I went back to the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro and found the tall, thin man setting the automaton up in the foyer as Doctor Zoltan Mystic and Seer who apparently could answer any question for 25 cents though he specialized in fortunes.
Finding a quarter in my pocket, I asked Zoltan, “What does a poem consist of?” and Zoltan raised up a card upon which I read: RHYME, METER AND HEART, BUT YOU BETTER USE THE PROMPT WORD FOIL SOMEWHERE IN THIS TALL TALE OF YOURS BEFORE YOU RUN OUT OF SENTENCES.
Wow, I thought, that was a more accurate answer than AI would have given me.
Perhaps reading my mind Zoltan gratuitously raised up another card upon which I read: I CAN EVEN WRITE THAT POEM FOR YOU AND FAKE THE HEART JUST LIKE YOU WOULD.
Wondering now if he was any better than AI, I inserted another quarter to ask him if he ever ran out of cardboard stock upon which he wrote those messages.
Up popped another card which read: HOW WOULD I KNOW?
Denise offers the prompt word “foil” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.
The automaton is starting to come to life and get a mind of its own.
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As Clark presented him, he sounded feisty enough. Blessings, Lens!
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Zoltan has a good point. And was he AI before AI became a thing?
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Hmmm…didn’t know I’d be anonymous….which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But this is Dawn King from Change is Hard.
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Blessings, Dawn King!
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He’s sounds better than AI. Blessings!
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nice!
Full Disclosure: for the first three sentae, I began to feel concerned that a Reader might not realize it was the automaton (in a turban) in the foyer, trying out jobs at the Cafe
… then came his second (and third lines) and I smiled and laughed.
Yep, that’s the (currently) nameless automaton from Room 215!
Excellent Six
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I am glad you liked this, Clark! That automaton character you came up with has character. Blessings!
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yeah, earlier today in a Reply to a Comment from Nick (Gatekeeper) I mentioned how, when a character has a distinctive way of communicating (speaking and otherwise) they become both easier and more fun to write for… I’ve been totally fortunate in having a few such characters show up in my stories.
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I think you have turned the automaton into a rather entertaining character.
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Cute story and even cuter video!
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I am glad you enjoyed them. Blessings, Kim!
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At least he hasn’t run out so far. I also wonder if he doesn’t have a way to erase the ink and reuse them.
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Ah! Maybe he could erase the ink and reuse the cards. That sounds like it might work. Blessings, Mimi!
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I like the last line, like a word play on the original.
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I am glad you enjoyed this tale. Blessings and thank you!
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What fun this is in the foyer in the SSC&B. Plus, that parrot was wonderful!
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I am glad you liked this, Chris! Blessings!
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I think Zoltan and AI are exactly the same and foil everything who touch it.
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They likely are the same. Both are machines. Blessings, Mary!
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I have AI fatigue…
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I get that also. Blessings, Jim!
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THanks
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Well done, Frank! Made me laugh but I wonder the automaton may tire of being put out into the Cafe’s foyer as Mystic and Seer. He may have higher aspirations, lol
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He probably does. I don’t think he liked the idea when Clark suggested it to him. Blessings, Denise!
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fake the heart… I wonder if that automation could pull it off better than the ai after all… It does seem it has more heart as I remember it feeling lonely up there in the room… Could be interesting poems if it does not run out of cards…
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He did seem to be lonely in Room 215. I am glad Clark brought him down to the cafe area. Blessings, Reelika!
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That’s one cheeky automaton! Only at the SSC&B.
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He is one Clark’s best characters. Blessings, Liz!
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Agreed, quite the hoot!
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