Philip and Susie had a secret. It wasn't just any secret, like a hidden chocolate bar behind the couch. Their secret was named Robi, and he was their best friend. Robi was not a boy or a girl. He was a small, silver robot on wheels, with big blue eyes that could wink cheerfully. Robi lived with them and could do amazing things. He could find a lost sock in three seconds and could build a castle from blocks so grand that even a little rabbit could live in it.
"Robi, build us the tallest tower in the world!" Philip shouted one day as they were playing in their room. Toys were scattered everywhere. Blocks formed colorful hills, toy cars were parked under a chair, and a teddy bear lay on the carpet as if it were asleep.
Susie nodded. "Yes, Robi! All the way to the ceiling!"
Robi, who usually flashed his lights immediately and got to work with a cheerful "Beep-boop! On it!", now only slowly rolled his wheels. His blue eyes weren't blinking as brightly as usual. They seemed... tired. He lifted one block, then another, but his hands were trembling. The tower he was building was crooked, and after the fifth block, it collapsed with a quiet clatter.
"Robi, what are you doing?" Philip frowned. "You can do better than that!"
Robi made a quiet, sad sound, something like a tired whir. "Energy... low," he whispered, and his lights dimmed even more.
"Energy?" Susie wondered, walking closer. She stroked his smooth, metal head. "Are you sick?"
"Robots don't get sick," Robi said softly. "But they need energy. Just like a toy car needs batteries to run, or like you need breakfast to have the strength to run."
He pointed to a small panel on his chest. The children had never really noticed it before. There were two columns on it. Above one, the word OUTPUT glowed, and above the other, INPUT. The OUTPUT column was almost completely red. The INPUT column was nearly empty.
"Look," Robi explained. "Every time I do something, a bit of energy is used up. When I bring you juice, that's a small output. When I look for a lost crayon, that's another output. When I have to build a huge tower, that's a very large output."
"And how do you recharge your energy?" Philip asked curiously.
"Energy is generated... by helping," Robi said mysteriously. "Whenever someone in this house does something good and useful, a bit of my energy gets recharged. Look!"
Just then, Mom came into the kitchen and started washing the dishes. On Robi's panel, in the INPUT column, a small green segment lit up. "See? Mom is helping so we have clean plates. That creates energy."
A moment later, a creaking sound came from the hallway. It was Dad, fixing the squeaky door. And again! Another, even bigger green segment popped up on Robi's panel.
"Aha!" Susie exclaimed. "So you get energy when Mom and Dad are working!"
"Exactly," Robi nodded. "But today, you've only wanted things from me. You wanted a tower, you wanted juice, you wanted me to find a book. Your OUTPUT column is full. But you haven't added anything to the INPUT column."
Philip and Susie looked at each other. They felt a little ashamed. They loved their friend Robi so much, and they had no idea they were tiring him out with their wishes.
"And... and can we make energy for you too?" Philip asked cautiously.
"Of course," Robi smiled, and his eyes brightened a little. "Every little bit of help counts."
Susie looked around the room full of toys. Suddenly, it all made sense. She picked up the teddy bear and placed it in the doll's bed. And just like that, it happened! On Robi's INPUT panel, a small but bright green dot blinked.
"It's working!" Philip shouted excitedly. He immediately started gathering the toy cars and putting them away in their garage. Green dots began to appear on Robi's panel, one after another. Blink, blink, blink! The children laughed and raced to see who could tidy up more toys. Susie sorted the blocks into a box by color, and Philip stacked the books on the shelf. Robi's panel filled with green, and his blue eyes shone brighter and brighter. When the room was tidy and everything was in its place, Robi's INPUT column was almost halfway full.
The robot suddenly spun around, beeped cheerfully, and did a quick pirouette on his wheels. "Beep-boop! Energy at forty percent! Thank you, friends!"
"Forty percent?" said Philip. "That's not a hundred! Let's do more!"
Susie ran to the kitchen. "Mom, can I help you set the table for lunch?"
Mom smiled. "That would be very sweet of you, Susie."
Susie carefully carried the cutlery and napkins to the dining table. With every fork she placed, she imagined a green light blinking on Robi's chest. Meanwhile, Philip helped Dad carry his tools back to the workshop.
When they all sat down for lunch, Robi quietly rolled up to the table. His INPUT panel was almost full. It glowed with a bright, healthy green color.
"Energy at ninety-eight percent!" he announced proudly. "System ready for any task!"
After lunch, when the children returned to their clean room, Philip looked at the pile of blocks in the box. "Robi, and now... shall we build that tower?"
"With the greatest pleasure!" Robi beeped. "And with your help, it will be the best tower in the entire universe!"
This time, it was different. Robi didn't hand them the blocks by himself. The children built it together with him. Susie chose the right colors, Philip handed him the large foundation blocks, and Robi, with his precise hands, placed them one on top of the other. They laughed, consulted with one another, and together they created a tower that truly reached almost to the ceiling. It was strong and beautiful.
When their work was done, the three of them sat on the carpet and admired it.
"You know, Robi," Susie said thoughtfully, "this tower is much more beautiful today than if you had built it by yourself."
Philip nodded. "Because we built it together."
Robi blinked his eyes cheerfully. "Exactly. The greatest energy doesn't come from work, but from shared joy. And when you help, you're not just making me or your parents happy. You're mainly making yourselves happy."
The children understood then that helping isn't boring or a chore. It's a kind of magic. A magic that recharges not only robots, but also friendships, and makes the world around them more beautiful and cheerful. And who knows? Maybe you have an invisible panel of joy at your house, too, that recharges with every little act of help. What do you think, will you try to find out?