Clockwork Bayani
ShortStory 4,375 words Recommended by 2 award/anthology sources
"There was a small store in Manila, inside the walls of Intramuros, accessible to the wealthy and powerful, between a clothing store and a jewelry store. Children in clean crisp clothes, usually with parents or carers, stood before the store window, staring at la muñeca and el muñeco on the shelves..."
Content warnings 2
deathdeath-of-a-loved-one
Quasar links out; the story lives on Strange Horizons, where the author gets the click.