He could’ve created the memorial in the cloud like everyone else said. Or made a genetic copy – he had a talent for that. But no, he wanted to do it in the old-fashioned way. With his bare hands. And now the sample photo was mocking him.

All his versions looked ok. Except the eyes. He just couldn’t get the eyes right. They were either blank, or too human-like or analytical like an android. He had many stills, and low-quality videos from over 150 years ago. But he wasn’t able to touch them, not even in the virtual space. They were too low quality.

He had been working on it for weeks, and without sleep for over two days. All those versions tossed aside, must’ve been over 20, filled the room, mocking him.

“You can’t do this, you’re not like those sculptors of the 21st century, you are nothing without technology!”

His inner voice was particularly loud and hurtful, causing his mood swinging from desperate to defiant until his exhaustion won over.

He hadn’t had a dream like this since his transition to adult. He could almost feel the grass under his feet, the sun’s warmth on his face. Then he spotted the creature he’s been staring at all this time. But it was alive. He didn’t know how, but he knew that immediately, even before it jumped and ran towards him.

He was startled but didn’t move. It came closer, hopping happily. It was so much better than those videos. It sat down in front of him, looking straight into his eyes.

He felt something new. It was love but more than that. It was safe but without a price.

When he woke, he was ready. He worked without break, fearing that if he once stopped, he would lose the vision. Dreams were fickle illusions.

And now the eyes were perfect. Ready just in time for the celebration. He put his creation into a carrier he had made specifically for this occasion, and portaled over to the House of Memories. There were already hundreds of others there, each bringing their own version to that photo. Some used it as an accessory to get women, others put it with cats, one made it into a prince. But despite the differences, they were all here for one reason: to remember the last living dog.

Post written in response to Sadje’s “What Do You See” prompt of the image above.

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It’s also submitted for #AnythingGoes Linky by Debbie at My Random Musings.