A few hundred years in the future, humans would be able to engineer synthetic humans. These new humanoids feel and think like humans, however they are engineered to be superior than us, in terms of intelligence, strength, and aesthetics.

This is the story of Claire, a synthetic human, with Mother, the engineer who created her. Today is her first birthday.

“Mummy? Am I ugly?”

“Of course not, you are pretty as an angel.”

“But my hands are red and veiny.” Claire has seen others who are artificially created, they have unblemished skins.

“There was a malfunction in the laboratory when you were born. And your hands are not ugly, on the contrary, they make you special.” Mother sits beside her. “Your hands are the sole reason why you get to stay here with me. All of my other children are out there in the world, purchased and owned by humans who want to be served and loved without questions. Yet these humans refuse to accept any kind of imperfections.”

Claire mulls about this for some time. Despite their age, synthetic humans are built to be precociously intelligent. At length she looks up again at her Mother, this time with a bright smile. “I don’t mind my hands anymore if I get to stay with you forever—they’re imperfectly perfect! I love you, mummy.”

Mother embraces her warmly. “I love you very much, my dear. Happy birthday.”