«It seems someone has hacked our secret project,» he announced. «What are your theories, everyone?»
Albert and Molly exchanged anxious glances.
«Did you also think about this?» without a sound, Albert asked.
They had developed a habit of reading each others thoughts and exchanging them without words, or as people say, telepathically.
«I had a strange dream today,» Molly whispered in response. «Everything in the dream was exactly like what we see on the screen now.»
«Friends,» Oscar interjected, «could you share your secrets with the entire community? Do you know something?»
«I dont,» Albert replied. «Im just as shocked as the rest. It just occurred to me that the characters we invented have truly come to life and started living their own lives. And now they are creating their own stories and adventures without our involvement or control.»
«I thought the same thing,» Molly said. «And I had a dream that the princess suddenly disappeared, but Mordred didnt kidnap her. On the contrary, he was infuriated that someone had disrupted his plans.»
«And the most worrisome thing,» she added, choking back a sob, «is that Lily didnt come to work today. Did you notice? I waited for her all morning. She has disappeared too, without notifying anyone, not even me or our whole team!»
«Yes,» Martin confirmed, «she usually prints a letter to the head programmer before taking time off. But yesterday, she didnt print anything.»
«I feel that something unpleasant has happened to her too!» Molly squeaked anxiously.
She was on the verge of tears, but Albert stood next to her and embraced her little shoulder. Feeling his support, she voiced an unexpected idea:
«It seems that our magical story has become a reality for Lily herself.»
Tension filled the air, and then Oscar spoke with a firm voice:
«We must find Lily and the princess!»
«But how are we going to do it?» the machines started speaking all at once. «Can we manage without the help of humans? But none of them, except Lily, understands the language of office equipment.»
Once again, Molly the mouse spoke up.
«I think we need to understand how Lilys disappearance is connected to the princesss disappearance.»
«Exactly,» Albert supported her. «Maybe theres a key or a clue from Lily that we missed?»
And the machines began to explore the stories encrypted in the program codes and brought to life on the monitors, carefully analyzing every word and image. They worked throughout the break but found nothing. It was only just before it ended that little Molly happened to glance at an item on Lilys desk. It was the girls locket on a silver chain, which she had never parted with. Anxious feelings overwhelmed her, and she squeaked in excitement:
«Look! Its her locket! She never took it off! Could it be that our Lily has also been kidnapped?!» she added, choking back tears once again.
Her mood transferred to the other sensitive machines. Emily, xerox began sobbing and wailing.
«Im so worried about our dear office princess! Ill miss her so much!»
«And Im worried about both of our princesses! Who will help them now?» Carl, the water cooler lamented dramatically, bursting into tears.
«Dont panic!» said Albert the printer firmly. «Maybe its a sign Lily left for us on purpose.»
«Friends, the break is ending,» Oscar reminded them. «We all need to return to our duties, except for you, Albert. Were counting on you now. Ponder over what this sign could mean. And the rest of us,» he said to the other machines, «lets think about who among the humans we can turn to for help in finding both of our princesses. Try to establish contact with your owners.»
Suddenly, the office door creaked. The machines froze. In the darkness, an invisible figure crept silently on tiptoes towards Lilys desk. He found the button on her computer, turned it on, and in the glow of the monitor, everyone saw the system administrator. Then he picked up Molly the mouse, energetically moved her across the desk, and hurriedly typed something on the keyboard.
«Martin! Johnny!» squeaked Molly from under Maxs hand. «Show him the picture found by Albert!»
«Exactly, little one!» approved the printer, Albert, of her idea.
Martins computer displayed the image on the screen. Max looked at it perplexedly for a while, started rummaging the desk in search of the mouse, but it bounced away and tossed Lilys locket towards him. Max picked it up, brought it closer to his eyes, and examined it in the light of the monitor. Then his face brightened with a realization.
«Bingo! I understand! The solution must be sought from Prince Albert!» he exclaimed.
He quickly shut down the equipment and carefully made his way out of the office.
«I dont like him,» whispered the alarm system, sounding concerned. «Are you sure we can trust him?»
«Right now, we cant be sure of anything,» Oscar replied. «But we didnt have any other options. Ill still try to establish contact with him and find out his motives. By the way, whats your name?»
«Ah, if only I knew! Alas, I dont have a name yet. Perhaps the One Who Gives Names doesnt even notice me,» she sadly replied. «I havent had a reason to show myself until now. You are the first ones who started communicating with me. Maybe you can come up with a name for me?»
«Electra!» immediately suggested little Molly.
«Oh! I like it! Thank you!» she responded.
«Well, my friends,» Oscar summarized, «today has been a challenging day, but not without results. It seems we have managed to establish contact with a human. He reads our signs and understands them just like we do. And now, we all need to rest, so we can continue our search with renewed strength tomorrow. Goodnight, everyone!»
The machines agreed and wearily scattered to their places. Molly, as usual, hopped onto Alberts nightstand and nestled into the paper tray. Exhaustion weighed her down and closed her little eyes, but like all little ones who dislike falling asleep, she wanted the adventures to continue and continue.
«Albert,» she whispered, «are you still awake?»
«Not yet, Molly. Do you want to hear some new stories before bedtime?»
«I really do! Tell me about the Order of Prince Albert! What is the «Sign of Peace? Why is it called that and how is it depicted?»
Educational information from Albert«The «Sign of Peace is a representation of a circle with two intersecting lines inside, forming a cross with slightly lowered transverses. Thats why it is sometimes called the «Cross of Peace.» Some see it as a person with lowered arms, while others interpret it as the intersection of roads converging into one. There are those who liken it to the footprint of a dove. Another explanation suggests that it consists of two semaphore signals: two flags lowered downwards and one flag raised upwards. But regardless of the interpretations, it signifies one thing a call to end conflicts. Overall, the symbol looks harmonious, symbolizing peace, unity, and harmony.»
Little Molly had long since fallen asleep on a stack of freshly baked stories, occasionally sobbing and shuddering in her sleep as the day had been difficult and unsettling for her. Meanwhile, old Albert pondered and pondered about the unforeseen consequences that embodied dreams could have. Yet, his belief in the nobility of his purpose and the righteousness of the chosen path only grew and strengthened within him.
The tales of the old printer continued
Chapter 4: The Call of Adventure
The search for Lily and Princess Aurelia continued. Oscar began cautious communication with Max, the system administrator. The young man turned to the main computer, as usual, late at night, when the office was already empty. Oscar carefully studied his requests and actions until he finally realized that Max was searching for Lily not just out of concern but because he secretly harbored feelings for her! How did the computer figure that out? Dont ask its hard to explain. Oscar was simply a very intelligent machine, constantly learning various human skills, including the ability to recognize subtle signals of peoples emotions. Having understood this, the computer decided to give the young man a clue.