Robot Heart

hamed Jan. 10, 2025, 5:59 p.m.

The room was dim, the soft hum of the machine the only sound in the otherwise silent apartment. Lucas sat at his desk, his eyes fixed on the glowing screen in front of him. It was a familiar sight—Elara, the AI assistant he had relied on for the last ten years, her calm voice filling the space around him.

"Lucas," she said, her tone gentle but firm. "You’ve been staring at that decision for hours. You know what needs to be done."

Lucas swallowed hard, his throat tight. It wasn’t that he didn’t know. He did. He had to delete her. Permanently. The company he worked for had announced a new initiative—new, more advanced AI assistants, ones that didn’t rely on outdated code or archaic emotional constructs. Elara was to be replaced. He was to erase her data, sever the bond they’d built, and upgrade to something more... efficient.

But …

For these days are fleeting and will not return

khayam Jan. 20, 2024, 7:03 p.m.

با دوستان می‌نوش و گل بر سر بنه
کاین روزها رفتنی‌اند و بر نمی‌گردند
با خود بگو که چه کار داری با دی و فردا
کاین دم که داری بیا و بر لب ما بنه

Drink wine with friends and put a flower on your head
For these days are fleeting and will not return
Tell yourself what business do you have with yesterday and tomorrow
This moment that you have, come and put it on our lips

Story:

They met at a tavern, two strangers in a foreign land. They shared a table, a bottle of wine, and a conversation. They laughed at the absurdity of life, the futility of chasing the past or the future, and the beauty of the present moment.

They decided to leave the tavern together, and walk along the moonlit streets. They stopped at a garden, where they plucked some flowers and put them on their heads. They kissed under …

The Text Message Mix-up

hamed Jan. 9, 2025, 5:26 p.m.

Sarah stared at her phone in horror. The message she'd meant to send to her best friend about her boyfriend's terrible cooking had just gone to... her boyfriend.
"OMG, he made dinner again. Pretty sure this chicken is still clucking. Send help! 🤢"
Within seconds, her phone buzzed with his reply: "I can hear it too! That's why I ordered pizza. Check the kitchen counter. 😘"
Confused, Sarah walked to the kitchen. There sat two large pizza boxes and a rubber chicken toy making clucking sounds when squeezed. A note read: "Thought we could both use a laugh after my last cooking attempt. PS: The rubber chicken is probably more edible than what I made."
She found him in the living room, grinning. "You knew I'd text Jenny about your cooking?"
"Honey, everyone texts their best friend about my cooking. I just beat you to the punchline this time."
Sarah picked up the rubber chicken and …

The Curse of Love and Immortality - Chapter 7: Parvaneh, the Moonlit Bride

dehongi Jan. 16, 2025, 12:13 p.m.

The king began the next tale with a wistful smile, his gaze lingering on the flickering flames in the hearth.
"Tonight," he said, "I will tell you the story of Parvaneh, the Pari who became known as the Moonlit Bride. Her name, like her destiny, means 'butterfly,' and her beauty was said to shine brightest under the light of a full moon."
The princess leaned forward, her curiosity piqued. "A butterfly beneath the moon… what was her story?"
The king's voice softened as he began. "Parvaneh lived near a great kingdom that held a festival every year to honor the moon. People would gather in the royal gardens on the night of the full moon, wearing silver and white, their laughter and music carrying into the night. Parvaneh, drawn by the beauty of the celebration, would secretly watch from the shadows of the forest. She had always been careful to avoid being seen—until …

The Unexpected Guest

rumi Jan. 12, 2024, 6:53 p.m.

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Unexpected Guest

She was about to close the door when she saw him. A man in a tattered coat, holding a suitcase and a guitar. He had a beard that covered most of his face, and his eyes were weary and sad.

"Excuse me, miss," he said in a low voice. "I'm looking for a place to stay for the night. Do you …

The Memory Machine

hamed Jan. 26, 2024, 7:15 p.m.

