Ray Hadley’s eyes shot open as the wet and relentless tongue of his dog, Hal, plunged without mercy into his ear, history’s most ancient of alarm clocks. He shook his head and laughed sleepily, scratching his loyal friend on the head, assuring him he was awake. Hal stood over Ray wagging his tail excitedly and pulled at his blanket, urging him to finish getting out of bed. Ray rolled over to where his wife slept… empty. She had always been an earlier riser, unlike him who required the services of Hal to wake him every morning. His eyes started to close again, bargaining for a few more minutes of sleep, and his loyal alarm clock began barking loudly at him. He resisted for as long as he could and then finally gave in, throwing off the blankets and swinging his feet to floor. He could smell the coffee machine warming up downstairs and it was just the thing he needed to finish getting him on his feet and moving in that direction.
Ray walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, bee-lining for the coffee pot.
“Good morning Mr. Hadley.”
“Good morning coffee pot.”
“May I suggest a Moroccan spiced Dutch chocolate macchiato for you today?” It asked in its computer rendered female voice.
“No thanks, coffee pot. Just the usual.”
“As you wish Mr. Hadley. I must say though, you are the most boring coffee drinker in the entire Hadley family.”
Ray sighed, he hated technology. Especially when it claimed “intelligence”.
“Thanks for your opinion, coffee pot. Just remember who you work for…”
He took a steaming mug of straight black coffee from the coffee pot and turned around to lean on the counter and face his family, who were all sitting silently around the dining room table, their heads tilted back and their eyeballs rolled up into their heads, flickering back and forth slightly.
“Good morning.” He said flatly.
No response. He shook his head and sipped at his coffee. He hated waking up to this every morning and he wished he could wake up earlier in the mornings to catch his family before they logged into the web. He even wished sadly for the old days when everyone simply had their faces just glued to their smartphones. At least they were somewhat present back then, he thought. Ray looked at his wife. Her once beautiful tan skin, now pale from the absence of sunlight… her once full blonde hair, now thinning and turning white… her beautiful emerald eyes… now rolled up in her head… it hurt him to see her like that and he winced slightly, wondering where she was at the moment. The coffee pot broke the silence.
“Mr. Hadley, I detect your coffee getting cold. Would you like a fresh one?”
“No thanks coffee pot. Coffee pot, shut down.”
“Shutting down. Have a wonderful day Mr. Hadley.”
Ray looked back at his family. He wondered where his son Steven and his daughter Jane were, their faces vacant and non-telling. He snapped his fingers at them… nothing. He clapped his hands together loudly… nothing. He sighed.
“Alarm system.”
“Yes, Mr. Hadley.”
“Test alarms.”
The alarm system blared to life with a deafening scream and his family instantly shot startled from their dream worlds and back into reality.
“Good morning.” Said Ray, his family looking around delirious and panicked, their minds still adjusting from the sudden jolt.
“Dad!!!” his kids screamed at him. “Why do you always do that?!?!”
His wife gave him a dirty look. Ray chuckled and sipped at his luke-warm coffee.
“You know family, there’s already a great big world out there.”
“Whatever dad,” his daughter said, “Don’t do that again… I’m in the middle of something.” And with one last dirty look, his family one by one logged themselves back in, their heads falling back and their eyes once again rolling up.
“I’ll be in my study.” Said Ray.
No response…
* * *
Ray fell into the big leather office chair in his study and put his feet up on his desk. He loved his study. The walls lined with ornate wooden shelves holding hundreds of books, little treasures he had looted from his adventures around the world placed strategically around the room, the furniture all heavy and expensive wood, the large French doors and the huge windows that overlooked the great Smoky Mountains… he felt very connected to the physical, raw world that he loved in this room, and in a world that had forgotten about its own existence, his study had taken on the air of an old temple and he, the qualities of an old monk from a long lost religion.
