Complete Draft
An Autobiography of a Laptop
Hello! My name is Vaio. I am proud to say that I come
from a very distinguished family with American genes. I was born in 2010s
winter in a giant lively room with extremely high ceiling. I believe that it is
my handsome, irresistible, silvery body that has attracted many men and women
to admire and possess me. I am no ordinary device. My brain has a gift of 4GB
Ram. I am sure that’s more than a human brain and they have always made me their
sole companion by sharing their thoughts and work with me. Not to mention that
I am also an important member in the family. I can read, write, sing and also
babysit. I am relatively a thoughtful and quiet person but only for those who
don’t know me. Sometimes I can be quick tempered. Basically, I think I'm a positive person because in my
mind, everybody can reach nearly every goal, in case he/she really believes in
it. My motto in life is “Learn and Let others learn.”
Today I am with Tenzin. He is a gentle and loving man
with very soft hands. He takes care of me and brought me an amazingly
comfortable new bag which has a sleek leather belt. He takes special care and
uses tissue paper to wipe my face very gently whenever we sit together. He
trusts me enough to share his secrets and show all his emotions to me. I have a
good circle of friends whom I met at Tenzin’s home. Old Mrs. Dell, Madame TeeVee and the gorgeous Ms.Acer. The ladies were very excited to see me on
Tenzin’s lap the day I arrived. A week
later, as I was babysitting Tenzin’s new baby, singing The Wiggles nursery
rhymes loudly, I cocked my ears slightly to listen in to their whispered
conversation taking place in the blue-door room opposite to where I sat.
“He is an
awesome take-charge young man who is clever at talking about almost any topic
and memorizes every detail,” said old Mrs. Dell who sat at her table.
“Why yes! He can even identify diseases and can tell
who, what, when, where and how the virus has entered the system,” said Madame TeeVee.
“Is he a doctor?”
“Sshhh... don’t be too loud, I hear he can read minds
too and thinks harder than Mr.Tenzin”
“He’s coming”
Tenzin came up to me hurriedly and carried me through
the blue door.
“Hello ladies, my sincere apology for barging into
your private chambers” said I.
“Oh please… the pleasure is ours to have you here”
cooed Madame TeeVee, glaring her eyes at me.”
“Finally I can have someone of my position to talk
about intelligent matter” said the clever old black Guitar, in his loud booming
voice, standing straight like a military officer on the bright yellow corner of
the room.
“Hump!” chorused the ladies in reply.
To everybody’s disappointment I had to immediately get
to work. I had to help Tenzin with his class result which was due soon.
Otherwise he would forget where he put his files. There were so many
calculations, names and marks to remember I needed to collect and put
everything together. Tenzin was happy with the way I performed that he brought
me another fancy bag with a cool white wireless mouse! This matched perfectly to my skin! I didn’t
like the way his old mouse dangled hideously all around my handsome feature.
‘Wow, what
more could I ask for?’ There is
nothing better than a happy comfortable life.
It was a hot
summer’s evening when I had just turned eight months old. The news of a tiny micro-soft chip found in
computer laptops was broadcast all over the world. I was the lucky one to have
been blessed with two of those chips! Can you believe that? I don’t know
whether that was a blessing in disguise or just my bad luck. You can decide
after I tell you what happened afterwards.
The night was
jet black and chilly. The cool breeze flowing through the window lifted those
thin flowery curtains over my face as I sat there watching the stars. They
looked tiny and dotted the sky like a maze. The house was very quiet.
Squeak, squeak, squeak….. I could hear the rats underneath the pile of logs
outside the parapet. Everybody in the house was out for a birthday party. Just
then, I heard a scramble from the door that lead to the backyard.
‘Who could it be?’
Two shadowy figures
came up to me and stiffed me inside a sack before I could call for help. I knew
immediately that I was being kidnapped. I was unconscious by the horrible gas
which the goons had already put in the sack. An hour later as I opened my eyes
I found myself tied in a box left near a corner in the dark alley. Water was
leaking from the pipe above and it had created a muddle all around. I was
scared to my wits. This was a place the locals believed to be as haunted by
ghosts. No one would think of looking for me here. I was all alone with no food
and no one to get help from. ‘Oh how I
missed my warm cozy bag!’
