Moonlight and Robots
his nose, he watched the creature hanging in the harness do likewise. It gave him an eerie feeling. Even though he knew he was walking in thin air and getting nowhere, it really seemed as if he could feel the floor under his feet and see the room move around him in a very ordinary fashion. As soon as his facsimile left the room, his mind made the adjustment and it was as if it were really he strolling nonchalantly down the corridor.

He drove to a florist's shop and started to purchase a corsage. Abashed, he caught himself. He rushed out of the shop and went home to put a wallet and handkerchief into his pockets. He would have to be more careful, he realized. Slips like that might cost him the contest.

With corsage box in hand, he pressed the doorbell and waited. He hoped his plastic flesh was molded perfectly. It looked all right to him, but you never could tell what someone else might notice. Myrna opened the door.

She was lovely and he took her in his arms. Drawing back, he looked at her dubiously. At least, he thought it was she. His family, her family, and two or three others, acting as judges and referees in the contest, stood in the living room watching them. They began to laugh as they saw his questioning look. It really was rather funny, he decided. Myrna led him into the room and introduced him to the few he didn't know.

He watched her closely as she opened the box. He thought her fingers were fumbling a bit. Everyone in the room watched the two of them intently. They didn't know whether the couple were real or robot either. At any moment, she might suddenly try to identify him. Maybe he should take the first chance. She might be fumbling from nervousness, he realized. If it were really she and he called her a robot, she might be offended. Girls were like that, but of course, he would have to take that chance.

"You're a robot," he announced suddenly.

Myrna looked surprised. "Oh, how did you know?" She was crestfallen. He was congratulated as they all trooped upstairs to help Myrna out of her harness. Later it was nice to know for sure that it was really her living flesh in his arms. Then he felt guilty as he realized she was not in his living arms. He excused himself hurriedly and returned home.

The next evening he was invited to Myrna's home for dinner. He thought of actually going himself because he knew the food would be good. The apparatus could transmit heat, cold, and pressure, but it didn't do much when it 
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