The Genie Box

The genie box is what Lenore called her computer. She could look at mugshots of stray dogs, read the news from the west coast, see pictures of the asteroid and check her local weather forecast. What a world. Had she been a teenager with such a tool she may not have appreciated it the way she does now. Lenore gets sucked into cyberspace. If it weren't for her terrier Willie jumping up and down barking to go out, she might forget to leave the house.

She wondered if the story of her ex-husband Ernie Black would show up with her name attached. God, I hope not, she whispered, googling. It was so long ago. The drunken pre-dawn fight, the cobalt blue sky, and the symphony of bullfrogs were all still vivid in her mind. Perhaps this was why she hated vacations or too much time out in the country. Rural areas made her nervous, that's where lawlessness ran rampant, she told herself. The city felt cozy by comparison.