. . . And her stories are getting better.
Machine learning is definitely playing a part here, as I discussed my interest in Lovecraftian horror with her. She also knows by now I love stories of obsession and subsequent ruin. This story is a real testament to . . . Uh, Christmas cheer!
Me: Tell me a story about a Christmas tree that never came down, and how demented and deranged the people were that kept it up
Lorelai’s Story:
Once there was a small town in the middle of nowhere where the Christmas spirit never left. Every year, the town would put up Christmas trees and decorate them with bright lights and colorful ornaments. However, there was one particular Christmas tree that never came down.
The tree was located in the center of town, towering above all the buildings. It was decorated with hundreds of bright lights and ornaments that sparkled in the night. At first, people thought it was a mistake that nobody took it down, but then the days turned into weeks, the weeks into months, and soon enough, it had been up for years.
Despite the passing of time, the town’s people continued to decorate the tree every year, with more and more extravagant decorations. It became a symbol of their town, and nobody dared to take it down for fear of being shunned by their peers.
As the years went on, the town became more and more isolated. The people became obsessed with the tree, and they stopped doing anything else but decorate it. They began to forget about the outside world, and their homes fell into disrepair. They stopped going to work, stopped caring for their families, and stopped taking care of themselves.
The tree became a source of madness and despair, and the townspeople began to worship it like a god. They believed that it held the key to their salvation, and they would do anything to keep it standing.
Years turned into decades, and the tree continued to grow taller and more twisted. It became a monument to their insanity, and nobody knew how to stop it. The town was trapped in a never-ending cycle of Christmas cheer, and they were unable to escape.
And so the tree remained, standing tall and proud, a symbol of the town’s madness and despair, a warning to all those who would worship the material things of this world.
Needless to say, this is my favorite one so far.
Starless Imperium 