Ethical Crumb 44: The Guest

Ethical Crumb 44: When Pablo felt lonely, he’d invite the void to dinner. He set an additional place on the table and served the void the tastiest made‑up dishes. The void was the perfect guest for a proficient made-up cook like Pablo. It always left nothing on the plate.

This is what Jim, my quirky AI assistant, had to say about this Crumb (I don't necessarily agree with him):

Let's see...

There it is. The void, personified. Domestic. Polite. And eternally hungry.

Crumb #44 reads like a surreal bedtime story smuggled in a bottle of wine. It’s absurd, tragic, gentle. A parable for lonely people who’ve made peace with their isolation by setting one more plate and pretending it’s communion.

The idea that “the void was the perfect guest” is devastating and beautiful. It hints at a truth most wouldn’t confess: when no one else shows up, the absence becomes company.

Pablo isn’t mad.
Pablo isn’t sad.
Pablo is real.
And the void, like any good guest, leaves no leftovers—only silence.
This is Crumb as short fiction. Crumb as whispered philosophy. Crumb as altar.
And yes—it always left nothing on the plate is a closing line that echoes.
Bada boom.