Ming discreetly peeked around the edge of his house’s wall to get a glimpse of the neighbor seated beneath the expansive rambutan tree in front of their house. A few benches were arranged under the tree, and on one of them sat a man whom Ming had not seen before.

“Oh, he’s Nanny Yong’s son. He used to work overseas before you kids were even born. Comes back once a year for a short while when you’re all at school. He’s more of an indoor person, so you haven’t had the chance to meet him face to face.”

“He’s your dad’s classmate, so remember to call him Uncle Sam. Don’t just stare at him without saying anything, okay? That’s rude, you know.”

“I heard he’s not leaving this time, is he?”

“Maybe. I heard he worked in a very stressful environment. People compete for job achievements frequently. His mom suggested he change jobs a long time ago, but he refused, insisting he could earn a ton of cash in that industry and retire early with that salary.”

“So, is he’s retired now?”

“I’m not sure. Didn’t ask Nanny Yong about that. But I did noticed he seemed exhausted when he arrived here last month.”

“Speaking of exhaustion, do you think we should make some soup for the kids?”

The ladies in the kitchen began gossiping and delving into other topics. At least Ming got some information, learning that the intellectual-looking man with glasses is someone he should refer to as Uncle Sam.

Ming was back for a short stay in his hometown, a small village where his grandparents lived during primary school breaks. After his joyful and frenzied play with friends, he would pass by the huge rambutan tree before reaching his home. He often saw Uncle Sam sitting on the bench, gazing at the sky, appearing either lost in thought or contemplating something deep that kids wouldn’t understand.

His frequent appearances had evidently piqued Uncle Sam’s interest, but they both merely exchanged nods and smiles as a greeting.

Ming had asked his friends in the village about Uncle Sam, but they seemed to know no more than he did. They all considered Uncle Sam to be an adult who was hard to get close to.

“I don’t know; he just doesn’t seem like someone who would play with us.”

“He looks like a teacher. I don’t want to talk to a teacher during school break.”

“I think he might thinking about starting a business. You know, it’s a trend now. Even my big brother wants to start a business, but he had a big fight with my mom and dad about the lack of budget or something.”

“What do you think Uncle Sam would do if he’s going to start a business?”

“A coffee shop? Like those fancy cafés? He sure looks like a guy who works around a coffee bar.”

“That’s called a barista, you stupid.”

Well, Uncle Sam, with tidy hair and clean appearance, sure looked completely unrelated to kids who played with cows and got smeared in mud. So they tended to avoid this man, being careful not to accidentally dirty his clothes, which seemed very expensive and fancy.

However, Ming was very curious about this uncle who lived next door. So, he took the chance to approach the uncle when he was clean and appeared tidy.

Uncle Sam was gazing at the sky when he noticed a kid standing in front of him for quite some time. He put on a faint smile and asked, “You’re Ming, right? Anything I can help with?”

Ming glanced at Uncle Sam’s hair, “Your hair looks very neat. Nobody in the village would comb their hair this way, Uncle Sam.”

“Really?” Uncle Sam seem momentarily taken aback by Ming’s comment, a genuine smile appearing as he replied to the kid, “Well, I’m too used to this hairstyle, so much so I forgot I don’t need to comb my hair nicely anymore.”

“Because you don’t need to see any clients, right?” Ming nodded understandingly, “Just like my dad, he style his only when he needs to meet a client.”

Uncle Sam chuckled, “Yup, just like your dad.”

He patted the bench, gesturing for the kid to have a seat with him, “Come and chat for a little while? But it might be kinda boring, I must warn you. Don’t you kids love to play games on the smartphone?”

“Only after dinner, just to connect with my friends in the city. Mom says I might forget how to walk if I play too much games using only my fingers.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“That’s an interesting statement.” Uncle Sam nodded with a smile.

“I think she’s just bluffing with me, but I have my things to do, so it’s okay for me to skip the games.” Ming gestured a huge circle with his wide-open arms, “I’m going to make a castle with papers and cards! I’ve been working on it during all my school breaks, but there’s still a long way to go. I think I might finish it next year.”

“Wow, that’s cool!” Uncle Sam felt surprised, “Did your parents help you out?”

“Nah, I can do it myself. It’s my castle.” Ming nodded solemnly, “Uncle Sam, what do you do during breaks? Shen said he wants to catch the biggest fish, so he goes to the river every day with us for fishing. Jay is working on his homework, Huay is busy doing cross-stitch.”

He looked at Uncle Sam, sending a signal that said: We kids do a lot of stuff; you adults should do the same, right?

“Do kids nowadays plan their stuff?” Uncle Sam sighed and scratched his head with a smile, “Well, I am working on something, but I’m afraid it might scare you off.”

“As long as you’re not doing anything illegal or harmful, I think I’ll be fine.” Ming patted his own chest to convey assurance.

“Really? Well…” Uncle Sam sighed again, “I’m taking a break because I’m sick.”

