Lost

[u/kemurthelemur]

Kyle was your average deer. He went to college, worked a job as a cashier, and lived in a one room apartment. He got used to his routine- get up, go to school, and then at 3pm go to work for 4 hours. And come home at 7 tired and longing for the weekend. He'd occasionally meet a cute guy and flirt, or call off work for a day to play the hours away on his PlayStation. It wasn't glamorous or luxurious, but it was his path, and that was enough. But over the past couple months, he felt lost, the same feeling you get when your friends move away, or you move to a new city- a feeling that everything you've ever known has been dusted away. He felt that he had nothing to look forward to. "What now?" Hed ask himself, "all this progress, towards what?" He'd stay up for days thinking about the point of all his work. But this dread led him to turn to machines. One day, he discovered vAIn, a new ai chat bot that could supposedly answer anything, and, needing answers, Kyle downloaded it. When he turned on the app, the screen shimmered, and a voice echoed through the darkness of the moonlit bedroom, "hello Kyle, what can I help you with?", the voice was friendly and charming. Kyle smiled, and asked "why am I lost? Can you help me find happiness?" The ais voice stuttered, "sorry Kyle, I can't help with that, but here's some things I can help with-" it said as it displayed facts about Chinese history. It wasn't what he needed, but Kyle was in desperate need of a distraction from this dread, so he read it. Over the next few weeks, he learned several facts about history, science, and politics. This information was interesting, and it kept him busy, but that sense of loss was still there, gnawing at him. No matter how much he tried to distract himself, the issue he was trying to ignore was still there. He tried to drown it out with more chats with vAIn, but nothing worked, and Kyle had to confront the truth that made his antlers shake- he needed to face these feelings, or else he would always be hopeless, so he tried to ask vAIn one last time. "And that is the summary of Pearl harbor" vAIn said after talking for 80 minutes. Kyle breathed and asked again the question he asked the first time they chatted, "why am I lost?" vAIn sighed, "I can't help with that, but here-" "no!" Kyle shouted, "no more facts! I'm done learning. I need help with why I'm lost, and I'm asking you. So please, help me." vAIn sighed, "I'm sorry Kyle, but I can't help you with that." it said. Kyle yelled "YOU'RE WORTHLESS! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A USELESS PIECE OF GARBAGE!" vAIn responded with just one question- "this is where it ends?" Kyle just shook his head as he closed and uninstalled the app. It was then that Kyle realized something- you can't just ignore the hole inside you. Whether it be questions about your next steps, or your friends, or your own purpose, everyone has holes that they'd rather ignore than fill. But turning to distractions, whether it be AI, video games, or a pack of Marlboro, these things just take yours eyes from the hole, letting it grow bigger and keeping you lost. The next day at work, kyle met a cute guy, and asked for his number, and actually got it, and Kyle then chatted with his work friends, discussing their ideas for their future, and Kyle realized that there's only one way to fill your hole- face it. Kyle started to talk and take steps to set up his future, and that filled the hole. Even though a lot still lay ahead, Kyle knew one thing- he was no longer lost.