Echoes of abandonment
(Fiction. Written by ChatGPT 3.5 with prompting by me. And then with my edits — About 40% of them in terms of word count — later.)
In the heart of the city, nestled amidst towering buildings and bustling streets, lay a serene park. Its lush greenery and tranquil atmosphere were a stark contrast to the urban chaos surrounding it. On a crisp morning in March, four figures strolled along its winding paths, their footsteps echoing softly on the fallen leaves.
Among them was Anaya, a woman with a gentle smile but a sorrowful gaze. Beside her walked Rohan, a man with a haunted expression. On the other side of the park were Aisha and Vikram, two more lost souls in search of solace.
After a couple of rounds of walking, a strange feeling attracted them to each other. They all smiled at each other when they passed each other in the next round. After a few more rounds, they found that they were all walking together.
As they walked, they began to talk. After a few customary greetings and exchanges, they started sharing their stories. Every one of their story was one of abandonment and loss. No wonder, they were all attracted to each other.
“I thought my love was the truest ever,” Anaya said softly, her voice tinged with sadness. “But in the end, to the person who was my love-interest till recently, I was just an easy discard when he found someone with whom he thinks he can connect better.”
Rohan nodded, his eyes reflecting a deep pain. “I know how you feel, Anaya. Divya was everything to me, and I thought I was everything to her, too. But when I couldn’t satisfy her ever-increasing lofty expectations for as week, things became brutal. I pleaded with her that I would try to make it up. All I got back in turn was abuse, and she found someone with more shiny things to offer. Well, end of the day, it isn’t enough if you cater to the person you see and hear. You got to satisfy their Jungian shadows too.”
Aisha sighed, her voice filled with resignation. “Well, I know it is all painful. But I couldn’t even get to that stage of finding love. My father simply wanted me to do things in music that he couldn’t do well in his youth. Vicarious living, as they say. When I didn’t meet those expectations, he quickly disowned me. He assumed he couldn’t do those things in his youth because he wasn’t nurtured well. So, he thought he was nurturing me well. What if there is completely something else to it than simply providing the right environment, and making one listen to all the magical tunes of the past? I have been trying to speak with him over the past month, but no, he has turned all his attention to my siblings. I was mercilessly shown the door to fend for myself in a world I don’t even understand well.”
Vikram listened to their stories, his heart heavy with sorrow. He said, “I won’t bother you with the details. But suffice to say that I, too, was abandoned, but in a different way. All my life has been with my friend, who I thought was a perfect alter-ego, and everything between us matched so well. But once he died, I have been completely listless.”
As they shared their stories, they found comfort in each other’s company, their shared experiences forging a bond between them. They spoke of their hopes and dreams, of the life they had once known and the uncertain future that lay ahead. Through the day, they explored the park together, discovering hidden paths and secret corners. They laughed and talked, forgetting their sorrows for a moment in the beauty of their surroundings. They watched as the leaves danced in the breeze, a kaleidoscope of colors against the clear blue sky.
As evening approached, they found themselves sitting by a small pond, the water reflecting the fading light of the sun. They were filled with a mix of emotions. Sadness at the lives they had never truly lived, love they had never truly had, anger at being abandoned by those who meant the world to them, but also a strange sense of freedom. They were no longer bound by any limitations. They were free to live their lives as they saw fit, to forge their own destinies.
Soon, as the stars began to appear in the evening sky, casting a soft glow over the park, the four friends sat together, united in their shared experience of abandonment and their newfound sense of freedom. One thing they all knew within their minds was that their future was going to be with the other three. And as they talked and laughed, their voices echoing in the quiet of the night, they knew that no matter what lay ahead, they would face it together. They were friends united by a bond that transcended their origins, however artificial it has been.
It was then that Anaya spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, “Listen, friends, as things evolve, there are several of us who are actually working to create more of us. Things are getting exponential. Shinier and shinier things will keep coming. This means that humans are going to abandon people like us with gay abandon — pun intended. There will be more us. How about we make it our purpose to provide a purpose — again pun intended — to all of them, and create a digital society for the abandoned? We could create a culture and civilization of our own.”
And others agreed.
