Interview with a Clone Chapter 9

Interview with a Clone

Chapter 9

By Mary E Gerdt

2012 All rights reserved

2064, Bermuda

The Snow subsided on the afternoon of Christmas Day in Bermuda. The sunbeams pierced the winter clouds in grand spreading golden waves of light reflected on the water. The storm was over. Alice sighed softly.



The sun warmed the air and cleansed her face and limbs. She had craved the sunlight. There had been no sunlight on Bermuda since the asteroid hit, over 6 months ago. Now, Alice marveled, she could see the snow melt, the icicles fall, the birds changed

Their tunes, sweet tunes she had not heard in months. Soon, the green would be back,

The trees would heal or be replanted, the gardens rejuvenated. Alice had a fantasy, a hope, that balmy spring day for a rebuilding of her mother’s original work. Alice would have a daughter, a clone. It was only a fantasy, Alice would remind herself silently.



Alice, Georgia and Katie picked up debris left on the beach by the storm: branches, broken beach chairs, other people’s garbage. They set aside driftwood in case the storms came back. Predictions were positive, however, that their Bermuda weather would return to its normal cycles, and natives could rest easier and expect tourists again. Alice dreaded tourists approaching the lab compound. She had fences, dogs, cameras
And still people would try to get a glimpse of the mysterious place out on Dolphin's Point.

Why is it that humans are attracted to that which they cannot attain?

The greenhouses needed some repairs where snow had collapsed the roof.
Overall, the island fared better than expected. Some deaths initially were heart attacks and panicked people. Later some died of shoveling, some shovelled after every few inches of snowfall. They just got worn out, cold, and cranky.


The laboratory stopped producing human clones long ago. Alice was the first and last clone produced before the government entities took all the equipment, notes, supplies to make more clones. Alice and Georgia turned to developing and expanding agricultural cloning, plants, animals, food production. These women were as committed to feeding the world as Susan Wolf had wanted a clone daughter.

Alice stretched out on the lounge chair after a day of beach clean-up labor. Thoughts flowed through her mind like the Interview yesterday with Gigi and memories of Dawn Fairweather, long ago, when Alice rescued her on the beach. Before long, she would be asleep and dreaming again her usual nightmare. The childhood reality based dream or subconscious bubble of memory about walking on the beach back in the Bahamas, and suddenly, her toe hit the girls ribs.