Off By Heart

• Imogen Deller-evans, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2014

Off by Heart

The woman jabbed the buttons impatiently, growing more and more frustrated. Nothing was working.
“Kids,” she called out in defeat, “The television is broken.” A teenage boy entered the room, shortly followed by a small girl.
“Every single time, Mum!” he sighed, “The hologram T.V. isn’t broken, you’re just doing it wrong.”
“It is broken!” his mother said, pressing at random buttons again, “It won’t let me play the news.”
“Give it here,” snapped her son, plucking the remote control from her hands, “You just have to turn these two on, press this here, this one too, enter this code and flick this switch to ‘Hologram’. It’s easy, Mum.” He pressed a few buttons and flicked a switch behind the television. Just as the boy expected, his mother’s holographic news channel appeared. She stared at her son in amazement.
“You’re brilliant,” she told him, kissing the top of his head. “It sure is different from when I was a child.”
“You’re so old-fashioned, Mum,” the teenager sighed and left the room with his younger sister.
After her program was finished, she rose from the couch and headed into the kitchen.
“Kids,” she called out once again, “I’m making dinner. Anyone care to help?”
“No thanks, Mum,” her daughter yelled back, “We’re going to watch this new Holo-show on the T.V.”
The woman grumbled to herself, but shrugged it off, knowing that the children never helped out anyway. Just as she began to prepare the food, she heard her daughter yell.
“Mum!” she called.
“What is it?” the mother asked, walking into the living room.
“The T.V. isn’t working!” she replied.
“But I thought you were whizzes with this new technology.”
“We are,” said the girl, “But it just won’t work!”
“I can’t help you, I’m sorry,” the woman said.
“Then what are we supposed to do now? We can’t watch anything!” her daughter complained.
“Well,” their mother grinned, “How about I tell you a story?”
“A story?” the girl questioned.
“Yes, a story,” the mother smiled.
“But how could you possibly remember a whole story off by heart?” Her daughter asked, dragging a chair closer to her mother and perching on top of it.
“Easy!” the woman said, winking at her little girl. “And you don’t even need a T.V. to do it.”
At that moment, the boy walked into the living room.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Mum’s going to tell us a story!” his sister said excitedly, “Without any holograms!”