When we discovered the net

When we discovered the net

When we discovered the net

Midnight! I had made good progress. I did not really want to sleep. So, like almost every night, I decided to go for a walk on the Internet. At the time, it was so amazing, innovative ...
Alas, there was not much interesting, I visited one or two sites and then began to get bored. Maybe someone had left me a message? I was going to consult my mailbox. Super, Xavier sent me a hello and a file to download!
I launched the download and was about to see the virtual show he promised me in his message. A little cigarette, download time and I settled comfortably in front of the screen smiling in advance of what I was going to discover.
Yes but that's it, impossible to open the file sent by Xavier. No software installed in my computer could read it, remember that we were at the beginning of the Net. I was trying through a video program, nothing to do, only a series of figures, letters and incomprehensible codes appeared on the screen.
I went into a program of image processing, nothing either, otherwise improbable sounds emitted by my computer that kept pointing out errors of misconfigurations and other barbaric terms that I did not understand anything.
By accident, I launched a word processor that managed to open the downloaded file, but still in a language of codes amphigouriques. I learned nevertheless that the file that Xavier had sent me was a sort of small virtual video staging our two children Eliot (his) and Fanny (mine) who were on vacation at his place. I was mad, it must have been nice to see. What a pity !
But I had no solution and it was late, so I decided to leave the program, and not to clutter my computer, to overwrite this unreadable file. To do this, I sent it to the trash of the computer. But by the time I clicked on the trash can icon to erase the file, I heard like a noise. Not a computer sound, not a funny little sound, almost a child's laugh. I listened, but everything seemed in order. I had to dream, it was probably a noise from the sleeping city, the TV neighbors or I do not know ...
I clicked on the icon in my trash again to erase the file. But at the same time, the little laugh came back.
Intrigued, I went to check by opening the window, to listen if it did not come from the street. But everything was calm and the cold of a silent night entered the apartment. Everyone was sleeping, it was time for me to do the same. After closing the window, I went back to my computer. Come on dodo everyone: the computer, the job and me!
But when I returned to my computer, an incredible shock shook my stomach, on the screen the icon of the basket was propelled by jolts in all directions, as if something inside wanted to leave!
Instinctively I closed my eyes to take back and control myself, but when I opened them again, the trash continued its incredible ride on the screen.
What was happening ? I grabbed my mouse and tried to click on the icon, without really knowing why, probably to stop it, to stop this ride.
But as the mouse pointer reached the trash. I heard a voice ... the voice of Eliot!
- Now, I'm screwing over. I want to go out and go to bed with a bottle of chocolate.
Febrile, I approached again the pointer of my mouse near the trash. It was Fanny now, who was talking to me, I was sure, I recognized her voice.
- Mom, we want to go out now! It's not funny anymore, to be there!
In spite of myself, I murmured in front of the screen.
- Fanny? It's you ?
- Yes mom. And we're tired of it! We want to get out of there!
- Where are you?
- In the file, Mom! In the file that Xavier sent you. He was laughing at his computer show, but now it's not funny at all. Eliot is tired, he wants to go home and me too.
What was happening seemed to me totally implausible. The virtual video sent by Xavier had finally started, but how could he have programmed Fanny's answers, how could he have foreseen my questions ?!
I was trying a new question.
- Eliot, do you hear me? If so, tell me peanut!
- Peanut Zabeth, but I want my bottle of chocolate.

Calm down, I had to stay calm, but my legs no longer supported me, and I could not hold back the uninterrupted tremor of my hands.
I tried to control myself, to reason. But that trashcan icon jiggling on the screen terrified me. I stood, stunned, in front of my computer, waiting for the rest, but nothing happened. Otherwise this basket that was moving in disorder and moans more and more agonizing of the two children.
- Mom, it's too small in there! I want to go back home.
Fanny's voice was not virtual, on the contrary, she was so present, so worried and tragic. I tried a new question to thwart Xavier's programming.
- 5 and 5, how's my chip?
- 10 Mom, but why do not you worry about getting us out?

