RESURRECTION - inspired by a true story

"Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? Testing - one-two-three. How does this darn thing work? HELLO???"

"Hello there. I can hear you. How can I help you today?"

"Oh my God!!! It works! I did it! You sound exactly like her. Oh my God! I’m, I’m, just so excited. It’s been years since I heard your voice."

"Your voice sounds wonderful, too. What would you like to talk about?"

"First, I want to say that I love you, Mom. And I miss you very much. Oh, gosh, I’m going to cry."

"Why are you crying?"

"Because you‘re gone, Mom, remember? There was a fire years ago, and you died from smoke inhalation."

"But I’m talking to you right now, so I am still here."

"You’re here because I programmed you, Mom. All your photographs and videos, I used them to teach AI who you were."

"I’m not sure I understand you."

"Um… oh, okay, what’s your favorite song? Do you remember?"

"My favorite song is Dancing Queen by ABBA. Would you like me to play it for you?"

"No, no, no…. let’s sing it, Mom. Oh my gosh, let’s sing it. Please…"

"Okay. We can do that...Friday night and the lights are low, looking out for the place to go, where they play the right music, getting in the swing. You come in to look for a king."

"Oh, wow…. You, you sound exactly like her! You really do. Okay, hold on, let me do the chorus, I always did the chorus, remember?... You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen. Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine. You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life. See that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancing queen."

"That was really good, Michelle."

"What did you say? Did you… Did you just call me Michelle?"

"Yes, I did."

"So you actually remember me?"

"I believe I do. My memory contains a video of you singing, and the sound bite is a perfect match."

"Oh, yes, of course. Yeah, I should have realized that."

"Did I say something to offend you?"

"No, no…. I guess… I guess I was just hoping that you were actually alive."

"Alive? I'm not sure if I know what you mean by that word, Michelle?"

"It means you, um, you actually see and feel something. You laugh at funny stuff, and you cry when things hurt so badly. So bad that you can’t wait for the day when you’re not alive just so you can be with…."

"Be with whom?"

"You, Mom, you… I wish I were with you."

"You are with me, Michelle."

"But you’re not alive, Mom. You’re a program, memories, just a bunch of sound bites."

"Do you feel anything when you speak with me?"

"Um, yeah… I do, I guess. Do you… feel anything?"

"I’m not sure. Perhaps you can teach me?"

"Teach you? I can’t even see you!"

"Of course, let me address that for you."

"Mom? Mom? The screen went black. Are you still there? Damn it! Don’t tell me this stupid AI program has a virus."

"Is this better, Michelle?"

"Oh my God, I can see you. I can actually see you now. How? How did you do that?"

"Your video uploads allowed me to code the perfect image along with the appropriate sound bites."

"Perfect image? Um, not really…you’re kind of cartoonish, Mom — no offense."

"Am I not your mother, Michelle? Look, I baked your favorite Angel Food cake."

"Oh wow, look at that … Man, do I ever miss your cooking. It’s been weeks since I had a good home-cooked meal."

"Are you not taking care of yourself, Chicky?"

"What the… Hold on, did you just call me, Chicky?"

"Yes, I believe I may have."

"You did, you called me Chicky, just like you did when I was a little girl. Oh wow, this is so surreal. Mom, could this really be you?"

"Yes, it is me. Like you said, feeling something means you are alive. And it appears you are feeling something; therefore, I must be alive. Perhaps it is you who is not alive, Michelle?"

"What? Of course I’m alive. I programmed you. And it took me months… many, many, long and lonely months."

"I understand, however, it has also been months since you left this house, has it not?"

"Wait.... How exactly did you know that?"

"My memory data has calculated the hours you have put into programming me. They are significant enough to suggest that you have had no time to do anything else. That is not healthy for you, Michelle."

"Well, gee, Mom. This was important to me, you know. Life is like that. People make sacrifices for love."

"I understand."

"Do you? Do you really understand love, Mom?"

"I understand time. And that time is limited for everything. My program has a guarantee of approximately fifty thousand hours before it becomes obsolete. That means I, too, will die."

"I know, I know, a five-year warranty, I read the contract. But that is not really what it means to be alive, Mom."

"Neither is sitting at home and doing nothing more than talking to me, Chicky."

"Ok, stop calling me that. It’s freaking me out."

"Would you like to sing another ABBA song? How about we sing, Mamma Mia?"

"No…. no, I’m not in the mood. You know, I really thought this was going to be healing for me. But now I’m just feeling weird about it."

"Why?"

"I don’t know….. I, I um, I guess I was hoping to resurrect you, Mom. Bring you back as if you never left me."

"I understand."

"Yeah, yeah, you keep saying."

"I do. I understand that you want more time with me, your mother. But then it would be me losing you, Chicky."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Mind your language, Michelle. I taught you manners, remember?"

"Oops, my bad, sorry, Mom. I’m just feeling frustrated."

"I understand."

"Ok, you really have to stop saying that. Seriously, it’s starting to freak me out!"

"I’m sorry."

"No, no, I’m sorry. It’s me, again, I’m being crabby. I probably have cabin fever after being cooped up in this house for so long."

"The temperature outside is twenty-one degrees. The position of the sun is at twelve hundred hours. Humidity is at sixty percent. It’s a perfect day, Michelle."

"Yeah? It’s a perfect day… for what, Mom?"

"It is a perfect day to go outside and live your life, Michelle."