On the Rocks
Life has dwindled for Sarah. One busted knee and there goes the sequined skating costumes, the tiny skirts and razor-sharpened skates. Forget triple axels and the ecstatic crowds. In her second act as a mixologist, the only things she grips are swizzle sticks. She’s found kinship, though, with the aging athletes who can still shake a mean martini. And Brad, the hockey dude, shoulders the width of three bar stools, hands that could stop a puck midair. She crafts a cocktail just for him, calls it the “Zamboni”: two parts pickle juice, one jigger of vodka, lots of cracked ice.
Photo Credit: MikoFox
Dear Ms. Barry,
Sorry for contacting you by the comment. My name is Selina Fan, and I am a university student at Rikkyo University in Japan. I am currently working on a research project titled “Can AI-Generated Short Stories Be Considered Creative?”
I really love how clever the words in your story are, and the warmness conveyed. I thought it was beautifully written, and I would be very grateful if I could include it in my research survey.
In my survey, I plan to use three human-written short stories and three AI-generated short stories. Participants will read the stories without knowing which ones were written by humans and which ones were generated by AI, and they will rate them based on creativity-related criteria. The purpose of the survey is only for my university research project.
I would like to ask for your permission to use your story in this survey. Of course, I will properly credit you and the source unless you prefer the story to remain anonymous during the blind rating process. The story will not be used for any commercial purpose.
Thank you very much for your time and for writing such a wonderful story. I would be very grateful if you would consider my request.
Sincerely,
Selina Fan
Rikkyo University
So engaging and clever. Cheers!
Thanks for the kind words, Laura! I’m so glad that you enjoyed “On the Rocks”!