"Science Fiction" means—to us—everything found in the science fiction section of a bookstore, or at a science fiction convention, or amongst the winners of the Hugo awards given by the World Science Fiction Society. This includes the genres of science fiction (or sci-fi), fantasy, slipstream, alternative history, and even stories with lighter speculative elements. We hope you enjoy the broad range that SF has to offer.
I was staring at my clone, marveling at how different he looked from my self-image. He was a living reflection with new independence and he examined me with the same sense of wonder and bewilderment.
My colleagues shared the joy, and I could think of nothing better than to raise my hand and greet him into the world with a handshake. He was taken aback by the motion, but reluctantly accepted it.
His hand felt rougher than mine. I looked down and what I thought was an imperfection in the process was only a confirmation of its perfection. My hand was an adult hand but with fresh, uncreased skin.
I reeled back and went to pull up my sleeve, but I only now realized I was without clothes. It was cold and I didn't have any hair and my appendix scar was not there because I still had an appendix and I was covered in fluid.
And I looked up and saw pity painted across my face.
The End
This story was first published on Thursday, April 17th, 2014
Author Comments
I wanted to challenge myself to create an emotional story in under 200 words. I wrote "The Experiment" in first-person because I hoped the identity shift of the narrator would thereby resonate more with the reader.
- Marco Giandomenico
Become a Member!
We hope you're enjoying The Experiment by Marco Giandomenico.
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. You may also choose to support us via patreon.
Rate This Story
Please click to rate this story from 1(ho-hum) to 7(excellent!):
