Collection of Flash fiction

Year 4

My learning curve of being a father and a caring parent was at first a mountain. I was left to look after our daughter, Mireya when she was still only eleven months old. I was constantly in fear of breaking her, as my hands were used to handling lions and not a fragile human child. 

The machine and its recorded knowledge became my constant companion. 

" How do I change her nappy?" 

"What is the best way to hold the bottle?" 

"What must I say to her, when I'm doing these things?"

The answers at first made no sense to me, and I berated myself in not looking at how my wife was doing these simple things with our little one, Mireya.  

It is true that doing something over and over again makes that action a learnt behaviour, subconsciously intrinsic.  But at first....I had to learn and fast because my wife has now past on. You see that day she walked out of the house to rejoin the working crew of repopulating the marsupials into their new environment of Mauve our new world, an accident happened. A freak storm from nowhere formed just in the finished sector of the marsupials area. A tornado which lifted all the humans up and the violently deposited them into the sea. A large submerged rock collected my wife Sal's head. Of course  she is now in healing status, in a coma and just maybe she will survive. 

Strange how I say she has passed away from my life and that of our child's? For she is part of the machine, and soon will return to us sort of... you see she will be changed. Her memories will need to be updated. She will not know what had happened to her and sometimes it is best not to tell the person what has happened, but to pretend that they are just returning home after a day's work.   Sal will return as a clone of the original Sal, just a copy. 

I'm now searching my own self to find out if I can love the copy like I loved the original?  As I sat at the kitchen table smiling at Mireya spooning food into her mouth the bell rings at the door. The internal link flashes up Sal, well her copy the clone was the door wanting to come in. 

"Mummy is here Mireya, can you remember Mummy?" I pick up Mireya and take her with me to open the door. 

"Hello, Role"... Said Sal who was looking at our girl and stretching her arms and hands out to take her. Mireya pulls back away from this strange person which she doesn't remember. 

"Daddy, no, you."

" Mireya,why? Role she doesn't want me? " 

"Mireya doesn't remember you as you have been away for a long time, a year in fact. You best come in and relax while I'll explain your situation. Would you like a drink, tea, coffee?" 

Sal said, "Tea please," and sits down staring at Mireya.