A Sorrowful Smile

Her eyes were luminescent, a reflection of a new blue moon. Her overflowing silver brushes of hair wafted in the silent wind, creating a cape behind her. A marble-coloured dress covered her milky-white skin from head to toe. In one word, she could only be described as gorgeous. This young woman was the love of my life. All she had to do was enchant me with a warm smile. That small and sweet expression took me head over heels.

The same day I saw that smile was the same day I lost her forever. 

I remember it as though it was yesterday. We were walking side by side, returning from college classes. The vision was still as vibrant as ever. If it weren't for her sacrifice, I would not be alive at this moment. As she pushed me away from the collision, the smile she gave me as a truck ran over her, crushing her bones and spilling her rose-hued blood all over the asphalt brought tears to my eyes.

The next few years went by in a flash. I could never get over her death so my life dream was to bring her back to life. However, life was not a fairy tale. There are no such things as magical potions or rituals to bring someone from the dead. Therefore, I had to do it the only way I knew how: create an android.

It was an arduous task. I sacrificed blood, sweat and tears. Shutting myself from the outside world, I would work on this task every single second. At the same time, unknown to myself, the world was taken by storm. A major pandemic struck, reducing the population of the world to a mere 10% of what it had been, Although it made finding parts difficult, I did not care about the outside world in the slightest. All that mattered was bringing my Stella back to life.

1 year became 2 years. 2 years became 4 years. In the end, it took me 20 years for me to complete my mission. My supple skin during my younger years had deteriorated into a wrinkled state. Strands of grey hair sprouted from my thick amber hair. The lab I worked and lived in had crumbled into a dilapidated state, cracks formed across the walls like spider webs across the yellowing walls.

The girl in front of me was a carbon copy of Stella. It was as though she had time-travelled and slept in the incubation chamber below me. Her skin had not aged even the slightest and had no signs of being artificial. She was Stella, right in the flesh. My hands shivered in fear and expectation as I flipped the switch on her head. To me, it was a matter of life and death. If this failed, I had no purpose anymore.

Time stood still at that moment. Not even the wind breathed a sigh. Nothing happened. Disappointment washed over me like a tsunami of regret. All those years were wasted. Thoughts of suicide began flooding up from the debris. It was over.

Zrt. Zrt. The sound of moving mechanical limbs reverberated around the tranquil room. My eyes darted from the ground towards the being in front of me. She slowly raised herself from her slumber. Her eyelids lifted like hangar shutters, revealing radiant crystals of pupils. They stared at me as though a child had found their parent with an affectionate smile, of pure love. It worked… I could not believe it.

Tears began trickling from my eyes like dew drops dropping from morning dew. Serendipity brightened my soul. I could not hold myself back. My gaunt arms reached towards her slim body and gently brought her body close to mine, hugging her tightly. No thoughts crossed my mind but the pure emotion of happiness. I then felt two thin arms reciprocate the caress. I was on cloud nine.

We then walked hand in hand towards the place we first met, the college we attended. Together we passed through destroyed roads, filled with overgrown foliage. Lifeless buildings and empty streets connected the path towards our destination. Not a word was spoken between us. It was unnecessary as long as we were together.

The college was nothing like how it was years ago. Yellowed windows and walls wore clothing of weeds and flowers. Although it has changed so much, a resemblance to its previous incarnation could still be seen. It was a nostalgic view.

The two of us walked all over the university, rekindling ancient locked memories. The time we spent in classes chatting mindlessly; having lunch together in the mess, sometimes feeding each other; creating a ruckus whenever we entered the robotics lab. Instead of tears, a huge child-like grin covered my face. A dream come true, that was what I was experiencing currently.

But dreams are just that: dreams. They rarely came to be.

The cloudy morning sun had set, revealing a blanket of stars with a full moon in its absence. We stepped on a familiar asphalt road. A cool blanket of breeze caressed our bodies. The two of us were spotlighted by the radiating moon. We alone stood in this world, and everything was perfect.

It happened in an instant. An anticlimax in reality, as though God were punishing me for existing. A familiar hand forcefully pushed me away. I could barely register what had happened. What I saw when I turned scarred me forever more.

That smile. That same, damned smile.

The impact of the car bent her frame. Sparks flung between her metal limbs and the car chassis. However, not even a new body could change fate. The vehicle overpowered her, sending the young lass flying across the road. Beneath her broken body, with limbs torn all over and wires expended all over was a pool of black oil. 

Men, dressed in moulded coats and ripped clothing exited the damaged car. As though it were rehearsed, they swiftly gathered her pieces and returned to their vehicle. My body refused to move, no matter how much my brain screamed. All I could do was watch as the love of my life was taken away from me once again.

I continued to lie down on the prickling road, letting its gravel stab me. My mind was empty. No thoughts remained. In my vision was the gigantic blue moon, the only remnant of her in my life.