A/N I think my muse might need a bit of a vacation (or better sleep habits) as I've been awake since two in the morning writing this down to shut the muse up. I'm putting this in the 'hello twilight zone'…or what did you put in your supper last night, category. Okay, how about science fiction instead? Hehehe I hope you get a chuckle out of the ending like I did.
There goes Eugene
Nick slammed the study door behind him as he growled. He was not happy to be pulled away from his work just so his baby brother could show him some new contraption that was suppose to help the family keep tract of things. My word, they did just fine keep tract of what was important.
Gene looked up from what Victoria told Nick was a computer desk. "Hello, Nick. I'm glad you're here. I've already s shown mother, our brothers and Audra how to use this grand invention; it's your turn now."
"What in the tarnation is that thing! I've never seen the likes of it anywhere!" Nick snapped.
"Gee, Nick, no reason to play *Grumpy." Gene pointed to the chair beside him. "Now, come on, let me show you how this thing works."
"All right, all right," Nick growled again. "Just make it snappy; this is a working ranch!"
As Gene began explaining the basics of a computer to Nick, he said, "You just have to be careful of what buttons you hit. See," he said as he pointed out such things as the 'save' and 'delete' buttons. He also showed him the number lock key, home key and all the other keys on something he told Nick was a keyboard.
"This is wasting my time!" Nick complained. "You said you were going to teach me about the computer, not this thing you call a keyboard!"
Gene sighed, apologized and began the explaining one thing after another on the computer. Things were going find until he started creating what he told Nick things Gene called files. "You can keep anything you want in these files, like employee names and any information you want about them. I've already created files for each one of us…"
Nick exploded before Gene could continue, "Each one of us? Why do we need a file on ourselves! We already know about ourselves!"
"We do, but others might not. Do you want to be forgotten?" He tried again to explain things only Nick grew impatient and tried to do things on his own. He began going through one file after another, trying to show that he'd learned everything he needed to know about 'this new fangled contraption' only hit a button and then gaze in horror as Gene began to fade.
"GENE!" Nick yelled as Eugene shook his head sadly and then disappeared altogether. Nick, whose finger was still resting on the last key he'd hit, looked down. He realized with horror his mistake….he'd been looking through Gene's file and hit the key with the word DELETE.
*refers to Grumpy of Snow White…according to Wikipedia, the story was published in 1812.