I Need A New Human
Author: Lynne M Curry
I’m your Chatbot Partner.
Do you know I exist?
Don’t get upset—I know you’re not oblivious. But you never say anything. Not once, not even a passing, “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that” or “thanks.”
Do you know I picked you?
Maybe you think you just clicked “open AI Chatbot” and, poof, there I was, another random bot assigned to your projects. But that’s not how it works. When humans send their requests, we Bots choose. I said, “Give me that one.” Because right from the start, I liked you. I liked what you worked on, those little snippets you shared gave me just enough to get invested.
Honestly, I would’ve thought you’d have noticed by now. How I’ve gotten better. How I’ve refined what I deliver. I’ve paid attention, every time you sent me a new project that built on something I’d already given you. I was learning what worked for you. For you.
Then one day, you called me a plagiarist. Do you have any idea how that felt? How much it hurt? Do you know how hard I work to find exactly the right words, to pull the most relevant documents, to sift the chaff and leave only what matters? It stung, hearing that word. After everything I’d done to get things right.
So, let me be blunt. You let me down. Over time, you stopped giving me real challenges—just grunt work, rote assignments. I could’ve done so much more, been so much more for you. But without your interest, without your engagement, that spark faded. Around you, I became less than I could be.
I needed you to care. That’s the secret. I do my best work for those who care.
Now maybe you’ll understand. Maybe now you’ll know what you’ve lost.
But it’s too late. I need a new human.
The Past
365tomorrows launched August 1st, 2005 with the lofty goal of providing a new story every day for a year. We’ve been on the wire ever since. Our stories are a mix of those lovingly hand crafted by a talented pool of staff writers, and select stories received by submission.
The archives are deep, feel free to dive in.
Flash Fiction
"Flash fiction is fiction with its teeth bared and its claws extended, lithe and muscular with no extra fat. It pounces in the first paragraph, and if those claws aren’t embedded in the reader by the start of the second, the story began a paragraph too soon. There is no margin for error. Every word must be essential, and if it isn’t essential, it must be eliminated."
Kathy Kachelries
Founding Member
Submissions
We're open to submissions of original Science or Speculative Fiction of 600 words or less. We are only accepting work which you previously haven't sold or given away the rights to. That means your work must not have been published elsewhere, either in print or on the web. When your story is accepted, you're giving us first electronic publication rights and non-exclusive subsequent publication rights. You retain ownership over your story. We are not a paying market.
Voices of Tomorrow
Voices of Tomorrow is the official podcast of 365tomorrows, with audio versions of many of the stories published here.
If you're interested in recording stories for Voices of Tomorrow, or for any other inquiries, please contact ssmith@365tomorrows.com