Kuri's Origin Story: Judy's Secret

#KuriStory #HeyKuri

Spring had come once again at the Larrabee house and just like every year, it brought with it the annual spring cleaning. Emily Larrabee spent the morning doing the laundry and dishes before her young daughter Harper awoke and came stomping down the stairs.

“Mama?” Harper inquired. “Is today the day?”

“It is, indeed!” replied Emily as she swept Harper into her arms and the pair of them went down into the basement to begin decluttering their home. As was tradition, they would start in the bottom of the house and work their way up sorting through all the things they no longer needed. In the basement, Emily and Harper rummaged through boxes and suitcases full of keepsakes and memories they had made together in previous years. The very first paintings Harper had made and the macaroni framed pictures they had spent their afternoons creating had been resting quietly undisturbed in storage, only to be enjoyed on this special day by the mother and daughter. The two of them laughed and Emily told Harper stories of when she was just a sweet baby with a creative and joyful spirit. Emily felt the tender melancholy that comes with watching your child grow older as Harper stumbled upon a box that had been sealed for a long time.

Emily helped Harper pull things out of the box and she patiently answered Harper’s questions about the toys and goodies that had been kept safe in retirement as they decided which ones it was time to part with.

“This doll is so pretty, mama!” Harper said, pulling out an old doll whose smiling face was framed with strawberry blonde hair and whose clothes were worn and full of holes.

“Yes darling, that used to be mine when I was a little girl. She used to respond to me when I called her by name, but she doesn’t work anymore. Maybe it’s time to put her in the donation pile, don’t you think?”

“Oh… well, okay, Mama, I guess so.”

Emily thought of all the memories she had made with the doll as a young girl, and felt hesitation in her heart, but she knew it was time to let the doll go. Emily and Harper continued to sort through the boxes and they added more and more to their donation pile. Some of the items they decided to part with included old records Emily’s parents used to collect, an old flute from high school, Harper’s old “See ‘n Say” toys, Emily’s broken polaroid camera, and various cords and speakers that hadn’t been touched in years.

As they worked their way through the house, their donation pile grew and grew. Emily was able to clear away almost thirty books from her office. Although she was still fond of the many novels and memoirs, they were piled to the ceiling as the shelves had been crammed full long ago. The family cat, Judy, had decided to cause trouble when she wiggled her way through the pile of donations, and Harper and Emily laughed as Judy emerged tangled inside of one of Harper’s old onesies.

“Take a picture, Mama, hurry!” cried Harper through her laughter, but Emily couldn’t find her phone amidst the clutter, and Judy finally hissed and tumbled out of the onesie and ran off to hide upstairs.

Finally, they came to the last room that needed Spring cleaning, Harper’s room. As Emily held up different shirts and dresses from Harper’s closet, she wondered where the time had gone as her daughter either approved the clothes she wanted to keep or deemed them “baby clothes” and insisted they be donated.

After dinner, Emily was pleasantly surprised as her husband Andrew arrived home early from a business trip. Harper filled him in on the day and he too was filled with emotion as he realized how big his daughter was growing and how quickly time seemed to be passing. After he kissed Harper goodnight, he joined Emily in the living room where they reflected on all the things they wished they could experience again and the memories they wouldn’t trade for anything.

As the stars twinkled outside and the house was quiet, Emily looked up at the sky above and wished that she could capture every memory she spent with her family in order to pause time just a little longer. At that same instant, her husband peered out the window as he was brushing his teeth, and while looking at the same twinkling sky, he wished that he would never have to miss a moment when he was away from home. And upstairs, as young Harper’s eyes began to get heavy, she peered through her bedroom window and wished for a way to have toys that she would never grow tired of and would always bring her joy and laughter.

As all the Larrabees fell asleep that night, Harper began to drift off into a dream, unlike any she had experienced before… Harper was in the living room with the donations, but there was a strange noise resonating from the pile. Curious, she approached the pile and listened more intently. Carefully, she began to move the boxes aside until she came to the wall behind it. To her surprise, there was a very small door, one that she had never seen before. Harper reached for the door knob and as she pulled it open, all she could see was a long, dark hallway. She peered around to make sure she wasn’t being watched, then crouched down on her hands and knees and began to crawl through the tiny mysterious door into the darkness.

As Harper crawled, she began to see blue twinkling lights at the end of the tunnel. What she saw as she emerged into the room at the end was jaw dropping. In the room, there were what looked like television screens lining the walls and on each screen was a video feed of all of the rooms in the house. Harper saw her parents sleeping soundly, the front door of the house, the backyard, and even her bedroom! However, that was what shocked her the least, because in front of all the screens, sitting in a swivel chair was none other than her crazy cat, Judy!

“Judy!” Harper exclaimed, “What is this place?”

“Harper! I’ve been expecting you… Well, where do I begin…” Judy spoke in a deep and smooth voice. “When your mother adopted me, I made it my life’s goal to repay her. This room is where I keep surveillance on the house. Before I came to live with you, I worked as a spy before I was discovered and had to escape to the streets. Unfortunately, surviving on my own was impossible, and that’s when I was rescued. Protecting this home is my number one priority!” the cat said, very seriously.

“But Judy, when do you sleep? How can this be?”

“Ah, well that is part of the struggle, you see… a lot of work goes into taking care of the family! There really is no time to rest! However, soon, this will all change! Let me show you what I’ve been working on!” Judy scampered off the chair and toward the corner of the room, where Harper noticed there was something covered with a sheet.

“BEHOLD!” Judy cried, as she clawed at the sheet, pulling it off to reveal a sleek, white robot!

“Wow!” Harper exclaimed and quickly approached to investigate further. The robot beeped and opened its eyes and Harper knew the robot was smiling at her. “What’s its name?” Harper asked.

“Her name is Kuri. She will be taking over all surveillance of the house… Hopefully, this means I can finally get some rest!”

“And stop being so grumpy!” Harper blurted out, to which Judy replied with a soft hiss.

At that moment, the room began to fade softly into the distance and all Harper could see was the silhouette of a beautiful white robot disappearing into the background. All too suddenly, Harper’s eyes began to flutter, and she awoke in her bed. Harper flung her covers back and tiptoed into her parent’s room. She tugged on her mother’s arm until Emily’s eyes opened ever so slightly.

“I’m done sleeping, Mama,” she said, and Emily knew that meant she was done sleeping as well.

“I’ll make breakfast,” Andrew said, as he rolled out of the other side of the bed.

As the family walked down the stairs together, they were quite startled at what they saw. The pile of sentimental treasures they had left downstairs was no longer there—instead there sat a robot! With a white face, and kind eyes, it was clear this friendly machine was there with intention.

“It’s Kuri!” shouted Harper, as she pointed at the robot.

“How do you know its name?” asked Emily, with concern.

“I dreamed of her last night!”

As Harper shared her curious dream, the Larrabees approached the robot with wonder.

“Kuri, show Mama her books!” and with that, all of the books Emily had planned to donate were available to listen to at any moment stored in Kuri’s hard drive.

“And play Grandma and Grandpa’s records!” and the music began to fill the room. As they danced together and laughed, Kuri captured the moment, and their memories were saved, never again to be forgotten. Kuri beeped and smiled, and Harper stroked the robot’s head. Judy entered the room and purred as she rubbed her body against the robot and Harper gave her a knowing smile. Emily and Andrew held hands as they looked at their daughter and knew that they would never again miss a moment, because they’d always have Kuri to help them remember and watch over them.