Clouded
December 30th, 2020
Starring: Author (35-50), Editor (35-50)
An editing/publishing office. Editor sits at the table across from Author, who has a messenger bag hanging off their chair:
EDITOR
What was so urgent?
AUTHOR
I finished.
The book.
EDITOR
You’re done?
AUTHOR
I got a full-on first draft for you here.
EDITOR
We settled on March—
AUTHOR
I got a fever—a fury. I started and I couldn’t stop. Figured I’d turn it in early.
EDITOR
Well, brilliant. That’s very uncommon.
...
I hope you didn’t think you had to drive all this way. I understand you’re excited, but an email would’ve sufficed.
AUTHOR
Oh but I wanted to hand it over. In-person. It’s a me thing.
EDITOR
By all means.
…
So you’ve got it here?
AUTHOR
Uh yes, sorry, sorry.
Author pulls out a thumb drive from the bag and slides it over.
AUTHOR
File’s here.
EDITOR
Great.
And do you mind sending me another e-copy? Just for our records?
…
AUTHOR
I don’t think I can.
EDITOR
You can’t?
AUTHOR
This is it.
I typed it on my 2002 Windows desktop, put it on this drive, then deleted it.
EDITOR
No backup?
AUTHOR
Nothing except what’s on there.
EDITOR
Right.
...
Did you ever think of making another version? You know, the cloud?
AUTHOR
The cloud? This whole book’s 647 pages on the perils of trusting big tech in the modern era. I’m supposed to use Google docs after knowing what I know? That’s as dangerous as it is hypocritical!
I know I sound like some wackjob, but this works. We need to live in a society that coexists with technology, not where it makes the rules. Where our data isn’t being sold to every drooling bidder. Where our words and ideas aren’t deemed “safe” in the hands of gargantuan, all-seeing corporate entities. We need the control back in people’s hands. Because these things? These hunks of metal? They don’t have brains. They don’t do the hard stuff. We do.
Editor smiles, nods, then puts in the thumb drive into their computer:
EDITOR
Um
It’s not coming up.
AUTHOR
Pardon?
EDITOR
Yeah it’s only showing a message. A popup.
Author scrambles behind the desk to look at the screen with Editor:
EDITOR
“Disc drive was not ejected properly. Stored files may be corrupted or lost.”
...
Yeah I don’t see…
Um
…
So does that mean…?
…
AUTHOR
Shit.