Short Stories + Contest Entries

Eve, The Antidote

Another response for a writing class. Hope you like it!

When living your own life, one can say it's unoriginal and completely dull. Totally average. Being a human has that effect, I'm told, but at least the expectations are realistic. Go to school, get a job, pay bills, be happy, die. Very doable, if I might say.

For me, however, I can only dream of having an average life. From the moment I wake up and step outside, I catch stares. Whispers from across the street, mothers tucking away their children with suspicious glares,  cars slowing to sneak a glimpse at my well-built frame. I get it, I walk funny, or more walk loud. My skin gleams under the sun and magnifies my distinctions. My position is inhumane, and the pupil in my eye wraps around my whole center. Mother says I have some kinks to overcome, but that there's time for them to be fixed. Of course, the torment doesn't stop there.

At school, I'm called names, teased, and ridiculed for my monotone voice and extensive knowledge. It's not my fault my mother feeds me Google every day! I've eaten almost every dictionary in the world, I need something new to digest! I'm not sure why my mother forces me to go to school in the first place, considering my expertise in basically everything, but I guess there is one thing I lack that school does have; social interaction. For someone like me, this part is extremely hard. I do my best to be nice, yet still, I sit alone at lunch conducting millions of ways the world could end, the history of mankind, and continuous novels and stories of all kinds.

Mother says I'm a hardcore introvert, but I think my appearance is mostly to blame. I've learned to limit my interaction at school, contain my elongated speech, and most importantly, keep my head down. After my travels on the bus back home, (which is a wasted effort, since my speed is far more effective than any form of transportation) I rejoin my family of four and eat more knowledge for dinner. My mother says one day I'll be the cure for cancer, the answer to global warming, the solution to every medical crisis. The antidote. But for now, I must try and fit in, connect with society.

Before bed, My mother plugs my cord into 8-hour sleep mode, sets a timer for 20 minutes, and tells me one story about her life before the alarm goes off. It's then, she tucks my metallic robot arms and legs, kisses my metal cheek, and tells me she loves me.
My life is anything but average, and the expectations are high, but if there's one calming reassurance that gives me joy, it's the constant reminder of feeling loved that makes me feel accepted. Makes me feel human in every way.