«And the most worrisome thing,» she added, choking back a sob, «is that Lily didn’t come to work today. Did you notice? I waited for her all morning. She has disappeared too, without notifying anyone, not even me or our whole team!»
«Yes,» Martin confirmed, «she usually prints a letter to the head programmer before taking time off. But yesterday, she didn’t print anything.»
«I feel that something unpleasant has happened to her too!» Molly squeaked anxiously.
She was on the verge of tears, but Albert stood next to her and embraced her little shoulder. Feeling his support, she voiced an unexpected idea:
«It seems that our magical story has become a reality for Lily herself.»
Tension filled the air, and then Oscar spoke with a firm voice:
«We must find Lily and the princess!»
«But how are we going to do it?» the machines started speaking all at once. «Can we manage without the help of humans? But none of them, except Lily, understands the language of office equipment.»
Once again, Molly the mouse spoke up.
«I think we need to understand how Lily’s disappearance is connected to the princess’s disappearance.»
«Exactly,» Albert supported her. «Maybe there’s a key or a clue from Lily that we missed?»
And the machines began to explore the stories encrypted in the program codes and brought to life on the monitors, carefully analyzing every word and image. They worked throughout the break but found nothing. It was only just before it ended that little Molly happened to glance at an item on Lily’s desk. It was the girl’s locket on a silver chain, which she had never parted with. Anxious feelings overwhelmed her, and she squeaked in excitement:
«Look! It’s her locket! She never took it off! Could it be that our Lily has also been kidnapped?!» she added, choking back tears once again.
Her mood transferred to the other sensitive machines. Emily, xerox began sobbing and wailing.
«I’m so worried about our dear office princess! I’ll miss her so much!»
«And I’m worried about both of our princesses! Who will help them now?» Carl, the water cooler lamented dramatically, bursting into tears.
«Don’t panic!» said Albert the printer firmly. «Maybe it’s a sign Lily left for us on purpose.»
«Friends, the break is ending,» Oscar reminded them. «We all need to return to our duties, except for you, Albert. We’re counting on you now. Ponder over what this sign could mean. And the rest of us,» he said to the other machines, «let’s think about who among the humans we can turn to for help in finding both of our princesses. Try to establish contact with your owners.»
Suddenly, the office door creaked. The machines froze. In the darkness, an invisible figure crept silently on tiptoes towards Lily’s desk. He found the button on her computer, turned it on, and in the glow of the monitor, everyone saw the system administrator. Then he picked up Molly the mouse, energetically moved her across the desk, and hurriedly typed something on the keyboard.
«Martin! Johnny!» squeaked Molly from under Max’s hand. «Show him the picture found by Albert!»
«Exactly, little one!» approved the printer, Albert, of her idea.
Martin’s computer displayed the image on the screen. Max looked at it perplexedly for a while, started rummaging the desk in search of the mouse, but it bounced away and tossed Lily’s locket towards him. Max picked it up, brought it closer to his eyes, and examined it in the light of the monitor. Then his face brightened with a realization.
«Bingo! I understand! The solution must be sought from Prince Albert!» he exclaimed.
He quickly shut down the equipment and carefully made his way out of the office.
«I don’t like him,» whispered the alarm system, sounding concerned. «Are you sure we can trust him?»
«Right now, we can’t be sure of anything,» Oscar replied. «But we didn’t have any other options. I’ll still try to establish contact with him and find out his motives. By the way, what’s your name?»
«Ah, if only I knew! Alas, I don’t have a name yet. Perhaps the One Who Gives Names doesn’t even notice me,» she sadly replied. «I haven’t had a reason to show myself until now. You are the first ones who started communicating with me. Maybe you can come up with a name for me?»
«Electra!» immediately suggested little Molly.
«Oh! I like it! Thank you!» she responded.
«Well, my friends,» Oscar summarized, «today has been a challenging day, but not without results. It seems we have managed to establish contact with a human. He reads our signs and understands them just like we do. And now, we all need to rest, so we can continue our search with renewed strength tomorrow. Goodnight, everyone!»
The machines agreed and wearily scattered to their places. Molly, as usual, hopped onto Albert’s nightstand and nestled into the paper tray. Exhaustion weighed her down and closed her little eyes, but like all little ones who dislike falling asleep, she wanted the adventures to continue and continue.
«Albert,» she whispered, «are you still awake?»
«Not yet, Molly. Do you want to hear some new stories before bedtime?»
«I really do! Tell me about the Order of Prince Albert! What is the «Sign of Peace’? Why is it called that and how is it depicted?»
Educational information from Albert
«The «Sign of Peace’ is a representation of a circle with two intersecting lines inside, forming a cross with slightly lowered transverses. That’s why it is sometimes called the «Cross of Peace.» Some see it as a person with lowered arms, while others interpret it as the intersection of roads converging into one. There are those who liken it to the footprint of a dove. Another explanation suggests that it consists of two semaphore signals: two flags lowered downwards and one flag raised upwards. But regardless of the interpretations, it signifies one thing – a call to end conflicts. Overall, the symbol looks harmonious, symbolizing peace, unity, and harmony.»
Little Molly had long since fallen asleep on a stack of freshly baked stories, occasionally sobbing and shuddering in her sleep as the day had been difficult and unsettling for her. Meanwhile, old Albert pondered and pondered about the unforeseen consequences that embodied dreams could have. Yet, his belief in the nobility of his purpose and the righteousness of the chosen path only grew and strengthened within him.
The tales of the old printer continued…
Chapter 4: The Call of Adventure
The search for Lily and Princess Aurelia continued. Oscar began cautious communication with Max, the system administrator. The young man turned to the main computer, as usual, late at night, when the office was already empty. Oscar carefully studied his requests and actions until he finally realized that Max was searching for Lily not just out of concern but because he secretly harbored feelings for her! How did the computer figure that out? Don’t ask – it’s hard to explain. Oscar was simply a very intelligent machine, constantly learning various human skills, including the ability to recognize subtle signals of people’s emotions. Having understood this, the computer decided to give the young man a clue.
It was the password for Lily’s account on the online community called «The Brave Little Tailors.» Max agonizingly tried to figure it out, going through letters and numbers, and Oscar accidentally memorized it from when Lily visited the «tailors» during work hours.
Oscar, of course, knew that it was unseemly to give away