rAIn

rAIn - Flash Fiction

This flash fiction was inspired by rainy weather last week and by my interest in what the generative A.I. tech bros are up to.

I took the photo in the gardens of the Hotel Chinzanso in Tokyo; a great place for a lazy afternoon or early evening tea. The mist is generated on a regular basis and makes for some interesting photo oportunities.

I handwrote the first version.
Rain was the trigger word (I like acrostic prompts e.g. use each letter in a word as the start of a new sentence) although I’d no idea what I was going to write about. The story’s A.I. slant emerged only after I wondered about the conversationalists.

I then typed up a second version and titled it Digital Ren. Yes, there’s a pun on rain.

And, finally, here’s the second digital version. I think this one captures the nature of the narrator’s predicament. I much prefer rAIn (as typed) as the title - it says a lot about the story without giving too much away.

rAIn

Ren moved behind me.

Her lifeless hands pressed on my stiff shoulders.

Sensors on the back of my neck lit up.

“Aren’t you going to ask what’s wrong?”

I said nothing. Holding a one-way conversation with an ice maiden was low on my to-do list. And she knew how much I hated that squeaky voice.

“I’ve a call in two minutes. Later. OK?”

“Call?”

She lent over and punched the Wi-Fi router by my monitor so hard its red LEDs flickered once, twice, and then died.

Her grip tightened.

“Not now, you don’t.”

(Note: No generative artificial intelligence (sic) was used in this post or in the flash fiction. All was created by a fallible human - me.)