The year is 2214, and your computer’s dusty hard drive has just resurfaced at an antique store. Write a note to the curious buyer explaining what he or she will find there.

“Cybi, I want that.”

“What is it Particle?”

“No idea Cybi, but it would look good on the wall in the science room.”

“It looks very old. I think it was something belonging to the entrails of the old computers, before they did it all with plasma.”

“That is interesting, there might be some things on it.”

“Things?”

“Yes, like records from the past. Let’s go in the shop and ask.”

So Cybi and Particle entered the antique shop which was overflowing with all sorts of junk from the computer age. Laptops had become quite popular. Some were nice and shiny with an apple design. Particle already had two. She would use them as a fruit bowl, after removing the insides of course. Today things were so much simpler, you could just throw the old plasma down the toilet where it disintegrated nicely.

“Madam, what are you doing with that hard disk?”

“My partner and I were thinking about buying it. It would look so good hanging on the wall next to my original refrigerator door.”

“Madam that is not something to hang on the wall. It is an original hard disk from an AngloSwiss computer.”

“From an Anglo Swiss computer!!!! It must be worth a fortune. They are difficult to find today and are a collector’s trophy. Cybi what do your think? Can we afford such a rarity?”

“I don’t think so Particle, they fetch at least 3,000 bytes on today’s market, if you ever find one. Is this an original Anglo Swiss hard disk sir?”

*Of course, I only sell originals as my name is Quantummatti Gates. I am a direct descendent of the original Gates, it was all handed down in my cyber stream.”

“Then you really know what you are talking about. I believe there are not many original Anglo Swiss hard discs left.”

“My great great great great grandfather, Bill, managed to buy them before they were taken by the Apple people. This is an original XP computer hard disk, who knows what is on it?”

“You mean you do not know.”

“The last existing XP computer using the widows system is in the national museum somewhere in Computerstan, where everything is kept for the after world.”

Cybi and Particle looked at each other, knowing that they also had an XP computer in their cellar in working order. It was a family heirloom. They had a few quiet words with each other, and turned to the owner of the antique shop.

“How much?”

“As I said today it would be 3,000 bytes worth, but as you will never be able to read the contents, I will let you have it for 2,000 bytes.”

“We will take it.” and Cybi and Particle left the shop with the hard disk, carefully wrapped in a plasma case.

They arrived home and Cybi immediately fetched their family heirloom. As electro waves were still present in the air, he just had to concentrate on the machine and soon it was humming and lights were showing. Particle carefully unwrapped the treasured Anglo Swiss hard disk and placed it in the entrals of the XP computer. There was a buzz and a hum and a list appeared on the screen.

“They must be files” said Cybi, “so what do I do now?”

“I think in the olden days they did something like a double click with that funny plastic thing you plugged in, called mouse.”

“But mice died out years ago, they were replaced by the blue toothed butterflies.”

“That is why we kept the mouse Cybi, remember.”

With quivering hands they clicked on the first file and they saw ………..

And I am not telling you what I had on my hard drive, that is between me and my computer. Of course if you would like to read my numerous prize suspicious winning blogs on WordPress you will find most of the successful and rare works of Mrs. Anglo Swiss here. Yes, I became famous, but unfortunately two hundred years too late. And the other hard discs from my Macbook and Acer Windows 7 model I ordered to be burnt with me and the ashes sent to Silicon Valley to be interred in the Software Mausoleum.

Daily Prompt: Buyers, beware? – RIP one of my last hard discs