I just reread @adncabrera's story and saw a subtle message in there that escaped me on the first reading. Of course the cradle is sinister and the child is being conditioned to turn against its mother. But more happens here. The mother is complicit. She cedes control. She willingly lets the cradle substitute for her because that's easy. I think that's a critical message. When we lose our liberty, sometimes it's not because an enemy has rolled in with tanks and guns blasting. It's because we weren't vigilant. It's because we were lazy and let it happen.
Now, maybe I'm reading more into this than the author intended, but if you look at it closely, the mother plays a part and by the time she realizes that and wants to take her child back, it is too late. How many people, countries, have found themselves in a similar circumstance?
So, though we had some great stories here, I (Kafka fan--and I do see a philosophical connection) will cast my vote for @adncabrera.