Imitation Game

A man leaves his hometown to fight in a war, temporarily leaving behind his wife, son, and the family dog - all for the good of his people, in response to the call of his king. As fate would have it, while he was gone, his wife and son died in a mysterious accident. When word had reached him, he was filled with grief. The king, showing mercy, permitted him to return home to mourn his family.

However, upon returning home, he was greeted by the warmth of a fire coming from the fireplace, and appearing before him was the face of his son. The man’s grief had been overcome with relief, even if only for a moment. In this first encounter, his son's face was pale and covered with mud. The man’s canine companion was there beside what looked like his son, and the dog's face was full of fear and concern. It only took him a day to understand the look he had been gazing at his son with and the growls that escaped his jaws at the strange boy’s approach.

It looks like him, but it is not. It hugs like he did, but it lacks the warmth. The strange boy is adored, and despite the flaws in it’s facade, the man pretends to believe it.

It stumbles like a newborn babe during the day and blinks with only one eye at a time. It never laughs or smiles; it only observes intently. In the night, it watches as they lay down, it’s back brushing the ceiling of the room. They know it’s there, and it knows that they know. The man and his dog are exhausted by the facade, and the exhaustion gets heavier each night. Early in the morning, he hears it practicing his voice, and in the evening, he sees it modeling his bow.

"Your highness,"; it says, "may I have a moment of your time." It bows low and dignified; its imitation is nearly perfect, just nearly.

With each passing day, it only gets better, and with each night, it creeps a bit closer.


Edited by my friend, Midnight Philosopher.