(Found) Short story about lonely robot during ice age

[ErinMiche]

I read this short story in a paperback as a child growing up in the 80s. But my dad collected sci fi books his whole life, so I can't be sure of when it was written.

The basic plot is a worker drone performs menial tasks (perhaps monitoring a station?) on Earth. The planet is in an ice age and humans are extinct. The robot discovers a frozen human male and uploads its consciousness into the corpse. He awakens and struggles to cope as a human. He persuades another robot to allow him to upload its consciousness into another frozen corpse, a female. It agrees, and he has a companion. (In retrospect, it's a retelling of the Adam and Eve parable.)

 

[Hugh]

Allowing some slack, this could be the wonderful “For a Breath I Tarry” Roger Zelazny (1966)

For a Breath I tarry

afrodita.rcub.bg.ac.rs

Please do let me/us know if this is right.

Reading through it I see an interesting typo in the last line below:
"No," said Frost, "the transmission of my matrix has already begun. If you destroy me now, you murder a Man."
There was silence.
He moved his arms and his legs. He opened his eyes.
He looked about the room.
He tried to stand, but he lacked equilibrium and coordination.
He opened his mouse. He made a gurgling noise.

 

[Danny McG]

I often make a gurgling sound when I open a mouse

 

[Alex The G and T]

I changed the batteries when I open a mouse.

 

[hitmouse]

Isnt this part of that sf subgenre affectionately known as shaggy god stories?

 

[ErinMiche]

Allowing some slack, this could be the wonderful “For a Breath I Tarry” Roger Zelazny (1966)

For a Breath I tarry

afrodita.rcub.bg.ac.rs

Please do let me/us know if this is right.

Reading through it I see an interesting typo in the last line below:
"No," said Frost, "the transmission of my matrix has already begun. If you destroy me now, you murder a Man."
There was silence.
He moved his arms and his legs. He opened his eyes.
He looked about the room.
He tried to stand, but he lacked equilibrium and coordination.
He opened his mouse. He made a gurgling noise.

Oh my god, I think this is it! After three decades, I got some of the details wrong. Thank you so much!

 

[Hugh]

Huzzah! That's great! Many thanks for letting us know.

It's always interesting what we remember and what we've forgotten in these stories we read so many years ago.