Behind the observation glass, James pinches Tanya. Her tender skin turns bright red. It'll turn into yet another bruise.
James watches his sister cry, I watch James, and the doctor watches me.
"Isn't it risky?" I don't take my eyes off James. With a son like him, constant close supervision becomes habit.
"A clean wipe is usually successful in kids. They haven't had time to form strong habits, and we can always revert to his current scan if problems arise." The doctor's low voice is meant to be reassuring, but it cracks with a hint of anticipation. I don't blame him. It's a new procedure. Doctors must geek out over this kind of thing.
Tanya wails as a nurse pulls James away. I can't tell if she's in pain or upset that she's being separated from her big brother. Bruises, cuts, even broken bones: no matter what he does to her, she adores him.
"He'll keep his memories?"
"Only the personality changes," the doctor assures me. His leg jiggles like the tail of an excited puppy.
Grinning, James kicks the nurse. She curses under her breath and casts a too-familiar glare at the observation window. He laughs--that beautiful, pure laugh only children have.
I want to love that laughter.
"Do it."
It's an outpatient procedure and the effects are immediate. When we return from the hospital James picks up his toys, plays carefully with Tanya, and eats his peas without complaining. He tickles his sister until they collapse in giggles. His laughter still makes me wince.
At night, he falls asleep without struggle--the little boy any parent would beg for. I kiss his angelic forehead, creep into my bed, and cradle the hard drive of my real son.
The End
This story was first published on Tuesday, January 14th, 2020
We hope you're enjoying
Adjustment Parenting by
Koji A. Dae.
Please support Daily Science Fiction by becoming a member.
Daily Science Fiction does not have a paywall, but we do have expenses—more than 95% of which are direct payments to authors for their stories. With your $15 membership, less than 6 cents per story, we can continue to provide genre fiction every weekday by email and on the website to thousands of readers for many years to come.
Tell me more!
Support Daily Science Fiction
Please click to rate this story from 1 (ho-hum) to 7 (excellent!):
Please don't read too much into these ratings. For many reasons, a superior story may not get a superior score.
4.8 Rocket Dragons Average
Please join our mailing list and
receive free daily sci-fi (your email address will be kept
100% private):