The faces of my
kidnappers were not revealed. They were very careful in concealing themselves. They
never talked in front of me and only used sign language. Each wore a black mask
covering their head whenever they came to check on me. The taller one of the
two wore a silver ring on his middle finger, right hand. There was something
familiar about it. I knew I had seen it before but I couldn’t remember clearly,
I was very exhausted as my battery was running out. It had been seven days
without any charge in me. By the eighth day when I lost all hope of ever seeing
my family, a constable with a police dog came down through the dark alley. They
had caught the brutes that held me.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
I heard gunshots fired in the air.
I shouted in a
feeble voice, “hel…p, hel..p, h….e…lp…..zz zzz z….”
and my battery died.
After 24 hours,
I regained my unconsciousness. Everyone was praying for me to come out of coma.
I was happy to see the smiling faces surrounding me. Even old Mr. Guitar had
finally left his corner to look at me. He looked so worried. I could notice the
new line of wrinkle running down his face.
With my body fully charged, I remembered where I had
seen the silver ring. I got up immediately and ran frantically to tell Tenzin about
it. He was in the living room area talking to an officer.
“Calm down, calm down, sit here and take a deep breath,”
said Tenzin.
“We know who abducted you and you don’t have to fear
anymore. We have them under our custody now,” said the officer trying to pacify
me.
“How did you find out?”
“We traced your chips through our GPS. They were after
it. They wanted to trade you to a mafia gang based in Afghanistan. I believe it
is a very important device which is multi-functional and could be used to
launch nuclear weapons.”
“What about Sangay? The boy next door?”
“Yes, yes we have have him too,” replied the officer.
“He was the ring leader who planned your kidnapping. It is not safe for you to
live here anymore. You have to go to America. You’ll be safe in the hands of
the FBI stationed there. I have arranged your ticket for the flight tomorrow.
Two FBI agents will reach here this evening to escort you all the way.”
He further looked at Tenzin and said, “I am sorry to
say you have to part ways. I talked with the FBI and they have agreed to compensate
500000 Nu for your laptop. It is best you let him go for his safety and for the
safety of our country. I hope you will understand.”
That evening over dinner everyone was trying to cheer
me, putting up a false mask of joy across their faces. The air hung heavy. I
listened to their talks with a throbbing heart. I knew that they would miss me
terribly and so would I, but of all the people in the house, baby Lulu would
miss me the most. She never went to bed without me singing her a lullaby. I
would miss everyone.
The next day, two men dressed in black tailored suits
came up to the door looking for me. They carried a large brown leather bag each
over their shoulder. As soon as they saw me they signaled each other and nodded
their heads. The shorter one handed over the black case he carried in his left
arm to Tenzin and I was handed over. It was a sad day for me. I couldn’t say
goodbye with my throat all choked up and tears running down my chin. The words
just wouldn’t come out as I bid them farewell.
I travelled around the globe with those two men for
three days. I am now at the United States Department of Justice, The Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI). On reaching here, I was awarded the most prominent
position in the world that no one could ever dream of having. The chips found
inside me were used to create a sophisticated software program for carrying
details of people everywhere in the world. I have become the smartest person in the laboratory.
I tell the officers about illegal activities going on and where they can catch
those lawbreakers. It just takes a flash for me to show them what is happening.
My technical father, Mr. Bill Gates visits me every
month to see that I do not contract any harmful virus. He has personally prescribed
me a special anti-virus dose which he had developed of late.
Working at the FBI is very exhausting and tiring. Not
a minute of rest. Despite that I am contended with myself. I do miss my old
family but the rigorous routine of my life has filled up this painful gap in my
heart. In years to come, I wish to lead a quiet life, away from all this chaos and
I hope to rejoin with my family in Bhutan.
THE END
