Not your ordinary time traveler
Everything in bold was written by me. The rest is auto-continued by an artificial intelligence called GPT-3.
Aras wasn't your ordinary time traveler. She worked for a publishing house dedicated to history books. Time traveling, thus, was her way to correct the books.
This new travel was supposed to be an ordinary fact-checking of "Life in 20th Century Europe", second edition. Little did she know, though, that it would turn into a nightmare.
Aras' first stop was Paris, in 1935. She'd read in the book that the Eiffel Tower had been repaired several times, and wanted to see it in all its glory.
Arriving at the tower, Aras was surprised to find that it was far more beautiful than in the book. It was majestic and shining, and the lights at night were gorgeous. It was nothing like the pictures in the book.
Aras decided to go inside and see how the tower was, but was startled to find that the elevators were not working. Then, the doors opened. A man stepped out. He was tall, with black hair and icy blue eyes. He was wearing a black suit and a black fedora pulled low over his eyes. He looked at Aras and asked, "Why are you here?"
Aras was startled by the man's odd question, but answered it nonetheless. "I'm here to see the tower", she replied curtly.
"Oh, are you here for the same reason as I?" asked the man.
"No, I'm here just to see it. What are you here for?" asked Aras defensively.
"I'm here to make sure you go home. You see, you do not belong here. Things will be different if you stay here. It might even ruin your life", said the man.
"What do you mean?" asked Aras.
"I can't tell you. I'm sorry, but you must go now. Come back when you are meant to be here", the man said and walked away.
Aras was confused, but went back to the elevator. She was determined to go up to the top of the tower.
When she reached the top, she looked out at the city. The sky was clear, with the moon and the stars shining brightly. Aras took a deep breath and looked at the book in her hand. It was a beautiful, crisp night in Paris.
Aras was tempted to change the book's information about the tower, but did not do it. She told herself that this was the way it was supposed to be.
She turned to go back to the elevator, but found that it was gone. Instead, there was a spiral staircase. Aras sighed, then started to walk down the stairs. She hoped that the elevator would be where she left it. When Aras got down, she found that the elevator was there, but the man was standing in front of it.
"I know you're here to change the book, but you cannot. It causes too many problems, especially to you. I'm sorry, but you must leave", he said.
"Why must I leave? And what problems can it cause?" asked Aras. She was getting frustrated.
"It causes problems for you. It can ruin your life if you stay. I'm sorry, but you must leave. I have to get you to leave, and I will", said the man.
"You can't make me leave. Why would you want me to leave? I don't understand", said Aras.
"I'm sorry, but that's all I can say. You must leave. Please", said the man.
"No! I won't leave! I'm staying here", Aras shouted.
The man sighed. He grabbed Aras' arm and dragged her to the elevator, then pushed her inside. Aras was very confused. Who was the man? What could he possibly want with her? Why had he said that she had to leave?
The man pressed a button on the elevator, and it went down. Aras was surprised that it was so far away from the ground.
When the elevator came to a stop, the man opened the doors. He stepped out, then turned to Aras. He pulled a small object out of his pocked and handed it to Aras. It was a silver necklace. Aras took it and examined it. It was a silver star with a blue gem in the middle.
"What is this?" Aras asked.
"It is an amulet. It will keep you safe while you are here. It will give you a place to hide from him. It is the only way you can escape him. Please, take it", said the man.
"Who? Who is it that you're afraid of?" asked Aras.
"I'm sorry, but that's all I can say. You must leave now. Travel safely, and do not let him catch you. I'll see you again", he said.
The man turned around and began to walk away. Aras watched him go, but then he disappeared.
Aras was very confused. She turned to the elevator, then pressed the button to close it. She wanted to go back up to the top and go home.
Aras went out of the elevator and found that the tower was still beautiful, but she was very confused. Who was the man? Why did he keep telling her to leave? Why did he give her an amulet?
Aras did not know who the man was, but she knew that she didn't want to go back to the future. She wanted to stay in this place. She wanted to stay in this time.
Aras went back to her hotel room, then took her clothes out of the suitcase and put them in a closet. She wanted to forget that she was supposed to be in the future. She wanted to stay here in Paris, in the 20th century.
***
Aras went out to a cafe and ordered coffee. She sat down and looked around the cafe, then opened her book and started to read.
Aras was surprised that she didn't mind the coffee. She'd never liked coffee, but the way the waiter described it made her want to try it. She also liked the cafe. It was small and quaint, and she immediately felt at home.
Aras was surprised that she felt like this. She'd never felt at home in any other time. She'd always felt like she was an outsider, but in this time, she didn't feel like an outsider. She felt like a real person.
Aras was also surprised that she wasn't worried about her job. She didn't want to go back to her time, and she didn't feel guilty about that. She wanted to stay in this time and forget about her job.
Aras looked up from her book. She saw a young man walking into the cafe. He was tall, with black hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a black suit and a black fedora.
She looked at the man in the cafe. He was looking around. Aras wondered why he was there.
The man walked to the counter and ordered coffee. He sat down and looked at Aras. Aras saw that he had icy blue eyes.
"Turn the book to page 270. See what it says at the top?"
Aras turned the book, and saw a black-and-white photograph of her with the stranger. Below the photo, a caption read:
"Aras, a brave woman, came to Paris in 1935 to check on the Eiffel Tower. She was kidnapped by a mysterious man who wanted to keep her from correcting the book."
Aras looked at the photo, then at the man sitting in front of her. She was shocked.
"I'm not a stranger", said the man calmly.
"You're not a stranger", said Aras.