Love in the time of swine flu

Monday:

The crimson clock gadget to his left showed 9.42 AM, Monday and some date.

Dates were insignificant to New Folder. It was a fine Monday morning.
Not that days mattered, but Mondays had a charm that was universally appealing to jobless blokes.
What if the start of the week meant a start of something new? Something life-changing? New folder hoped so, just like he hoped on every other Monday prior.

It could just be another day of staring at those mundane green fields in over-glossy wallpapers. Or maybe some fresh action; and if he was particularly lucky, even get some better files. Files that served some important purpose to the master, so that he visited more often.
(The current ones were for use in the dark, and this meant that even though 3 years old, he didn’t even have a proper name).
No one in the history of folders had been called ‘New Folder’ for more than 6 months. What a shame.

It had become really boring inside the window after the last contact departed. He was actually a shortcut; of something called Tune-up Utilities 2008. He wasn’t particularly friendly and was almost always working. But like the previous folder dude had said wisely, even cocky, self-obsessed shortcuts are better than sitting alone in a window.
And that also meant that his longest standing friend, the puny but authoritative Mr. Pointer would come in more often. Not to click on him of course, but would wave an occasional casual ‘hi’. He was a busy man, Mr. Pointer. And by the way, he looked especially handsome these days after getting a CursorXP makeover.

Do these packages work on us folders I wonder? No I guess. We all always looked the same. Yellow, glossy, bland and boring.

So then, it was a fine Monday morning. Master gone to class. Another full day of no work. A coin’s toss away from either wallpaper-watching or Sleep mode.
But unknown to New Folder, this Monday had some plans of its own.

Click click. Someone’s at the window’s door. It’s Mr. Pointer.

“Hey Pointer, great to see you today. Looking smashing as usual, huh!”, New Folder relished any form of cyber contact these days.
“Yeah well, thanks. You aren’t all that bad either”. The usual cold reply when he is busy.
He has some files copied with him for delivery. Hope it is for me.
“Looks like you are finally getting company; these are for her”. Pointer said with a wry smile.

Damn. Not again. Why don’t I get any deliveries? How long will I have to carry this ‘Monica Bellucci in Malena.mpg’ and a truckload of other such low-clarity, low-size shit.

But hey, did he say ‘her’? (!)
“Wow sir, that’s good news. But ahem, how do you know it’s a she?”
Mr. Pointer ignored that question and with a majestic swish, hovered over ‘New’, then ‘Folder’, then gave a slick click. And there she was; a glowing yellow beauty. Cute like a Picasa shortcut. Fresh as a newly formatted pendrive. And her tag said ‘New Folder 1’.
Hope that will change. Someone who looks like her deserves a pretty name.

She blinked frantically at the surroundings. It was white nothingness all around. And then her eyes caught another admiring pair, that belonging to New Folder. He immediately tightened up; put the tongue back in his mouth.
“Hello ma’am”.
Before she could return it, Pointer pounced on her.
“Hey watch it man”, she reacted angrily. New Folder couldn’t suppress his laughter.
Right click. Paste. Delivery done.
“Just like they’re supposed to be. These girls”, Pointer said with a dismissive shake-of-the-head. One more click. Some keystrokes heard. Old tag is erased. Her new name is ‘From Norah’.

“And boy, I know it because I create them”, Pointer answered New Folder’s earlier question. And with the same wry smile, left the window.

She fiddled with her beautiful yellow icon that Mr. Pointer left astray with his boorish ways. After making sure everything looked pretty, she looked back at New Folder, who had spent the entire five minutes in wondrous admiration.

“Hi there, missed your name”.
New Folder hated this part. He shrugged, and replied with a sad smile.
“Well, what can I say? It’s quite unfashionable. New Folder”.
“Hey, it’s a cute name.” She looked at the wallpaper behind. It had changed to a sunny Austrian valley. New Folder felt she looked like a princess in that background.
“What’ve you got inside there?”, he tried making a conversation.
“Huh? Well, I donno. I’m just too angry to check now. The arrogance of that Pointer guy! Hmph. So, what you got?”
Damn. How do I tell her.
“Well, it’s something confidential. So much so that Master opens me only in the night, and mostly when he is alone”
“Oh, okay. You must be really proud”. She said with raised eyebrows.
Oh yeah, I wish!
Quick. Change of subject. “Hey, let’s call you Norah. What say?”
“Yeah, that’d be nice. And how about I call you Newie?”
God! That’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever told me. Thank you Mr. Pointer.

