1Helper TN
November is National Novel Writing Month. This story is for all those who enter the NaNoWriMo challange. I imagine they are already making plans.
1Helper TN“You’re doing what?” Carman’s tone chased away any hope of continuing their snuggling. Daniel sacrificed his on-top position and flopped over onto the bed.“I’m using 1Helper to do the National Novel Writing Month challenge this year. We start at the stroke of midnight tonight. I won’t see you or anyone else for the whole month. You’re starting NaNoWriMo aren’t you?”“Yes, I always begin on the first minute of November, but I don’t bury myself away for the complete month. You shouldn’t do that. You must stay healthy, eat . . . drink. Drinking is important. I’ve heard of people who passed out from not getting enough liquid. You can’t just shut everything and everybody off.”“Yes I can, that is exactly what I am doing. 1Helper takes care of every physical and social need. They keep someone with you 24/7. I work on my novel, nothing else.”“You can write 50,000 words without going to that extreme, you know.”“But could you do 150,000?”“That’s impossible.”“I believe I can do five thousand words a day, and I’m willing to pay 1Helper their fee to help me accomplish it.”“You’re going for the word-count prize, aren’t you?”“Right you are. I’m going to win that 50,000 dollars.”“Well don’t think it will impress anyone from our group. They believe the true NaNoWriMo was forever tainted when they allowed the prize money. They liken it to the whole controversy around the HUGOs.”Daniel rolled off the bed and started dressing. “I have to get back to my place before midnight, so I’m leaving.” He pounced onto the bed and gave Carman’s head an affectionate rubbing. Giggling she pushed him away. She liked him to act aggressive sometimes as long as she didn’t get hurt.“I’ll call you about the Over party.”“If I’m still interested after a month of being allalone,” she called as he eased open the door. “And you sound like a 1Helper commercial.”The helper person was waiting on the stairs to his apartment. Daniel helped by carrying the second case. Helper, setup the equipment while Daniel changed into the appropriate gown. Daniel finished his task first.“Is there anything I can do?”“No, unless you want to put in your own IV line, some people do, you know.”“No thanks. I can wait.”“Don’t worry; we’ll be ready before midnight.”“So, I don’t have to explain what the parameters are and how important they are to me?”“Of course not, how could I manage to help if I didn’t understand everything about you, and your goal? That’s why you filled out numerous questionnaires before we accepted you as a client.”“Yah, they were a pain. I suppose I should be glad that someone read them besides my Lawyer and me. What do I call you . . . what’s your name, or do I refer to you as helper or something like that?”“My name is Ted Noman, and we are ready as soon as you sign the final approval contract.”“Another contact, it better not be as long as the first one. It’s five to twelve by my watch.”“This is one page. It gives you the opportunity to back out.”“I’m not backing out. Where is it?”Ted pulled a piece of paper from his briefcase, righted it, and set it on the table. Daniel read it over quickly before he scrawled his signature.Ted’s smile was bright enough to light the room when Daniel handed him the signed sheet. “Let’s get started.”Daniel sat. Ted inserted an IV catheter into Daniel’s arm and connected the first drip bag. He set the field generators around the desk chair—one to each side, plugged into the black box, and connected the generators—a process similar to hooking up speakers.He smiled while checking his watch. “Eleven fifty-nine, Daniel, see you in a month,” he said as he switched on the box.* * *Daniel’s next awareness was pain. It pulsed behind his eyes and tried to escape through his forehead. It might have been dribbling out his ears.“Just keep your eyes closed, and lean on my arm,” someone said. “Congratulations, you finished.”Daniels eyes flew open. Pain flooded his head, but he had to read the screen. “How many words . . . how much did I write?”He squinted at the lower left corner of the screen. 150,268 words it said. He could also read the last line of text. The End, it read.“I finished it.”“As I said, now let us get you into bed. Remember, your muscles will hurt for a few days until you get use to moving around again. We will remove our equipment and make sure your place is clean and tidy. All evidence of 1Helper will be gone by the time you wake up. It was a pleasure doing business with you.”* * *Daniel flopped into the same armchair he had used on his previous three visits. “Do I have a case?” He asked his lawyer. “Can I sue?”