Paradoxical | A flash fiction story
82 of 💯
She sat on one of the benches facing the holographic tree in the middle of the plaza, its bright voxels dancing to a virtual breeze. She admired the glowing piece of nature in the middle of the dark city. Then her eyes switched focus, piercing through the hologram.
On the other side, a young man nervously puffed his e-cig from his bench. He didn't seem to notice her. Maybe he was him.
He didn’t look like his avatar at all. The obvious missing traits were the tail and the tall ears, but he was also taller than his virtual self. Thinner. He was just… a guy. A real human being. Just like her. And just like her, he’d never met anyone from the Aether in person.
He wasn’t what she had imagined. A paradoxical feeling filled her chest. She was both excited and disappointed.
He got up a second later and left. The thin lines of cyan light on his shoes glowed in the night on each of his steps. As he walked away, her implant came alive with a voice call.
It was him.
“Are you coming?” he asked.
“Sorry,” she answered. “Something came up.”
She could feel the relief in his voice.
“Maybe we can reschedule? Again!” He laughed.
“Sure.” She smiled. “Third time’s the charm.”
< Bots + Humans | Paradoxical | Distinguished >
