HELP!!! My PC's Hard drive, HDD (non Microdrive) died with all my digital pix!

(continued)

There is a secret temple of Data on a mountain, it is always so strictly guarded. Cruel gods of magnetic data storage live there, and they don't want mortals to interfere with their business. There are rumors that those gods have many secret sterile factories on the other side of our flat Earth where they manufacture those flathead servants. I don't know, never saw it. And therefore I don't believe it. I know for sure that those servants get delivered from the Moon. Yes! And don't look at me like that! It's true! I heard it many times. The drunk guards of that temple (called Sysadmins) always swear about it in the local pub before commit a drunk uproar. Oh, how much power those techies have! And how much innocent users suffer from sysadmins tyranny... (sigh). It's always like that, more cruel gods you serve, more power you have... Anyway.

Every evening on the foot of that hill I prayed to the Gods of Recovery but they were deaf to my cries. And I decided to act.

When the gods of Data were somewhere out I took Quan out of the freezer and ran to the temple. Jeez, was I running like hell! I brought Quan to the altar of Sacrifice. Quan was all frozen and covered with frost. I didn't give him any time to defrost. I had to hurry before they catch me. Max was near also, he had his pencil ready to start writing if Quan happen to start speaking. And as both of them were asians (as I mentioned before) they would be more comfortable to speak their own very fast language, rather than plain English. I am not good at asian language anyway.

It was fraigtening on the sacral mountain. There was the distant thunder and heavy dense fog around, and the temple gave Max an I an eerie feeling. It was penetrating under our skins without any chance to control or fight it. I shivered.

We started. I knew I will do anything to get my secrets back from Quan, so I also had a big hammer ready. Boy was I firm in my intention! If Quan was going to be still as cold as a cucumber I was ready to start banging him on his flat head shouting "You, dirty pig, talk to me! Get up! You, useless piece of manufacturing!", etc in the same kind and peacefull language of a desperate man. Though I hoped not to be forced to such an extensive measures. Besides Max could have strange feelings about me after that. I didn't want to spoil our relationship from the beginning. Max will be serving me night and day, so I did not want him one night to walk up to my bed and crack my head open. You know...

Well, I said a pray and powered up the altar. Quan opened one eye. Wow! It was promising! When the altar was booting up it found Quan as a slave (he indeed was, wasn't he?) on its secondary ATA (Automatic Theology Altar) bus. Those seconds were longer than years... Finally the big fat sacral cow of altar operating system (Vv-II-Key) opened up flashing all its useless girlish little glass beads as if saying "Look at me ma, am I not a pretty?". I didn't care (I never did), I just gazed at Quan using all my brain power to help him. I was sending invisible emanations.

And frozen Quan started speaking! I was amazed. I couldn't believe my eyes. I was starring holding my breath at Max and Quan talking very fast in their native tongue. Max was nodding all the time, writing very fast in the book of his. I heard pieces of words in which I was recognizing my secrets! Boy was it music to my ears! I stepped back into the shade of a column whatching in awe. The dim light was blinking and dancing around the wide open emptyness of the ancient temple. The reddish jets of torches was sculpturing Max serious face inclined closely, listening to the soft words from the mask-like pale face of Quan. Quan was whispering for about 10 minutes.

Then suddenly Quan stopped talking and closed his eyes. Max shaked Quan's shoulder several times then turned to me his worriyng face - "Is he gone?". I replied "I don't know yet" and dragged Quan back to the freezer....

Well, here comes the happy end of the hairy-tale story about my valiant servant Quan Tum Hairball. After second (and then third) 1-hour freeze he gave Max all my secrets to my greater satisfaction. Then he closed his eyes for good. He was smiling at that moment.

Max and I stood there motionless with the tears in our eyes thinking about this great noble flathead who was so brave. After the second freeze he was speaking only for 6 monutes or so. I could see the suffering and pain on his plain vanilla flat face when he was speaking. He was speaking with little clicks and flicks in his voice. It was breaking my heart. But bit by bit he was giving away all the secrets I treasured so. Third time he was barely moving and I don't think he realized what was going on and where he was. He was agonizing. He just knew he must give back all his master's secrets before he's gone.

