X is for Xerox

Xerox

“The darned machine broke again! I may as well get the typewriter out, ‘cause I know I’m going to have to copy this report by hand.” Lexie gave the Xerox machine a small shove.

“A typewriter isn’t doing it by hand,” Felix said as he entered the room.

“Compared to a Xerox, it might as well be.” She pushed at the buttons and gave another shove.

“Here, let me see. Maybe I can fix it.”

“You can’t fix anything, Felix. Go on and go away. You might get yourself electrocuted.”

Felix ignored her and opened the side panel. He stared inside without moving for nearly a minute.

“Something you see in there?”

“Yeah…. Come over here. You’ll never believe this.”

Lexie peered over Felix’s shoulder and said, “I don’t see anything.”

“Keep looking.”

Another minute passed. Then she saw it. “Oh my G…!”

Felix reached in his index finger and thumb between the ink drum and feeder wheel. “I told you not to do it! If you get fired it’ll be all your fault.”

“I know, Felix. I won’t do it again, just don’t tell,” Lexie said, looking at the band-aide on her finger. “Thanks for fixing it, Felix," she said. "But I told you I could duplicate myself by copying my DNA on this thing.” She took her miniaturized self out of Felix’s palm and stared at it with a mischievous smile.