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Depths of a Machine Soul

By guest writer GWB-1138

By Atomic HistorianPublished 2 years ago Updated about a year ago 4 min read
11
Depths of a Machine Soul
Photo by Xu Haiwei on Unsplash

"Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of spaces, or so they say. "

Great Scott! What a cliché, Ridley thought as he read the opening line of the latest submission laid on his desk. But then again, clichés were clichés for a reason, and that reason was that they worked. They were comforting to the reader, and if a story didn't conform to the worn-out clichés of fiction, then it would probably be rejected by publishers on the grounds of non-conformism.

Ridley remembered the first words he ever typed onto the screen of his Commodore. He had been eleven years old. He had written a short story about a boy who had been exploring space in the fifth century A.D. when his ship had been struck by a meteor, and he had been propelled through a wormhole and into the present day.

Ridley let out a long sigh. He looked over at the picture frame on his desk that contained a picture of a much younger Ridley with a girl whose name he could not remember. He had always had a girl. He remembered those good old days. He remembered those good old days when he was young and all he had to do in life was make sure he didn't get hit by a meteor.

Reading over the script again, Ridley wondered what had happened to him. What had happened to all of them? How had they all grown up and become such boring people?

There was a knock on the door. Ridley stood up. "Who is it?"

"It's me," said Nora. "Nora. Let me in."

"Nora? Nora who?"

A sigh. "The crazy girl with the spaceship."

Ridley opened the door and let Nora in. He had never seen her in the light. He had always seen her in the light of the ship, but now that he saw her in the light of his office, he realized that she was a beautiful young woman.

"I knew you would be here," Nora told him. "I knew you would be here working on your story." She pointed over to the desk. "I can see your manuscript from my spaceship."

"Oh, do you really think I've got a chance?" asked Ridley.

"Oh, yes," said Nora. "I really think you've got a chance."

"Oh, I hope so," said Ridley. "And who knows what the future might bring?"

"Do you really think it will be a good future?" asked Nora.

"Oh, yes," said Ridley. "I really think it will be."

"I know it will be," said Nora. She walked across the room and kissed him. "I know it will be."

Nora walked across the room and turned off the light. She motioned for him to follow her, so he did. She pulled back the curtain and opened the window. She climbed out and he followed her. He climbed into her spaceship and she closed the hatch. They were in the tunnel and the ship was climbing upward. She turned to him and smiled. "Goodbye," she said. "Goodbye, Ridley. And thanks for everything."

"Goodbye," said Ridley. The ship lurched upward and burst into the atmosphere. Within a few seconds, Nora and her spaceship had disappeared into the night.

Ridley sat down on the bed in his room and looked out the window. He remembered his first love. That was when the world was simple. The world had not yet turned into a horror story. Things were still good. Everything was on the up and up.

And yet, in spite of everything, it had all been a lie. It had all been a lie. It had all been a big, big lie.

Thank you for reading my work,

GWB-1138

A note from the Atomic Historian:

So, I wouldn’t say this story was inspired by, but more triggered by an article I read the other day on story generating AI. As a person that is a writer and curious about science, I was intrigued. Thus, the parts that are underlined are mine, minus the required first line for the challenge. I wanted to see what the software could do. However, after using it, I think this will be the only time for me. Why do I say this? The writing feels stilted; too manufactured. Additionally, my characters live in my head until I record their lives. I also like doing the research that often accompanies my stories. And this feels, well, unauthentic in that regard. Thus, why I created my guest writer, Ghostwriter Bot-1138, aka GWB-1138. The 1138 is in reference to the dystopian feeling this manufacturing of stories gives me.

I hope you enjoyed it none-the-less. I would appreciate any feedback. Also I have put links to the article that inspired this experiment, and an episode of Stuff To Blow Your Mind on the same subject.

Stuff To Blow Your Mind: Creative Writing Machines, with Mike Sharples

AUTHORS ARE STARTING TO USE AI TO QUICKLY CHURN OUT NOVELS : IS THIS A GOOD IDEA?

Thank you for reading my work. If you enjoyed this story, there’s more below. Please hit the like and subscribe button, you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @AtomicHistorian, and if you want to help me create more content, please consider leaving a tip or become a pledged subscriber.

More from Atomic Historian:

science fiction
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About the Creator

Atomic Historian

Heavily irradiated historian developing my writing career. You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram. To help me create more content, leave a tip or become a pledged subscriber. I also make stickers, t-shirts, etc here.

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Comments (10)

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  • Michele Jones2 years ago

    A great read. Loved the use of AI. But you are right, there is nothing better than the real thing.

  • Heather Hubler2 years ago

    This was so cool and fascinating!!

  • Jori T. Sheppard2 years ago

    Great story, you area a skilled writer. Had fun reading this story

  • Call Me Les2 years ago

    Great Scott this was fab! Love that expression. Had me hooked right from the start. Great job!

  • Morgana Miller2 years ago

    Fun experiment for this challenge!

  • Babs Iverson2 years ago

    Loving it!!! Delightful read. 👏💖💕

  • Not bad! I actually enjoyed the repeat lines. It's like, if you read those by themselves, there's a hidden treasure. Ya know? Pretty cool experiment!

  • Test2 years ago

    This is an interesting take on the challenge. It's fascinating to see how AI is being used. But I agree with your assessment in your afterword. AI just can't compete with good old-fashioned creativity (and I hope it will never be able to).

  • Excellent take on the challenge

  • Lena Folkert2 years ago

    Absolutely fantastic in a crazy way! I can't believe what AI is doing. And I'm sure you also find it both hilarious, fascinating, and alarming as a fellow writer! Did not know this was already a thing. Thanks for the enlightenment!!

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