Fan Fiction ❯ The Misadventures of Tsuki and Nikko ❯ 2. Electronic Calamity ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Episode 2: Electronic Calamities

One evening Tsuki came into the living room complaining. "I quit! I quit! I quit!" she exclaimed while stomping around in a circle.

"What do you quit?" asked Nikko looking up from her book.

"The computer hates me. I told you it hated me!" Tsuki shouted as she plopped into a chair.

"That again!" complained Nikko. "When are will you learn that all electronics are out to get you?"

"Probably never. It was working fine until today. I need to find better burnt offerings," moaned Tsuki.

Nikko had a confused look on her face. "I thought the burnt offerings were for the printer."

"No, they’re multi-purpose. Burnt offerings solve all my electronic miseries… At least they’re supposed to. Maybe I should resort to offering it the monster."

"You leave my puppy alone. Just because he doesn’t like you, doesn’t mean you can sacrifice him to achieve the impossible: peace and understanding with your computer. Come on. You’re allergic to all electronics. Just yesterday, the toaster decided to be evil and burn your piece of toast. Although I agree that it did need to be taught a lesson, I don’t think you should have responded with violence. Not only don’t we have a toaster, but now your curling iron is beyond repair."

"In the first place, I never use my curler. And secondly, the toaster started that one. It was its own fault. It had it coming," pouted Tsuki.

"Still, you’re bigger than it is…"

"That’s why it had to die. I am a human. It’s a machine. I should have more control than it does."

"Or so you think."

Tsuki stuck her tongue out at Nikko.

"Of course, the other day when you were doing you calculus work, you calculator went on the fritz. That one was kinda funny," continued Nikko undaunted.

Tsuki groaned. "You had to bring that one up, didn’t you?"

"Of course! What kind of friend would I be if I forgot all of the calamities you’ve endured?" said Nikko grinning even more. She now looked like a Cheshire cat.

"That wasn’t very funny. I had to kick you off the computer and spend who knows how long to find a calculator online that would do what I asked it to, only to find out that it didn’t work right. The only semi-funny part was the fact that you were computer-denied all night. It was amusing to watch you pace around moaning and groaning like a kid who had his favorite toy taken away from them."

"I wasn’t that bad," Nikko snapped.

"You were too. Not only did you pace, but ever time you walked by me, you stared over my shoulder like a hawk, waiting for me to get done!"

Nikko mumbled something that Tsuki didn’t hear. Nikko quickly returned to Tsuki-phobic electronic mishaps to draw attention away from herself. "I still say you’re a jinx. Remember when you tried to change the light bulb? You had the hardest time getting it out. When you finally extracted it, you dropped the poor thing, then made me clean it up! After you inserted a new bulb, an electric shock came through the socket that made your hair frizz for a week! And then I turned the light on and it exploded, sending you flying off the ladder onto the couch on the other side of the room! That was the best ‘Tsuki-moment’ of all!!!"

"Wait a minute… You turned the light on… That means that electronics hate you too… You just admitted it!!!"

"No. YOU were the one who soared across the room. Electronics love me!"

Tsuki grumbled, tired of her best friend’s teasing about her haphazard luck with electronic devices. She decided to turn the tables to pay her dear friend back. " Oh really… They love you? What about the time I asked you to cook supper and you wouldn’t put down the Harry Potter book you were reading? You decided to cook soup so you wouldn’t have to stop reading."

Nikko’s smile suddenly faltered. "You don’t have to finish your story, you know."

"Oh, but I must! I need to prove that you’re not as immune as you think! Now where was I? Oh yeah. Harry Potter was about to take a swim. You soon discovered that the only book you can read while cooking is a cookbook! The novel fell out of your hands and made a splash smack-dab in the middle of your pot of alphabet soup! It took you hours to clean up the book, and even so, your pages are still tinted orange!"

Nikko slouched into her chair, "Ugh… You had to remind me of that! I never got to finish that book because so many of the pages were stuck together. I really wanted to finish it too…"

Tsuki’s could hardly control her fit of giggles as Nikko began to slide off of the lazy-boy she was in. "Then there’s always the time when you couldn’t get online because the cable modem wouldn’t work. You called 911! I thought we would be arrested for calling, but the lady there was real senile and directed your call to the Cable Company. I thought you would die before the repair guy finally arrived, only to show you that it wasn’t plugged in! And you call yourself the computer/internet queen!" continued Tsuki now smiling. She was fully enjoying the sweet taste of revenge. Meanwhile, Nikko remained silent. She feared for her life. Tsuki might not have a good long-term memory, but once she gets started remembering Nikko’s disasters, it’s hard to stop her.

"Do you have more mishaps you want to tell? Or are you done?" asked Nikko.

"Well, there was that time when you…"

"Alright! I get the picture! I’ve learned my lesson! I’ll shut up!" exclaimed Nikko stuffing her nose back into her book.

Tsuki grinned in satisfaction, knowing she wouldn’t have to worry about Nikko’s teasing for a while. She turned to go back to what she was doing when she remembered that the computer was frozen. She glanced over her shoulder at Nikko who was curled up in her recliner. "I don’t suppose now would be the time to ask for help with that MACHINE in there would it?" she asked sweetly. The last thing she saw was a glare that could melt solid steel before a couch pillow made contact with her face. "I’ll take that as a ‘no’"