A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

Dex and Mosscap approach the village of Stump, encountering many 200-year-old trees that are still considered young. All the old giant trees were cut down during the Factory Age when humans did not take good care of their environment. A giant stump at the edge of town has been made into a shrine, and it is from this stump that the village takes its name. The shrine is dedicated to Bosh, and the village has decorated the stump with brightly colored ribbons. When Dex offers a prayer to Bosh at the shrine, Mosscap questions the purpose of doing so. Dex explains that prayer is not for the god but is rather for people. By praying, people demonstrate that they are paying attention to Bosh’s work in the world.

Mosscap relates Dex’s need for prayer to its own sense of wholeness. It says that it does not need ritual or objects to connect itself to the natural world. Dex replies that humans need shrines, festivals, and special objects to remind them of the “bigger pictures.” They imply that the meaning of life is bigger than daily details. Dex notes the irony in Mosscap’s statement: It says it does not need objects to feel whole, but in reality, Mosscap is a constructed object itself. Dex believes that meeting Mosscap will change how people think about objects.

Mosscap disagrees and says that it is not trying to change people, but only to gain perspective on human life. Dex informs Mosscap that learning about others is a two-way proposition, a kind of exchange where the learner and the teacher influence each other. This information upsets Mosscap, who worries that it will fail in providing perspective about robots to humans. Dex, however, reassures Mosscap that it will do well in educating humans at the same time humans educate it. Dex expresses strong support for Mosscap’s mission and pledges to help the process.

As the two enter Stump, they see banners and decorations welcoming Mosscap. A throng of people awaits their arrival, but everyone is shocked into silence when they see Mosscap. Finally, Mrs. Waverly steps up and welcomes them. Just as Mosscap begins to thank the woman, it is distracted by a dog barking. Mosscap has many questions about the dog, but the villagers are annoyed that the dog has upset the welcome they had planned. Mosscap, however, is fascinated by the dog and lies down on the pavement in a gesture of passive acceptance. The two become friends.

Dex gently reminds Mosscap that it should pay attention to other animals and beings in the village. Mrs. Waverly asks Dex what the villagers can do for them. Dex is flummoxed. They have not experienced unscripted interaction with other people. They finally tell Mrs. Waverly that Mosscap has a question for them: “What do people need?” (26). After initial awkwardness, the villagers come up with a myriad of tasks. This annoys Dex, who checks in with Mosscap. Mosscap assures them that it is very happy to fulfill the villagers’ needs. In addition, Mosscap insists that Dex meet their own needs. It arranges with Mrs. Waverly a meal and bath for Dex.

Dex worries that doing menial tasks is not the answer to Mosscap’s fundamental question. After a good meal, Dex tackles email again but quickly becomes overwhelmed. They decide to go to the bathhouse where they discover a natural hot spring. Dex relaxes in the warm water but becomes uncomfortable when other villagers arrive. Dex realizes that their discomfort stems from feeling that they have not provided service to the villagers in exchange for the meal and bath. Dex wonders if they should set up a tea service and recalls how providing tea in the early days gave Dex great enjoyment. Now, however, they find it unfulfilling, as they are seeking a greater purpose. Dex also realizes that part of their discomfort comes from allowing themselves to get overworked and burned out. They finally tell themselves, “Welcome comfort […]. Without it, you cannot stay strong” (31).

When Dex reconnects with Mosscap, the robot expresses great joy in the map the villagers have given it. The map is Mosscap’s first possession. Mosscap also has many questions for Dex concerning a slip of paper from a villager. The paper lists tasks Mosscap has performed followed by numbers. Dex explains the concept of “pebs.” A peb is a form of exchange and gives humans a way of accounting for goods and services. Dex is clear that a peb, while a form of payment, is neither currency nor barter. Rather, pebs are about providing for and receiving benefit from the community. Dex reveals that people receive what they need whether or not they have pebs in exchange. Everyone has problems now and again, and if the community sees that an individual is not contributing to the benefit of the community, members try to help that individual regain their footing. Mosscap argues that it should not receive pebs because it is not a member of the community or a person. Dex reassures it that since the villagers have credited it with pebs, they see it as being equal to a person. This alleviates some of Dex’s worries that people are taking advantage of Mosscap. Mosscap summarizes the economic system thusly: “Pebs are a way to acknowledge mutual benefit within your society. […] By giving me pebs, are they saying I’m part of your society as well?” (39). Dex agrees that this is so. The chapter concludes with Mosscap’s stunned realization that it now has a map, a note, and a pocket computer, and will soon have a satchel.