He loved to spend his mornings in here reading the forgotten paper books of another time. A time when people had hungered desperately for the world around them and had furiously transcribed their experiences and creativity into the books that lined his study. He picked up the book he was reading off his desk, a collection of short stories by Hemmingway, and flipped to a dog-eared page of “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” and began to read. Something today, however, was bothering him and he couldn’t shake it. And though he tried hard to concentrate on the book, even Hemmingway couldn’t hold his attention this morning and his mind kept drifting… drifting to his family, circled around the dining room table and lost in their different worlds. From his study, he could see them in the other room and the more he glanced up from his book, the more unsettled he became. What are they doing? Where are they? He couldn’t shake it. Unable to read, he put the book back on the desk, frustrated, and starred across the house at his family. He felt like he didn’t know them. Though they were sitting right there, they were living their lives elsewhere. He sighed and then took a deep breath. He had never logged himself into the web before; he had always been adamantly against it. But today, he felt the uncontrollable urge to peer into his family’s lives.
Ray closed his eyes and before he even realized he was doing it, he whispered, “Global Web, log in.” He felt his brain suddenly light on fire and a voice in his head asked, User Name and Password please?
“Ray Hadley,” he said slowly, “F451.”
And then everything went dark.
* * *
When Ray opened his eyes, he found himself suspended weightlessly in an empty black expanse that seemed to go on infinitely in all directions. Before him a giant Global Web logo floated, glowing neon blue, and below it flickered an awaiting search bar. Ray was mesmerized. He looked down at his body floating in cyber space… it felt so real. He thought of his real body, leaned back in his leather office chair, head back, eyes rolled up. Laughing nervously, he boyishly twirled around a few times ending with a backwards summersault, experiencing, in his mind, zero-gravity for the first time. This is insane… He thought. He stared out into the endless expanse and suddenly its lack of anything but the floating neon logo started to make him feel uneasy. He thought for a moment and then asked aloud, “Can I add stars to homepage?” Instantly, billions of stars and galaxies burst into the expanse. Ray’s eyes were growing larger and wider with wonder. He actually felt as if he were lost and floating in the middle of the universe somewhere. This is amazing… his mind started to drift and wander in the stars. He remembered those nights long ago when he and his wife would stare up the stars for hours, fighting off the cold wrapped together in a blanket, drinking hot drinks and talking about the amazing things in the universe. He sighed… wishing she were floating with him in this homepage universe at that very moment. The thought of her brought his mind back from its trip though the stars and he turned to face the giant logo and search bar, a nervous pressure starting to form in his computer rendered chest. He took a deep breath… no going back after this…
Choking on the words, he said, “Locate and Join Sarah Hadley.”
* * *
The open universe vanished and Ray was suddenly standing on the most beautiful beach he had ever seen. The sand was soft and white, and he dug his bare feet into it… it felt as real as any beach in the real world. The teal and blue water rippled with deep orange and pink from the sunset and the waves crashed gently across a shoreline that never seemed to end. Ray scanned the landscape in amazement until his eyes fell across the only human being on the beach. She was sitting alone at the water’s edge, staring out at the distant horizon and the setting sun; her arms wrapped around her legs, the waves kissing her bare feet.
“Sarah…”, Ray whispered to himself.
He started to walk over to her, but stopped himself. She looked at peace… he didn’t want to disturb her. He sat down in the sand, resting his chin on his arms, and watched his beautiful wife from a distance. Her blonde hair was full again, blowing wildly from the unseen ocean breeze, and the setting sun soaked warmly into her glowing tan skin. He couldn’t see her eyes from where he was, but he knew that they were carving deep emerald gorges from shoreline to horizon… one of the things he loved most about her. So, this is where you go… he thought.
A pain entered Ray’s heart. Where had he gone wrong? Or had he? What was it about their life that made her come to this fabricated place to find her peace… her happiness? He remembered the days when all they had was each other; always at one another’s sides, laughing, happy, perfectly fulfilled in one another. And now, she was always gone… always here instead. The sun finished falling below the horizon and Sarah didn’t move; even after the moon and stars had revealed themselves, their reflection shimmering on the top of the water. Her hair glowed in the moonlight as she fell back onto the soft sand, staring up at the stars alone. Ray sighed heavily, feeling his heart burn for her, and then softly whispered… “Homepage.”
