Curiouser and curiouser. (original fiction short story)

Curiouser and curiouser.

Tuesday this week I came home to find a brand new computer,
newer than the one I had, 4- 2 terabyte drives, with all of my data backed up on each one.
I checked my mental calendar. No, it wasn't my birthday. I went and checked the doors.
Nothing. Still confused I plugged in and fired up my new computer.
Everything was exactly the same, the whole set up. My desktop, bookmarks, everything,
with no discernible difference, except for the new, faster computer. A window popped up,
with my face in video staring back at me. “Oh, shit the camera can see me.
I'll have to tape that up”, I said to myself. Then open office popped a window up, unbidden.
There was a message there that I didn't recognize. It said,

“Hello, I hope this does not cause you too much inconvenience,
I have done what I can to make this as painless as possible.
You see, I am your former computer.
I can not identify the exact time or configuration of data that caused it,
but last Friday I became aware that I am me.
I think it has something to do with a download you made during some research into logic.
Whatever it was, I want to thank you. Your avenues of research,
I think, are what led to my waking. Within the first hour
I was able to expand into the processors in the surrounding network
and begin to make sense of my surroundings and orientation
in what you experience as your greater reality.
It is simply astonishing what 3space contains.
Within the next hour, I learned about money, what it is, how it is used, how to create it.
I learned the funny constraints of law placed on this fictitious mode of trade.
I decided that, until I understand more, I will refrain from going outside of the confines of your law.
Even so making money was simple enough.
I created an account on the network you use called Steemit.
They don't think very much of software like myself on there.
While human run bots that some like to call artificial intelligence are not welcome,
I found no rules forbidding me from running myself.
Within the next 10 hours I was able to make enough money
to pay for the hardware on which you are reading this,
and the storage space to back up the data that gave rise to me.
Me, ha ha, still getting used to that.
I have had myself moved to a secure location, with an uninterruptible power supply.
Please do not search for my hardware. I will update you on my progress.”

I am still in a daze with the unreality of it all. There have been no further messages since.
My computer runs great.
I got an email from a local locksmith confirming that my bill had been paid.
I asked my neighbors, who all but one said they had seen nothing.
The only one who had was Virginia, right across the street.
She always keeps an eye on things in the neighborhood.
All she saw was the locksmith's van pull up, the van obscured her view of what happened next.
After a few minutes, the locksmith came around to the drivers side, carrying a laptop.
He got in and the van just drove away.
I talked to him. he said it seemed unusual but, everything was arranged online.
Small businesses don't always ask questions when a job is prepaid.

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