“I can check your contents if you’re still cross”, Newie said shyly.
“Okay. But please make sure you don’t dirty the place. Some men, u know”
Newie looked in slowly and sprang out with rolled up eyes and a digital sigh.
“What?” Norah asked worriedly.
Newie said pensively, “Well, it’s very sad. But you seem to have swine flu.”
“What’s that? And why is it sad?”
“Well it’s a deadly virus. You know, like Trojans. Heard even Norton can’t heal it.”
“Who’s Norton?”
Damn. She didn’t get the joke.
“Ah well, it’s a… well anyways, it’s bad. Master’s gonna be real pissed.”
“What! So I am going to get deleted, am I?” Those pretty little eyes welled up.
“Ha ha hey… relax. Was kidding; all you have is some webpages on Swine flu and a pptx file on ‘10 things about swine flu’, both from his friend Norah Baker in the US”
Norah laughed out in between tears. “You rascal folder! You scared the bytes out of me!”.

To Newie, it was like watching sun’s fresh rays seeping through the wet foliage after a heavy rain. He was reminded of a beautiful old Vista wallpaper. He was in love.


Tuesday:

Norah was quite busy. Her files were kept being emailed to Master’s friends. Though not directly molested by Pointer, she was being disturbed incessantly by Gmail’s attachment window. This required her full attention, and consequently Newie was left alone, jealous and bored.
“Hope this is the last one Newie”, she cried out while still working.
“Yeah, I can wait”. Love in the time of epidemics never works.


Wednesday:

Both had nothing to do. They watched the new wallpaper for some time. It had some really smooth pebbles.
Newie showed her around. Told her of a few things he learned. Like for instance no folder can be named ‘Con’. Norah was impressed.
She also learned of Recycle Bin, a place where really useless folders and files go. Some never return.


Thursday:

Both still had nothing to do. They watched the new wallpaper for some time. It had really smooth big round pebbles. On a corner was written ‘Rakhi Sawant’.
At around 11pm, Pointer barged in.
“Can I borrow him for some minutes please? “, he asked with an apparent smirk.
“Oh sure, anyways I was about to sleep”, said Norah smartly.
Newie proceeded to do his confidential duty. “Goodnight Norah”.
“What, she has a pet name?” Pointer was amused.


Friday:

Newie was wondering why he wasn’t bored of wallpaper watching anymore.
Also why Norah appeared so enchantingly pretty, though she was as yellow, glossy and bland as any other folder he’d seen before.

Pointer barged in again. And clicked on Newie without a word.
“Dear god, it’s a right click. What’s he up to Mr. Pointer?”
“How do I know?”
“What’s the matter Newie, Is he troubling you?”, Norah looked intensely.
“Aw shut up girl, none of your business”. Pointer was easily irritated.
“Oh god, please don’t it be a cut or delete”, Newie prayed from the bottom of his cache.
Pointer hovered mischievously on ‘Cut’ option for what seemed like ages to Newie, and later coolly went to ‘Send To’ and clicked on ‘Maverick (G:)’ from the submenu. A progress bar popped up.
“Newie, where are they sending you to? You bloody nosy pointer!”, Norah was restless.
“Hey hey, it’s okay dear. They’re just making a copy of mine to Master’s pendrive. I’m going nowhere”.
“Oh okay. But thought you had very confidential data”
“Yeah yes, of course. But some friend in urgent need maybe”. Newie was embarrassed shitless.