Ten, she had answered ten! As Eliot had said peanut! Xavier could never have imagined that I ask these questions. Reality froze me with fright. It was absurd, impossible, foolish, but it was too late to try to doubt, one had to act.
The first thing to do was to remove this file from the trash to avoid any mishandling. I did not even dare to imagine what would happen if I erased it.
My hands were sweaty by moving the mouse cursor. It is not so hard to move a file, I did it every day, but there, I was sure, it was critical, vital!
I was trying to control my trembling hand, not to let go of the mouse before reaching the "open" option. It was important not to empty this basket. I did not understand what was happening, but, I was sure, if this file faded, a disaster would happen.
- Mom, do not be mistaken, whispered the voice of Fanny, who understood what I was doing.
I finally opened the folder of the trash, the file was there, apparently intact:

File: COUCOU.mim (2867009 bytes)
Download time (28800 bit / s): <27 minutes
This message is a multipart MIME message and will be saved with the default filename COUCOU.mim

Quickly take it out of the trash folder, put it back on the virtual desktop of the computer, relax and think.
It was impossible, Fanny and Eliot could not be in there, they could not be in the computer, it was impossible. But it was just as impossible for me to hear them speak on the computer, I did not know what to think. One solution, to forget the stupid and wicked ground of reason to deal only with the problem of the moment: to get them out of there! It was necessary to open this file, to view it and the problem would perhaps be solved, but I could not open this file. I wanted to cry, to break everything, to forget this nightmare, I would have liked not to have opened my e-mail, to have no modem, not to have a computer, not to know this bullshit of Internet, but it was too late. My two little loves were stuck behind the screen and they were counting on me to do something.
I heard Eliot's voice, which became more and more poignant, he was thirsty, he was hungry, he was fed up.
Tears in my eyes, I stared, incredulous my screen. I was desperate, I was scared, but it was too late to complain, I had to find a solution.
- Do not worry Eliot, I'll get you out of here soon.
I had stuck my mouth close to the screen, so I wanted to comfort him. His little voice, stifled by the glass of the screen, answered me gently, he wanted to wait a little longer, but he was hungry. In my head, a thousand questions swirled, I did not know how to open this file, I did not understand this computer of misfortune. It was one o'clock in the morning, I did not know who to call for help and anyway if I had known, who would have liked to believe me?
First of all, it was necessary to calm the children, to occupy them to have time to think and find a solution. A crazy idea passed me by the head, but to the point where I was, I could always try.
Fanny loved to play with her Yes-Yes CD-ROM, so if I opened it and moved it to the file where they were locked up, it might occupy them. In addition to the game of Yes-Yes, there is a space with ice cream and sweets, enough to allow them to forget time.
- Fanny?
- Yes mom !
It was awful to talk to this file, without seeing it, without touching it, but I tried not to let anything go wrong.
- Fanny, do you want to go to Yes-Yes while I prepare for your trip? Maybe I can take you there.
Of course, the answer was not long in coming, the children cried with joy, nodding. I pulled out Fanny's favorite CD-ROM, inserted it into the reader, the familiar little music started. I crossed my fingers as long as the manipulation worked!
- We hear him mom, but how do we go? Fanny asked me.
- Wait, I'll try to put your file in the program.
I was afraid, and if it was the mistake not to commit, the "manipulation" inconsiderate, and if I damaged their file! But all of a sudden I heard them.
" Thanks Mom ! Thank you, Zabeth, it's great. Oh look there there is Pumpkin, come quickly we'll say hello. "
I held back my tears and shouted at them to think of asking the merchant for a big ice cream, tonight they had the right to take what they wanted. Then I left them, to try to solve my problem.
Although I entered the computer help program, I found no solution. In any case, I never understand anything about aid programs. I did not dare open the Internet to ask for help from potential correspondents, I was too afraid of losing the children.
I could not do anything. I only got coded pages, monstrously incomprehensible to me. Proof of my helplessness.

Sometimes I heard a burst of laughter, a song of Oui-Oui echoed by Eliot and Fanny who gave me courage while I froze with fright. When, how, could I finally get out of there !!

