It was a special day that brought all the city's banners to life. Miss Dora had attended the public presentation of her new project. She was wearing a white dress with shiny stones on it. The eyes of the ministers were fixed on her. Some of the women liked her, while others judged her for being too eye-catching. Miss Dora was hearing the conversations at the edge of her ear, but she didn't interfere. She had always been a kind and gentle woman, and she had sworn to remain that way.
Today was the most important day for her: the public launch of the Function Machine.
She checked her lapel microphone and walked onto the stage. "First of all, good evening everyone!"
"Good evening, Dora, what's for dinner tonight?"
"Stuffed eggplants," said Miss Dora. That made everyone burst into laughter.
"In fact, there's something more satisfying than food tonight," she began.
"We want the recipe of the dish from your blog!" shouted a group of people.
Miss Dora was a good cook. She had learned the art of cooking during her honeymoon. "I don't have it with me right now," she said while adjusting the microphone.
"We understand!" said someone.
Roses were thrown into the air.
Miss Dora didn't hide the pleasure she felt from this special attention.
"Now, raise your hands if you're curious about the real subject!"
Everyone looked at each other for a moment.
Miss Dora was surprised.
That brief moment felt like a lifetime.
She relaxed when the hands began to rise. She placed her hands on her waist.
"Thank you for the roses," she said, turning slightly. In the middle of the stage stood a surprise covered with a red cloth.
"What's that?"
"Looks like a coffin!"
"Like a bed?"
"A ladybug wagon?"
"A car-shaped bed?"
"Or a giant computer?"
"Computers are getting smaller as time goes on!"
"This one is big!"
"Not that big," someone objected.
One of the little kids dropped the scoop of his ice cream. He began to scream.
Miss Dora said, "Yes," to disperse the noise. Those in the front row were trembling with excitement. "Standing before you is the invention: the Function Machine!"
There was a moment of silence.
"The Function Machine?" someone asked in confusion.
"Does it calculate functions?" said a mocking voice.
"What does it do?" asked a know-it-all.
"Like multifunctional?" said someone with glasses.
Everyone was talking at once.
Miss Dora said, "I'll explain in a moment." She took a soft breath.
"How many of you are tired of your current life?"
All the hands in the hall went up. No one hesitated.
"How many of you are tired of obsessions?"
All hands went up again. Voices echoed.
"So, who wants to change?" Miss Dora wasn't letting go of the reins.
"Me! Me!" echoed throughout the hall.
Miss Dora smiled and approached the cloth. Breaths were held. "Before you stands the Function Machine!" The cloth was lifted. The lights reflected off the metallic elbows. The hall fell silent. The cloth dropped to the floor. Behind it appeared a setup that resembled a magician's human-cutting machine. Miss Dora was pleased by the intense curiosity glowing in the eyes.
"What is that?" someone asked, stammering.
Another, barely mustering the courage to speak, said, "What does it do?"
"Is this some kind of magic trick?" asked someone.
Miss Dora said, "None of the above, dear participants." She looked completely at ease. "Now I will show you exactly what it does."
An assistant in a black suit entered the stage.
"That's my assistant, Lucia. Say hello, Lucia!"
Lucia raised her hand and greeted everyone. "Hello, good evening!"
"Now we'll do a small demonstration," said Miss Dora.
"You will see with your own eyes what the Function Machine does. And if you don't believe it, one or more of you from the audience will be invited on stage. But I don't expect you all to agree."
The crowd began whispering among themselves.
"What could it be?" they said.
"What does Miss Dora mean?"
"Now I'm curious!"
"Lucia, come here now," Miss Dora directed her, pointing to the bed of the machine. She turned to the audience. "Lucia will now lie down on this bed, and a device will be connected to her brain." As Lucia walked toward the bed, two assistants entered from the back door. Lucia looked hesitant. She lay down with a bit of anxiety.
No matter how many times she repeated this test with Miss Dora, the stress never left her.
The assistants waited for Lucia to lie down and then plugged in the cables. The entire room fell silent.
A device was attached to Lucia's head.
A screen was projected across from her and connected by cable to the computer.
Time had frozen.
"This device will show us the changes occurring in Lucia's mind," said Miss Dora. She turned gracefully on her heels. "A function takes an input and gives an output," she said with a teacherly tone. "Lucia needs a few complex number functions. That way, we can easily observe the change in her brain."
Someone shouted from the back rows. "Changes in the brain, what do you mean?"
"Yes, the neural networks that make the human brain visible... We interact with them. But Lucia will turn into a different person with each of these functions. In short, we have a Lucia who goes in, and a function that transforms her. One input, one output."
Murmurs rose from everywhere.
"How can that be possible?"
"Ridiculous!"
"This was the last thing we needed!"
Miss Dora felt the need to step in amid the objections. "Ladies and Gentlemen!"
Her voice barely managed to cut through the noise.
"Please don't be prejudiced! I gave you my word! Even if you're going to reject it, I'll give each of you a chance to try! Then you'll understand what I mean. But only after signing a contract..." Miss Dora walked over to the table and took a paper out of the folder.
Everyone was baffled.
Miss Dora held up the page and waved it in the air. "This is a document stating that you accept whatever happens to you!"
Lucia, lying on the bed, still had her eyes open. Only her hands were trembling.
"Before you decide whether or not to believe... Now, with your permission, let's begin."