A Difference Of Cries - Short Story

“Hey, Rahna! This one’s different! He’s fighting me! Is that in his programming?”
He holds me gently and strokes my fins. The sensation is pleasant. I put away my sharp fin.
“He didn’t hurt you. Look at these readings! These changes in his, uh, her brain here...and here. They saw this at the North Bank. The Antwerps, they said it was good. They said the sims learned to be loyal. They said the young ones work harder and faster.”
The brown one cried a different cry. I patted his fin with mine to silence him. “You make me laugh! What’s he doing? I never saw a sim do that!” His teeth showed, but he did not threaten. I watched him through drying eyes. “Sims can’t learn, can they?” He dipped me in water to keep me from drying. I patted his fin in what? A new act. A new reason.