“You do not have grounds to sue.” Daniel jumped up from the chair, but the lawyer held out a straight arm. “Hear me out, please. The contracts you signed gave them the right to act as your agent in all financial and social dealings. They supplied every service you contracted for and paid for. Under business law they did nothing wrong.”“You and I went over those contracts. There wasn’t any mention of them being able to buy big ticket items. They bought a boat! They bought cars, and motorcycles, and plasma big-screens! My credit . . . my life . . . my winnings . . . everything is gone, and you tell me there is nothing I can do.”“You have no recourse within the law, Daniel. I wish I had better news, but I don’t.”“I read that final sheet. I saw nothing about this crap.”“Exactly, it was in the fine print.”“What fine print?”The lawyer handed a piece of paper to Daniel. It was the sheet in question.“I still don’t see wording that would allow for what they did.”“Look at the final line at the bottom of the page, the one in the tiny font.”Daniel squinted. The text came into focus. Particulars of this addendum visible under UV light, it said.The lawyer held out a UV lamp. “Want to read the particulars of what you signed?”Daniel shook his down-turned head. “But he did criminal things. He sold useless stocks to my friends, he . . . he . . . he ripped them off, and I think he raped my girlfriend and beat her up.”“If you persuaded the young woman to press charges, you will have some type of case, otherwise—.”“That is not going to happen. She won’t even answer my calls.”“Then communicate with her through your mutual friends. Get someone to tell her how badly you feel.”“What makes you think I have any friends left? They all hate me. Everyone hates me; even people I don’t know, hate me.” Daniel dropped the paper onto the desk. “Damn it, there has to be something. They’re a registered business. There has—.”“Actually they aren’t registered or anything,” his lawyer said.“But I remember a trademark symbol after the name.” Daniel pulled his wallet from his pocket and found the business card. “Look.”The lawyer turned to a magnifier on the credenza behind his desk. “It isn’t the trademark symbol,” he said after a few moments. “It actually says TN not TM. TN doesn’t have any significates under the law, so I would guess someone’s initials, maybe Tim, or Tom —““Ted.” Daniel’s head fell forward again. “He said his name was Ted Noman.”© Dave Skinner 2015
1Helper TN“You’re doing what?” Carman’s tone chased away any hope of continuing their snuggling. Daniel sacrificed his on-top position and flopped over onto the bed.“I’m using 1Helper to do the National Novel Writing Month challenge this year. We start at the stroke of midnight tonight. I won’t see you or anyone else for the whole month. You’re starting NaNoWriMo aren’t you?”“Yes, I always begin on the first minute of November, but I don’t bury myself away for the complete month. You shouldn’t do that. You must stay healthy, eat . . . drink. Drinking is important. I’ve heard of people who passed out from not getting enough liquid. You can’t just shut everything and everybody off.”“Yes I can, that is exactly what I am doing. 1Helper takes care of every physical and social need. They keep someone with you 24/7. I work on my novel, nothing else.”“You can write 50,000 words without going to that extreme, you know.”“But could you do 150,000?”“That’s impossible.”“I believe I can do five thousand words a day, and I’m willing to pay 1Helper their fee to help me accomplish it.”“You’re going for the word-count prize, aren’t you?”“Right you are. I’m going to win that 50,000 dollars.”“Well don’t think it will impress anyone from our group. They believe the true NaNoWriMo was forever tainted when they allowed the prize money. They liken it to the whole controversy around the HUGOs.”Daniel rolled off the bed and started dressing. “I have to get back to my place before midnight, so I’m leaving.” He pounced onto the bed and gave Carman’s head an affectionate rubbing. Giggling she pushed him away. She liked him to act aggressive sometimes as long as she didn’t get hurt.“I’ll call you about the Over party.”“If I’m still interested after a month of being allalone,” she called as he eased open the door. “And you sound like a 1Helper commercial.”The helper person was waiting on the stairs to his apartment. Daniel helped by carrying the second case. Helper, setup the equipment while Daniel changed into the appropriate gown. Daniel finished his task first.“Is there anything I can do?”“No, unless you want to put in your own IV line, some people do, you know.”“No thanks. I can wait.”“Don’t worry; we’ll be ready before midnight.”“So, I don’t have to explain what the parameters are and how important they are to me?”