my first humanities assignment...
Hiro was a successful businessman from a successful corporation in a successful nation. He was used to working long hours at a hard job for a man he didn’t like. He didn’t care about how stressful life was. He was closer to retirement that most people his age and that’s all that mattered.
It was a Friday afternoon and Hiro was putting the finishing touches on his report. He had been working overtime the whole month to prepare a paper that would be worthy of his employer’s praise. But at the exact moment he clicked print, the computer made a terrible noise. A noise no computer should ever make. It was a snap, a screech, a crackle and silence. The smell that filled his lungs was an odor of pure evil. The power had surged, the hard drive had fried, and the files were irrefutably irrecoverable. All that remained was darkness. No hum from the florescent lights. No buzz from the fax machine and no clunk from the printer. No sound, no light.
Hiro was immersed in the notion that his presentation would certainly be ruined, he would lose his job and his family would starve. But as he sat there gently weeping, a stranger approached him silently.
“You know your files are archived, right?” the stranger asked.
“Where?” Hiro replied.
“Between this world and the next.” Was all the stranger said.
“How do I get there?” Asked Hiro.
“Go forth, seek one known as receptionist. She will tell you everything you need to know.” Said the stranger, while backing slowly into the night.
“But wait, you haven’t told me your name!” Hiro exclaimed.
“Harold” said the stranger before disappearing into the darkness.
Hiro, mildly confused, gathered up what was left of his belongings. A few pens which he clipped into his pocket protector, a floppy disk and his good old briefcase. Then he embarked on his journey; still not knowing where he was to seek out his report. Hiro, still crying, knelt down to ask the lord for help. He wasn’t a holy man, but he figured it couldn’t hurt. He prayed. He prayed harder than he’d ever prayed before. Through tears and sobs he explained his situation. When he opened his eyes, he made out an image on the wall. In a vaguely familiar language he made out the word “receptionist”. He knew it was a sign.
Hiro quickly got to his feet and made his way through the darkness to the land of lobby. When he got there he looked around for the one known as receptionist. She was a short stout woman with short brown hair curled back into a ponytail. From the way she was slumped over, Hiro could tell she was not in the best of moods. The only feature distinguishing her from the mythical Kraken was the sign on her desk marked with her name.
“What do you want?” She asked.
“To gain the knowledge to find my archive.” He responded.
“I can’t tell you where it is without confirming your status as an employee. Unfortunately, I can’t check the database right now as the network is down.” She scoffed, “Can you come back another day?”
“Absolutely not!” Hiro exclaimed, “I have a report in the archives that needs to be printed within the hour so I can give my presentation to the one we call boss. Is there nothing you can do?”
“I can call security if you don’t leave the building.” She said.
Hiro was faced with a dilemma. This woman had the information he desired, but she refused to give it away. Hiro could turn back now to meet his fate, or he could go right back to the one known as receptionist and ask again.
“Pardon me for bothering you again, but I really need to get to the archives. You have the information I need, and if you give it to me, I will make it worth your while.”
“What did you have in mind?” She asked.
“Well, I could have a new name tag printed up for you that doesn’t say destroyer of worlds.”
“Ok. The man you seek is in the far off land of IT. You must journey to the far off land of floor 42. There you will meet a man. A man who holds the secrets of the binary world. But be wary of this man for he is very powerful indeed.” She said.
Hiro thanked the woman and journeyed to the place they call elevator. This mystical contraption took him to the land of floor 42. When he arrived, a man was waiting for him.
“Who are you?” Asked Hiro.
“I was a man like yourself. But I have studied the art of computer and through my labors, have become the Webmaster.” The strange man responded.
“Can you help me to print my report?” Hiro asked.
“Only if you promise to use it for the good of humanity” The Webmaster responded.
“Ya, sure, whatever, look. I have a presentation in 20 minutes, can you help me or not?”
Soon, a glowing light came from the Webmaster’s creation and he began to work. The Webmaster’s fingers drifted over the keyboard contraption in a methodical manner and the printer machine whirred and hummed. Soon the Webmaster handed the report to Hiro, who thanked him and made his way back to the land of office. All was right again at ComTech as the protector of the report returned to his normal duties, a changed man indeed.
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