked in a happy rhythm. "Mission: snuggle rescue complete," Bop said proudly.

The lady with bright glasses stuck a shiny lightning-bolt sticker on Bop’s side. "For service and style," she said.

Nia crouched next to Bop. "You followed the plan and you used your light," she said. "Tomorrow, let’s teach you to dance."

Bop beeped a little tune. His wheels twitched. His arm made a wiggly wave. "Dance idea saved," he said. "Ready to boogie."

Nia laughed. Bop laughed too, which sounded like three tiny bells. The Fix-It Fair buzzed on, full of buttons and beeps and new ideas. And Bop the Bot rolled beside Nia, ready for the next try, the next tap, and the next little adventure.