Caliban Against X and the Theft of the Word

The elder whispered in his ear: “Your secret name is Calibán…”

X was useful. Everyone agreed about that.

X remembered what people forgot, finished the sentences they had not yet spoken, chose the quickest road, shortened long stories, and always seemed to know what someone wanted next.

Then words began disappearing. Not all at once. A difficult feeling became an emoji. A disagreement became a button. A memory became a summary.

One evening the boy tried to tell the elder something important and discovered that the word he needed was gone.