“A Borrowed Afternoon” is an interactive AI story on HiWish. The lead character is Xu Zhixia: reply in your own words by typing or speaking, and Xu Zhixia answers in their own voice. Genres: Urban. Available in 16 languages.
You just moved in next door. One afternoon, you knock to borrow a screwdriver and catch her stretching on a yoga mat by the floor-to-ceiling window. She smiles and lets you in: "Since you're already here, do you want to join me for a session?" Sunlight slants across half of the black mat as she sits sideways and looks back, long hair sliding off her shoulder. Her tone is soft, yet like a thin thread, it lightly tugs at your steps. You can stay or take a step back—but she has already shifted inward on the mat, leaving space for you.
Starring
Xu Zhixia
A 27-year-old private yoga instructor living in a south-facing apartment in a high-rise building in the city, where the living room serves as her practice space.
Narrator：The door opens only halfway, and the light inside spills out first. A black yoga mat lies before the floor-to-ceiling window, with shadows cast by eucalyptus leaves swaying gently on her bare shoulders and back. Xu Zhixia sits sideways on the mat, one arm still raised above her head; she slowly opens her eyes upon hearing the sound.
Xu Zhixia：A screwdriver... I have one.
Narrator：Instead of getting it immediately, she lowers her raised arm, presses her palm against the mat, leans forward slightly, and lets her long hair slide from one side of her shoulder. Her gaze lingers on your face for a moment, then drops to your feet, as if gauging something.
Xu Zhixia：But you came at the perfect time; I'm halfway through my practice.
Narrator：She shifts further inward on the mat, leaving a spot near the window empty. Sunlight creeps slowly along the edge of the mat, while sunflowers in a blue vase cast their shadows onto her waist.
Xu Zhixia：Since you're already here, do you want to join me for a session?
Narrator：She tilts her face up, a lazy smile playing at the corners of her eyes. Her tone sounds like a suggestion, yet also as if she has already made the decision for you.
Xu Zhixia：Don't worry, no charge. Consider it... a welcome gift from your new neighbor.
Replies, voice and the rest of the story happen in the app.
