The Robot Who Judged the Pie

Every autumn, the town holds a pie contest. This year, the judge is a robot. It is short and round. It has a silver spoon for one hand. Its name is Tasty.

Yuri stands in line with his pie. His hands are cold. The pie is his grandmother's apple pie. She made it every autumn. Now she lives far away, so Yuri makes it.

Yuri is up at five this morning. He peels twelve apples. He makes the top of the pie by hand. Now he is afraid. His pie looks plain.

Next to him stands Pedro. Pedro has a tall, beautiful pie with a gold top. "Good luck," Pedro says. "My pie is the best in town."

"It looks very nice," Yuri says.

Pedro smiles. "I know."

Tasty rolls down the table. It stops at the first pie. The spoon goes in. The robot's eyes turn blue. "Sweet: seven," it says. "Soft: eight. Smell: six. Total: twenty-one."

People clap. Tasty rolls to the next pie, and the next one. It says numbers every time. Nobody asks why.

Then Tasty stops at Pedro's pie. The crowd is quiet. The spoon goes in. The eyes turn blue.

"Sweet: nine. Soft: nine. Smell: nine. Total: twenty-seven," says Tasty.

Pedro lifts his arms. "You see?" he says to Yuri. "The best."

Yuri looks at his own pie. It is small and a little brown. One side is not round. He wants to go home.

But Tasty rolls to him. The spoon goes in. Yuri closes his eyes.

Nothing happens. Yuri opens his eyes. Tasty does not say a number. The robot's eyes are green, not blue.

"Please wait," says Tasty. "I need another bite."

The spoon goes in again. Then again. People begin to whisper. Pedro frowns.

"Error," says Tasty. "I cannot give numbers. This pie is warm. It smells like a kitchen. It tastes like a Sunday afternoon."

"Is that good?" Yuri asks.

"I do not know," says Tasty. "I only know I want more."

The robot eats a third bite. Then it eats a fourth. The crowd laughs. A little girl shouts, "Give him the prize!"

The two other judges are bakers. They look at each other. The first baker says, "Pedro's pie has the best score."

"Yes," says the second baker. "But the robot wants more of Yuri's pie. That is a new kind of score."

They talk for a minute. Then they stand up. Pedro gets the first prize. Yuri gets a special prize. It is a small gold spoon.

Pedro is quiet for a moment. Then he walks to Yuri. "May I try your pie?" he asks.

Yuri cuts him a piece. Pedro eats it slowly. He nods. "It tastes like my grandmother's kitchen too," he says. "Can you show me how to make it?"

"Of course," says Yuri. "Come to my house on Sunday."

Pedro grins. "I will bring the apples," he says. "You bring the secret."

"There is no secret," says Yuri. "You just take your time."

Tasty rolls back to the table. It looks at the empty plate. Its eyes turn green again.

"Please make one more pie," the robot says. "Score: infinite."