3600 words later, a great story. This is a bit longer than we expect in the community. As this curator approached the story it was with a sigh and determination to read through to the end. However, when the end came, it came quickly. There is so much here. Besides the fact that it is written brilliantly, there are issues of consciousness, of ignorance, of greed and survival.

The last line is a killer. We are prepared for this powerful emotion, expressed by a robotic entity, when you early on write this line:

It became aware of itself

We have parallel but opposing destinies that meet in the rubble. G4.A murdered and destroyed without conscience. He lies alone in his awareness. Rachna captures birds that will be caged for the vain amusement of the privileged. When she discovers G4.A she is fully aware of its significance. She contemplates the change that would occur in her life if this 'find' were publicized. She decides to destroy the robotic entity and keep its presence secret. Out of selfishness and ignorance, she dooms the entity to an eternity of loneliness and silence.

In the end, Rachna wanders back to a life of struggle, content with the limits of her existence. G4.A is left with that most human of feelings: despair. He has the gift of awareness and has been sentenced to an eternity of silence and solitude.

The story is memorable. Every one of the 3600 words worth reading.