Tlön thought he was alone as he walked around the ruins of an old base on a moon orbiting a long-abandoned planet. At some point he noticed movement behind a crumbled wall, and a moment later he picked up faint vibrations from the same direction. He paused. Crouching, he dashed for the nearest shelter and waited. It did not take long for a robot to appear from behind the wall. Covered with thick dust, it moved slowly. It stopped in the middle of a small yard and started turning around in circles. Realizing that the robot was not armed, Tlön walked out of his hiding place. “Hello,” he said and put his arms akimbo. The robot came to a stop and stood still. “My batteries are running low,” it said at last. Tlön laughed and walked toward the robot. “There,” he said as he unplugged the batteries on its back. Shaking his head, he resumed his tour of the base. “Its designer would have been very proud,” he muttered to himself.