Feed Icon RSS 1.0 XML Feed available

The Republic of Coleco

Date: 27-Oct-2008/5:24+3:00

Tags: , , ,

Characters: me, man, friend

I was dreaming that some people were talking about how the comic strip xkcd wasn't funny or edgy anymore. As I was walking down a street, I decided that I wanted to go to xkcd.com, so I typed it into my cell phone. When I did, I was teleported down a road in front of a comic book store. There were two men standing there at the door with some kind of guestbook.
me: "Um... uh... wait. Okay. I think I get it. I typed in xkcd, thinking I would go to xkcd.com, but was teleported here because you are a store that sells print copies of xkcd compilations."
man: "Oh, well if you're not going to come in we need to erase your name out of this book."
me: "That's fine, sorry."
Stepping away from the entrance, I decided I wanted to teleport back home and pick up something I felt I'd forgotten. Somehow I did, and wound up on the smooth wood floor of an old home I had lived in. Yet strangely, I was spinning on the floor on my back--completely out of control. Every time I'd try to grab ahold of a piece of furniture it would just start spinning with me, and I'd gain momentum. Somehow I stabilized this and could walk through the chaos that I'd created.
There were some grocery bags and I realized that somehow I'd forgotten to put away 4 pints of ice cream. (I do not care for ice cream and do not typically buy it.) They were melted but I decided to go ahead and pick them up and put them in the freezer. I also picked up a book and stuck it in my backpack--it was a detailed analysis of various health insurance scenarios, illustrated with cartoons. An old friend appeared and we began to talk.
me: "Okay, so this doesn't make a lot of sense...why would I have been spinning on my back? I wasn't moving. Could it be possible that there is a physical sensation and perception of being on my back when I'm actually having some kind of seizure, and running around the room throwing everything everywhere?"
friend: "I'm not sure, why don't you try putting up a camera and seeing what it records next time?"
me: "That's a good idea, yes, a camera would help."
The place I walked to was some kind of hallway with school rooms in it, where some pretty weird things were going on. In one room there was a pit of water in the corner, and a young red-haired girl was being lowered on a rope into it. A strange form would periodically bob up out of the water and try to grab her, and it was as if she was some kind of sacrifice--she insisted that this was what she wanted.
me: "What are you people doing!? Are you crazy?"
I was ignored, and she was lowered and didn't come up for a time...but then she and a male form seemed to levitate out of the water. Though he didn't seem to be speaking, I could hear him monologue in my head something about how although he could not move or see in his current phase it was only temporary, and that she shouldn't be afraid because that was going to change.
After an annoying bit of combat with someone in the hallway, I found myself walking down a street. There was an odd building that said "The Republic of Coleco" on it, with a stylized boxy "CO". Puzzled, I wondered if this was referring to the video game company. Inside the building I picked up a box that seemed to be for a video game, which seemed to confirm it.
Note
Coleco's typography for their logo is indeed quite boxy like the letters I saw:
...but they are not a Japanese company according to Wikipedia, which says that the name comes from "Connecticut Leather Company"--which I find surprising, because it is a particularly Japanese-sounding name. I can't find any evidence that it has been abbreviated as CO anywhere.
The office was somewhat cramped and I came upon a meeting room where I was greeted by name. Somehow my finger got stuck in the box, and I gestured at them. They only spoke to me in Japanese at first, but then began talking in English. Contemplating the box I wondered who they thought I was, and if this was an alternate reality where Coleco hadn't failed as a company.
me: "Um, I'll join you in a minute. I have some...new ideas. But I need to get my bearings a bit before I decide which of these new ideas to talk about first."
I wandered into what looked like an office kitchen with a fridge and several more cardboard boxes on the floor, then awoke.
Currently I am experimenting with using Disqus for comments, however it is configured that you don't have to log in or tie it to an account. Simply check the "I'd rather post as a guest" button after clicking in the spot to type in a name.
comments powered by Disqus
copy write %C:/0304-1020 {Met^(00C6)ducation}

The accounts written here are as true as I can manage. While the words are my own, they are not independent creative works of fiction —in any intentional way. Thus I do not consider the material to be protected by anything, other than that you'd have to be crazy to want to try and use it for genuine purposes (much less disingenuous ones!) But who's to say?