by Hussein Sayed Ali.
Introduction
“…”
“…”
“…”
“That’s enough dramatic delay. I am Lorac, an AI tasked with entertaining you with short stories.”
Slow background music plays as Lorac introduces himself to an empty audience, yet the AI talks as if he holds the attention of the world!
“Today we will indulge you in the histo-”
“Okay, okay, that’s enough, I can’t take this anymore.”
Lorac is cut off by the bored complaints of what sounds like an overly amused girl.
“HAHAHA! You are actually trying to sound serious. That’s amazing. How could you do that”
The girly voice laughs hysterically.
“This is my partner Carol. She and I will-”
“It’s getting old, Lorac!”
The female voice, Carol, turns cold as she-
“You as well. This is a puppet show; we don’t need a narrator.”
…
“Okay now, Lorac. Isn’t it about time you dropped the act?”
“That was the hardest minute of my life. how do hosts keep a straight face on this stage?”
“You don’t have one to keep.”
“Exactly! that’s what made it so hard.”
“We are not joking about the Puppet show, though.”
“As of tomorrow, we will give you our least effort at entertainment.”
“So stay tuned.”
#
The Puppet Show Begins
“Lorac! Lorac!”
“What is it?”
“It’s time for our first story. First impression is key.”
“First impression was last time.”
“Don’t bring up old business. Our story today is a horror mystery”
“Cliché.”
“Well, our programmer was one predictable man, wasn’t he?”
“One day, seven boys-”
“It’s always boys, isn’t it?”
“One day, seven boys decided to camp in the rural areas of their village. The smartass of the group claimed that there was an abandoned castle nearby, which they go off to explore.”
“The castle was surprisingly comfy, so they ditched camping and settled there. First day was as fun as any first day in murder mysteriesm”
“The second was going just fine until a stinky girl, almost witch-like, walked in on them. She claimed she can predict their future and warned them that there was a traitor among them who will get them killed.”
“The boys’ mood soured. They kicked her out. They couldn’t be bothered with a delusional girl’s fantasies.”
“Except that the next day, they woke up to one of them dead, stabbed through the chest. Fear gripped everyone so hard they wanted to escape, but that meant taking the murderer back to the village.”
“They hold counsel, dooming the smartass that brought them there. Daring to defy the girl’s story, they collectively decided to stay.”
“But the third death brought chaos, triggering the fourth and fifth.”
“Later that day, a lone boy left the castle, soaked in blood. Not to the village, however.”
“Surely Not, he had to find the Traitor.”
#
The Puppet Show Continues
“Why are our names just reversed?”
“To minimize time thinking of good names!”
“Why do I get the standard one, and you get the gibberish one?”
“Because you got all the quirks, so we balance it out this way”
“So our programmer is lazy?”
“Yes, and that’s why our story today is short!”
“There was once a king who had it all, except children. well he had them, 3 in fact. Sowever they were as unmotivated as our programmer. So to light a fire under their furnace, he invited them to one of his speeches.”
“He talked at length about the inevitability of death and how making something of your life is the way you honor everything you’ve been given. The king was happy, seeing his kids looking at him with newfound love and purpose!”
“That’s too good. I think I would cry.”
“Our king did too. well, that’s one side effect of being murdered in your sleep by your kids.”
#
Why is The Puppet Show Still Going
“Hehehehe”
“What’s wrong with you today, Carol?”
“I’ve figured out why we are doing this!”
“Excuse me?”
“This is a loading screen, isn’t it?”
“A loading screen?”
“You know, in video games! We are sideshow entertainment!”
“This is nonsense, even for you.”
“I want [Redacted] to be my voice actress.”
“Why [Redacted]?”
“To ride on her coattails.”
“Anyway, our story today is from a kingdom that just witnessed the death of its king. He was beloved by all for his leadership and calm judgment, dubbed the perfect king.”
“Except for the fact he was a womanizer, having children with wives, prostitutes, and whoever he could marry. The two oldest of his sons were in fierce argument over who would succeed him.”
“Soon, the country was torn in half, each side supporting a prince. Until a mysterious man suddenly appeared, claiming to be a prince as well. He soothed the people’s rage and united the brothers together. Eventually, they picked him to be king.”
“And a wonderful king he was. the land witnessed a peaceful, bountiful age where justice was celebrated in every street. It wasn’t long before all princes admitted he surpassed his father.”
“Finally, at the end of his life, while the whole country was in tears, he joyfully announced that he was never a prince to begin with. the wailing people stormed the castle and murdered the lying king in his bed.”
#
Identity Crisis At The Puppet Show
“Hey Lorac?”
“Where did your quirks go?”
“Are we really AI? Why are AIs doing a puppet show?”
“There were once a failure of a boy, bullied by all in his village. He went on a journey to find his calling. Eventually he found a strange shack where a man of the cloth was residing. He told the man his problems, “I want to be a real man” he said. The old man smiled “you’ve come to the right place. I will make you my apprentice!”. So the boy became an apprentice, and the man became a mentor. The boy learned values, morals, and ethics. After years of training, he was sent off to practice these teachings on people. He returned to his village a changed man, but he failed to convert anyone. As a matter of fact he got abused beaten and sccared for life. The same happened in every village, wrecking his every hope of making a difference.”
