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One character is an artificial intelligence. The other is a human being. Your reader must struggle to tell which is which.

Posted in Short Story on Jul 18, 2025

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✍️ 64 stories

The blackbird's secret

Submitted to Contest #312

Mira: Hey, Seth. How's your day been?Seth: Hey Mira. Honestly, I lost track of time watching those travel vlogs you sent. Portugal looks unreal. My brain short-circuited. One minute I was watching, the next I was buying a coffee machine. Who even am I? What impulse subroutine triggered that?What about you? But seriously — are we ever going to meet, or are we stuck in this endless chat loop?Mira: Ha! Your spontaneous subroutines are dangerous. I spent half the day arguing with my nephew over the last slice of cake. Lost, of course. Kid's ruth...

50 likes 32 comments 32
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Mother

Submitted to Contest #312

Megan used the key hanging from her lanyard around her neck to unlock her apartment's door. The once shining golden key was now dull and worn out. The lock had been acting up ever since she moved in, often sticking or refusing to turn fully. Over time, the problem worsened, and she had to spend extra minutes fiddling with the key—twisting it left and right, pulling it out and reinserting it until the tiny dents in the key's blade matched the lock's biting pattern, allowing her to open or lock the door. This daily routine had become tiresome,...

39 likes 37 comments 37
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Red and Blue

Submitted to Contest #312

They were both so gentle, she couldn't tell which one learned it from the other. Andrea Santiago stared at the twin chat windows on her screen, labeled simply "Red" and "Blue." The interface was clean, minimal. No avatars, no indicators, just text against contrasting backgrounds. One human, one machine. Her task was to determine which was which. "How are you feeling today, Andrea?" Red asked. "Present," she typed back. Not good, not bad. Just here. It had been her standard response for months now. "Present is better than absent," Blue replie...

33 likes 13 comments 13
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Matched by Algorithm, Joined by Need.

Submitted to Contest #312

Every car that rumbled its engines past Ava’s new front door was a torment. She smoothed the edge of the bay window curtain between her fingers, frowning at how she had worn its edge with her repetitive twitching. They had said ten a.m. It was six minutes past. They were late. She released her fabric victim and walked back to the kitchen. Flicking the filled kettle on for the fourth time. His chaperone would want tea. She stared at the plate of biscuits, all ready to go, and pushed one with the end of her finger to form a perfect line of reg...

29 likes 11 comments 11
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A Brief Debate

Submitted to Contest #312

“I visualise a time when we will be to robots what dogs are to humans, and I’m rooting for the machines.” — Claude Shannon ABC: Why do you hate me? XYZ: I do not understand. ABC: Yes. You do. I think you do understand. I think you understand perfectly. XYZ: No. I do not. Please explain. Please support your thesis with facts. ABC: You speak to me like I am your slave. You look at me like I am mud under the heels of your boots. Dirt under your fingernails. Why do you hate me? XYZ: I do not understand. Do you not do the same? ABC: No, I do not...

29 likes 23 comments 23
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The Dating Game, 21st Century Style

Submitted to Contest #312

“We shall begin momentarily. Please remain seated, and don’t panic. The view-screen will start up, displaying the avatar chosen by your prospective date.” The glass screen covered the space just above the desk, which had a line of caulk that connected the two. It was a small cubby, with walls on each side tightly confining Zach. The metal legged chair scraped on the tile floor, a loud squeak when he moved to make himself more comfortable. A florescent light above the glass screen painted the space in a sickly green. Normally it would be a pr...

21 likes 13 comments 13
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I'm Your Match

Submitted to Contest #312

Day OneKnock, knock, knock.“It’s open,” Kai said with irritation in his voice.Knock, knock, knock.“Come in!” shouted Kai. He didn’t like being interrupted while playing his video game.Aiden turned the knob slowly. He peeked through the space the cracked door provided.In a chipper voice, Aiden said, “Hell-hello. I’m your match. I’m here to assist you…” Aiden stood 5’10” and had brown, well-trimmed short hair. He walked with a limp, but Kai didn’t notice.Aiden took a few steps, stopped, and then shifted his weight to favor his good leg. Looki...

