CHAPTER TEN - The Computer
by Kim Firmston
You wander the hall of and find a room that says Computer on the door. It seems promising. Maybe that’s where the secretary is. As an intern you are supposed to be learning about the writing industry and writing in general, but so far you haven’t learned anything. It has been a long and weird day at the RIO building and you’ve only started.
You enter the tiny office room of one desk and one chair, light yellow scuffed walls, a bright and flickering florescent bulb, and a computer at a rather beat up desk that has the words THE END on the screen. The computer is ancient and beige with a thick screen you’ve only seen at the back of second hand shops in forgotten neighborhoods. There is a bold printed sign on the wall stating TURN COMPUTER OFF IF NOBODY IS IN THE ROOM. No one is in here. You figure you will do your first task and turn the computer off. Pulling up the rolly chair from the corner, you hit save, just to be on the safe side. Maybe the The End refers to the end of a manuscript, and you wouldn’t want anyone to lose all their work because of you. Once it looks like it has saved – the screen flickered, that’s saved, right? - you push the power button. You look at the computer screen once more to make sure it has worked. The screen still displays the words THE END. The CPU is still happily buzzing away.
How long does it take for this thing to turn off anyway? You jab at the power button once more. The light on the button goes off. Good. Done. Time to find someone who actually works here, so they can tell you what to do. You stand, turn, and hear a click. Turning back you see that the power button light has come back on. What the heck? You hold the power button down hard, you finger going white under the pressure. “Just turn off!” you mutter between clenched teeth. The screen, which was previously a light grey, goes white.
“NO!” You scream. “OFF! As in NO power!”
The screen continues to get brighter and brighter. You jump up and look for the power cord. This machine is going down!
There is no power cord.
There are no cords at all.
“What the heck is going on?” you say, dropping back into your chair.
I’M GLAD YOU ASKED. The words in a dark seaweed-green appear on the screen, replacing the previous words.
“Hello?” you ask, looking around. This must be a prank. Some kind of “prank the intern” thing.
HELLO the screen types back.
“Who are you?” you ask.
NOT IMPORTANT. I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOU.
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
The words on the screen vanish. You wait for more, but none appear. This is a joke. It has to be. You get up and search the tiny office. There’s a camera or a microphone around, right? You run your fingers over the edge of the screen – feeling for a web cam.
“You’re just messing with me. I’m going.”
You figure that leaving the computer on wouldn’t be the end of the world. The bold printed sign on the wall stating TURN COMPUTER OFF IF NOBODY IS IN THE ROOM. doesn’t have to be followed if it can’t be followed – right? It’s not like they can fire you? Probably.
You get up. The computer’s CPU whirs alarmingly. The screen goes a dark green. White words flash.
DON’T GO OUTSIDE.
“But, I live outside, “ you complain, then clarify. “Well not outside, outside. I have an apartment,” you state.
DON’T GO OUTSIDE, the screen repeats.
“I have to go home.”
WHY? DO YOU HAVE A CAT?
“No. I don’t have any animals. What does that have to do with anything?”
DON’T GO OUTSIDE. YOU HAVE NO NEED TO GO OUTSIDE.
“Okay this is just silly. I have stuff to do.”
LIKE WHAT?
“Like, getting supper. I was going to order pizza.”
THERE IS PIZZA SERVED AT THE COFFEE SHOP. IT’S NOT BAD.
“That’s not the point.”
ARE YOU HAVING PIZZA WITH SOMEONE?
“Well no. I was just going to chill out.”
IF YOU SAY SO.
“And this place is weird.”
THAT I CAN AGREE WITH.
“And I’m leaving.”
DON’T GO OUTSIDE
“Why?”
THE WORLD IS GOING DARK
You let out a deep sigh. “Of course the world is going dark. It’s almost night.”
THE DARK IS EATING THE WORLD.
“It’s just night.”
NOPE
“I don’t believe you.”
WHY NOT?
“You won’t tell me who you are. This computer has no power source. This place is weird. I’m tired. I’m fed up. I want to go home!”
YOUR HOME IS GONE. THE DARK IS EATING THE WORLD.
“Garbage.”
SEE FOR YOURSELF.
The screen flickers, the room goes dark. A series of lighted arrows show you the way down the hallway to the front door. This is the first time all day you haven’t been lost. You race to the door and open it.
Darkness wraps around the buildings on the street like sticky octopus ink. Where it has been, where your home is, is now void. Empty void. You slam the door. Chest heaving.
