Montana A Stayer, click
here to update your pages on AuthorsDen.
The Subject and the Scientist: A Conversation by Montana A Stayer
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Rated "PG" by the Author.
This is a short I wrote that happens after my book. It's just a simple conversation between the Subject and the Scientist.
(He says in this short that she's been alive for 6 years, which is true , but she has the body of an eight-year-old and the mental capacity of a fifteen-year-old)
“Good morning!”
I stop in the doorway of the kitchen, startled by her sudden cheerful greeting.
“What.” I’m not awake enough for this.
“Good morning!” she repeats, just as annoyingly as the first time. “I made you breakfast!” She excitedly points to the table.
There’s a bowl of soggy cereal and a cup of coffee on the table. I stare at it for a moment.
“How did you…“
“I’ve watched you very carefully for the past few weeks and you usually eat that and have that drink. I was very careful and I didn’t spill or break anything.” She points to the coffee maker. “It took me a little while to figure that thing out but I think I did it! And then I put the other stuff in the cup like you do. I think I did it all right!”
“Why would you-no, never mind, I don’t care,” I mutter, walking past her and getting the cup of coffee. I look at the unappealing bowl of cereal then at her. “Throw that away,” I say, starting to head back out the door.
“Wait! Did…did I do it wrong?”
“Yes.”
“Oh…I-I’m sorry. I was just trying to-um-could you still sit down with me? You don’t have to eat.”
“Why?”
“I just want to talk. Like we used to.”
“Why?”
“I miss it. If we have a conversation then…then I’ll leave you alone all day, I promise!”
“…Fine,” I relent. She smiles and quickly sits down at the table. I sit down across from her, sliding the bowl of cereal out of the way. I don’t want to ‘talk like we used to’. I was glad that stopped. But if having a simple conversation now keeps her away from me for the rest of the day, I’ll do it.
I wait for her to say something but she just stares at me
“…Well, what do you want to talk about?” I ask, eager to get this over with.
“How long have I been alive?” she asks, quickly.
“That’s a strange question,” I mutter.
“I’m just curious.”
“You’ve been alive for six years.”
“Oh. That’s longer than I thought,” she pauses, “How long will I live?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can you estimate?”
“Honestly, it’s a miracle you’ve lasted this long,” I answer, “I wouldn’t expect you to last longer than four or five more years.” She lowers her head for a moment. I wonder where she’s going with this.
“Okay,” she says, looking back up at me, “How long have you been alive?”
“Forty-two years.”
Her eyes widen. “You’re very old,” she whispers.
I try to hide my amusement by taking a sip of coffee. I promptly spit the disgusting liquid back into the mug and shove it aside. Did I really think that the child who was raised in the basement had made a decent cup of coffee. I get up to make myself a cup.
“Continue.”
“…How long do people live?”
“The average lifespan is about eighty years.”
“Oh.”
“Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.” She stays quiet until I sit back down at the table.
“You’re going to outlive me,” she suddenly states.
“…Yes,” I say, slowly.
“Are you going to miss me when I die?”
“No.”
“Oh,” she pauses, “…I’ll miss you when I die.”
“Why would you miss me?”
“Because I love you,” she says, confused, “Of course I’ll miss you.”
“You keep saying that and I still don’t understand. Why do you think you love me?”
“I don’t ‘think’ I love you,” she frowns, “I do love you.”
“Fine,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. “You still haven’t said why.”
She taps her finger on the table for a moment then stares out the window.
“Well?”
“Wait, please, I’m thinking,” she says, quietly.
Okay… I take a sip of my coffee. Ah, that’s better. I wonder what on earth she did to the cup she made. I glance at the bowl of cereal. She had to have made it a couple hours ago…ew.
“Oh!” she suddenly exclaims, startling me.
“What?”
“I figured it out,” she says, looking at me, “Okay, think of it like this: Imagine that you’ve only ever known one person. The person who made you. They teach you. They take care of you. They hurt you. They say you’re nothing and you believe them. You’re nothing. But it doesn’t matter because they’re…everything. Nothing matters but them because without them you have nothing. I am nothing without you. You made me. You are everything I’ve ever known. How can I not love you?”
I don’t say anything.
She continues, “See, that’s why you hate me. Without me, you’re still something. I’m nothing. Losing me doesn’t mean anything because you aren’t losing anything. You are still something.”
“…That’s very insightful,” I mutter. She tilts her head. “You’re smart.”
“Is…that a good thing?”
“Yes and no. It’s a good thing because it’s easier to explain things to you. It’s a bad thing because it’s harder to hide things from you.”
“Oh.”
“So is that all?”
“Um, yes. Thank you for talking to me,” she smiles. I stand up and head for the doorway, ignoring her statement.
“Remember what you said,” I say, pausing in the doorway, “You’re going to leave me alone for the rest of the day.”
“Right,” she says, “…Does that include nighttime too?”
“Yes.”
“But what if I have a nightmare?”
“Then you’ll sit in your room and suffer,” I mumble, continuing out the door.
“Um, okay!” I hear her call, “And I’m sorry about breakfast!”
An interesting story with quite a connotation. I can't help thinking that the creation is a talking dog. One that only lives about 15 years but regardless of how it's treated gives unconditional love. Sorry for the spoiler…
Or, it could be a monkey because it would be extremely difficult for a dog to make breakfast but a monkey could.
See which way the winds have blown in the Winds of Time!!
Order your Kindle copy today!!
Author Bruce Alan Humphrey creates a fascinating world where medieval mores and cutting-edge technology converge. Winds of Time tells the gripping tale of Tarl
Talcon Star City has been honored as a "Finalist" of the 2012 International Book Awards in the "Fiction: Science Fiction" category.
Commodore Robert Sheppard fights to save the peacekeeping Alliance of Worlds from otherworldly aliens in Gary
5-star Review on Amazon: "A terrific read about a very disturbing subject!! The book is exciting and interesting and chilling and alarming! A literary ride that is well worth the time and money."
----
Aggressive AI invades young boy. Can he sav
