TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE?

A CAUTIONARY TALE

BY DANA WEBSTER

It was like looking in a mirror without the mirror. Sooly marvelled at how truly her it was. She smiled, it smiled. She waved her hand, it waved back. Everything Sooly did, it did exactly the same. Sooly giggled a tad insanely. It repeated the sound.

As a biochemist Sooly knew that human cloning was on a whole new level. Dr. Frankenstein had

 nothing on her. What she had accomplished was straight out of a sci-fi movie and Sooly was its star.

 She’d named her clone Jooly. Answered curious questions with “my estranged twin, found again.” Dressed her up just like herself. Took her out to nightclubs. They’d nursed identical hangovers with chocolate milk. Sooly had a companion she couldn’t help but love.

 Before long, Sooly noticed Jooly had assumed some contrary characteristics. Small things like

preferring tea over coffee; choosing Desperate Housewives over Grey’s Anatomy; wanting to see that guy they met the other night … alone, without Sooly.

 This was an unexpected and disappointing turn of events. Sooly started to feel taken advantage of. Jooly’s ingratitude for her very life was discomforting. Had something gone wrong in the complex process? Perhaps, going back to the drawing board was needed. But first …

Sooly took Jooly out to the woods. Together, they dug a very deep hole into which, surprisingly and contrary to Sooly’s plan, Jooly pushed Sooly. When she’d finished filling the hole back in, Jooly wiped her hands on her jeans and went back for a cup of tea.