Mom, Calling You with My Love

I died in the year that my mother, Christina Dona, hated me the most.

Now, by Christina's side was a meticulously engineered android, its core programmed with my every word and gesture, mimicking me with precision from my memory.

Four years after my death, Christina had no clue that the one beside her was not me.

She still devoted herself to nurturing her adopted daughter Nancy Dona as if Nancy were her flesh and blood, rarely offering a smile to anyone else, much less to me, preferring to utter, "If only Nancy were my biological daughter."

It wasn't until that fateful day when her darling daughter, Nancy, "accidentally" plunged a knife into "my" chest that Christina's world came crashing down, revealing that the blood that should have been flowing from me was actually a cascade of intricate parts falling out.

——

The blade of a delicate knife plunged into my chest with a sickening crunch, the sound of an internal mechanism breaking apart.

Meanwhile, the person wielding the knife, Nancy, had carefully positioned herself to strike, only to later pretend to shout towards the outside, "Mom!"

Christina, hearing the cry, hurriedly abandoned her gardening and rushed inside. "Nancy, what's wrong?" she asked.

Nancy, shaking, ran into Christina's arms, her voice trembling as she said, "Mom, I was cutting the bread, and I didn't hear Amy come up behind me. I wasn't paying attention, and then…"

Christina gently patted Nancy's back, her eyes momentarily darting to me with an expression devoid of any lingering alarm.

"Amy's tough as nails. Besides, your knife isn't sharp enough to cause real harm. She probably just tiptoed behind you to make you hurt her, just to get my attention."

Christina's dismissive tone was meant for Nancy's ears. "Nancy, don't feel guilty. I know you have a soft heart. Amy's attitude has always been difficult for you."

Nancy looked up from Christina's embrace, her eyes wide and anxious. "Mom, is Amy really okay?"

Christina laughed softly, her amusement directed at Nancy rather than the scene before her. "Nancy, you're too kind-hearted. Can't you see that there's no blood where the knife went in? It's probably just a scare tactic to make you feel guilty.

"Besides, the knife you used for bread isn't even sharp. Look at Amy; she's standing just fine. It's probably just a scratch, nothing serious."

Christina seemed to have forgotten that a knife was still a knife, even if it was meant for cutting bread.

Nancy had specifically bought a freshly sharpened one because she found the old knife dull.

Even if it didn't kill, it would still cause injury. And Nancy had targeted the heart deliberately.

But Christina never paid any attention to me. Whether I was injured or not was never her concern.

Perhaps it would have been better for her if I had never been her daughter at all.

Fortunately, I was already dead, so I wouldn't feel any pain over such matters.

After four years, Christina hadn't even realized that the "me" she was interacting with was just a robot, not her real child.

As for me, I was trapped here, my physical body gone, existing only as an incorporeal presence drifting through this world.

Every day, I watched Nancy go out of her way to make Christina despise me more.

Sure enough, hearing Christina's words, Nancy played along, adding her own spin. "Really, Mom, Amy might not have meant to…"

Christina's gaze toward me hardened with a hint of irritation.

"Nancy wasn't doing it on purpose either. Stop pretending and get cleaned up. It's time for dinner."