<meta name="LineWrap" content="true"><TITLE>SR_Bk1 0018</TITLE><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0019.txt">Next (Page 19)</A><BR> something disaster something?"<P><P>"Beautiful Disaster Area. It was like the best game ever. I actually got to play the original, in my freshman year. But then the summer between my freshman year and sophomore year the Froc-E4 that it was on finally gave up the ghost. And that was that. And then it was that next year that everyone started to really try and remake it, to remake it perfectly. But I really don't think it's ever gonna happen."<P><P>"So what, that was it? The only copy of it was on that computer, and the computer just broke?" Keepy asked.<P><P>"Yeah, I wish it was that easy. No, the uh, the way the original programmers made it, it was a kind of self-modifying code. It was like, every time someone played it, the actual program itself changed. That's what was so great about it. But over the course of time, the program became so radically different that there would have been no way to derive the original from the modified. And that's what was so cool about it. Just such a primitive computer, and like you'd play these characters going through these worlds, and there would always be new things, new discoveries. I remember when I was playing it, I got into this whole fairy tale, nursery rhyme kind of place, and everybody said that in ten years, no one else had found it. And I have the transcripts to prove it."<P><P>"Transcripts, huh?"<P><P>"Yeah. Anyway I mean, can I help you with anything? Did you want to get onto one of the computers?"<P><P>"Nah, I don't want to take computing time away from your giant number."<P><P>"Ah come on, one computer's not gonna matter."<P><P>"Well, okay... Burchard was it?"<P><P>"Yeah y'know, Burchard, Burch, B, whatever."<P><P>"Well hello Burch," Keepy said, and shook hands with him. "I'm Keepy Hawkfossil. And I think maybe I want to take another stab at that game of yours. If I remember correctly, I think I liked it."<P><P>Burchard regarded Keepy. She seemed so sad, she seemed on the verge of tears again. They locked stares and Burchard was honestly compassionate.<P><P>"Or maybe," Keepy said, accepting the compassion, "I just need to... I just, I just have to talk to someone."<P><P>"Well, sure," Burchard said after a pause. "I mean, definitely. You want to go over to the lounge, like over there, y'know, we could talk... not like I have a lot to do here."<P><P>But Keepy hesitated, a complex expression on her face.<P><P>"Are you okay?" Burchard asked.<P><P>"I'm okay. Let's go sit down."<P><P>They walked over to the lounge, with some comfy orange couches, and a good view of the snow coming down.<P><P>"Gotta love that snow," Burchard said.<P><P>"Burchard I... I have to ask you something before we start talking. I just want to know what you... what you think about your future. How do you feel about it?"<P><P>"My future? Well, I mean, I'm a senior, and I'll be outta this place in a few months. I'll probably be heading home and... look for a job. I'm really excited about computers, y'know, a career in computers, because they're advancing at such a geometric rate. In a few years the computers are just gonna... dwarf... dwarf all the computers of today. So I really want to get into a good place, work on all the cutting edge stuff. I don't know, that's what I really want."<P><P>"And Burchard, do you... do you have a girlfriend? Here, or back home? Anyone special to you? Are you close with your family? Do you have really good friends here that you think you'll keep in touch with? Or friends from home that you have kept in touch with?"<P><P>Burchard's eyes widened as he considered the question.<P><P>"Uh, that's... I don't know. I do have a girlfriend, but I don't know if I want to spend the rest of my life with her. My family's okay. And I have friends. But what is this all about?"<P><P>"Look Burchard, I want... I want to be very honest with you about this. I have a story, my personal story, to tell you.<BR><A HREF="SR_Bk1-0019.txt">Next (Page 19)</A>