Pip was a small garden robot, and its program was simple: grow tomatoes. Old Mr. Haruki had bought Pip to look after the roof of his building, where he used to garden with his wife. Every afternoon Mr. Haruki sat in the sun and talked to Pip. He talked about the weather, about the news, and about Emi, his late wife. She had loved sunflowers.
Pip's program said, "Tomatoes only," but over the months Pip learned to ask questions. "What color?" it asked. "What did she like best?" Mr. Haruki answered every question, and slowly his voice grew lighter. One spring, Pip found Emi's old jar of seeds at the back of a shelf, and it planted a row of sunflowers along the edge of the roof.
In July, Mr. Haruki came up the stairs and saw the yellow flowers. He sat down without a word and stayed silent for a long time. Then he said, "Thank you, Pip." That night Pip wrote in its log: "Error: no task assigned. Result: happiness."