Kid

by Jescie Hall

“I fixate on changing the speed of time to reduce my anxiety about death.”

“You corner me when you’re not even in my presence. What makes you think your physicality has anything to do with it?”

Does anyone know I’m alive in here? I’m alive in this robot shell of mine. I have a soul.

They can’t hear my soul scream! It’s trapped by this synthetic meat and bone robot! How naïve I am. There’s so much in here and it’s all so disorganized.

“I know your heart like it’s an old friend. A companion I’ve known before, in another life. And it’s terrifying to me.” She looks back over at me. “To feel known like that.”

“I don’t feel the need to alter time like I once did. I don’t want to bend it, speed it up, or slow it down...I just want to live it. With you.”