The Factory

You would barely notice this place. It's a bland, grey, building with nothing special about it. No sign or anything. 

But this is where they rebuild people. 

Not like robot parts or something. 

They make better versions of existing people. 

I'd heard the rumors and I figured it was an urban legend. 

Then my daughter came out to me and I started looking again. 

She would come home bruised and hurt. 

The cruelty of children. 

So thoughtless. 

So hurtful. 

I started looking for the factory with fresh eyes. 

I saw my child hurt every day. 

Every day she had to hurt herself just dealing with the daily cruelties. 

Every day she had to suffer because she decided she was who she was. 

Every day she was my daughter. 

I dropped her off at school and looked for the factory every day for months since she said she was a girl.

What's a father to do? 

This. Find this. 

And I found it. No windows, nobody going in and out. No doors. 

But there is an entrance. 

And I found it. 

I pressed my hand against it. 

And they asked me. 

What would I give? 

W̴i̴l̴l̸ ̶y̷o̸u̵ ̷g̷i̸v̶e̸ ̸e̴v̷e̵r̶y̵t̸h̴i̸n̶g̶?̴

I wasn't sure. I kept my hand against the wall. And it asked again. 






Ẅ̵̛̫͖͖̣̘̱̱̀͂̾̓̋͑̓̃͂̑̍̏̂̈́̃̉̃̐͘͝͝i̸̡̖̱̠͙̅̿̌̓̇̐̈́̔͝l̶̢̛͕̖͖͔͔̞̻̞̻̘̯̖̫͚̰̀̅̃͂͐̓̾̑̄̌̒͒̽͆͋́͌̓̒̀̃͛̅̄̕ͅl̶̲̱̼̻̱͖͊̈́͐̇̇́̎̽͂̒̈́͒̍͆̕͠ ̶̼͔͎̰̬̲̥̣͚̲̫̀͆̈̓̎̋̏̌̓̋̈̇̐̈́͌͒̈͐̊͊̏͑̿͛͜y̸̨̢͖̺͔͚͎̮̗̩͕̐͂̾̿͛̈́͘͜ơ̵̱͕͚̫͔̭͕͉̭̲͔̿̃̌̈́̈́͝ư̸̲͈̔͆̐́̈̿̇͂͋͛̔͐́͊͆̀̂̕͝͝ ̴̨̡̖͚͖͎̞̙͔̞̯̰͈̱̻͉͍̰̪̮̻̖͔̗̈́͋͒́͆̕͜g̵̡̛̪̫̠̟̗̉̿̋͛͗͂͗̆̓͜͝͝i̵̡̢̨̲̻̹̫̻̭̰̮̯͎̟͎̹̥̯̍̓̏͒̍́̽̇̽̎̚̚̚͠͠v̵̧̢̪͍̘̫͍̩̰̞̩͙̖̙͎̭̳͖̤͇̭͖̩̫̻̓̈́̅̋̈̾̔͌́̌͆͐͘̕ę̵̧̛̘͇̗̝͎̝͚̻̖͓̘̻̯̦̯̹̫͈̞̔͆͗͐̂̂̎̄̓̀̒̓͘͜͜͜ͅ ̶̩̯̲͔̺̭̥̺̜͕̂̉͆͑͑̄̅̑͌̕͝ę̷̛͖̥̳̮͓̻̲̺͙͍̱̖̝̙͎̮̬̥̦̺̓̎͋͝ͅv̷̡̦͎̝̬̻̼͈͖̺͈̠͚́̄͌̀͋͊́͗͊̄̂͂̀͌͆̌̿͆̽̓͌̀́̍͝͝ͅȩ̵̛̟̬̖̜̜͈̠̩͇̪̫̗͍̤̖̣̟͇̠̜̦̮̳̊͗͑̌̀͌̓͆̉̄͐͂͒̔̕͘ͅr̶̢̛̝͔̙̩̜̠̻̤̮̓̉̊͌̏̋͒͛̌͘͝y̴̡̛̲͔̘̼̰̋͋͑́̌̉͌́̿̋̈̿̏̿͒̉̈́́̂̉͌̔̅̚͝ţ̴̢̣͚̙̺̹̤͎͓͓͈͖͔̜͕͚͈̺̐̀͌̋̑̀͂̈̃̈́͂͘̚͝h̴̨̬̦͍̝̯̬̝̰̭̻̟̹͕̠̬̩̠̮̳̬̹̥̑́̓͒̓̏̊̐͂̑̚͘͜͜ĭ̵̧̦̘̲͇͎̗̪̳̞͚̫̦̤̺̘̗͉̦͎͚͚̥̼̀͂̽̑̇̓̈́̾̀̍̚͝͝n̷̨͙̲̻̙̠̪͑͑̂̆̈́̈́̋̂̿̎̔̓͋͐̎̇͐̈́̅́̌́̊͠g̵͚̻̗͍̦̺̩̥͕̟͕̗̣̪̰̓͛̓̾́̽͗̎̉̀̐́̀̑̚͜͜͜͝͝?̴̡̨̛̛̤̬̞̠͈̖̳̫͙͙̝̱̤̩̜̣̭̪̍͐̅͗͒͐̄͊̔̄̽̔͘̚͝͝

My brain rattled and my teeth hurt. 

With my whole heart, I said "Yes." 

With my anger. With my despair. With my hope. All for my daughter.

I said "Yes." 

Reality shattered. 

Time stopped being time. 

For a moment.

For an eternity. 

My life. 

My life. 

I see my daughter. 

I see her. 

Her whole life. 

Her children.

Everything. 

I take my hand off the wall and open and close my hand.

I feel like I unclenched my fist for the first time in a century. 

I got in my car and drove home breaking every law I thought I could get away with. 

I got out of my car and got into my house and burst through the door fearful of what I might find. 

"Dad?!" said my daughter, "This recipe takes forever!" 

She points at the old recipe book that was her grandmother's. 

"Yeah it does," I said. "You've got to stir it a lot." 

Whatever it is it screams in the back of my head. 

Y̷̡̱̘̺̌̾̆̆o̷͉̥̝̔ù̵̠̞͊̔.̷̜͓̪́͛̏̓͝ ̶͚̝͉̤̊́̅̉͝

̷̢̮͚̰̺̉

̶̛̹͙̓̊Ơ̴̰͕͓̜͔͗̽͊w̶͕̗̰̓̉̀̓e̷̝̳̰̙͛̇̓.̴̣͚́̋̆͠ ̴̩̞̺́̔

̶̟͆̈́̂̐̎

̸̦̺̿͋ͅǗ̸̡̙͙̦͘ś̵̫̫̀͌.̴̛̩̬͈̩̒̏ ̶̱̋̋̀͌

Yeah. Whatever. 

My daughter has been my daughter my whole life. I know about that other person. But that's not me... any... more. I'm an even better dad. 

I. Owe. Them. 

But not today.