Elizabeth stared at the screen. This must be some joke. Some trick. Computers could have artificial intelligence, but they couldn't do THAT. Of course! She knew there had to be some logical explanation. It must have been that nerdy kid Benny. He must have gotten on there somehow. The screen continued:

WHAT DID YOU THINK?

Elizabeth glanced around. What the hell was going on?

The computer continued,

"DO YOU ACTUALLY THINK SOMEONE IS THERE?

Elizabeth froze. Her eyes slowly traveled down to the keyboard. The keys were pressing themselves!

ELIZABETH! LISTEN TO ME! YOU HAVE POWER- DON'T BE AFRAID TO USE IT! WITH YOUR POWER, YOU COULD BE GREAT! YOU COULD---

Elizabeth screamed, and flicked off the computer. Almost immediately, her mother, Julia, was in, " 'Bethy, is anything wrong?"

"No mom. It was just a. spider." Which wasn't really a lie. Whenever one of her friends computers did something weird, they called it a spider. Of course, how would her mom know this?

"Alright, honey. Is your homework done?"

"Yes, Mom." In fact, she hadn't had any that day.

"Did you clean your room?"

"Mom!" Elizabeth wondered how her mom could be so clueless! Elizabeth hadn't had to clean her room since the last time she remodeled it, "I'm not my brother!" Her brother was notoriously dirty.

"Did I detect a smarmy there? I think I did. Smarmyness is not allowed in this household." Julia huffed off.

Elizabeth sighed. She didn't really mind her mother nagging her all the time, but the fact that she treated her like a little kid. Elizabeth suddenly realized how mundane that thought was after having a half- conversation with a computer.

Elizabeth stepped over the mossy log, pausing only briefly to inhale the beautiful scent. The summer air was laden with the smell of the wildflowers in the meadow ahead. Elizabeth stopped for a minute, listening to the bird calls, "Old Sam Peabody! Peabody! Peabody!" She could hear the yellow-throated warbler calling, along with the usual "Cree-Cree-Creek" of the Black-and-White warbler. The loons haunting trill echoed hauntingly from a nearby pond, and a deer picking it's way through the meadow paused, as if spellbound by the moment, before bolting into the dense forest.

"What call was that? Grey Jay? American Robin?"

Elizabeth whirled, glaring at Jeremiah, "What kind of fool do you take me for? It's a prothonotary warbler! They're the only bird that says 'tweet'. You know that. A robin? The robin's call sounds like 'cheerily- cheerily-cheerily, cheerup-cheerup-cheerup.'"

Jeremiah looked crestfallen, and Elizabeth immediately regretted her harsh words. He had been trying uncharacteristically to be nice, her voice softened. "Look, Jer. I appreciate your kindness and all, but you caught me at a bad time."

"What?" He said quickly, "Was your computer doing strange things?"

Now it was 'Beth's turn to be stunned, "What about it?" She said warily.

"Nothing. never mind. I shouldn't have asked. Least off all you, a stuck up prat of a know-it-all."

"And I suppose YOU know better?" Elizabeth snapped, switching instantly into her 'Jeremiah is being a jerk' mode.

"As a matter of fact, I do."

"Oh. How is that? Let me guess. you always said you were a God. Now your psychopathic mind actually believes it. Well, hate to break it to you Hercules, but you'll never be a god. Just a human being like the rest of us."

Jeremiah smirked as he walked away, muttering to himself, "We'll see about that."