Time got strange for One Seventeen after he stopped having changes to look forward to. Individual days mattered less than his routine. He’d wake up, get assigned a work schedule, perform his duties, and relax with his fellow donkeys in the evenings. Things had a nice comfortable pattern to them.
His routine did get disrupted on occasion. After finishing all his corporate training, it was fun getting a new batch of recruits to help show the ropes. They all seemed so confused and nervous about things that were patently obvious to even a dim beast like One Seventeen.
Before long though, they were just as trained up as he was. The only real disruption to One Seventeen’s schedules were holidays. Either he’d get the day off with all his fellow donkeys, or they’d all band together for some large noisy construction project while all the humans were away. One Seventeen wasn’t the biggest fan of holidays. Sure the days off were nice, but he’d prefer to just stick to his schedule.
There was some holiday he was supposed to be looking forward to though. Something… three months in the future? It wasn’t on the official work schedule, so at some point he forgot what it was that was so important.
Finally one morning Donkey One Seventeen was standing alone in the sleeping quarters making his bed. He was running a little late that morning, so he’d probably have to settle for an oat bar for breakfast.
Just as he tossed his pillow down, One Seventeen heard a posh British accent speak up.
“Transformation complete. Ending autonomous mode. Resuming normal functions.” The sudden voice liked using big words.
“Haw!? Who’s there?” One Seventeen spun around.
“It’s Owen sir. Your Chronivac 5 Pro.” The voice was coming from… his watch? Haw, right!
“Owen, you’re talking again!” One Seventeen’s ears shot up.
The voice on his wrist was synthetic, but it sounded somewhat amused. “Yes sir, I’m no longer in low power mode.”
One Seventeen’s mind was still trying to catch up to things. Owen was back!
“I hope you enjoyed those three months sir.” Owen said, “For customer feedback purposes, could you please rate your change on a scale of one to five stars?”
“Haw?” It had been three months already? One Seventeen had a better feel for how long weeks were. Months felt like a small eternity. “Umm… I’m not sure I understand sir.”
“Did you like being turned into a donkey?” Owen asked patiently.
One Seventeen’s face lit up, “Hee haw! Yes sir. Being a Paper Corp Donkey is a rewarding and fulfilling career. Would you like to learn more? I can direct you to Mr. Smith for more information.”
Owen let out a polite laugh, “I’m a digital voice assistant sir. I can’t get a job as a donkey.” There was a soft beep, “I’m just going to indicate your feedback as five stars.”
“Hee haw, okay sir.” One Seventeen looked down at his wristwatch, still a little unsure how to be dealing with a talking gadget. “Can I go start my work assignment?”
“One moment please,” Owen chimed in, “As per our original agreement, I’m supposed to inform you that I have your original profile backed up and you can revert back at any time.”
One Seventeen stared at his watch, “Haw?”
The watch showed a spinning indicator for a second. It switched over to talking to him in brays, and started using shorter words.
“You can be a human again if you would like,” his watch brayed. Somehow it was still braying in a British accent.
One Seventeen narrowed his eyes, “Owen, my contract with Paper Corp is for three years. I’ve still got-“ He paused, “-a lot of time left.”
“Sir, I’m a Chronivac 5 Pro.” Owen explained “I can adjust your physical form or alter reality as you see fit. All you need to do is ask.”
“Haw? Really?” One Seventeen’s ears twitched pensively, “I- Please give me a minute to think sir.”