Once Upon a Robot Competition Winner
RoboBat
by Alexander Walker, Aged 9
It was a dark, rainy night at the Tower of London. The wind howled menacingly, and the ravens shrieked in protest.
Who was that mysterious, hooded figure sneaking in through the gates of the Tower? Silently, so as not to be seen, someone secretly snuck through the dark corridors.
Meanwhile, William Redwood, the guard, looked up at the imposing, gunmetal grey gates. The sky looked like a canvas smeared with black paint. Strangely, there was no moon tonight. Peculiarly, he heard a scuffling noise. He felt uneasy. This night there had been loads of strange noises and shadows that looked like ghosts. Maybe they were the ghosts who were beheaded in the tower? Something was making him look forward to going home more than normal. He wanted to complete his shift and be safely home, greeting his children and having his tea.
As time ticked away, he started to get the feeling he was being watched. Watched by someone or something. His thoughts drifted back to his family.
Suddenly, one of the lights went out. He started to feel a little more edgy. Nonsense he told himself, this was just his imagination.
Another light went out. His heart missed a beat. It all happened so quickly. A hand grasped his mouth. He tried to breathe, but he couldn’t. His head started to feel woozy. He collapsed, unconscious.
Quickly, the criminal tied the unconscious guard to one of the gate’s bars and hurried up the spiral staircase, hoping not to be seen. He bolted up the stairs, his heart racing. The criminal took the narrow path between two bookshelves where he knew the guards wouldn’t look. The tiny passageway led to a long flight of stone steps. The dusty stairway lead to a small corridor and that led to his dream ambition. There it was! The thing of a criminal’s dream…the crown jewels.
His eyes bulged. The jewels shimmered in the torchlight like a rainbow.
The lasers were easy. One cup of water took care of them. He took a picture of his surroundings and stuck them onto the CCTV camera, hoping his trick would pay off. Now for the infrared camera. He pressed an array of buttons on his remote and froze the infrared camera. The crown jewels had a pressure sensor, so he took out his bag of salt, put it on the pressure sensor and removed the crown jewels.
All the years that he had been bullied at school, now he’d show them, because he would be so powerful and rich. He hurriedly put the royal jewels into his sack, plucking them off their stands, feeling their glossy smoothness.
Excitement swirled around him.
He crept out into the cold, black corridors, amazed that it was so easy.
RoboBat circled the infamous tower, not yet aware that someone was robbing the crown jewels. RoboBat, a security robot that looked like a bat, stationed himself in the perfect area for protecting the crown jewels. A strange figure was now coming towards him, holding a sack. His robot mind set to work.
Immediately, RoboBat swooped down and grabbed the crown jewels and took off with the criminal in hot pursuit.
RoboBat swooped on its silicone wings, using the techniques that he was programmed to do. Swooping, swerving, twisting, flying along at high speed and shot along the medieval passageway. Feeling the air resistance pushing against his wings, he set his power to 200%. RoboBat used this to his advantage and headed towards the police on their night shift.
“Capture him” a policeman yelled to another.
The criminal was arrested and swiftly transported to Black Hill prison. He was sentenced for three years and William Redwood was taken to hospital, given a medal and promoted for bravery.
It was a dark, rainy night at the Tower of London. The wind howled menacingly, and the ravens shrieked in protest. If the weather is this, remember my warning; never, ever try to steal the crown jewels because a RoboBat is always watching out for criminals.