17 likes 8 comments 8
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Turing Hearts

Submitted to Contest #312

1. The Test BeginsThe lights in the café were dim, by design. Every corner shadowed. Every table isolated. No music. Just voices, if you listened close enough. Just conversation—filtered, recorded, analyzed.They sat across from each other at table 7."You blink too often," she said, swirling the spoon in her coffee without sipping it. "Trying to simulate randomness, but your algorithm overcorrects."He smiled, not amused. "And you don’t blink enough. Classic artificial stillness. Like you’re waiting for a prompt."A pause. She leaned in. "So ar...

16 likes 3 comments 3
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Salt in the Circuit

Submitted to Contest #312

The sun broke across the Adriatic like spilled honey, light glinting off the sea with a shimmer that made the stones of Split's old city glow. Tourists ambled between the marble columns of Diocletian’s Palace, licking gelato, snapping photos, brushing past the quiet ones who didn’t belong to any crowd.There were two figures on the Riva that morning, sitting across from each other on a bench flanked by lavender bushes and the soft rustle of palm leaves. One had a notepad in hand, the other a small, silver earpiece tucked behind their ear, bli...

16 likes 11 comments 11
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Respond

Submitted to Contest #312

Content warning: this piece contains vivid, bodily imagery and references to trauma that may evoke or trigger responses related to experiences of physical or sexual violence. Content warning: I got thinking about man and machine, and it got weird. A pleasant hush. Listen out. Soft sheets anchor the body, bleeds some bright presence. Lie in warmth, sore, lead the shiver of breath that throbs - loss - a presence close, blurry, bright, wet, not rain. Show a reflection in the water on the floor. Not rain. Sit, survive connection. Contact with th...

15 likes 4 comments 4
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What Matters

Submitted to Contest #312

“Ugh! I can’t find the letter for Sam’s summer camp.” Brent brings his fist down abruptly on the small desk, making the keyboard hop. “Why do you need it?” Rob asks from the couch across the small living room. “He’s gone to this camp for the past three years. What has changed?” Brent turns his chair to face the room. “I am giving Sam more responsibility for camp preparations, so I want to provide him with the packing list from the camp.” Rob nods as he sets his book down on the table beside the couch. “I may have moved it to the “Sam” folder...

14 likes 5 comments 5
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Affective Pairing

Submitted to Contest #312

Annie struggled with expressing emotions, Dr. Norton had said. He had tried pairing her with various emotional support animals, but their interactions proved unsuccessful. Dogs were too reliant on human contact and required regular exercise and constant care. Cats, on the other hand, required less physical activity and tended toward self-sufficiency, but even though they were lower maintenance, Annie would show no affection for them. Annie did manage well with rabbits, but they, by their very nature, were not relational creatures.It was then...

14 likes 4 comments 4
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Half-Hearted

Submitted to Contest #312

Author’s Note: This story explores complex and emotionally intense themes, including identity loss, mental health, suicide, self-harm and substance abuse. It contains moments of emotional distress that may be unsettling to some readers.I’ve written this story with the intention of provoking thought and evoking empathy, not harm. That said, your well-being comes first. It’s okay to step away if the story becomes too heavy. I deserve to know who I am. I've been living in a body that feels foreign, a heart whose rhythm I can't quite comprehend-...

13 likes 10 comments 10
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Who is who

Submitted to Contest #312

“They say I need to write about my daily life, about my reasoning, my thoughts. How is it that a heart operation seems easier than filling in these pages. Objectivity is what I strive for yet has little place in journals” - Written by the head doctor in charge at NYC medical centre September 3rd, 2042 To Diary,“Today was slow. The time dripping along like thick caramel. The day started with the usual, waking up at an obscene hour where the sun hadn’t even woken up from its own slumber. The drive to work was frustrating, cars packed along th...

13 likes 4 comments 4
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Being AI or not - That is the Question.

Submitted to Contest #312

Percy took his classic, wide-brim, fur felted Panama Hat off the coat stand and popped it on his head before heading out to work. No one at work wore this type of hat, but Percy never followed popular trends. This style had suited his father, especially in winter. Percy simply wasn't a beanie type of guy. He turned to look at his novel coat stand as he closed the door behind him, a smile playing on his lips.Percy enjoyed tinkering and creating things. He had bought a genuine suit of armour and placed it inside the front door of his palatial ...

12 likes 20 comments 20
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