The Price

“What? You mean like Pinnochio, but instead of turning into a little boy, it turned into a hot redhead?”

“Pinnochio? Certainly not. It was Pygmalion that came to my mind, not Gepetto’s mendacious bit of carpentry.”

“Oh, I get it. That weird little story you just told me is supposed to make some sort of philosophical point. Why don’t you just tell me what the moral is instead of making me guess. You said that you found a mannequin behind a store and it was so beautiful that you had to bring it home. Then you said it came to life.” He got the bartender’s attention, held up two fingers and pointed at the empty glasses in front of him and the professor. “So, to my simple mind it has to have something to do with sex. Like those guys who buy those new sex robots and end up marrying them. I’m not one to kink shame, but…”

“I am a man of discretion, but for no other reason than to put an end to your salacious speculation, I will tell you that I have not had sexual congress with that woman, in spite of her willingness, nay – eagerness – to do so.” Bobby laughed at the professor.

“That’s why guys like you who don’t get much action get sex dolls. Because of their willingness, nay, their eagerness. But you’re so fucking PC you can’t even fuck an inanimate object without getting consent.”

“She is not an inanimate object. She was, but she has become incarnate. As much flesh and blood as any of the occupants of this establishment.” The bartender set their refills in front of them.

“Okay, run it by me again. You brought this mannequin home because you liked the way it looked. Like it was a piece of art or something. What were you gonna do? Display it like a statue or something?”

“Yes.” His eyes moistened as he recounted his first encounter with her. “She was beautiful. It was much more than just a resonance with my aesthetic sensibilities, she… moved me.” Bobby took a long sip of his drink before replying.

“So you find this beautiful mannequin and it’s, like, so hot that it got parts of you moving. So you dragged it home and all. I’ve got that much, but how did it come to life? Did it click it’s plastic heels together and tell its fairy godmother that it wanted to be a real girl?” The professor shook his head.

“As an anthropologist, I have a small collection of archaeological ephemera in my home. One of the most beautiful is a gold amulet bearing the image of the Sun god, Ra. I set her up in the corner on top of a slab of lapis lazuli and hung the amulet on a chain around her neck. I was overcome by a fitful sleep. When I awoke, she had transformed. You are the price.”

“I thought this tasted funny,” Bobby said as he collapsed.