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It was nearly midnight when Susan came back. She reeked of booze and smoke and had her arms around a man.

'Where have you been?' Henry yelled at his wife. 'And who the hell is this creep?'

To Henry's chagrin, Susan didn't even respond. She did not even look at him!

'I thought I would miss him,' Susan said, quietly to her new boyfriend, Sam. 'I thought it would be nice to continue having him around the house. The problem is he's never realised he is dead - can you believe it - he thought it was me that died! Poor sod, he was getting terribly muddled towards the end of his life. It's spooky the way he looks at me sometimes. I mean, he's just a hologram guided by a few bits of data, but it's as if he's still alive, still sentient. And he seems to be getting more and more so every day. He actually got mad at me for going out this morning! I guess it's time to call a halt.'

'Yes,' Sam agreed, staring uneasily at the quivering hologram. 'There comes a time when you have to let go.'

Susan lifted her arm and pressed the switch.

:: end

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