Forelsket (noun): the euphoria of first falling in love

“It’s working! It’s actually working!” The voice, old and husky, fluttered about the room with the enthusiasm of a tiny child.

“Yes, grandpa! I’m proud of you!”

Grabbing onto the edge of the table, the elderly man hugged his granddaughter close and eagerly watched his robot move about the Lego-constructed map, the little device completing a full loop around the structures before returning to its origin.

“Oh! That’s beautiful,” he sighed happily, caressing the colorful building blocks with a wrinkled hand. “Just imagine how far you kids can go nowadays with this technology. I wish I could do that, too.”

The young girl beside him raised a playful eyebrow. “What are you talking about? You just did! It’s fun, isn’t it?”

A warmth crept up the old man’s back. Nothing in his life had made him as fascinated as he was now. For the long years he’d lived in the rural farm villages, the closest thing to a robot was the family tractor. To think that children already built complicated structures and programmed intricate robots, only for the sake of fun…

Taking his granddaughter’s hand, he cheerfully turned back to the computer and began working once again on his newfound passion.