By: Ian Li.

Zi loved automating away inconveniences, splurging on gadgets like self-packing suitcases and laser-powered instacookers, all run by her trusty robot, 6UTL3R.

Delightfully, it anticipated Zi’s needs with dutiful prescience. Forgot her brother’s birthday? It already delivered a present. Stiff neck in the morning? It already scheduled a masseuse.

But 6UTL3R avoided noisy cleaning tasks, because Zi usually worked from home. So she informed 6UTL3R, “I’ll be home less this week. Disaster at work.”

When she returned, her gadgets and furniture had disappeared. “What happened?”

“Sold them,” 6UTL3R replied. “You needed money, right? You said you were going to be homeless.”

© 2024. Ian Li

Ian Li (he/him) is a Chinese-Canadian writer, poet, economist, and developer. Find his writing published or forthcoming in Orion’s Belt, Abyss & Apex, and Worlds of Possibility, among other venues. Learn more at https://ian-li.com.

Posted September 18, 2024.