The Art of Improvement

Once upon a time, there were three tigers and thirty deer in a jungle. They lived happily because the jungle was beautiful and they had enough to do. Visitors came and went; seasons fell and rose. Visitors watched from afar. Tigers walked majestically; visitors liked seeing deer eating grass and minding their own business.

One day, after about four years, something called Animecha was invented. These were robots that could change forms from an animal to a Mecha suit. They could play back recorded animal voices and replicate their movements with 70% accuracy.

The government thought, why have Tigers and Deer? They get sick and die; they eat and sleep too much. What else do they do for humanity? They are just a waste. So a decision was made in the board meeting led by the president himself, and everyone voted to replace the animals with Animecha.

They started to execute the plan. Animals were not happy about it, but what could they do? Suddenly, the jungle became irrelevant to them. They left the jungle and came to the city. It was high risk for them because, generally, city people didn’t have enough space for them, and they were afraid when the distance between them was no longer enough!

First, they asked for food. Nobody willingly gave it to them, because the general crowd simply didn’t understand animal language. So it became a battle for survival. Humans had weapons, so tigers couldn’t attack them right away. They started to eat those fellow deer. The deer tried to run; they broke through the household doors and entered. They managed to kick some humans to death before residents could fight back. Then human counterattacks killed some of them. The rest went to the tigers’ stomachs.

Soon there were no deer to eat anymore. And tigers were getting weak without food. So they started attacking humans to eat and live. They didn’t know whom to eat first, so they went for the fattest and the best meat around. As a matter of fact, the government people had a bit of bulk in them. They looked quite delicious! Tigers felt compelled. They tried their best to reach out and eat these humans. The president became their first target. Three tigers surrounded him and tried to bite. They managed to eat both of his arms and a leg before the security guards could kill them. Then the hunger also died out because there was no one to satisfy.

Humans became afraid and no longer wanted to leave their homes to visit the jungle.

The government became afraid and put a countrywide ban on animals. Then they stayed within their air-conditioned offices. The President had to lay off most of his security guards by shouting, because it was hard to point at any particular one after losing both his hands.

Animachas still roam in the jungle. If you ever see a tiger, not caring to eat and just roaring for nothing in particular, it is probably one of them! They still serve their purpose, even if it’s not perfect and the cause has ceased to exist.