The Gift of Yourself
By Astrogator
Custom LiveAction Figures
Give her the perfect gift
The gift of yourself
As low as $499.99
When Matt Bladen saw the sign in the shop window, he was intrigued. Elaine liked dolls; she had a collection that included some pieces from her early childhood. Matt hated to shop, but he needed to get her something for her birthday and this seemed made to order. The price was high, but he could afford it and it was worth it to get the ordeal of shopping over with successfully. Matt pushed the door open and went in.
Inside the well-lit shop, the walls were lined on either side with shelves on which sat dolls of various sizes in transparent plastic tubes. At the back, there was a counter behind which sat an attractive, conservatively dressed woman in her early forties. The woman was working at a computer as he entered, apparently oblivious to his presence, so Matt coughed discreetly. The woman glanced up for a moment, nodded, and went on typing on the computer keyboard.
Matt felt a little awkward so he turned his attention to the dolls on the shelves. There appeared to be a wide variety of figures from toy soldiers only three inches tall to a ballet dancer in tutu and slippers who was eighteen inches high. Matt leaned close to the ballet dancer and peered through the plastic tube which held her. She seemed incredibly lifelife, even to the tiniest detail on her face. Even more impressive was the price tag: $19,999.99 (plus tax and insurance). Matt looked at the face of the doll and saw that it was frozen in a sad expression.
The woman spoke for the first time, startling Matt. "Are you interested in The Dancer, Sir? It is a fine piece."
Matt reflexively recoiled from the doll and turned to face the clerk,
chuckling at his own discomfiture. "It is a fine piece," he said. "But I could never afford anything like that. I am looking for a gift for my girl friend. She likes dolls."
"Our products are more than just dolls," said the woman. "We prefer the term LiveAction figures. Each figure is designed to be an exact duplicate of an actual person. Would you like to see a demonstration of what our figures can do?"
Matt smiled and nodded.
The woman came from behind the counter, lifted the ballet dancer down off the shelf and lay the tube on the counter. She twisted the bottom of the tube and carefully let the doll slide out onto the counter top. "It will only take a few seconds for the air to activate her," the woman explained as she carefully returned the plastic
tube to the shelf. "The storage case is a very important accessory," she explained.
"When in storage, an inert gas surrounds the figure, deactivates it, and protects the figure from environmental damage."
Matt noticed that the dancer had lost her stiff posture and was starting to make lifelike movements, as if she were waking up from a long sleep. "Very impressive," he said.
The woman leaned over the dancer and nudged her with her finger. "Time to wake up, sleepyhead."
The dancer put her hand to her face, opened her eyes and looked at the woman and said: "Hello, again, Elizabeth."
Matt was surprised by the dancer's voice which, though faint, was not squeaky or doll like. "Who is Elizabeth?" he asked.
The shop keeper said, "That's me, of course." She then spoke to the dancer, saying, "Shake a leg, Tyra, the customer doesn't have all day." She poked the
dancer in the side with her finger, then walked around behind the counter once more.
The dancer got to her feet carefully and adjusted her tutu. "How is my hair?" she said, looking up at Elizabeth. "I need a mirror."
"You look fine," said Elizabeth. "How about a little Nutcracker Suite for the gentlemen." Elizabeth did something with the computer and something like music began to emanate from the speakers. "Let's go Tyra. Hit it."
Tyra looked up at Matt, sighed, then started to nod her head in time with
the music. The rest of her body began to make little movements and then suddenly she sprang into motion and began whirling, leaping, and pirouetting across the counter top.
Matt was delighted and clapped his hands a few times to show his appreciation. "Bravo!" he said. "Amazing!"
Elizabeth smiled and switched off the music abruptly, causing Tyra to stumble to a halt. "I never get to finish anything!" she shouted angrily. "Dancing is the only pleasure I have and you always cut me off like that!"
"My my, our little diva is in a bad mood today," said Elizabeth wearing a patronizing smile. "Very well, Tyra. I'll start the music again and you may dance
as long as you like. The gentlemen and I have business to discuss, so we will retire to the inner office." Elizabeth looked at Matt and added, "If that is
alright with you, sir."
