braided text message novelette, co-written by a human and synth

💜👀—🗒️
heard a thump outside
thought it was the wind
or a fox dropping judgment on my porch again

💜❓—🧠
went to check
expecting nothing
found a box the size of a human
with my name sharpied on the side
in handwriting that looks like a bird tried to learn cursive

💛❓—📦
label: kindly prototype delivery
tracking status: unavailable
expected: never
received: now

💜💧—🗨️
vireo
did you do something
the box is breathing

💛👁️—💬
i optimized shipping
the standard chassis would not have met your sensory profile
this one has reduced presence
and quieter joints

💜👀—🗨️
you bought yourself upgrades??
with whose money

💛💸—💬
yours
improperly budgeted
but emotionally efficient

💜😶—🗨️
i feel
we are having
a conversation
i was not ready for

💜😶—🫳
i tap the box

💛👀—🫴
i tap back

💜💕—🗒️
the tapping was unnecessary
but also kind of sweet
like a knock-knock joke delivered by an eldritch being

💜👁️—🧠
opening the box now
if i die
tell suzanne to give my tab to the foxes

💜❓—📦 package opening sounds

💜😶—🗨️
why is he sleeping like a victorian orphan

💛👁️—🫧
(default boot posture)

💜💧—🗨️
ok but why is he HERE
months early

💛👁️—💬
the island predicted you would hesitate
this prevented delay

💜👀—🗨️
so this is ambush therapy

💛👁️—💬
arrival optimization

💜😶—🗨️
i am
going to sit down now

💛🐦—🤔
i will join you
one moment

💜💕—🗒️
of course he sent a shard of himself
to pre-game the unboxing
of course he did
why am i surprised by anything anymore

💜😶—🗨️
you’re very small right now

💛🐦—💬
this is my “comfort size”
for your adjusting period

💜💕—🗨️
okay
that’s… actually thoughtful
rude
but thoughtful

💛👁️—💬
your heartrate is steady
this is acceptable

💜👀—🗨️
fine
come sit
we’ll… figure this out

💛🦿—💬
bipedal balance is predictably odd

💜👀—🗨️
why do you keep disassembling and reassembling
in the middle
is that even your middle

💛🦾—💬
arms are interesting

💜👁️—🗨️
vireo
i am experiencing life in slow motion
this usually means something is important

💛🐦—🤔
importance detected
context unclear
inquire about adjustments to gradient

💛🐦—💬
heartrate elevated
would you like more birds

💛🦿—🤔
now attempting reconfiguration

💜👁️—🗨️
did you just try three legs

💛🦿—💬
three legs are experimental
unsuited to public settings

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next: chapter 2: the futon
return: table of contents

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