TIDI

Billy created the most advanced machine he thought anyone had ever built. Inspired by a programme he watched where people made machines out of junk, Billy decided he was going to make his own-A machine that would do as he commanded.
For a month Billy worked on his design. He drew sketch after sketch, refining and modifying his design until he came up with the perfect model. All he had to do was build it. With his father's tool shed at the end of the garden repurposed as Billy Mackie Enterprises HQ, Billy set to work. He raided scrap yards and junk shops for old motors, broken fridges and washing machines, pipes, coils, springs, washers, levers and pulleys, placing all his finds into a four wheeled trolley that he carted back to his workshop.
Before he set to work he pinned a sign on the tool shed door to ward off any intruders-mostly being his nosey parents.
'DO NOT ENTER, OR ELSE!' it read.
After many false starts-one of which resulted in a minor fire from an overheating element that set fire to his ElectroWarrior comics-Billy had finally completed his project. He stood, with his hands on his hips, his chest puffed and his chin raised, proudly admiring his creation.
"I shall call him a Technological Initiator of Direct Instructions. Or TIDI for short," he said.
There were naturally some teething troubles with TIDI. When Billy gave him his first task of filling the dishwasher after dinner, TIDI threw the plates onto the rack, smashing all of them. Then when Billy told TIDI to hang out the washing he flung knickers, socks, trousers and shirts across the fence into next door's garden, to the surprise of Mrs Rogerson and her cat who wrestled with a pair of ElectroWarrior pants on his head.
But eventually TIDI was working perfectly and performing all the chores Billy's mother had given Billy to do. It was a relief, especially when Billy set TIDI to clean his room-the dirtiest room in the house. TIDI whipped up the toys, books, comics, clothes, cushions, shoes and socks in an instant and had everything neatly tidied away and folded up in a flash. All Billy did was lay back on his bed and enjoy the time to relax. He wondered, now that TIDI was perfect, whether everyone would want one.
'Surely they would,' he thought. 'I could be rich.'
Sure enough, when Billy took TIDI to show and tell at school all the kids were in awe. They crowded round Billy and TIDI, asking Billy all sorts of questions like how did it work? how long it took to build? what could it do? and if it could give everyone the answers to next week's maths test. Billy beamed with pride and revelled in the attention he got from all the kids in his class. He felt like a rock star. All that day he heard mutterings from kids in the school corridors as he walked passed them. They all called him a genius.
And for most of the summer Billy was the local genius. The Wilton Gardenia Chronicle, the local newspaper, wrote an article about Billy and his super helper, the local radio station interviewed him, and he even appeared on the news, demonstrating TIDI's skills. But Billy was working TIDI too hard. Everyday Billy set TIDI to do his chores, not doing any himself. TIDI started to tire. His circuits and wires smouldered causing smoke to escape through his ears and mouth, his pipe arms had bent and flexed so much they started to split, his rubber feet had worn thin and his coiled inner workings were overheating. But Billy didn't pay any attention to the warning signs.
One morning when Billy instructed TIDI to make his breakfast TIDI went into overdrive. He began to shake violently and smoke gusted from every orifice. Before Billy could stop him TIDI was whirling round the house untidying everything in sight. He took CDs out of cases and threw them across the room, scrunched up newspapers and dumped them on the coffee table, put all the dirty dishes from the sink onto the dining table and stuck all the fur TIDI had previously brushed off Scrubs the dog back onto his body.
"No, TIDI, what are you doing? I command you to stop. I command you to tidy up," said Billy.
But TIDI wasn't listening. He burst through the front door and sped off down the street in search of more things to untidy. Billy leapt onto his bike and tore after him.
"TIDI come back. I order you to come back," he yelled.
TIDI carried on, hell bent on destruction. He ransacked a supermarket and rearranged all the foods, putting frozen chickens next to the bread, courgettes beside the milk and toilet rolls beside biscuits. He then rushed through a hospital and rearranged all the patients, invaded the botanical gardens and replanted the pansies that spelt out 'Welcome to Wilton Gardenia' to spell 'Remelting a cad woolie town'.
Billy apologised to everyone he could shoppers, doctors, nurses, tourists, patients, people on the street that suddenly found their clothes were all inside out, everyone TIDI had come into contact with, and eventually caught sight of TIDI beside a stationary bus, trying to rearrange the parts. The horrified driver and passengers all stood back as TIDI was pulling gears and pistons out of the bus.
Billy saw it as his chance to get back control of his renegade machine. He knew what he had to do but part of him didn't want to do it. He'd invested so much time in building TIDI he didn't want to deactivate him. However seeing the townsfolk all around him shaking their heads and pointing at him made him cower with guilt. He'd gone from hero to villain as quicker than you could say his name.
Billy tiptoed up behind TIDI and reached out his hand. Gingerly he located the switch on the back of TIDI's neck that controlled his power and before TIDI could scoot away, Billy flicked the switch and
TIDI flopped down, his body inside the engine compartment of the bus, and his legs dangling outside. Billy breathed a sigh of relief. He picked up TIDI, turned to the townsfolk and confidently said, "A few minor tweaks needed, I think."