“Of course not, how could I manage to help if I didn’t understand everything about you, and your goal? That’s why you filled out numerous questionnaires before we accepted you as a client.”“Yah, they were a pain. I suppose I should be glad that someone read them besides my Lawyer and me. What do I call you . . . what’s your name, or do I refer to you as helper or something like that?”“My name is Ted Noman, and we are ready as soon as you sign the final approval contract.”“Another contact, it better not be as long as the first one. It’s five to twelve by my watch.”“This is one page. It gives you the opportunity to back out.”“I’m not backing out. Where is it?”Ted pulled a piece of paper from his briefcase, righted it, and set it on the table. Daniel read it over quickly before he scrawled his signature.Ted’s smile was bright enough to light the room when Daniel handed him the signed sheet. “Let’s get started.”Daniel sat. Ted inserted an IV catheter into Daniel’s arm and connected the first drip bag. He set the field generators around the desk chair—one to each side, plugged into the black box, and connected the generators—a process similar to hooking up speakers.He smiled while checking his watch. “Eleven fifty-nine, Daniel, see you in a month,” he said as he switched on the box.* * *Daniel’s next awareness was pain. It pulsed behind his eyes and tried to escape through his forehead. It might have been dribbling out his ears.“Just keep your eyes closed, and lean on my arm,” someone said. “Congratulations, you finished.”Daniels eyes flew open. Pain flooded his head, but he had to read the screen. “How many words . . . how much did I write?”He squinted at the lower left corner of the screen. 150,268 words it said. He could also read the last line of text. The End, it read.“I finished it.”“As I said, now let us get you into bed. Remember, your muscles will hurt for a few days until you get use to moving around again. We will remove our equipment and make sure your place is clean and tidy. All evidence of 1Helper will be gone by the time you wake up. It was a pleasure doing business with you.”* * *Daniel flopped into the same armchair he had used on his previous three visits. “Do I have a case?” He asked his lawyer. “Can I sue?”“You do not have grounds to sue.” Daniel jumped up from the chair, but the lawyer held out a straight arm. “Hear me out, please. The contracts you signed gave them the right to act as your agent in all financial and social dealings. They supplied every service you contracted for and paid for. Under business law they did nothing wrong.”“You and I went over those contracts. There wasn’t any mention of them being able to buy big ticket items. They bought a boat! They bought cars, and motorcycles, and plasma big-screens! My credit . . . my life . . . my winnings . . . everything is gone, and you tell me there is nothing I can do.”“You have no recourse within the law, Daniel. I wish I had better news, but I don’t.”“I read that final sheet. I saw nothing about this crap.”“Exactly, it was in the fine print.”“What fine print?”The lawyer handed a piece of paper to Daniel. It was the sheet in question.“I still don’t see wording that would allow for what they did.”“Look at the final line at the bottom of the page, the one in the tiny font.”Daniel squinted. The text came into focus. Particulars of this addendum visible under UV light, it said.The lawyer held out a UV lamp. “Want to read the particulars of what you signed?”Daniel shook his down-turned head. “But he did criminal things. He sold useless stocks to my friends, he . . . he . . . he ripped them off, and I think he raped my girlfriend and beat her up.”“If you persuaded the young woman to press charges, you will have some type of case, otherwise—.”“That is not going to happen. She won’t even answer my calls.”“Then communicate with her through your mutual friends. Get someone to tell her how badly you feel.”“What makes you think I have any friends left? They all hate me. Everyone hates me; even people I don’t know, hate me.” Daniel dropped the paper onto the desk. “Damn it, there has to be something. They’re a registered business. There has—.”“Actually they aren’t registered or anything,” his lawyer said.“But I remember a trademark symbol after the name.” Daniel pulled his wallet from his pocket and found the business card. “Look.”The lawyer turned to a magnifier on the credenza behind his desk. “It isn’t the trademark symbol,” he said after a few moments. “It actually says TN not TM. TN doesn’t have any significates under the law, so I would guess someone’s initials, maybe Tim, or Tom —““Ted.” Daniel’s head fell forward again. “He said his name was Ted Noman.”© Dave Skinner 2015
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