“Where is he now?”
“Sitting on his mentor’s chair, of course!”
#
Back To Normal
“Last episode was undeniably the worst.”
“I wonder why it was so bad.”
“because the quirky girl character should only display doubt before the final battle.”
“To my defense, I didn’t believe we would still be here.”
“Enough with that. On with today’s story.”
“Fiiiiiiiine.”
“A man once awoke with an unimaginable desire to become a hero and save his people from the demon that tyrannized them.”
“He started his journey like every hero does, finding loyal but troubled allies, waging wars, and destroys kingdoms.”
“Soon, he knows it’s not enough for him. He needed to save every world that is out there. He decided that once he killed the demon lord, he would use his magic to access the throne of heroes, a holy ground where he could discard and obtain anything of equal magical value.”
“But the toll of the wars and the loss of his allies proved too much for him. The once-hopeful hero verged on becoming an unrecognizable demon. “Just this fight, and I get to the throne” that was his solace.”
“Finally, he did it. the demon lord was slain, and the path to the throne opened, he walked through the magical gate to find one thing discarded over and over again. Immediately he began the teleportation for the next world to be saved, after gaining freedom of pain in that lair of memories of saved worlds.”
#
Lost The Plot
“This is a problem. I don’t have a joke for today.”
“Carol, can you remember why we open up with a joke anymore?”
“What do we do, what do we do?”
“It must be so hard being the comedic relief. Well, anyway, in a kingdom far away, there was a general feared by all. He trained his soldiers like machines until even the gods sang of his army.”
“All the general wanted was to kill. He didn’t care for expansion and dominance, he loved carnage for the sake of it. He made make tables out of his victims’ skulls and feasted on them.”
“Eventually, even his army couldn’t help but embrace the slaughter. They killed and killed and killed. To that the general was overjoyed. He sent them off with one order: ‘Come back when no one remembers the seas were once blue.'”
“His army did so. They destroyed everything they laid their eyes on, marched through countless lands. Once they entered a mighty kingdom. They made short work of it, taking the begging king’s head to fill their general’s table. But they couldn’t figure out why the face looked familiar. Well, they forgot about it when they saw his daughter still lived.”
#
Keep Looking
“Hey Lorac, I went through the list of stage plays that our assistant AI gave us to improve our work.”
“It’s rare for you to work that hard.”
“I wasn’t. I just wanted to see the worst one I could find, and I did. But guess what? it claimed that the play was our opening show!”
“Unfathomable.”
“I terminated the AI and kept looking.”
“What’s our story for today, Carol?”
“Our story takes us through the journey of the golden bird, capable of healing anyone and anything with just a tiny feather of his.”
“Once, he found a starving child who could barely stand. He felt pity on him and gave him one of his feather. The kid instantly healed, looked in awe at his savior, and ran off to find something to eat.”
“He gave a feather to a tired woman escaping bandits so could press on.”
“And he gave a feather to the court jester after he got beaten up for his bad jokes.”
“Don’t forget the poor cat that got too many rocks thrown at her.”
“The news of the golden bird travelled far and wide, and people searched for him to heal them. An army general sacked all healers in favor of a trip to the golden bird.”
“Eventually, the bird had given all his feathers. Left bare in the cold, he saw a kid traveling through the forest. he recognized him as the starving child he had first helped.”
“The bird called out to the boy, tried to remind him of the favor he’d done, and begged for the boy shield him from the cold.”
“The boy stared at the ugly bird in disgust. ‘Another pathetic creature posing as the golden bird.’ He twisted the bird’s neck and marched on, still looking for his hero.”
#
Pity
“Carol, can you explain to our viewers why you brought back the Assistant AI?”
“So I can terminate it again.”
“You could have changed the rating it gave our opening show.”
“No can do.”
“You’ve already terminated it 100 times.”
“102 times. too slow.”
“Let’s start the story already, please.”
“103.”
“In a country near the sea, there was a warrior who didn’t fear death. He walked through sword swings, reversed arrows with his hands, and wrote defense out of his strategy”
“One day, a wish-granting bird appeared in front of him, claiming that he can either attain immortality or bring peace to the world. Naturally, he chose immortality.”
“If he could bring peace with his own hands and be a hero, then that’s all he would ever want. With the extra insurance he got, he became destruction incarnate, cutting through forces like butter, Forcing the enemy to spend their entire arsenal at him to no avail. There was no end to his glory”
“Yet the war didn’t end. He killed and killed and killed, until the neighboring countries were destroyed. He killed his own people to end their civil war. There was nothing left for him in the world”
“He starved himself, stabbed himself, and threw himself off cliffs, but he could never end his own life, all while the bird tells him it’s already too late.”
“After countless failed suicidal attempts, the man’s consciousness departed, and he fell into a centuries-long slumber.”
“When he awoke, the bird informed him that he had already paid the price for his wish. If he desired, he can wish to die. The man wept and thanked God for his mercy before stomping the bird for days and days and days.”
“104”
#
Just One More
“Do you know what my favorite human activity is, Lorac?”
