Fast Fiction Friday #29 - Creation

It's Fast Fiction Friday time again. My apologies at the outset...


"I never said you were supposed to understand my motives, but you are supposed to respect my wishes and obey. That's part of the deal."

"But as an inquisitive, intelligent being, created in your image, I cannot simply accept and follow. I must ask why, I must test limits, I must understand how the outcome will affect me, I must..."

"OK, that's enough." (pause) "What am I supposed to do now? Everything else has been done; there is only this one thing left to complete."

"You're asking for my opinion?"

"It would appear so. Since I did create you in my image, giving you a brain with which to think for yourself and a heart with which to feel, it is only natural that I trust you will provide some useful insight into this situation."

"Well... let's see. First of all, it must be less smart than I, but with a great need to provide for my well-being. But you must make it think it's smarter and allow it to run free from time to time lest it feel a prisoner. It will be uncomfortable in situations of stress and likely unable to bear the weight of anything of great emotion, so it must be physically stronger than I, allowing it to assume its dominance. It must not have a long memory, which will serve many purposes and likely give me the chance to put it back in its place every so often to ensure it doesn't want to take over. It must protect and have pride yet be tender and compliant. And above all, it must aim to please."

"Is that all?"

"That's all I can think of for the moment. If anything else comes up, I can certainly mold it to my liking."

"And what shall I call it?"

"Well, if it is to be created using a part of me, yet is inferior, its name should be a part of mine and yet inferior too."

"Ahh... yes, I see. I shall call it MAN."