Sudetenland Tales by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview
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Sudetenland Tales
Page 49
"I also prepared auditory ambiance," he said, activating a speaker embedded in his kneecap. The sounds of freeform jazz exploded across the meadow; six freeform saxophones and one existential accordion.
Bots arrived in clusters, moving like wind co-ordinated origami. Humans wandered in holding snacks and folding chairs, glancing sideways at the bot families whose children had upgraded themselves mid walk.
Across the divided picnic zones, strange yet meaningful interactions emerged:
A bot offered a human a digital sunhat that adjusted its shade based on sarcasm.
A human taught a bot how to interpret the phrase "I'm fine" based on eyebrow angle and snack consumption rate.
Councilor Bramble the moss was carried in by wind, emitting spores of cautious optimism and hummus.
Jasper stood awkwardly at the border line, holding a bowl of "neutral potato salad" with no seasoning whatsoever. "This feels less like a picnic and more like a field test for empathy software."