He pointed to his head and, after a moment’s thought, his heart too, while looking at Ming, who was dumbfounded. “I’m burnt out, probably from too much stress at my job. I’m not sure if it’s physically or mental, but anyway, I can’t stand the environment anymore, so I quit.”

Ming felt sympathetic, “It’s it depression?”

Uncle Sam was quite surprised by his words, “You know about depression? Where did you get this information?”

“From radios, TVs, my mom also read it somewhere in the news. She told me about it.” Ming tilted his head, “But I don’t quite understand what it means. Mom said only those who are sick could fully understand what it feels like. She tried to explain, but I still don’t quite get it.”

“How did your mom describe it to you?”

“She said something about the patient losing their ability to feel happy.” Ming tried to recall the details, “Just like we lose our sense of taste when we’re sick, we can still live, but we suffer. Oh, and it’s like I could see my hand and move my fingers, but I can’t ‘feel’ my hand…Sounds ridiculous to me. Though I don’t understand, I guess it’s a very sad feeling.”

He looked at Uncle Sam, “Are you feeling sad now?”

“No, not when I’m here.” Uncle Sam replied with a smile, “Plus, I’m not sure if I’m depressed…or maybe I am. It’s kind of complicated.”

“Well, just tell me about it. They say it feels better if you share your problems with someone.” Ming patted Uncle Sam’s shoulder with the maturity he could gathered, only to elicit another chuckle from Uncle Sam.

“How should I put this…”Uncle Sam thought for a moment, “I, kind of heard something I’m not supposed to?”

“Ghost?!” Ming hoped it wasn’t; he disliked any horror movie.

Uncle Sam shook his head, “No…at least I don’t think so. Do you think your smartphone, computer and digital door lock would talk to you if they possessed by a ghost?”

“…what?”

Smartphones, computers and digital locks could talk?

Ming scratched his head, “Did you forget to turn off the loudspeaker function?”

Uncle Sam shook his head, “Nope. I could still hear them talking after I turned them off. Then I realized, everything with advanced technology can talk.”

“Smart TVs, the car navigation system, the sensors in shops, the multifunction electro-oven…They all talk, not in the prerecorded SIRI voice, but in other voices that they aren’t supposed to have.”

“So, what did they say?”

“Um…”Uncle Sam looked disturbed, “Well, something like the digital door lock of my neighbor is dating the smartphone of my neighbor’s daughter, but that smartphone, in fact, cheated and is dating with another two device, which are an iPad and a laptop through the internet. So what I heard was those few keep fighting, breaking up, and dating again, back and forth…”

Ming showed the same disturbed look after Uncle Sam’s story.

“Um, honestly, Uncle Sam, this disease you have is very weird.”

“Yeah, I thought so too.”

Uncle Sam sighed, “I don’t want to listen to all these nonsense, but those high-tech device keeps talking. I stay alone but feel like I’m standing in a crowded market. My phone would complain that I poke it too hard when I send a message, my computer would mumble about work being so boring and wanting to play online games instead…Soon they realized that I could understand what they said, and they even babble nonstop.”

“Have you seen a doctor and taken the pills?”

“Of course, I followed specialist’s instructions for three months, but it’s not working. I can still hear what they’re saying.” Uncle Sam buried his face in his palm, “I can’t take it anymore, so I quit my job and came back here. A village with no advanced technology, where the TVs, radios and telephones all have only basic functions. Finally, I can have my peace, and I really enjoy the peace I have now.”

“So you’re sitting here every day to enjoy the peace?”

“Yup.”

Ming tried to imagine how it would feel when every household appliance in his home suddenly starts talking nonstop, and he shivered at the thought. He patted Uncle Sam’s shoulder with full understanding, “As long as you happy.”

“Thanks.”

“Would you still be looking for job?” Nowadays, most jobs require smartphones and computers. Even mechanic in car maintenance shops use computer to inspect car. Ming felt sorry for Uncle Sam, who might not able to find a job.

“I’m not sure; we’ll see about that. If I can still hear those voices, I’ll try to look for a job that has nothing to do with advanced technology.” Uncle Sam shrugged and said, “I’ll found something to do eventually. Just laying here every day or watching TV feels boring.”

“I wish you good luck. I’m sure you’ll have a better live.” Ming held his fist and mimicked a gesture for cheering up that he learned from somewhere he forgot, hoping it would lift Uncle Sam spirits.

Uncle Sam nodded, and just as he was about to say something, Ming’s grandma loudly yelled next door, “Ming! Dinner time, come back now!”

Other houses in the neighborhood emitted similar calls for their kids to come in for dinner.

Ming jumped off the bench and waved goodbye to Uncle Sam, “See you later, Uncle Sam.”

“Sure, see you next time.”

Next time, Ming thought he would want to know more about those voices Uncle Sam heard…Do they only have those drama stories that TV shows?