Master

Q4. The day the computer started misbehaving. It had all started on that very ‘perfect’ day. I was sitting in front of the computer, doing research on global warming, my school project work. Out of the blue, my team mate, John, called me. Picking up the phone, I quite unexpectedly heard John’s anxious voice over the phone. All I could pick up were stammers and stutters. Then in a very soft voice, constricted with fear, I heard John. “My computer has gone haywire, my parents are not home and I don’t know what to do-" Then the line was cut-off. I was worried for John but I had no idea what was happening, anyway, computers are always down when we needed them most. Putting that aside, I continued doing my work, part of my mind still in confusion. Before I knew it, my computer screen went blank; my full morning of hard work and surfing vanished without a trace in just that second. Black, white and grey lines swirled on the screen. Confusing, almost hypnotising. There was a low rumbling sound emitting from the speakers. What was going on' Feeling scared, apprehensive and curious, I had no idea what to do. Then a thought struck me. Was this what was happening to John' I had to find out. I reached for the phone but the doorbell rang just as I was doing so. Half-heartedly, I went to open it. In front of me was John. His face was ashen-white, his body quivering with fear. I invited him in, trying to understand his predicament. “I was researching when my compu…”He did not even finish that word when his eyes enlarged and focus on something else behind me. I turned around too, just to see...my computer standing up. When I say “standing up”, I meant it. Two robotic legs were at its base and the screen was swirling with colours. Before I could comprehend the situation, I felt as though I was literally sucked into the computer screen. I was moving at breakneck speed through a rotating mass of black and white lines. As suddenly as everything started, it ended abruptly. I could feel myself crashing into the ground, and I tried to get up, just to be squashed by John who collapsed on me. We both stood up unsteadily. My head was spinning and I had totally no idea where we were. In the computer' It did not make any sense. John and I observed our surroundings, or what was left of it. We seemed to be in the middle of ruins on an island. The sky was orange like flames in the air. The air was polluted with smoke and pungent smells of acid that caused my eyes to tear. Some moving objects were pouring toward us. Pouring' I did a double-take. Millions, billions, trillions of computers with arms and legs were rushing toward us like swarms of bees. I could feel the adrenalines racing, my heart palpitating wildly. Though I was not sure whether it was because I had no idea of what was happening or because I knew it was not going to be good. John’s face was now as white as paper. What are we doing here' What were those computer-robots' Millions of questions raced through my mind. Unfortunately, I did not have an answer for any of them. “Intruders...spies…Traitors..” I could roughly make out the sound of words through a low chanting. Intruders' Spies' Traitors' Me' These were not normal computers. We were on a hill and they were reaching us fast. John managed a cough before turning and pointing to a spiral not far away, his movement was slow and filled with fear. Its pattern resembled those we saw in the spiral that brought us here. Could it be an escape route' What alternative do we have' I grabbed John’s hand and dashed towards the spiral. It was hanging it the air, spinning and luring. I jumped up as high as I could, straight into the spiral. My world started whirling again. Then I tumbled onto carpet. This time, I saw John beside me, not on me. He stared around , confused by the sudden turn of events. I got up and scanned what was around me. I was home. I looked at my computer screen, seeing that all my research and words were still there. What had happened' It was certainly not a dream, as John went through it too. It was definitely not in reality, as such things never happened. So… what exactly happened '