Reading Memory

Hi. My name is Olivia. I'm in 5th grade. I live in a small house in Tennessee. A few months ago, I had a very scary story. I tell you the story below.

So, a few months ago, I was hanging out with my classmates in school. We talked about a lot of things, such as the things my friends are doing and the assignments we were asked to do, until the discussion got around to the types of computers that we use. I found out that almost all of my friends have an Apple computer in their house, which made me jealous. I didn't have any computer, let alone an Apple, and not even a smartphone or tablet.

Anyways, a few weeks later, my mom was bringing my little brother, Sam, to the playhouse at a nearby mall. I was surprised when I first went inside, because I noticed that the computer the secretary uses is an iMac, the computer I've always wanted! I then noticed that the computer was on sale for only 50 cents, as the secretary has found it difficult to use, and has switched to a different computer. Not wanting to lose the oppotunity, I begged my mom to buy the computer.

Later, I set up the computer in my bedroom. I hit the power button, and I noticed that it's saying "Reading Memory". For some reason, I feel a mental "connection" with the computer when this happens, and I don't know why.

This phenomenon continued for days. I've booted up the computer like a hundred times but it still keeps saying "Reading Memory", and always with the same feeling of being mentally "connected". This is when the weird things start.

So I got this assignment for history class which says I have to write an essay on the history of wall building. Pretty unusual, right? So when I arrive home I immediately start up the computer, and it says "Reading Memory", as usual. So then I click the Safari icon to open my web browser, and type in "wall building". The first result was an article about the history of the Great Wall of China. It's a funny coincidence that I considered the Great Wall of China as the topic of my assignment. I shrugged it off, as with many coincidences I happen to notice.

A few days later, one of my friends told me that we were going to have a hangout at the local pizza place, and that we would discuss it over the Internet. Now this was no ordinary pizza place, this was my pizza place in the whole world! You could imagine my excitement as I hopped off the bus and immediately went for my room. So I turned on the computer, passing the same "Reading Memory" stage as always. Then I excitedly clicked on Safari and immediately typed in "facebook", and sure enough, I landed on my friend's profile page, with a message saying, "Hey, Liv, let's talk about our hangout at the pizza place!" I was really shocked about this, but still shrugged it off like before.

Similar events continues to happen, where I would think of something and the computer will show something related to my thoughts, even if my search queries are extremely vague. One time I tried to trick the computer by purposefully thinking about something else mid-search, but will still show results based on my first thought. It's almost as if it was reading my mind. Needless to say, I was really freaked out about this.

That night, I had a strange but vivid dream. I woke up, and had this urge to use the computer fast. I hadn't turned off the computer itself yet, just the screen, so it would only take a little click of the mouse to let me use it again. However, I noticed that the mouse was dirty. So I went downstairs to grab a cleaning spray, and sprayed my mouse.

For some reason, the mouse began surging with electricity. Scared, I grabbed it, and I felt myself shrinking, and fast. Then I opened my eyes, and I saw myself in this weird place.

It had all these wires and everything, and what appears to be sensors and a motherboard. It looked kinda like the inside of a computer mouse which I had seen in a video on the Internet. Even I was like the size of an ant, I felt uncomfortable inside this, what I think is my mouse. Then I heard Sam's footsteps, and a bouncing sound. I'd say he was inside my room playing with his ball. I shouted "Sam, can you see me?" but he didn't say anything. Instead, he threw his ball and it landed on the ceiling of this place, or what I'd say is the left mouse button.

Then I felt myself floating, away from the mouse and into another strange place. It looked like the top of some mountains at sunset. It was beautiful. On the right side of me were some hanging objects that I can't seem to make out. When I looked at the sky it seemed to have a high ceiling made of metal. In the front of me I could see my bedroom, and a room of transparent material with what looks like various logos painted on it. I figured I must be inside my computer screen.

Then I heard this moaning sound. It made me shiver, as it appeared to be coming from all around me. Then the moans changed into a voice, that said, "Fear not, Olivia, for I am your own computer."

Shocked, I said back, "You're my computer? And you can talk?" and it said back, "Yes, Olivia. It is me, and I can talk." It didn't say anything else after that. Then I found a black arrow lying on the ground. I sat on it jokingly, and suddenly it flew around, carrying me, and the view was beautiful. Better than anything I have ever seen in my life. I also found out that the hanging items and the logos are the icons on my desktop. I didn't want this to stop. But it did.

I woke up, in bed, lethargic, finally realizing it was a dream. Then I tried to remember what happened before that. But no matter how hard I try, I couldn't. It's almost as if my memories before that dream were permanently erased. Then I suddenly had an urge to use the computer. I turned it on, and it did its "Reading Memory" thing. Then when it finally booted up, I noticed there were now five folders on the desktop, not four like in my dream.

The new folder was named after my full name, which I will not reveal for security purposes. Curious, I clicked on it, and I saw four icons, two text files, one folder, and one application. In order, they were:


 * Personality.txt
 * Interests.txt
 * Memories (a folder)
 * and Olivia.app

I decided to check out "Personality" first. It was a text file, and written on it was my complete personality. And for some strange reason, as I was reading the text line by line, I started to adapt that particular personality. Next I checked out "Interests", and I saw a list of my likes and dislikes. Just like the last time, as I read through the file, I began to like or dislike what was written. Next I clicked on "Memories". It was a folder containing various picture files. I realized they were various snapshots of my life, taken from my point of view, from my birth to yesterday, named after the exact date and time it happened. I also noticed how good memories have better quality than others. But anyways, just like the previous two, as I scrolled through the files, I began to pick up those lost memories. That's when it hit me.

It wasn't reading the computer's memory, as I thought, but is reading MY OWN memory! That's why the secretary at the playhouse was fumbling with it! I freaked out about this, and went to turn off the computer as quickly as possible, but not before a new file appeared in the Memories folder, a blurry graphic of the text, reading "... reading MY OWN memory!"

A few months later, I'm now here, in school, typing this story. And no, I'm not using an Apple computer.