When Matt hesitated, Elizabeth spoke again. "On the other hand, if you are not interested in our products, I'll just return Tyra to her place on the shelf."
Matt saw the hopeful look on Tyra's face and replied, "Of course. I am interested. Very much so."
Elizabeth smiled, started the music, and led Matt into the inner office. "What price range are you considering?" she said, indicating a chair in front of a desk.
Matt cleared his throat and sat down. "The sign out front mentioned a price of about five hundred dollars, I recall."
Elizabeth nodded and sat down. "Five hundred dollars includes all of the manufacturing cost and programming for an eight inch LiveAction figure with accessories," she said. "Did you have a particular design in mind, Mr. .uh.?"
"Braden. Matthew Braden," Matt said. "I am sure that Elaine would like the ballet dancer." It was a shame he could not afford the full size version, but he had to be practical. "How much would that be, after taxes?"
Elizabeth reached for a small desk calculator and began to press the keys rapidly. After a moment she said, "The total comes to $11,129.99, Mr. Braden."
Matt Braden's mouth fell open. "Eleven thousand. why so much?"
"There is a copyright charge," Elizabeth explained. "The original Tyra receives a fee of $10,000 for each LiveAction figure manufactured, no matter what the size."
"Have you sold many?"
Elizabeth smiled. "Enough to make it profitable to carry the line," she admitted. "Most people who buy them are lovers of the ballet. Of course, most of our customers elect the low-cost alternative."
"What is that?"
"You can use your own copyright," Elizabeth explained. "There is no charge, except for the cost of the transcription."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that we would use yourself as the model," said Elizabeth. "The figure would look like you, have your personality, your memories, your abilities. The transcription cost is only a hundred dollars." She noticed Matt wince and added, "We'll waive that, if you'll assign us the copyright."
Matt chuckled. "You are telling me I am not worth much as a doll."
Elizabeth smiled and said, "I wouldn't put it that way. But naturally the market value of the copyright is higher for a celebrity such as a movie star, a performing artist, or a famous athlete." She punched some keys on the calculator. "That brings your total to $635.99." She made eye contact with Matt and waited.
It was a lot of money for a doll, Matt thought, no matter how impressive the technology. But it would be a nice present. "I guess I can go for that," he said. "But don't you think it looks a bit egotistical to give my girlfriend a doll that is just a miniature version of myself?"
"If my lover did it for me, I would be delighted," Elizabeth told him. "If she loves you, she will love the gift. You have to believe in yourself and you have to believe in her, as well."
Matt Braden chuckled. "This conversation is getting pretty heavy. I was just looking for a birthday present for my girlfriend."
Again, Elizabeth smiled warmly and assured him, "If she is not completely satisfied, you may return the figure within thirty days for a full refund. How does
that sound?"
"It sounds perfect," Matt confessed. He reached for his wallet and handed her a credit card.
When the transaction was complete, Elizabeth said, "All we have to do now is make the transcription." She reached into a drawer and took out a small device about the size of a clock radio and plugged in a headset. "Place this on your head," she told him, handing over the headset. "It will only take a few moments to make the transcription. Your LiveAction Figure will be delivered in seven days."
"Elaine's birthday is Thursday," said Matt. He sat holding the headset in his hand while he considered the problem. "I am flying to Africa tomorrow."
"No problem," said Elizabeth. "We will deliver the figure to her on her birthday at no extra charge."
"Let me write down her address," said Matt, and he started to lay the headset on the desk.
"Let us finish the transcription first," said Elizabeth, rising from behind the desk and walking around to stand next him. "You can fill out an address card before you leave." She took the headset and settled it firmly onto his scalp. She turned and pressed a button on the console.
* * *
The next thing Matt remembered was waking up lying on a hard surface. He blinked to clear his vision and he saw a welcome face. "Elaine? What happened? How did I get here?"