* * *
Ray was once again suspended in cyber space, the stars around him blazing gently, the giant logo and flickering search bar glowing blue and bright. He wondered if Sarah was staring up at him right then and the pain in his heart began to ease slightly and a new courage flooded his body. He looked up at the search bar, resolute again in his mission, and said, “Locate and join Steven Hadley.”
The stars once again vanished and Ray found himself sitting in row 5/seat 6 of a packed and wild baseball stadium, the crowd roaring with excitement. He looked out at the thousands of people in the stands. Great, he thought, I’m never going to find him in this place… and baseball??? Steven doesn’t like baseball… Ray looked up at the score board. Tied in the bottom of the ninth. He couldn’t help but chuckle… good timing though, he thought.
The crowd cheered wildly as the batter walked to the plate, swinging his bat back and forth, ready to make full contact with a ball. He turned to position himself over home plate and Ray could now see the name on the back of his jersey: Hadley, 27. Shocked, Ray jumped excitedly to his feet yelping and whistling, trying to loudly shout cheers over the roar for his boy.
“I had no idea Steven!!! Go get ‘em son!!!” He screamed.
The pitcher stared menacingly at his son, who returned his challenge with the hovering bat. The baseball rocketed from the hand of the pitcher and Hadley, number 27, hit it hard with his bat, sending it sprawling into the outfield and him sprinting towards first base and then on to second, where he slid in just as the ball reached the baseman’s glove. “SAFE!!!”, the ref shouted. The crowed screamed and Ray whooped and hollered, jumping up and down in the stands. The pitcher shook it off, readying himself for the next batter, but just as he was rearing up to pitch, Steven made a run for third. The pitcher swung around and tried to beat him, but number 27 slid safely into the stolen third base, the crowd going crazy. Tears had begun to form in the corner of Rays eyes. He was so proud of his son, yet his son didn’t even know he was there watching. It hurt. He was starting to realize how little he knew his family. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of ball and bat making contact; a line drive. His son dug his toes in, put his head down and rushed towards home. Ball to first, batter out. Ball from first, back to home plate… but not in time. Steven’s toes touched the plate as he flew across it and the stadium erupted. His son had won the game. His teammates rushed the field and lifted him, their hero, onto their shoulders and paraded him around the bases. Ray fell back into his seat, tears streaming down his face; pride exploding in his heart and pain rippling through his soul. He closed his eyes and whispered, “Homepage.”
* * *
Ray floated in front of the search bar again. Baseball??? He thought, Really??? He wasted no further time hovering in cyber space… he had to see his daughter. “Locate and join Jane Hadley.”
He was suddenly standing precariously on the side of a mountain, snow and wind blowing furiously around him. He let out a frightened gasp, turned and wrapped his arms around the rocks, afraid to let go, his boots slipping on the icy ledge. He hated heights. The air was cold and the blowing snow stung his eyes and skin. What the hell, he thought, this has to be a mistake. He screamed over the howling wind, “LOCATE AND JOIN JANE HADLEY!” Nothing happened. He clung tighter to the side of the mountain, cursing and petrified to move.
A surprised voice floated across the wind from behind him, “Dad?”
Ray swung his head around to face his daughter, bundled in a parka, large pack on her back, and ice dripping from her nose. She lifted her goggles from her eyes and stared in amazement at her father.
“Dad?? What are you doing here??”
“Hi baby,” Ray said, his voice quivering from fear, “What are YOU doing here??”
She laughed at her father clinging to the rocks like a scared child.
“I’m climbing K2 daddy.”
“K2???” Ray said in a panicked voice. His mind was swirling. His wife lost on her private beach, his son a star ball player and now this… his daughter was scaling mountains??? Ray closed his eyes and let the tears freeze to his cheeks.
“Baby…” Ray began, “I don’t think you should be off doing dangerous things without your parents’ consent…”
She placed her hand on his shoulder, laughing sweetly.
“It’s ok daddy… watch.”
She leapt from the mountain side before Ray had a chance to reach out and grab her. He screamed in terror. Jane, just as quickly as she had jumped, floated back up to the ledge and back to her feet.
“You can’t die here daddy…”
Ray hesitantly let go of the rocks and wrapped his arms tightly around his daughter.
“Please don’t do that again sweetie…”
She wiped the icicles from her father’s cheeks.
