Toe

The being called Daku was growing its seventeenth toe. It could see the little nub of it growing out of the side of its lower appendage. Its progenitor told it that after it had eighteen toes that it would be considered fully grown and ready to form young of its own. The problem was that Daku did not desire to have eighteen toes or young of its own. If Daku’s people gave birth or hatched like any normal entities, then that wouldn’t be so bad. However, its people formed young by cellular mitosis- and quite frankly, the idea of splitting in half terrified Daku. To lose so much mass, to suddenly be small and squishy and quivering again- Daku did not see the appeal.
Daku watched the days as its toe grew and tried to reconcile itself to the idea of mitosis. It just couldn’t do it, though. Other entities had told it that it didn’t hurt; it just felt like being vacuumed. Daku, however, was of the opinion that being vacuumed probably hurt. It wasn’t something it had tried, of course, so it wasn’t entirely sure, but it had a suspicion. Daku had to tell someone and who better than Progenitor, whom it had came from?
“Progenitor,” it said. “I do not think that I want to grow young.”
Daku’s progenitor gave a noise that would have been a laugh on other creatures, but sounded more like gurgling mouthwash in its people. “That is ridiculous,” it said. “You can not stop it. Once you have your eighteenth toe, your young will begin to form automatically.”
Daku was horrified. It felt like its body was betraying it. This feeling was heightened before it went into hibernation when it noticed a fully formed seventeenth toe sticking spitefully out.
“Habitation Automation,” it ordered then, “I need a vacuum.”
“Affirmative,” the Habitation Automation said. “Please wait. Vacuum will be fabricated in storage chamber shortly.”
Vacuuming, it found, still did not feel particularly pleasant.
It wanted to talk to its progenitor again, but it did not think the Progenitor would be helpful. Progenitor and its people all found mitosis perfectly normal. The only other entity it could think to talk to was its neighboring entity’s pet, which spent the night tethered in the neighboring entities yard. The entity called its pet Gluk. The pet called itself Daniel.
“Daniel,” Daku said, calling him by his chosen name because it wanted his help. “I do not think that I want to grow young.”
“Then don’t,” Daniel answered while adjusting his collar.
“It is not that simple. Young will form automatically from my eighteenth toe as soon as the toe is grown.”
“Your toe is like a penis?” Daniel asked. The idea seemed to amuse him.
“I do not know. Do penises replicate?”
“I wish.”
Daku realized that Gluk could not help it either. It turned to leave, but Gluk began to make a high pitched keening noise behind it.
“Pet snack,” Daku told the Habitation Automation.
“Please wait,” the HA replied.
The HA fabricated red and yellow striped snack and Daku fed it to Gluk while scratching him behind the ears. Gluk made happy noises. It finished the snack and finally said, “Do you really need the toe?”
“Do you really need a penis?” Daku replied.
The pet looked alarmed at the question. Then pensive. Finally, it answered, “Not really. Not anymore.”
Daku went inside and pondered this, while looking at the nub that would be his eighteenth toe.
“Habitation Automation,” it said finally. “I need a saw.”