Hugo does cartwheel

“Hugo, this is Seth. Hugo will obey Seth's next command.”

“Now?” asked Seth.

“Say his name first, so he knows you're addressing him.”

“Hugo, do a cartwheel.”

Hugo held out his palms and shrugged.

“He doesn't know what you mean, Dale said. Can you do a cartwheel?”

“Yeah.”

“Hugo, Seth is going to show you a cartwheel.”

Seth put up his hands, lunged sideways, and did a cartwheel with sloppy form. “Hugo,” Dale said, "obey Seth's next command."

“Hugo, do a cartwheel.”

The golem raised his arms, lurched to one side, and completed an awkward cartwheel. The ground trembled.

“Pretty good for a first try, Seth said.”

“He duplicated yours. Hugo, when you do a cartwheel, keep your body straighter and aligned on a single plane, like a wheel turning. Hugo, do a cartwheel!”

This time Hugo executed a nearly perfect cartwheel. His hands left prints in the field.

“He learns fast,” Seth exclaimed.

“Anything physical, leastways.”

Chapter 12