I couldn't help myself, I took another one of Meg's prompts and asked ChatGPT to write a story about it in your style. It didn't go very well, but after a few changes to the prompt I got something useable (maybe without the last paragraph).
Write a short story about a character who is good at hiding their emotions and who may be getting tired in the style of Etgar Keret. Etgar's stories usually have a surprising and bizarre ending, but leave you thinking about the moral of the story for a while. The moral should not be explained. The ending shouldn't be happy since life doesn't promise happy endings.
Mila was a woman of many secrets. She had learned to hide her emotions so well that no one could ever tell what she was truly feeling. But inside, Mila was tired. Tired of carrying the weight of her secrets, tired of pretending to be someone she wasn't.
One day, while walking through the park, Mila stumbled upon an old man sitting on a bench. He looked up at her with a kind smile and said, "I can see that you have a lot on your mind."
Mila was taken aback. How could this stranger know what she was feeling? But before she could say anything, the old man continued.
"I have a gift for you," he said, handing Mila a small, wooden box.
Mila opened the box to find a tiny creature inside. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. It had wings like a butterfly, a long snout like a bird, and furry legs like a rabbit.
"What is it?" Mila asked, fascinated.
"It's an Emotivore," the old man explained. "It feeds on emotions. Whenever you have a feeling you want to get rid of, just feed it to the Emotivore."
Mila was skeptical, but she decided to give it a try. She closed her eyes and focused on all the emotions she had been hiding for so long. And then, she let them go.
The Emotivore flew out of the box and began to feast on the emotions Mila had given it. And as it did, Mila felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She felt lighter, freer, and more alive than she had in years.
But as Mila opened her eyes, she saw something that made her blood run cold. The Emotivore had grown. It was now the size of a large dog, and its eyes glowed with an eerie light.
Mila tried to run, but the Emotivore chased after her, its wings flapping madly. She knew that it would never stop until it had consumed all of her emotions.
In the end, Mila was left with nothing. No secrets, no emotions, no identity. She was a blank slate, a shell of a person.
As she walked away from the park, Mila realized the true cost of her gift. She had given up everything that made her who she was. And now, she had nothing left.
Oooh damn that's a really good one. It feels like one of your older stories (circa Missing Kissinger, Busdriver, Nimrod) where the stories were weirder but the punchlines more defined.
This is a beautiful story. I love the comparison between this new planet and set of characters and Romeo and Juliet. I like how this is the basis of the entire story; the main character thought his and his lover's life would be like it. It shows us that not everything is going to be exactly the way we think it will be and it is very possible our plans can go out the window because of an unforeseeable event. I love how you mixed science fiction, romance, old classic tales, and a life's lesson into one amazing story. Thank you, Etgar.
Love this collab, 2 of my fav substacks
Beautiful story 🌷💙❤️
Heartbreaking, Etgar. You write so powerfully. Thank you for including me as a recipient.
Carolyn
Would love to read original story⚜️
Great surprise ending! Really gripping story, loved it.
First Ira, now this collaboration with Meg! Thank you, Etgar and Meg! And Jessica! xx
"Good night, good night!
Parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it
be morrow." (Juliet, act 2 scene 2)
I couldn't help myself, I took another one of Meg's prompts and asked ChatGPT to write a story about it in your style. It didn't go very well, but after a few changes to the prompt I got something useable (maybe without the last paragraph).
Write a short story about a character who is good at hiding their emotions and who may be getting tired in the style of Etgar Keret. Etgar's stories usually have a surprising and bizarre ending, but leave you thinking about the moral of the story for a while. The moral should not be explained. The ending shouldn't be happy since life doesn't promise happy endings.
Mila was a woman of many secrets. She had learned to hide her emotions so well that no one could ever tell what she was truly feeling. But inside, Mila was tired. Tired of carrying the weight of her secrets, tired of pretending to be someone she wasn't.
One day, while walking through the park, Mila stumbled upon an old man sitting on a bench. He looked up at her with a kind smile and said, "I can see that you have a lot on your mind."
Mila was taken aback. How could this stranger know what she was feeling? But before she could say anything, the old man continued.
"I have a gift for you," he said, handing Mila a small, wooden box.
Mila opened the box to find a tiny creature inside. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. It had wings like a butterfly, a long snout like a bird, and furry legs like a rabbit.
"What is it?" Mila asked, fascinated.
"It's an Emotivore," the old man explained. "It feeds on emotions. Whenever you have a feeling you want to get rid of, just feed it to the Emotivore."
Mila was skeptical, but she decided to give it a try. She closed her eyes and focused on all the emotions she had been hiding for so long. And then, she let them go.
The Emotivore flew out of the box and began to feast on the emotions Mila had given it. And as it did, Mila felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She felt lighter, freer, and more alive than she had in years.
But as Mila opened her eyes, she saw something that made her blood run cold. The Emotivore had grown. It was now the size of a large dog, and its eyes glowed with an eerie light.
Mila tried to run, but the Emotivore chased after her, its wings flapping madly. She knew that it would never stop until it had consumed all of her emotions.
In the end, Mila was left with nothing. No secrets, no emotions, no identity. She was a blank slate, a shell of a person.
As she walked away from the park, Mila realized the true cost of her gift. She had given up everything that made her who she was. And now, she had nothing left.
The End.
OK, pretty nice! A little too crunchy.
Oooh damn that's a really good one. It feels like one of your older stories (circa Missing Kissinger, Busdriver, Nimrod) where the stories were weirder but the punchlines more defined.
Beautiful.
It’s like an adorable Twilight Zone.
This is a beautiful story. I love the comparison between this new planet and set of characters and Romeo and Juliet. I like how this is the basis of the entire story; the main character thought his and his lover's life would be like it. It shows us that not everything is going to be exactly the way we think it will be and it is very possible our plans can go out the window because of an unforeseeable event. I love how you mixed science fiction, romance, old classic tales, and a life's lesson into one amazing story. Thank you, Etgar.