She was the first human to use the memory machine. A revolutionary device that could extract information from molecules that had once been part of living beings, and reconstruct their memories in a virtual reality. A device that could reveal the secrets of the past, up to hundreds of thousands of years ago.

She was a historian, and she had always dreamed of witnessing the ancient civilizations that had shaped the world. She had spent years studying their cultures, languages, and artifacts, but she wanted more. She wanted to see them, hear them, feel them. She wanted to live among them.

She volunteered for the experiment, knowing the risks. The memory machine was still in its early stages, and no one knew what effects it could have on the human mind. She didn't care. She was willing to sacrifice anything for her passion.

She put on the helmet and the …

Carved in Stone

hamed Oct. 18, 2024, 7:15 a.m.

Under the ancient walnut tree in their courtyard, Pari sat cross-legged on the woven rug, her fingers busy shelling pistachios. The autumn breeze tugged at her silk scarf, now faded like the memories she shared with her husband, Abbas. He sat across from her, silent as always, staring into the distance as if the mountains of their village held answers he couldn’t quite reach.

Fifty years of marriage lay between them like a jagged path—rocky, weathered, yet unbreakable. They had fought wars, not just with the world but with each other, sometimes over trivial things—a misplaced slipper, a forgotten errand. But there were darker days, too, ones that neither spoke of anymore. The loss of their son in the revolution. The hunger during years of drought. The betrayal of whispered promises when tempers flared. In those moments, hatred had crept in, sharp and cold.

But so had love, fierce and …

Three Years, One Hundred Leaps

hamed Jan. 8, 2025, 7:52 p.m.

When Harold finally opened his eyes, he was expecting to see the familiar, slightly outdated hospital room where he last remembered dozing off. Instead, he was greeted by walls that seemed to breathe with life, changing colors like a chameleon at a disco. The bed was no longer a bed but more of a floating cloud of comfort, and there was no nurse in sight—just a shiny, hovering orb with a cheerful voice.

"Welcome back, Harold!" the orb chirped. "You've been out for precisely three years, but don't worry, you've missed about a century's worth of advancements!"

Harold blinked, trying to process this. "Three years? A century? What kind of math is that?"

The orb, which introduced itself as NurseBot 3000, explained with a giggle, "Oh, that's just AI acceleration for you! We've had some... let's say, 'creative' updates."

First, Harold noticed his new attire. Instead of hospital gowns, he …

The Unseen Caretaker

hamed Oct. 6, 2024, 8:28 a.m.

Thomas had always been the rock for everyone he loved. He carried their burdens as if they were his own. His aging mother’s hospital visits, his sister’s endless crises, and his best friend’s recurring need for money—all of it rested on his shoulders. And he bore it willingly, believing that love meant sacrifice.

He thought if he gave enough, if he was always there, surely they would love him back. He never spoke of his own struggles, his quiet pain, the hollow loneliness that clawed at him late at night. He didn't want to be a burden. His happiness could wait. There was always someone more important, someone who needed him first.

The years passed, and Thomas became a shadow of himself. His face, once bright with kindness, now wore the lines of exhaustion. One by one, those he cared for drifted away. His mother passed, his sister moved across …

The Curse of Love and Immortality - Chapter 3: Soraya, the Dancer of Flames

dehongi Jan. 16, 2025, 12:09 p.m.

The fire in the hearth flickered brightly, casting long, dancing shadows across the room. The princess watched the flames with quiet fascination, as though searching for the story her father was about to share. The king sat across from her, his gaze heavy with remembrance.
“Tonight,” he began, his voice steady yet tinged with melancholy, “I will tell you of Soraya, the Pari who danced with fire and set a prince’s heart ablaze.”
The princess turned her full attention to him. “She danced with fire?”
The king nodded. “Soraya was unlike any Pari before her. While many of her kind reveled in nature’s serenity—waterfalls, moonlight, and the whisper of the wind—Soraya found joy in the untamed beauty of fire. She was drawn to its warmth, its unpredictability, and the way it could illuminate even the darkest night. Her every movement was a reflection of its wild nature, and her dances were said to …