25
Dad didn’t often appear in public. People made up all sorts of wild stories about him,
saying he was a lizard person or from the hollow earth.
Grandma Eleanor said Dad believed what I said about Mom being in another world, and he wanted to find her, so he turned to technology.
Grandma Eleanor also said he was so foolish. Technology and the soul are fundamentally at odds. If he wanted to find someone, he should study the occult.
He was deluded. He wasn’t a god.
He was just a pitiful fool who only knew regret after losing something.
Only I knew what he was truly doing: combining cloning and artificial intelligence.
These things were not permitted internationally.
After Dad became a major shareholder, I was brought to live and study with him in his large seaside villa.
In the villa’s basement, I discovered a high–tech room. Inside the room was a lifelike
Mom.
I touched her skin; it was warm and soft, just like my mom’s. The scent was the same too.
She even had a heartbeat.
I secretly observed her a few times. She would smile gently at Dad like Mom, help him shave and tie his tie, and cook delicious meals.
Dad often stared at her in a daze, so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice when I
slipped in.
Another time when Dad wasn’t home, I went to the basement.
“Mommy,” I whispered to her.
She smiled at me. “Hello. What’s your name? Why are you crying?”
Her voice was exactly like Mom’s. Dad was really amazing.
I said, “Mommy, I’m Lily.”
She reached out and wiped my tears. “Lily, I sense you’re very sad. What can I do to help
you?”
ス
I took her hand and pressed it to my face. “Mommy, let’s play hide–and–seek one more time. You hide under the blanket, and I’ll count to ten and come find you, okay?”
“Okay.” She lay on the floor and covered herself with a blanket.
I counted to ten, then walked towards her.
But in the end, I didn’t pull back that blanket.
7
Because her eyes told me she was just an extremely expensive technological product,
without life.
www.
And my mom’s eyes always held the gentlest light.
My mom was unique.
She was never anyone’s substitute, and no one could replace her.
Moreover, she said she regretted it, regretted meeting Dad.
W
At three years old, I didn’t understand why Mom would be so sad for so long because of
Dad’s words, “You, to me, were nothing more than a physical convenience.”
Now I understand. Because her heartfelt efforts were just a useful tool in Dad’s
eyes.
Even though Dad eventually regretted saying those words, Mom was no longer here. What good was regret?
Finally, I lay beside this automaton, hugged her, and said thank you.
“Mommy, I’m hungry.” I shook her hard, but she still didn’t open her eyes.
“She’s not here.” Then I turned off her program and set the basement on fire…
