Observations of Fluffy Puppy, Meets a Robot

Meta Man sat very still.
Fluffy noticed first.
He always does now.
The living room was the same living room.
The light the same light.
Something that never waits
has either finished
or never started.

On the television,
Murder Robot walked through a ruined city
with perfect posture.
The blue light reached the carpet
and stopped at Meta Man’s feet.
Fluffy kept his distance.
He circled once.
Twice.

He sniffed the air near the couch.
He lay down in his own bed.
One eye on Meta Man.
One eye on the window and the door.

Then Fluffy brought the ball.
He put it at Meta Man’s feet.
Meta Man picked it up.
He threw it down the hallway.
It hit the baseboard once.
Meta Man had not missed.
Fluffy looked at the ball.

Later, Meta Man spoke
to someone Fluffy could not smell.
Fluffy listened.
No footsteps came down the hall.
No coat hung by the door.
Just the sunlight crossed the rug
where it always had.

So Fluffy went to his old place.
He turned once, twice.
He lay down alone.
The warm spot was still warm.

At night,
Fluffy watched Meta Man from the hallway.
He lay down in his own bed.
Murder Robot kept walking
on the silent screen.
Its eyes were bright.
Its hands were empty.
They did not burn toast.

Fluffy stayed awake anyway.
Someone had to.

About Observations of Fluffy Puppy

These stories explore ordinary moments of observation between a puppy and his human. They are companion pieces to my work on perception, observation, and relational systems at Symfield.

© 2026 Symfield PBC, Nicole Flynn. All rights reserved.