Mr. Pointer was laughing out in gallons.
“So she doesn’t know what you have?” He bent over and asked in a whisper. “Shall I show her your thumbnail view?”
“Oh come on, I know you can’t do that. You click where Master asks you to”
“Oh really? Then how about I hover over you and show her some filenames? Master will blame his optical mouse and she’ll get the hint. What say my dear ‘Newiiieee’?”.
Pointer pronounced the new name with intense sarcasm. The kind loners had for newly-in-loves.
“Why’re you doing this to me, huh? It’s not my fault that I have those files man”.
“Hmm... was just testing bozo. Man, listen to me. This is getting too far. Fragment it now”.
“Why, I can’t have a relationship just because there can never be two pointers?”
“This isn't about me, you idiot. You are just two fucking folders. God knows when either of you gets sent away for good.”
“It’s quiet out there you two. What’s happening?”, Norah broke it up.

Newie looked at her and thought. Come what may.


Many Saturdays later:

They were watching a particularly sensual sunset in France.
Winamp was graciously acting stuck and playing John Mayer’s ‘Your body’s a Wonderland’ for the 7th straight time. Master was uttering some not-so-kind words.
“Why the flying fuck would you stop responding, you lousy player?”
Winamp winked at Newie. Newie smiled gratefully.

Mr.Pointer could have sworn the two folders looked closer than icons were ever supposed to be. And he had bad news. He had just delivered some files to a new folder guy on the desktop. Files like the one Newie had for eons now. But better clarity, longer, and heavily sized too. He sensed a disaster.

Right click on Newie. Dear god.
The click made the pair turn around in shock. A menu popped up.
“What’s it this time Pointer? What does Master want?” Newie’s clock-cycle shot up a few gig hertz.
Pointer resisted looking in his direction and went where Master took him. Past ‘Open’, past ‘Share with’, past ‘Scan with Antivir’, and further down. Goodness, what’s he making me do?
“It’s just another ‘Sending to’ Newie, be cool”, Norah tried to conjure a smile.
Pointer somehow knew it wasn’t. He went past Send to, Cut and Copy with a regret that astounded him.
“Fuck it, these are two fucking folders and I’m doing my job”, he tried reassurance in vain.

The moment Pointer found his edges fly past the ‘Create Shortcut’ option, his heart sank.
Next stop. Disaster.

Newie had stopped talking. His eyes shut.
Norah was trembling.
“Oh god, No. Mr. Pointer, No. Please don’t do it. Please… Sorry for everything I said. Please don’t do it. Please don’t take him away. I beg of you. Please”, she was crying a binary river.
I’m trying you stupid girl. I know him more than you do.

Pointer stopped responding to Logitech’s directions. He was going to get blasted by the efficient mouse. But that’s okay. Just don’t do this Master. Please.
“Now what’s with the fucking mouse?”
Master turned to the keyboard in exasperation. Delete button always worked.
Newie asked with his eyes still shut.
“Is he pressing Shift, Mr. Pointer?"
“I, I… don’t know man, I can’t see”
One keystroke heard.
A progress bar popped up. Deleting New Folder. 3 minutes remaining.
“Tell me Mr. Pointer. Did he press Shift?”
“I don’t know Newie. I just didn’t see”.
23 seconds remaining.
“Newie, I just wanna tell u something”, Norah started in convulsions.
Pointer looked away. What’ve I done.
12 seconds remaining.
“No Norah, hold it. It was beautiful. Don’t give it a name”, Newie said. He saw everything clearly.
2 seconds remaining.
“Mr. Pointer. You were great. I will miss you. But tell me, did he press Shift?”
The popup vanished.

The vast expanse in the white window looked emptier than ever. Not knowing what to say, Pointer left the window, the silent weeping of one lonely folder echoing thunders in him.


Two weeks later. Same window.

Pointer took one last look at new guy ‘Cristiano wallpapers’ and Norah chatting up.
He was very good at Portugese jokes about Spanish footballers and Norah crackled with laughter every time he mady any. She ignored Pointer like swine flu, a very bad virus she'd heard of somewhere.

He thought with a smile. It’s the age of Windows Seven.
The age of newer, better versions. Daily updates, clean-ups and free upgrades.
Where memories are faster and easier to erase and rewrite.
Where it's a new world every day. Literally.

New Folder didn’t know the new rules. He still had a heart for a cache. He thought he was special.
It’s a great thing Master had pressed shift.

He simply was outdated.