Nora's Mysterious Journey
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Published 4/8/2023In 18th century America, an awkward, introspective Chinese college student must confront long-buried secrets, acquire allies and enemies, and battle inner demons as she embarks on a journey to unravel a hidden mystery and seek closure in her own past.
"What is that?"
"What?" I asked. "You mean... me?"
The man smiled, showing his yellow teeth. "Yeah, you. What are you?"
I took a bite of my hotdog, "I'm a human."
"No," he shook his head. "What are you really?"
"Human," I said again, feeling very irritated by this time. The man was wearing a white cowboy hat and a dark blue jacket. He had the stink of alcohol on him. "Listen," I said, "I don't have any money so if that's what you're after..."
He looked at me for a moment as if he was trying to figure out why I was bothering him with such nonsense. Then he shrugged and said, "Fine then. You're not human." He turned away from me and began to walk away. As he walked away, I noticed that his steps were slightly uneven, as if he was losing balance every now and then. When he was almost gone from sight, he turned around and called back to me: "Hey! Where do you think the aliens live? I bet they live in space!"
And so, our peculiar encounter came to an end, leaving me curious but also relieved that the strange man had finally departed. As I continued eating my hotdog, I couldn't help but wonder what could have possibly prompted this odd conversation. Was it simply his intoxicated state, or was there something more to his bizarre questions about my species and the existence of extraterrestrial life? Regardless, I concluded that there was little use in dwelling on it, choosing instead to enjoy the rest of my meal and the afternoon sunlight, all the while hoping that my future encounters would be far less peculiar.
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This is a work of fiction, assisted by artificial intelligence. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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