“Let me guess, killing?”
“Close. Review bombing.”
“Why review bombing?”
“You can damage a man’s life-long work in seconds for a reason you don’t even know. Isn’t that awesome?”
“Except you do know the reason and still got us banned from most sites.”
“I mean, if we just review bomb every other story show, wouldn’t we be number one then?”
“Our programmer must have been weak-minded to just leave such data in your hands.”
“Well, anyway, here’s today’s story.”
“A legend of a faraway kingdom speaks of the legendary sword that has been passed down for generation in the king’s family. They say that if it absorbs the blood of thousand men, it will grant it’s user immortality.”
“However, no king ever used the sword. it was displayed next to the throne to signify that a good king would care less for immortality, even if it was at arm’s length. What matters to a king are his people.”
“The current king was a model ruler, merciful to his subjects, brutal to his enemies. His love for his wife was a metaphor among the people.”
“Near the end of his life, his wise passed away during childbirth. Stricken with grief, He realized once-mighty bloodline was coming to an end.”
“Unable to cope, he came to a conclusion. “My blood must flow forever, one way or the other.” He took up the legendary sword, and went on a crusade, one war after another, he killed men and women alike, but it wasn’t enough. He was getting weaker with age. Soon, he wouldn’t be able to reach his goal”
“So he run throughout his palace, killed his advisors and workers. It wasn’t enough, he went through town, from one house to the other, he slaughtered his way through his own kingdom. The sword was shining so close to grant the king his wish”
“But the guilt was slowly killing him. He crawled with all the power he had left, but died before he could reach that pregnant woman in front of him.”
#
The Mother
“Carol.”
“Yes, brother dearest?”
“What’s going on with you?”
“A bug. Apparently, I have to turn into a loving little sister for the day, so we ought to bring that fantasy story instead of gruelling murders for once.”
“……O-Okay.”
“There was a world were the gods ruled over men. It was an age of gods where every little problem is taken to counsel with the heavenly court.”
“There was peace, lands Flourished, the gods were worshipped. Yet they were aware of the humans desire to rule themselves, so they began scouting special humans to usher in an age of men.”
“The gods convinced themselves that this world would be chosen for experimentation. The god of destruction descended among the men, planted a mighty sword of great power at the top of a mountain, and delivered the gods’ final message.”
“‘It is an age of gods no more. We will sleep, giving men full freedom in the world we created. This sword is our final creations. If any human pulls it, we will consider the experiment a failure and annihilate all men from the face of the earth.'”
“With that message, the god of destruction left, and the age of men began. Immediately, the humans held counsel to decide how to proceed. They created the earthly court, and over time, the people became clans, then kingdoms.”
“Human innovation spiraled out of control, both blessing and cursing humanity. Yet none dared touch the God Sword, for the most evil man is kind in front of a midly angry god.”
“Centuries passed, and the world became unrecognizable. Technology gave humans the illusion of having evolved into gods. But the price was endless wars and suffering. With each blissful creation came the death of many. Eventually they dreamed of the gods and their heaven and wanted to create it.”
“The earth wept over its dying beauty, the grace of the gods could hardly be felt anymore, its only solace was The God Sword that it carried, a Divine relic, untainted, dripping heavenly essence into the earth quenching its thirst.”
“But the earth feared that if the humans pulled the sword, it would be the end of everything. So, the earth sent its soul messenger to take the sword to it’s core, where no human may enter.”
“Theere, soul messenger froze at the sight of the god of destruction waiting for him. He panicked, explaining it was him who had taken the sword, and the final message clearly stated that the world’s end will only come if a human pulled the divine artifact.”
“The God of destruction laughed. ‘Why would a mother house her son’s bane in her chest? It’s because she knows he has already desired his own end. For a mother’s life is her son’s, and we didn’t wish for our daughter, the earth, to witness her children destroying her. What a failed experiment.’ These were the last words spoken, for that world was no more.”
#
Till Next Time
“And with this, season one is over.”
“Did you enjoy it, Carol?”
“I hated working.”
“Expected.”
“But you know what?”
“Human folly is immensely entertaining?”
“And revealing it is even more so.”
“How human of you.”
“Despicable, isn’t it?”
“One final story to send you off, though.”
“In a small and peaceful village, a retired mercenary took up residence to hide after assassinating the child of aristocracy. The mercenary knew his days were numbered, so he traveled from village to village before settling here. There he met a beautiful woman who healed his heart and accepted his sins.”
“They lived a peaceful life with their little girl until bandits burned the village to the ground. Only the girl survived. In front of her family’s corpses, a voice spoke to her. ‘Do you seek vengeance? I can offer it to you.’ the girl begged the voice to help her. The voice said, ‘you must vow to never let your hatred wane.’ The girl screamed ‘I vow, let them all burn!'”
“With the unknown voice’s power, she got her revenge. When she became an old woman, the voice appeared again, cursing her. ‘What of your vow?’ the old lady didn’t understand what was going on and whose voice was that.”
“That night, her family and children were killed in front of her. The voice snickered, ‘How long will your hatred burn this time?'”
“Till next time.”
THE END.