“What are you doing here daddy?”
“I had to know what you guys do when you disappear around that table every morning. It was eating me alive.”
“Pretty crazy, isn’t it? I bet you went to one of Steven’s baseball games. He’s so talented. Did you see mom’s beach?”
“I did. And I did.”
“This is what I love to do daddy… I hike trails and climb mountains all over the world.”
“I never would have guessed.”
The bitter wind and snow danced around them as she sat down next to her father on the ledge. They stared out across the computer rendered Himalayan Mountains for a long time before Ray broke the silence.
“You know, people gave their lives trying to climb this mountain in the real world.”
“Yes daddy, but now we don’t have to…”
Ray looked at his daughter sadly.
“But baby, they believed in themselves and what they were doing with such passion, that the risk to their life was acceptable… worth losing it over. Conquering the impossible, facing the possibility of death, is what made reaching the summit worthwhile in the first place. Man, or woman, testing themselves against the natural world and standing on top of the mountain victorious and measured… that’s what it was about.” Ray sighed. “Did you know that no one has summited the actual Mt. Everest in over thirty years?”
“I didn’t…” Jane replied somewhat sadly, looking out at the computer rendered Everest in the distance.
“Why do you climb these mountains Jane?
“The view at the top is amazing.”
“Ask yourself, when you reach the top of this mountain, if you’ve truly earned that view.”
His advice seemed to sting her and her gaze seemed to focus inward.
“Would you climb this mountain if you knew it might kill you?”
She thought for a long time before replying.
“Yes, I would.”
Ray looked her in the eyes intently.
“Then what are you doing here baby…?”
She said nothing, staring long and hard at the digital peaks stretched to the horizon.
Finally, she said, “I have a math quiz this week I need to get back and study for. I’m going to finish my climb daddy. Do you want to come with me?”
Ray’s eyes were starting to freeze shut from his tears.
“No, you go on ahead baby… I think I’ve had enough of the Global Web today.”
“Ok…” she replied softly. “…Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too…”
She stood up and swung her pack back over her shoulder.
“I’ll see you at home.” She said.
Ray smiled at her sadly as she turned and started back up the mountain.
He watched his daughter until she disappeared in the wind and snow and then quietly said, “Global Web, Log-out.”
* * *
At 5:30pm, the Hadley family simultaneously logged out of the Global Web and opened their eyes to one another around the dining room table. Already sitting at the table, with dinner prepared and served before each of them, was Ray.
“Honey!” Sarah Hadley said, “You beat me to it! Thank you! I know how much you hate the Cuisine Machine!”
Ray laughed.
“I do hate it… which is why I cooked this myself.”
They all looked at Ray surprised. His family didn’t know he could cook and it made him laugh on the inside. He smiled mischievously as they dug voraciously into their plates… famished from a day of beaches, ballgames and mountain climbing.
“I put the house up for sale today.” Ray blurted out.
His family stopped eating mid-bite.
“You what?” Said Sarah.
“I think it’s time for a change of scenery. I’ve hired a realtor in California to start looking at beach properties for us.”
The fork fell from Sarah’s hand to her plate with a loud clank, her beautiful emerald eyes blazing into his with curiosity and excitement she couldn’t hide.
“This is… unexpected.” She managed. “But… I’m all in…”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Ray said.
Jane picked her fork back up and resumed eating, a large unavoidable smile drawn across her face, her curious eyes still locked in Ray’s.
“I was also thinking,” He turned to Steven, “that we could maybe go throw a baseball or something after dinner…”
His son looked up at him with a surprised smile on his face.
“Yeah… I’d really like that dad… I, uh, don’t have a glove though…”
“You can use one my old ones.” Ray winked at him.
His older sister was grinning. She looked up at her dad with a glimmer in her eyes.
“And actually, daddy…” She began, “I was going to ask you something…”
“Yes baby?”
“Well… especially now that we’re going to be moving to the beach soon… I was thinking maybe tomorrow you could take me out hiking around here… maybe find a small mountain to climb up.”
Ray Hadley smiled warmly back at her.
“Of course we can. You’re going to love the Smoky Mountains.”
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