Think of the Children

Are overly protected children destined to rebel? In this work of philosophical short fiction, a mother recounts her experience raising Emery, her “first of its kind” genetically engineered daughter. Living in an isolated community with fifteen other similarly engineered children, Emery excels academically and appears to embody perfection. However, when the children collectively rebel against the Program’s restrictive rules, culminating in a death, her mother is forced to confront the unintended consequences of seeking control over her child’s destiny. The story explores the paradoxical nature of control when applied to the unpredictable human spirit.