Autumn Night

The following is a (very) short story I wrote for my senior (high school) science fiction class 8 years ago. The story had to have 500 words and three characters - one of which had to be a computer of some sort. The only changes I've made in typing it up here have been to correct spelling errors.

***

Suicide isn't easy. I have to give credit to people who have killed themselves, or even come close because I can't even do that - come close. It's not that I'm a stupid person, or clumsy, or lack common sense - I just have bad timing I suppose. I've attempted every way I know how, I just can't get the hang of it. Well, here is one last chance.
I looked up at the water tower, trying to find the ladder. The full moon was bright, so I didn't need a lantern to see. I climbed up the ladder, and sat on the ledge. I pulled out my ankle weights, threw my bag down, and looked for my rope. 'This has gotten too boring' I thought to myself, and apparently out loud.
"What exactly is boring. Killing yourself? Or how it is you've been trying?" It was Maynard.
"Neither. Life is boring, and I'm trying to spice it up." And it's the truth. It's not that I want to die, it's just that I'm tired of living. Maynard just likes to ask questions. "So how did you find me anyways?"
"Lolita, you can't go on living in simulations. You know it's dangerous. So come down here, and we can go home." I couldn't see him, but he sounded upset and concerned.
"No" I shouted as I continued to look for my rope.
"Computers have been shutting off all around the world. In the past month, 10,000 people have died because of it. If we aren't careful, they'll be running things."
"Hmmm" I looked over the side of the tower. "OK, but I'm only coming because I can't find my rope. I think I forgot to pack it." I climbed back down the ladder, and met Maynard at the bottom. "OK lets go look for the door out of here."
Every simulation has a door that is used to exit it. Most of the time, you can just make the door appear by telling the computer, but you can set the computer so that you have to look for the door, which is what I usually set it to. Now, it's hard to determine where the door will be, because the computer picks sites at random. Few people have ever gotten lost.
"You mean you don't know where the door is?" He looked upset.
"Hey! What would be the point in coming in here if the door were right here?" I was getting upset too. "Come on, lets just go." We left the water tower, and took off ini the direction of the woods. Maynard didn't speak unless he was yelling.
"We could be dead at any second! I don't care what you've been taught - these computers have developed a mind of their own."
"Maynard. Calm down."
"What?!" His face was turning red.
"How exactly did you get into my simulation? The only was you can is at my house through the door."
"No...I left my simulation through the door and came right out through the clearing here." Now confusion.
"Well, doesn't that tell you something? There are 3 possibilities from here. 1: either this is real life 2: your simulation is real life or 3: we are stuck in simulations." This is when the computer came on.
"Automatic shut off in 60 seconds. All life forms have 60 seconds to exit through the emergency door in front. If they do not exit, life will be terminated." The door appeared.
"Finally!" Maynard had started to cry. We got to the door, and ran through with out looking. In front of us we saw the water. Thats when the countdown began.
"End in 10 - 9- 8..."
"Oh fudge!" I began to cry also. The door disappeared behind us.
"...2 - 1 - end" As those words finished, we felt the blast, and all was gone.

OK everyone, I have posted pictures of my recent trip to Chicago on my Flickr site, so please check them out. Megan, Steve and I had a great time, though we also proved how out of shape we are. Megan and I stopped at a candle store just inside Indiana, and part of the store is a giant candle! (Think the Longaberger Basket Building in Newark, though not quite so massive) We also saw some wind farms along the way - it's nice to know that these things are really going up. We made it up to Steve's in about 9 hours since we made many stops. Saturday, after breakfast at IHOP (I so want one here at home!) we went out to the Morton Arboretum, which sadly puts Daws to shame. They have a Japaneese garden, like Daws, but they also have a Chineese and a Korean garden as well, among many others. We tried going through the Hedge maze at the end of our walk, but were too worn out to care much about it, we went a quarter of the way in before turning back. So other than that we ate, went out for a drink with Steve's friend Andy, and we watched "Rock and Rolla" and the first two seasons of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." A very nice weekend trip if I do say so myself. Check out the pictures!

OK, well this last one was taken out of my window when the evening sky was especially vivid. It was a beautiful night, and my phone camera could not do it justice...maybe I can play around with photoshop a bit.

The other pictures, again with my sad phone camera, are from a stall in the basement women's rooms on campus. It was interesting to watch it grow over the school year, and last week someone tried to wash it all off - in vain.

Alright, I am having trouble with this site. I find it difficult to navigate, and my dashboard disappears on certain sites, so I am unable to follow those blogs. Does anyone know of a better blogging site? If not I will probably stick it out here. I will have some more pictures soon, probably when I am done with school work on Friday (tomorrow).

I love the rain, but I cannot wait until it is sunny and warm again.

She died, it was time for her move on to different worlds. She stated it so matter of factly on her way out the door, that it didn't even sink in until it had probably already happened.

The closet was the key. It was the TA hub of the office. You came from there and you went there to go different places. Her husband ushered us in to go somewhere - he didn't seem to mind her abrupt departure, so maybe it wasn't true. I felt sad for him too. I didn't go with the rest, I had more important things on my mind. They were OK without me anyway.

It's all I can remember of half an hour ago. I should probably see a doctor, I fall asleep too well when I don't need to, and I shouldn't be able to dream after an hour. Just as well.

The first one is a hidden message from Denney, the last one a nice Alien display in western Ohio. the middle one? I was bored...it's of my shoes.

I want to smoke, but I don't. I want to go to this show or that, yet I don't. I nap instead. Instead I smile at people, then feel silly and creepy. I must look sad or angry -- I have no clue, I am clueless.
I am at the computer lab, smiling at people. I realize my lips are probably chapped and my mouth is that weird kind of dry where it is sticky and awkward. My eyes feel like it's sunny even though I am in the basement; my hair is stingy.
I glance at him and as his eyes turn to me I try to look cool and interested in what is on my screen -- it's just igoogle -- and I tug at my shirt. I cough my smokers cough and try to glance at him with out being noticed. It would be the worst thing in the world right now if he caught me. He notices. I try to smile, yet the motion is alien. What I end up with is a grimace.
My saunter -- which is actually a weird waddle/shimmy -- takes me to the printer. He comes up from behind which is the most unlikely and unexpected thing in the world to me. Someone laughs somewhere. He says "hi" with a slight smile. My grimace returns, and my answer is short and my voice fails me when I need it the most.
I go home and text my boyfriend.

I was driving back from a weekend at my friend's place, and there was a beautiful sunset. I know that I and my measly Blackberry Pearl camera cannot do it justice, but I sure can try!