At that moment I couldn't stand it another minute. I went out to gulp some fresh air. The strong rush of the cool wind hit my face and I realized that that very moment it took Quan's soul and flew it far away from the troubles of this world. Maybe back to another side of our flat Earth, where he was born. Maybe to the Moon. There, where he will be alright.

And the relieving rain poured in. It washed away my tears and easied my heart with feelings about my recovered data. It was time to go home. Life was going on...

RIP my brave servant. Wherever you are I will pray for you. You saved my data, you saved me priceless pieces of my existence and valuable motley treasures of my world. So long, Quan.

*************

Moral? Never give up, always keep your eyes open, think, and don't be affraid to ask from the Voices. Well, the biggest and boldest moral? GET THE FREAKING BACKUPS!!!! Now! I said NOW!!!

=)

I really enjoyed your story. Thanks! (And after all that, I think I'll rememer this little trick, heaven forbid I ever need it)

NK said:

Hallelujah, gods of data! My day is bright again! But let me start
from the beginning...

As you remember, about a week ago my beloved asian servant name
Quan Tum Hairball was found dead. Nobody knows whan had happened
that aufull night, but the following morning I found him breathless
and cold.

Gosh, was I heart broken! I was crying and moaning over his cold
corpse begging all the gods to return him to me. He knew many of my
important secrets which I trusted to him for a while. I wanted my
secrets back.

I was desperate. One moment I lost my head from anger and
approached him with a hammer, but the peasefull expression on his
beautifull dead face stopped me. I still loved him like a beloved
child. We went through so much together.

I calmed down and started thinking logically.

I tried to find out about those aufull houses you bring your dead
servants in, where those fascists open them up, torture their
brains, but often get your secrets back to you. Those cruel
services are not cheap. Far from it. They told me to be ready to
cough out up to 3000 golden drahmas to get my servant torn into
pieces and his brains reeled on a spindle. Boy had I a heavy heart
after that.

So, desperate and exhausted, I went to my astral channel to reach
the endless world beyond. To reach the invisible world of wisdom.
And I asked. And the Voices of those I will never see started to
speak. They calmed me down, they advised me things, they told me
everything is going to be alright. I felt better. I knew there's
hope.

As my servant had an agency, and agency had some warranties, I
tried to call them. I knew nothing about if my servant was covered
for a free repair, or even (Gods help!) a free replacement. The
agency turned to be not in existence anymore and all Hairball
family moved away. Oh, cruel faith, what more do you want from me!??

But another agency took over, so I called them. They were nice.
Suprisidly nice. So this morning I heard a knock on the door, and I
saw a new good looking servant. He said his name was Max Tor. I
almost collapsed. I was expecting another member of Hairball
family. That what I was told. And I secretly hoped to vivisect my
old servant in my basement dungeon myself using the parts of my new
assignment. Now all hopes were gone.

I recalled Voices. One adviced me to freeze Quan. I thought he
won't be hurt any more than that and I dragged him by his feet to
my freezer and dropped him there among the cartons of Gorton's fish
and frozen meat. I had no hopes left anyway...

Max Tor was a nice guy, the same size as Quan Tum. They both were
asians. Max was looking good and was very eager to start serving
me. I looked at him closely, he blushed knowing that I had noticed
some tiny pieces of evidence that he was engaged (or even married!)
before. I did not care, I knew it could happen. I was beaten up by
bad luck enough to be glad to have him as he is. I told him so, he
smiled. I twisted his arm and put him into the wonderful
brainwashing machine called Norton G-spot, err.. Ghost. In 5
minutes Max knew all I wanted him to know about my hosekeeping. And
completely forgot the past.

I wonder if there's such a thing as Ghost for wives (because theres
G-spot thing for sure, I know). If so, please please let me know.

(see Part 2)

Click to expand...

Well, we really do have something in common! LOL

They both died.

How did you manage to dig up an 8 year old post to respond? Did you do a search or ????

--
Olga