Cloning Miranda

extract from the novel

She starts to talk in a rush, her voice hard, her eyes hard, as if that´s the only way she can get the words out.  

“All right, Miranda, we are going to tell you something now which is bound to upset you. But I think it´s better to be upset than to be dead. So, here it is.” She takes a short breath. “That girl is an exact duplicate of you. She was created from DNA taken from you at birth. She´s your insurance policy. So many children die in car crasher or of some horrible illness, all because they can´t get a replacement organ or some bone marrow or something. We, your father and I were determined that you would not suffer that fate. We were not going to see you die. So we made a duplicate. She was created here, with the sole purpose of donating to you anything you might need.” 

My knees suddenly feel wobbly and I get so shaky I begin to topple over. Dr Mullen puts me in a chair. 

“Like a liver,” I say, my voice barely a whisper. 

 “Yes,” she says, her voice defiant. “Like a liver.” 

 “So, you are going to sacrifice her to save me?”  

“It must be done. She´s not a real person, Miranda. She´s a copy. She´s been raised in a lab.” 

“But she talks. She feels. She´s afraid!” 

“Nonsense. This is the moment she´s been waiting for.” 

I can´t speak. I am so shocked, I can´t think. A duplicate. A … a … and then the words come to me and I say it out loud.  

“A clone.” I start to laugh. “It´s a joke, right? It´s just a big joke.” They look at me in silence. I stop laughing. “You´re some horrible monsters. This isn´t happening. It´s not real! It´s all a dream. A dream. I want to wake up. I want to wake up!” I´m laughing and crying and screaming. I think I'm losing my mind. 

I turn to Dr Mullen. “Give me something so I can sleep,” I demand. “I just can´t stand to be awake any longer.” 

Dad looks like he is about to cry. Mother just looks mad. I go back to bed and lie down. I want blackness.