Discarded Mac

Side of the Road

By the side of the road there were piles of stuff inviting the attention of incurable pack rats, confessed cheapskates, and garage sale scroungers. Piles of 2x4s here. Garage shelving there. Old washing machines. Dead lawn mowers. Discarded Macintoshes.

Wait! A discarded Macintosh!?

Rescue

In the dark of night, he walked silently down the block to the pile where the computer lay. He picked it up and put it under his arm.

Down the street, a man came out of his garage.

Hello, the man said, eyeing the computer. How are you?

Fine! And you?

Just fine, said the man. He got in his car and drove away.

Moment of Truth

Back home, he set the computer on a table by an outlet. He plugged in the power cord and turned on the switch. The machine beeped with that old Macintosh beep that took him back to the fall of 1984.

A smiling mac icon appeared on the screen.

Welcome to Macintosh, it said.

Sharing the Thrill

Does it work? she asked.

Yes, he happily answered. And it has HyperCard!

Oh. ... What's HyperCard?

Sharing the Thrill (Again)

Ben, come see what I found by the side of the road.

Hold on, came the (typical) distant reply.

It was Monday morning. Holding on took longer than usual. But when he saw the computer sitting on the table the boy's jaw dropped.

Dad! You found this by the side of the road!?

He began mousing around.

Look! It has HyperCard! he shouted with glee.

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