The Walking Computer

It was a windy, autumn day, and a computer was walking home from school. Yup. That's right. A computer. Actually, that computer was me. Confused? Let me explain. You see, I wasn't always like this, but ever since I cried myself to bed over not making the school basketball team, I vowed I would act just like a computer--I would just get things done in the most efficient way possible and not care about anybody else.

Anyway, I was on my way home, when I ran into a crowd of boys. I noticed they were kids from the basketball team, and that they were all gathered around a small object.

I heard talking and laughter and the next thing I knew, there was a helpless bird pinned to the sidewalk, and the boys were trying to see if they could put a nail through its body.

I started to run over, but then stopped myself. I was a computer. I wasn't supposed to have feelings. I wasn't supposed to care about helpless creatures.

But with each pounding of the nail, a piece of my stony heart broke with it. The bird flapped its wings and screeched, but the nail was only pounded harder.

Finally, I could stand it no longer. I rushed over to the boys, snatched the bird, and slowly backed away.

At that moment a huge figure stepped in between us.

"Coach...Coach Hixby?" stuttered one of the boys. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been searching for my pet bird," the basketball coach said. "It appears I've found it."

As I walked home with an offer from the coach to join the team, I decided that maybe the "computer" thing wasn't such a good idea. Perhaps having a bit of a heart wasn't so bad after all.