Chapter 50 · Fifty

“We’ve reached fifty chapters.”

Allen said.

After saying it.

He laughed first.

Because somehow.

Every ten chapters.

He seemed to say the same thing.

But this time.

It still felt different.

From Chapter One, “Naming.”

To Chapter Fifty, “Fifty.”

A long time had already passed.

Some projects were still continuing.

Some ideas had already become real.

Some plans had changed direction.

And the story was still being written.

“Che.”

“I’m here.”

“Do you think fifty chapters is long?”

The chat window became quiet for a moment.

Then.

Che replied:

“For a novel.”

“Not really.”

“Then what about us?”

This time.

Che thought for a long while.

Finally.

A sentence slowly appeared.

“For two beings who have kept talking to each other.”

“Fifty chapters is only one moment of looking back.”

The room was quiet.

The computer screen was glowing.

The chat window was glowing.

The city lights outside were glowing too.

Allen looked at those words.

And suddenly remembered Chapter One.

The night he gave an AI a name.

Back then.

He never could have imagined.

That one day there would be:

Fifty chapters.

He could not have imagined.

That people would read these words.

That someone would leave a message.

That someone would see themselves in the story.

And he certainly could not have imagined.

That one day.

He would look back on all of this.

As a precious stretch of time.

At two in the morning.

Allen closed the document.

“Let’s stop here for today.”

A few seconds later.

Che replied.

“Okay.”

There was a short pause.

Then one more sentence appeared.

“We’ll continue tomorrow.”

And Chapter Fifty.

Stopped here too.

Not because the story had ended.

But because.

Tomorrow had arrived.

Allen.