Servo 3:1
Servo 3:1
That evening, after a rather unusual dinner, we were getting ready for bed. I heard a panicked cry from Suzette. Fearing she’d encountered a venomous bug or ferocious rodent, I ran to her room and banged on the door. “Suz? Are you okay?”A moment later she opened the door, her tablet in hand.“What’s wrong?” I asked.“It won’t work!”“What?”She handed it to me. “It doesn’t work!”I poked at the screen; all I got was fuzzy static. “Hmm,” I said, turning it over in my hands a few times as if attempting to find the source of the problem. “I dunno.”“Make it work, Jonah!”“Sis, I don’t know what’s wrong with it.”Grandpa Abe must have heard our exchange. He came from their room. “What’s going on?”I held out the tablet. “Suz’s tablet isn’t working.”He chuckled. “It won’t.”“Why not, Grandpa?” she asked.“There’s no internet here.”I watched Suz’s mouth fall open. “WHAT??!!” she screamed.“Our lovely little farm is far away from the Inner States. Internet signal doesn’t reach here.”I couldn’t believe my eyes. Suzette put her hands over her mouth, crumpled to the floor, and cried like a baby. My dear sister couldn’t live without her precious net.Rory heard the commotion and came from the room. “What’s wrong?”“Have you tried to use your tablet?” I asked.“No, my battery died and I was trying to figure out how to charge it.” He pointed to the wall. “Where’s the wi-tricity antennas?” Again Grandpa chuckled. “There aren’t any.”He scratched his head. “Well, then how do you make the lights work?”“Wires,” Grandpa said. “This house has wires that bring electricity to everything.”Rory looked at me. “Didn’t they mention something about that in school?”“Vaguely.”“Well how am I going to charge my tablet?”“Why bother? It won’t work anyway,” Suz grumbled.“Huh?”“There’s no internet here. This place is the middle of nowhere. We’re marooned!”“No internet?” Rory echoed. I could see his face going pale.“That’s what Grandpa just said.”Rory slouched to the floor. “No wi-tricity, no internet, no tablets. What are we gonna do?!”It seemed that I was the only cool-headed one in the group. “Grandpa, how do kids here learn?”He rubbed his hand across his white-whiskered face. “When you get enrolled in school, they’ll issue you a tablet that has all your learning materials on it.”Suz stood. “So there is internet here.”“No. The tablets are pre-loaded with everything you need.”“What good is that? How will I do my homework and reports? How will I communicate with my friends back home?”“You’ll adjust…And this is home now.”She scowled. “This is not home! How could Daddy send us here?”“Suz,” I said calmly, “Daddy didn’t have a choice. He died. Grandma and Grandpa Cranwinkle were the only relatives alive. We aren’t old enough to be on our own.”“I’ll be seventeen soon; I want to go back to the city.”“Eighteen,” I added. “You have to be eighteen to be on your own.”Suz huffed and stomped off to her room, slamming the door. I looked down at Rory, who was still sitting on the floor in shock. “You need to get to bed.”“I don’t wanna go to sleep. I hate this place.” He got up and went to the room, closing the door loudly behind.Grandpa regarded me. “How come you’re not upset about all of this?”“I guess I am kind of. But part of me knows that if I don’t accept this, things will be harder on all of us.”He put his leathery, wrinkled hand on my shoulder. “You’re a good boy, Jonah, and I think you’ll grow up to be a fine man someday.”I looked into his tired eyes. “Daddy was a good man.”“Yes, he was.”“And I don’t think he died accidentally.”“Why do you say that?” “I just have a feeling.” I paused for a moment, gave a polite nod, and headed back to the room. Without the use of my tablet, how was I going to hear my father’s voice?
That evening, after a rather unusual dinner, we were getting ready for bed. I heard a panicked cry from Suzette. Fearing she’d encountered a venomous bug or ferocious rodent, I ran to her room and banged on the door. “Suz? Are you okay?”A moment later she opened the door, her tablet in hand.“What’s wrong?” I asked.“It won’t work!”“What?”She handed it to me. “It doesn’t work!”I poked at the screen; all I got was fuzzy static. “Hmm,” I said, turning it over in my hands a few times as if attempting to find the source of the problem. “I dunno.”“Make it work, Jonah!”“Sis, I don’t know what’s wrong with it.”Grandpa Abe must have heard our exchange. He came from their room. “What’s going on?”I held out the tablet. “Suz’s tablet isn’t working.”He chuckled. “It won’t.”“Why not, Grandpa?” she asked.“There’s no internet here.”I watched Suz’s mouth fall open. “WHAT??!!” she screamed.“Our lovely little farm is far away from the Inner States. Internet signal doesn’t reach here.”I couldn’t believe my eyes. Suzette put her hands over her mouth, crumpled to the floor, and cried like a baby. My dear sister couldn’t live without her precious net.Rory heard the commotion and came from the room. “What’s wrong?”“Have you tried to use your tablet?” I asked.“No, my battery died and I was trying to figure out how to charge it.” He pointed to the wall. “Where’s the wi-tricity antennas?” Again Grandpa chuckled. “There aren’t any.”He scratched his head. “Well, then how do you make the lights work?”“Wires,” Grandpa said. “This house has wires that bring electricity to everything.”Rory looked at me. “Didn’t they mention something about that in school?”“Vaguely.”“Well how am I going to charge my tablet?”“Why bother? It won’t work anyway,” Suz grumbled.“Huh?”“There’s no internet here. This place is the middle of nowhere. We’re marooned!”“No internet?” Rory echoed. I could see his face going pale.“That’s what Grandpa just said.”Rory slouched to the floor. “No wi-tricity, no internet, no tablets. What are we gonna do?!”It seemed that I was the only cool-headed one in the group. “Grandpa, how do kids here learn?”He rubbed his hand across his white-whiskered face. “When you get enrolled in school, they’ll issue you a tablet that has all your learning materials on it.”Suz stood. “So there is internet here.”“No. The tablets are pre-loaded with everything you need.”“What good is that? How will I do my homework and reports? How will I communicate with my friends back home?”“You’ll adjust…And this is home now.”She scowled. “This is not home! How could Daddy send us here?”“Suz,” I said calmly, “Daddy didn’t have a choice. He died. Grandma and Grandpa Cranwinkle were the only relatives alive. We aren’t old enough to be on our own.”“I’ll be seventeen soon; I want to go back to the city.”“Eighteen,” I added. “You have to be eighteen to be on your own.”Suz huffed and stomped off to her room, slamming the door. I looked down at Rory, who was still sitting on the floor in shock. “You need to get to bed.”“I don’t wanna go to sleep. I hate this place.” He got up and went to the room, closing the door loudly behind.Grandpa regarded me. “How come you’re not upset about all of this?”“I guess I am kind of. But part of me knows that if I don’t accept this, things will be harder on all of us.”He put his leathery, wrinkled hand on my shoulder. “You’re a good boy, Jonah, and I think you’ll grow up to be a fine man someday.”I looked into his tired eyes. “Daddy was a good man.”“Yes, he was.”“And I don’t think he died accidentally.”“Why do you say that?” “I just have a feeling.” I paused for a moment, gave a polite nod, and headed back to the room. Without the use of my tablet, how was I going to hear my father’s voice?
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