Short stories

Virtual life

There were more than two hours he was installed in front of his computer. His fingers were tired, but he couldn’t stop. He discussed with friends he had met virtually on a social network called Friendship. Currently, he chatted with a girl living in Ottawa. She had sent him her picture and he wanted one thing: to learn more about her. She was pretty, but she didn’t seem very old. She claimed to be eighteen so he would have just given her fourteen or fifteen.

“It’s true!” she replied. “I turned eighteen last month!”

“You’re very kind, but I don’t want to be involved with a minor.”

“Fuck you!”

A small beep told him she just left the chat session. Alone in his apartment, he laughed. Girls can be so touchy. He said something to a friend he had known for years and had to connect to the network. He told what just happened with the girl who looked like a minor.

“I discovered her lie and she didn’t like it!”

Suddenly, the screen started flashing. It became black before the image reappeared. Frowning, he approached the screen and knocked it gently. It didn’t help, of course. Everything went black. He cursed. It’s not the time! I was talking with a beautiful woman who wanted to meet me! He was about to press the reset button on his computer when he heard a beautiful female voice asking him not to do that. He whirled around, expecting to see someone behind him. There was nobody. Shrugging, he bent again to press the button when he heard the voice again.

“Who’s there?”

He thought it was ridiculous to talk alone.

“Is there someone?”

“Of course I’m here!” the voice replied to him, laughing. “Do you think you’re hearing voices in your head?”

“If it’s a joke, it’s not funny. Where are you if this is not just a voice?”

“Look at your screen again and you will see me there.”

“And how do you know I don’t look at the screen?”

“Because I can see you.”

He sat up slowly and looked at his computer screen as she has requested. He was surprised to see the image of a young woman of great beauty. She smiled at him. He shook his head, bewildered.

“It’s impossible…”

He looked around him.

“Why are you doing this? There is no one else in your apartment.”

“Because it’s impossible!”

“Mat! Don’t tell me you know who I am!”

“How do you know my name? I don’t even know you! Who told you?”

“It’s you, big idiot!”

“What a great joke.”

“If you continue to taunt me as you do, you will not hear from me.”

He frowned and was told that it wasn’t necessary to get angry about that. He asked again how she could know him. He had a lot of memory, but he was persuaded to never have seen her. She laughed, a crystalline sound that made him smile despite himself.

“It’s me, Sarah. Don’t tell me you already forgotten?”

He fumbled in his memory to find out if he kept any souvenir of a girl named Sarah. Then, everything went clear. The beautiful woman who wanted to meet me! His face lit up with a smile as he replied they were talking together before he got problems with his computer. On the screen, the girl began to applaud, laughing.