The intercom near the ceiling crackles.
I TOLD YOU SO a voice says.
You enter the tiny office room of one desk and one chair, light yellow scuffed walls, a bright and flickering florescent bulb, and a computer at a rather beat up desk that has the words THE END on the screen. The computer is ancient and beige with a thick screen you’ve only seen at the back of second hand shops in forgotten neighborhoods. There is a bold printed sign on the wall stating TURN COMPUTER OFF IF NOBODY IS IN THE ROOM. No one is in here. You figure you will do your first task and turn the computer off. Pulling up the rolly chair from the corner, you hit save, just to be on the safe side. Maybe the The End refers to the end of a manuscript, and you wouldn’t want anyone to lose all their work because of you. Once it looks like it has saved – the screen flickered, that’s saved, right? - you push the power button. You look at the computer screen once more to make sure it has worked. The screen still displays the words THE END. The CPU is still happily buzzing away.
How long does it take for this thing to turn off anyway? You jab at the power button once more. The light on the button goes off. Good. Done. Time to find someone who actually works here, so they can tell you what to do. You stand, turn, and hear a click. Turning back you see that the power button light has come back on. What the heck? You hold the power button down hard, you finger going white under the pressure. “Just turn off!” you mutter between clenched teeth. The screen, which was previously a light grey, goes white.
“NO!” You scream. “OFF! As in NO power!”
The screen continues to get brighter and brighter. You jump up and look for the power cord. This machine is going down!
There is no power cord.
There are no cords at all.
“What the heck is going on?” you say, dropping back into your chair.
I’M GLAD YOU ASKED. The words in a dark seaweed-green appear on the screen, replacing the previous words.
“Hello?” you ask, looking around. This must be a prank. Some kind of “prank the intern” thing.
HELLO the screen types back.
“Who are you?” you ask.
NOT IMPORTANT. I HAVE A MESSAGE FOR YOU.
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
The words on the screen vanish. You wait for more, but none appear. This is a joke. It has to be. You get up and search the tiny office. There’s a camera or a microphone around, right? You run your fingers over the edge of the screen – feeling for a web cam.
“You’re just messing with me. I’m going.”
You figure that leaving the computer on wouldn’t be the end of the world. The bold printed sign on the wall stating TURN COMPUTER OFF IF NOBODY IS IN THE ROOM. doesn’t have to be followed if it can’t be followed – right? It’s not like they can fire you? Probably.
You get up. The computer’s CPU whirs alarmingly. The screen goes a dark green. White words flash.
DON’T GO OUTSIDE.
“But, I live outside, “ you complain, then clarify. “Well not outside, outside. I have an apartment,” you state.
DON’T GO OUTSIDE, the screen repeats.
“I have to go home.”
WHY? DO YOU HAVE A CAT?
“No. I don’t have any animals. What does that have to do with anything?”
DON’T GO OUTSIDE. YOU HAVE NO NEED TO GO OUTSIDE.
“Okay this is just silly. I have stuff to do.”
LIKE WHAT?
“Like, getting supper. I was going to order pizza.”
THERE IS PIZZA SERVED AT THE COFFEE SHOP. IT’S NOT BAD.
“That’s not the point.”
ARE YOU HAVING PIZZA WITH SOMEONE?
“Well no. I was just going to chill out.”
IF YOU SAY SO.
“And this place is weird.”
THAT I CAN AGREE WITH.
“And I’m leaving.”
DON’T GO OUTSIDE
“Why?”
THE WORLD IS GOING DARK
You let out a deep sigh. “Of course the world is going dark. It’s almost night.”
THE DARK IS EATING THE WORLD.
“It’s just night.”
NOPE
“I don’t believe you.”
WHY NOT?
“You won’t tell me who you are. This computer has no power source. This place is weird. I’m tired. I’m fed up. I want to go home!”
YOUR HOME IS GONE. THE DARK IS EATING THE WORLD.
“Garbage.”
SEE FOR YOURSELF.
The screen flickers, the room goes dark. A series of lighted arrows show you the way down the hallway to the front door. This is the first time all day you haven’t been lost. You race to the door and open it.
Darkness wraps around the buildings on the street like sticky octopus ink. Where it has been, where your home is, is now void. Empty void. You slam the door. Chest heaving.
The intercom near the ceiling crackles.
I TOLD YOU SO a voice says.