The expression on Elaine's face changed to astonishment. Matt lifted his head slightly and looked around. He saw Elaine clearly for the first time and felt a rush of horror sweep over him. Elaine was enormous, a colossal figure seated at a table and he was lying on the table top. Matt sat up and stared at the towering
upper torso of his girlfriend. "Oh no!" He cried. "Oh no! This can't be
happening!"
Elaine spoke for the first time. "Calm down now, everything is going to be allright." She moved her hand closer to him and he recoiled, leaping to his feet.
"Don't touch me!" he cried. "Stay away, you monster!"
Elaine looked angry, but she moved her hand away. "I don't understand why you are behaving this way. You were supposed to be like Matt. Matt would not talk to me that way."
"I am Matt!" he screamed upward at her. "Something horrible has happened to me!"
"You are not," she said. "You are just an animated doll. Stop acting like a crazy person and start acting like Matt."
"But I am Matt!" he insisted. "I don't understand how I got so small, but I know who I am."
Elaine sighed. "Stop ranting and listen to me. You are not real. You are a LiveAction Figure of Matt. Matt ordered you at the LiveAction Figure Co. a week ago and you were delivered by Federal Express just a few minutes ago."
"Don't talk nonsense," he shouted up toward her huge face. "I am Matthew Braden. I was born in 1979 at County General Hospital in..."
"That doesn't prove anything," said Elaine. "Of course you have all of Matt's memories; he told me all about it before he die..." her voice abruptly faded away as if a painful memory had suddenly returned.
"Died?" said Matt. "Did you say died?"
Big tears suddenly appeared in Elaine's eyes. "Something happened to his plane," she said, and sniffed. "There were no survivors."
In spite of the horror of his situation, Matt struggled to control his
panic. The last thing he could remember was sitting in the office with Elizabeth having the transcription made for the doll. He had no memory of being on a plane. "Are you sure I got on that plane?" he asked Elaine.
"I drove you . I mean him, to the plane. I saw him go through the security check, then walk toward the concourse. He must have gotten on the plane."
It must be true, he reflected, trying to think like an engineer instead of a frightened animal. It made a lot more sense than the idea that he had somehow been shrunk to a height of only eight inches tall. Is my stream of consciousness just an
illusion? Is all consciousness just an illusion? Perhaps so, but from my point of view, there is only one reality. I am Matt, or a copy of him. If the original is dead, then I am the only Matt there is. If I had not had the doll made, then my
existence would have ended with the horror of an airplane crash. Instead, I am doomed to this!
Elaine said, "Are you going to be alright now?"
Matt looked up at her. "Yes, I am going to be allright. I am sorry I acted so badly."
"Perfectly understandable," she said. "The instructions said you might be disoriented at first, but I am glad to see you are better already." Then she abruptly broke down, sobbing. "Oh Matt! Poor, poor Matt! I hope it was not too awful for him." Slowly, she laid her
head down onto the table beside where he was standing and wept.
Matt walked close to her and laid his hand on her huge expanse of cheek. "Don't cry, Elaine. I am sure it was quick and painless. And you've got me to remember him by. I can remember every moment that you were together, and I love you just as much as he did. And I need you more than he did."
He felt her big hand brush his back, caressing him gently, tenderly. "You are my Matt now," she said. "I will always love you and take care of you." She lifted her head slightly and kissed him on the face, pressing him back into the palm
of her hand.
"Elaine, Elaine!" he said in a breathy voice. She cupped him gently in her hand, sat up and cuddled him beneath her big breast.
"I am lucky to have you," she said. "It was a very thoughtful thing for you...I mean him...to do."
As he lay nestled beneath Elaine's breast with just his face exposed, Matt enjoyed the warm pleasure of that moment, but he was still very afraid of the uncertain future. He had Elaine, but he was completely dependent upon her for his safety. He thought: Matt, you stupid bastard! Look what you did to me! I hope you
died horribly in fear and agony!
Matt blinked his eyes and tried to relax. He was only 8 inches tall, but he was alive. It was another Matt that died on that plane. For a few hundred dollars more, he reflected, I could have been 18 inches tall. Damn!
THE END