By: Gabriella Dolores Menezes

“How much for the android?”

023 stops in his tracks.

“Oh, he’s not for sale, just helping out,” Susan says.

“Really? I’ll give you three hundred for it,” the man offers.

Susan pauses. She pauses for far too long. Then, finally: “Not for sale.”

The man walks away.

For the rest of the day, 023 helps, as he always does. He helps sell the old clothes and gardening tools and kitschy decor, and all manner of other things too good to throw away but not good enough to keep.

For the rest of the day, 023 thinks about that pause.

© 2025. Gabriella Dolores Menezes

Gabriella Dolores Menezes is an autistic emerging writer from Washington state who mainly writes speculative flash fiction.

Posted November 26, 2025.