A VERY DARK tale (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 20

    Chris stood snickering right behind me, but I couldn't care less. I've been having a moment for the past ten minutes. What could have shocked me more than the fact that I could possibly be a whole body demon? That would be a laptop. That's what Chris called it. A laptop.

I couldn't process the fact that this little thingy could store hundreds and hundreds of books. I broke my brain figuring out how could they squeeze a book, to fit into such a tiny, flat rectangular box. Okay, I guess I could accept the idea of a cellphone, of automatic doors, automatic keys, automatic cars...but the entire laptop, or in other words - a computer idea, had blown me away.

Chris sighed annoyingly. "It's a program, Stacy. They are not actual books. They just managed to convert the numbers into the system and create the programs. It's like...I don't know...Instead of interacting with physical items you interact with virtual - made up items. First computers were quite primitive. You needed to input a particular code to get the result. Modern computers are advanced. In the future, the entire household will be computerized. Voice commands, virtual keyboards," he pointed at the buttons with the letters on them. "Imagine that they took the entire library and converted the books into the tiny programs and then inserted them into the storage unit of the computer. It actually could be anything. I just gave you an example, that you would most likely understand."

"What else this thingy can store?" I asked tracing the screen with my fingers

"Anything, really," he replied shrugging his shoulders. "To be honest, the laptop itself is quite boring without the internet."

"What's the internet?"

"Uh! Something that is way cooler than a computer in itself." I creased my brows, listening trying to grasp the idea. "Okay. Imagine there are cities, and each city has a library. Each library has a catalog of the books, magazines and simply the information they carry, but to get to each city would take you forever." I nodded following his description. "Now imagine the cellphones. They don't need cords, like in-home landlines. You can go to any part of the world and still use it, unless of course, that place doesn't have service. The same thing is with Internet and computers. The computers have access to those libraries that store the information and different programs. You can order clothes through the Internet. You can download books, music, games, and any sort of things and it would go straight to the storage system of your computer, just by clicking the keyboard, without leaving your house."

I took a deep breath and shook my head. "I can't understand," I admitted.

"You'll figure it out," Chris replied dismissively.

"I doubt that," I muttered and decided to take a break from brainstorming.

When I was finally done studying the laptop, the interior of Chris's house spiked my interest up. I was already surprised by what I saw when entered his place for the first time, but then the laptop thing destructed me. I forgot all about my desire to explore the house.

I wouldn't tell by looking at Chris that he was that kind of guy. Even I, the girl who came from the different era, could tell that this was not common for a hick, or simply for a person who came to live in two thousand ten naturally. It was an ultra-modern design of furniture. Everything looked sleek and polished, without unnecessary details. The floor was white and shiny, the walls had no pattern and were white as the floor, but without glitter. The sofas and the tables were black and square. However, from outside, the house didn't look like anything special, blending well with the neighborhood.

Seeing this, made me think that Chris had secrets of his own, and when the time comes, I'd have to make him talk.

"I think you need to take a shower and have some medicine. This is non-drowsy one. It won't make you sleepy," Chris said bringing my attention back to him.