As promised a few days ago, posting a short story cooked up with the help of Google Bard, all I did was provide prompts and stitch together prompts into a cohesive story. Enjoy!
The man walked slowly across the blasted landscape. He was thin and gaunt, his clothes an ill fitting purple suit with a sash, were tattered and worn. His skin was sunburned brown.
He had been walking for days, weeks, months, he had lost track of time. He was starving, his stomach ached with hunger. He had not eaten in days, and he was starting to hallucinate. He began to see things, visions, movement in the corner of his eye. When he would turn to look it would vanish. A trick of the mind?
Then one day he saw something that made him stop in his tracks. There, on the ground in front of him, no longer a vision, was a Big Mac.
He hadn’t seen food in, he could not recall how long. Something had been keeping him alive far longer than he should have been able to. Finally, his prayers had been answered. He knelt before the Big Mac.
The Big Mac looked up at the man with its big, sad eyes. "Please," it said. "Eat me."
The man was taken aback. "What?" he exclaimed, scrambling backwards.
"I'm the only food left in this world." The Big Mac said.
The man looked around at the barren landscape. The Big Mac was right. There was nothing else to eat. There was nothing else in existence. Just him, the Big Mac. and the wasteland surrounding them.
"What do you want?" the man stammered. "What’s the catch?"
"Nothing silly," the Big Mac said. "I'm just food. But I'm food that can speak. And I can give you knowledge. Knowledge about the world before the end. Knowledge about the people who lived here. Knowledge about love and loss and hope and despair. Knowledge that will make you laugh and cry and think. Knowledge that will make you feel alive again."
The man sat silently for a long moment. He thought about what the Big Mac had said. He thought about the power it could give him.
"What if I say no?” the man said.
“What I give must be accepted willingly,” the Big Mac said “but there is a dark cost, that you must find on your own”
The man crawled closer. He reached out and picked up the Big Mac. He held it close, staring into its eyes.
“I want to, but I am scared,” the man said.
“What is there to fear?” the Big Mac said, “with my knowledge you could find your way out of here, find a better place.”
The man’s stomach groaned with pain. He took a deep breath, and began to eat.
“Yes, eat me child,” the Big Mac groaned, “consume me and become one.”
The man paused, “One?” he asked.
It was too late, within a moment, a single breath he felt it. He felt his mind expand, his brain physically growing, and suddenly he knew everything. He knew the secrets of the universe.
At first, he was excited. He could do anything! He could solve any problem! He could change the world!
But then the reality of what he knew began to sink in. He knew about the suffering of the world. He knew about the wars and the famines and the diseases. He knew about the pain and the death. He was overwhelmed. He was scared, He didn't know how to deal with this knowledge. He felt like he was going to be sick. He tried to wretch but nothing came out.
“You can’t get rid of me now” the Big Mac said, followed by a sinister, maniacal laugh.
He dropped the burger and ran, ran until he couldn't run anymore. He collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. He closed his eyes and tried to block out the knowledge. But it was no use. It was all there, in his mind.
He lay there for a long time, trying to come to terms with what he knew. Eventually, he stood up and started walking. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he had to do something. He had a mission. He had a name.
Had it always been there? Who was he? He was confused but he knew it to be true.
“McCheese” the man said.
He knew his name. He knew what had to be done. He saw a vision. A land where the people would call him… “Mayor?” he asked himself
“Yes” a voice said inside of him.
The voice, it was the Big Mac. He looked back and, what felt like miles had only been feet. He had run mere a few feet from the Big Mac. Then, suddenly, it transformed.
The Big Mac began to glow. The light grew brighter and brighter until it was blinding. When the light faded, the Big Mac was gone. In its place was a purple top hat.
He donned the hat and the voice grew louder, guiding him. They were now one.
McCheese walked into the horizon, seeking a land to create his utopia. A city called, McDonaldland
