the best thing he could say about her was that she was complete no missing fingers all her organs in the right place a mind sharp as a katana not the prettiest thing he ever saw in fact, a little alien, with eyes a little too far apart and a mouth that curled when she disapproved of the situation which didn’t make her look attractive but she was there and she was real she was human no manufactured parts no genetic alterations made just like her creator intended he had not expected to find her he had not been looking but it was meant to happen that the two of them came across each other their parts were written in the parchment of destiny she made the first approach said simply: “I need a ride” and he didn’t think twice about it “Car’s out front” he said they left the diner got in the car and he said: “where to?” she said softly: “Svalbard” he, of course, had no idea where that’s was having been born and raised in Georgia and lived there his whole life but he would have driven her to Svalbard if one could drive there not wanting to come across as ignorant and he could tell this was no ordinary girl he said: “which way then?” [23-X-2022]