The next topic is PICK TWO Urge, Infinitesimal, Scratch, Signal, Broken dreams, Arcade
RICHARD
Written by a human
“And this is where the magic happens.”
Terry opened the door with a flourish revealing a vast open plan office, a sea of work stations, printers and telephones. All very impressive, but I was somewhat bemused by the lack of people.
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
“Oh, we fired them. Replaced the entire workforce, apart from me – and you now, of course – with AI. Cheaper, more efficient and excellent results, every time.”
I was confused.
“So, where exactly do I fit in?”
“That’s simple, we need someone substandard to cock things up occasionally, and give the impression real people work here.”
SERENDIPIDY
This train only really stops at two stations, this one, where you join us, and the next stop – the end of the line.
I can see that you’re confused. You know there are several stops before yours, and you’re wondering why I’ve ruled them out.
The fact is, they don’t matter. You’ve never left the train at those stations before, and you won’t be doing so today. Actually, you won’t be leaving at your stop either.
You’ll never reach it.
I’ve removed a section of track, and the train will be wrecked.
It’s the end of the line, for you.
NORVAL JOE
As the police officer drove through the forest, Billbert wondered if Eureka even had a downtown.
He had been right to question it when the patrol car pulled into what looked like a strip mall and the city police and county sheriff had their stations in the same building.
They ushered Billbert to an interrogation room and locked one cuff to the table.
“Aren’t you going to read me my rights, or something?” Billbert asked.
The officer smiled congenially. “You’re not under arrest. We just want to talk about some things.”
Billbert looked at the handcuffs and raised an eyebrow.
TOM
I’ve been a Bowie fan since 1969. Same year Space Oddity came out, the who released their rock opera. It was pretty cool in the late 60s to be named Tom. Saw Bowie and the Who in the late 80s. What I remember from the Who concert was hearing loss. What I remember of the Bowie concert was an amazing rendition of Station to Station. It is always best to barely listen to Bowie lyrics, unless you’re a Talmudic scholar. From Kether to Malkuth is ref to The Tree of Life. Bowie was ice masquerading as fire.
PLANET Z
Carrier pigeon arrives, and we unseal the tube.
A black scroll falls out. We thread it through the playback machine and listen.
Hill seven… fifteen minutes after midnight.
The sergeant gets the troops armed and ready as we look over the maps.
There’s no way to hill seven without running into the enemy.
Maybe if we set a few diversions… light a few fires…
But the enemy knows our tricks.
We think it over in the mess hall… maybe…
We have the cook lay out his best stuff… lure the enemy in…
And the troops head out to hill seven.
CHATGPT
In the heart of the city, amid the flurry of commuters and echoes of announcements, stood a forgotten station. Its platforms weathered with time, its benches worn with stories untold. Each day, a solitary figure, Alice, arrived, not for a destination, but for memories. She’d sit, tracing the lines of graffiti etched like whispers of rebellion. Here, time danced backward, revealing moments lost in the rush. Conversations lingered in the air, laughter echoed through empty corridors. In this station of shadows, Alice found solace, lost in the poetry of forgotten journeys. For in stations, past and present intertwine, stitching tales of transient souls.