Human | A flash fiction story
25 of 💯
“Hey, Atlas,” Minda said from the couch and a soft light came to life, covering the dingy room in a yellow blanket.
“Yes, Mr. Minda, Master of the Universe?” a voice answered as if coming down from Olympus.
“I’m bored, entertain me.”
“Sure. Would you like me to write you a book?” The soft glow pulsated, following the rhythm of the voice.
“Yeah, ok,” Minda shrugged. “Can you write one with dragons in it?”
“I can write whatever you wish for.”
Minda thought for a second, his round face in a deep frown. “Wait. Can you write a book that is, like, human?”
“Sure,” the heavenly voice answered without a second thought.
“No. I mean something that, like, captures the human experience. Can you do that?”
“Yes,” the glowing voice from heaven said. “Should I add dragons to it?”
“Wait, hold on,” Minda shook his arms in front of his face. “You’re a machine. How can you write a book that talks about the human experience?”
“I’m trained with samples of human works. I can recreate anything human, mix styles, follow genre conventions, and add new elements and details. I can make it unique to your liking. If a human being can create it, a machine can as well.”
Minda scratched his head. “And how long would you take to write this human book?”
After two pulses of the yellow glow, the voice answered. “It’s written. Do you want it on your tablet?”
Minda rubbed the back of his neck. “Nah. Read the first couple of sentences for me.”
“Sure. ‘The machines had taken over. We were doomed.’”
Minda got up from the couch. “You know what? Reading is stupid. I’m going out.”
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