I knelt down, feeling the gentle vibrations of the smooth wood, and pressed my hand against the crack.
The panel opened with a soft click, revealing a narrow door hidden behind the seat.
Cold air brushed against my cheek as I stepped into the darkness, the faint light of my phone piercing the gloom.
Inside was a hidden laboratory, its walls decorated with consoles and rotating valves.
Engineers dressed in white moved with impeccable precision, tending to the massive, lifelike synthetic skin that covered the slender, almost ethereal figure.
The skin pulsed faintly, in a rhythm that seemed almost human, its edges smooth and its texture unsettling.
My hand trembled as I reached for the control panel, the metal warm under my fingers.
Suddenly the lights flickered and then came on, casting shadows that danced like ghosts.
From the darkness came a deep, familiar voice, whispering, “You shouldn’t have seen that.”
Morning Comparison
Sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows, casting scattered reflections of color onto the marble floor.