Going back from Windows Explorer to MS-Dos Commands, with a detour via Microsoft Exchange, after a recording in HTLM format, a glimmer of hope came over me, the file appeared to be finally open in reading. And while the hourglass of the computer forced me to wait, I began to hope. Perhaps I had finally found the solution. I did not dare to say anything to the children, I was staring at the screen. I prayed to all the gods, all the saints, all the networks, all the Internet servers on the planet. It had to work. It was necessary to leave this nightmare.

As the hourglass of the computer turned and returned, I made all the promises of the world, I would stop smoking, I would never eat a crumb of chocolate, I would walk to Silicone Valley, I would not I would never do it again, I would do all this and more if it works, but do it, make it work.
Suddenly the blued screen, then seeming to fray, turned into a multitude of greyish multicolored stripes, a strident and continuous beep emerges at the same time as the cries of Fanny and Eliot. Unable to catch my breath, eyes haggard, staggering panic, I saw the screen darken. Silence comes at once, along with a flashing message on the screen:

FATAL ERROR - ALL NON-REGISTERED DATA WILL BE LOST - FATAL ERROR

Almost whispering, I called, throat knotted:
- Fanny? Fanny? You hear me ? Eliot? How is it going ?

Nothing. No answer, otherwise this message unbearable on the screen. I was paralyzed, I was shaking all my limbs, yet it was necessary to ensure, find something, get out of this madness, recover them.
Normally, when the computer displays this type of message, there is only one thing to do: disconnect the computer, count to 20 and open it again. But if I did that, what would happen to the file where Eliot and Fanny were locked up? What will happen to them? I must admit, I looked at the screen without daring to do anything, I screamed in pain, I ran away from the screen, I did not want to know anything, forget everything! It took me several minutes to recover and leave this crazy state of panic. I came back to my office, ordering me to calm down, I sat down again at the computer. I put my hand toward the stop button and closed my eyes by cutting off the power. The apartment was monstrously quiet again, without the breath of computer ventilation. I counted to 20, without cheating, neither too fast nor too slowly, then I pushed back the power button.
At first there was the usual sound of the fan, which starts up again, then the sound of the screen, which starts charging and lighting up. I remained tense, waiting to be able to intervene again, but at the moment when the screen became readable: HORROR! I screamed to burst my eardrums: they were there, both, crying, nose against the window of my screen: Eliot and Fanny, their two faces stretched towards me, imprisoned calling for help, me begging to get them out of there.
They were stuck in my computer!
I put my hands on the screen, but they felt nothing of my caresses and cried by calling me. I was terrified, I was ashamed. I was unable to save them.
A start made me react, all that was not possible, it was a dream, a horrible nightmare. Fanny was not at Xavier's, I was not fighting with the computer, I was dreaming. The proof, I had only to get up, go to Fanny's room, see her and wake up completely to get out of this foolish dream. I rushed to his room. I was going to see her in her bed, sleeping quietly, I would only have to kiss her to reassure me completely. I could then go back to bed, laughing at what I would say to his father tomorrow when he returned from Brussels. It must be said that he is used to my incredible nightmares and will probably not be more surprised than that!
I gently pushed the door of Fanny's room. But when I got to her bed, I had to fall back into the horrible reality, she was not in bed!
She was locked in the computer with Eliot.
On his bed dragged one of his favorite stuffed toys, I took it crying, what would become of them? What could I do?

That's when this incredible idea came to me. If I could not get them out of there, I only had to join them! I was going to scan myself, scan myself, to join them, then we would all three via the Internet find the server Xavier who could perhaps, him, save us. I quickly wrote a note that I put prominently on the table next to the computer. Then I started the scanner program and closed my eyes and put my head on it first.
It was not really unpleasant the heat of the scan lamp.

***

I do not know if people have understood the little word that I left, I do not know if they are many to look for us behind their screens. But what I do know is that all three of us have a hard time finding ourselves in this mess of paths and the Web. If only someone could direct us to: XAVGTET@compuserve.com, it's been so long now, maybe he changed email address ....