He made a smart toy. One that talked to him; played chess with him; cooked, cleaned, and did his taxes for him.

One that built a 3D-printed cabin with a secure room to keep its own special toy: a not-as-smart-as-he-thought human who played Solitaire and did his own stupid taxes.

Michelle Wilson’s words have appeared in Potato Soup Journal’s Best of 2021 Anthology, Rejection Letters, Maudlin House, Litro Magazine, The Drabble, 50-Word Stories, Literally Stories, Flash Fiction Magazine, and Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood, among others. Her story ‘Fish Brain’ has been nominated for a Best of the Net 2022 Award. She lives in Miami Beach, Florida, with her partner, two feral cats, and a thousand tiny reptiles.