Her face is masked with a screen
Flashing, buzzing, glowing bright
The night air sends a cool breeze.
Confused, curious, shivering cold
I can’t make out what the box reads
Squinting, I search for the truth.
I hear a voice inside my ear,
A voice of confidence, wisdom, and comfort.
‘I should of known it would come to this’
It whispered without a hint of shock or alarm.
My head spins with ‘what ifs’ and ideas.
How did she come to be like this?
‘Be careful’ I hear in reply
The Voice I feel I’ve known for so long.
She walks towards me before I do.
Stomp, stomp, stomp, crunch.
She lifts her foot from a piece of glass that fell from her head.
Thump, thump, thump, silence.
I read the single word on the glowing box,
Separate.
This strange word intrigues me.
I finally voice my questions
Hoarse, raspy, awkward in the quiet.
I wait for a response.
Nothing.
The Voice sends messages of caution to my brain.
Screeching, sirens, yells, scurrying
The box faced girl is snapped away
like a book from a criminal.
I go to the Voice for some kind of explanation.
A soft, still, understanding response.
I am overwhelmed with anger and awe at this possibility.
An error, a failure,
Something went wrong, a goal not achieved,
A brilliant invention that back fired.
How could this be?
How could they do this?
A genetic mistake,
a girl separate from the rest.