There was a computer screen, the whole length of the wall. I had my remote control in hand. There were highlight buttons, delete buttons, scroll buttons, picture buttons! I was hired to put the physical scenery on the screen. Nobody told me why or for whom it was to be done. The scenery was all in a row, like sitting ducks. Clock radio, garbage cans, tables with items on them, plants and toys. What kind of collage was this?
Dimming of the lights, background fading into infinity. Obscure shadows of people in the corners of the room, silent as ghosts. "Begin," a rasping voice said. I began slowly, not really sure how this worked. Finally, I found a steady rhythm. Push or squish a button, the image or words appeared.
Oops! Hit a wrong one! Go back, highlight delete! But it would not disappear. Try again. Words and pictures deleted I did not want gone! Horrors! Scribbles and phrases began to appear over the pictures of the items, obliterating their atmosphere. Backwards button, trying to correct this atrocity. Things kept going from worse to disaster. "Can I start over?" I asked. "NO!"
Silent ghosts from the shadows kept changing the items in the scenery around and I was so confused! "You were to be the best," the rasping voice hollered. "Who told you that?" I asked. "Never mind," the growling voice whispered finally. "You have failed. We will try somebody else tomorrow."
One by one, the gray figures left the room. The screen went silent. I found a note upon the desk in the scenery. It told me to turn off the radio, turn out the lights. No off button on the radio, so I could only turn the volume down by remote. Nothing worked by hand at all in this strange room! Where is the light switch? Nothing at all on the walls but paint, and my remote control only worked the computer screen overhead. Turning around in a panic and dizzy, I found another remote by the door on the floor. It read: "Lights out." I pushed the button.......
Dixie L. Scott (c)
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