Hope had never used, or even seen, a VHS machine, or any type of Muggle movie, for that matter, but she had paid careful attention in class when its use was demonstrated and taken careful notes. She had come alone because she was a little embarrassed to make really bad mistakes in front of someone else (in case she did make mistakes, which she hopefully wouldn't!)
She knew about getting popcorn and a drink in the movies, though--she'd heard a number of her fellow students discussing that. And since she wanted the full experience, she went over and got herself a small buttered popcorn and some kind of fizzy drink that she was unfamiliar with. Then she selected a seat, put her snacks down, and looked up at the...screen, it must be, at the front of the room. My--it was a rather fancy one, wasn't it? Hopefully she wouldn't break it or anything.
And there on the wall were the...tapes, they called them, right? Yes. And there was the one reserved for her--"Homeward Bound." It had a picture of two dogs and a cat on the front, which made Hope think it surely must be a good story.
Now...where was the thing that made it go? Oh, yes--this funny little rectangular box. Hope looked at the diagram she'd drawn in her notebook and re-read the instructions. You put the tape in the little slot...oh, that must be it, the one with the opening covered by a little flap. Hope supposed that was so it didn't get dirty inside; how clever! She tried to insert her tape but it wouldn't go in. Hope didn't want to force it, so she took it back out and turned it over and around, trying all the possible ways one could put it in. Finally she must have picked the right one, because the tape just slid right in, like there was a little elf inside grabbing it with its hand.
Hope stood back, feeling pleased with herself for having succeeded with this bit of problem solving. After standing alone in the dim room, she realized that she was supposed to do something else. She looked at her book again--right, you had to press a button. Oh, this must be the one, the one with the little arrow going forward (she hoped). Crossing the fingers of one hand, Hope pressed the button and waited. After a breathless pause where nothing happened, the screen in the front of the room sprang to life, with lights and colors and...music!
All right! This was it. Hope went back to her chair, picked up her snacks, and prepared to watch. |