[ WP ] A post apocalyptic society finds an ancient device that gives them instructions on what to do next . This device - the Bop It

What is that? 
 
 I don ’ t know… 
 
 Bop it. 
 
 She drops the thing and takes a quick step backward while he reaches down for it. 
 
 Twist it. 
 
 He scrunches up his face in the ugly way he does when he wants people to think he ’ s thinking. 
 
 It ’ s not like the others. Is that it makes noise. Is that it… What ’ s this? 
 
 Pass it. 
 
 Is that the batteries still work. 
 
 She doesn ’ t know the thing and she takes another step back because we don ’ t stand close to things we don ’ t know, and… 
 
 Bop it. 
 
 …and it makes noise so the batteries must work and we don ’ t stand close to things with batteries that will make the dangerous thing work. And this may do that. But she doesn ’ t know *this thing* so she isn ’ t sure yet. 
 
 He unscrews the back with a broken piece of screwdriver with its missing handle end driven into something else that neither of them know, but it fits well into his palm so it ’ s that now, and when the cover pops off two batteries look back at him, covered in…yellow? We have seen this before. It ’ s the stuff that burns when you taste it. It ’ s the stuff that means the batteries are broken. But *this thing* works, so the batteries must work. 
 
 Take them and clean them off. Don ’ t use your hands. The yellow stuff… Find something to scrape them off with. Yes, that. Use that. 
 
 She does what he says to do and then hands them back and he puts them in a small cloth bag that he hangs from his side. 
 
 These are the fourth this month. Is that they will bring in more money than we… What is it? 
 
 She picks the thing up and looks at it funny. 
 
 I don ’ t... 
 
 He twists his head sideways at her while she looks more closely at it before tossing it back in the pile of other stuff. 
 
 I don ’ t want to make the bad thing work anymore. 
 
 Do you want to eat tonight? 
 
 Yes, but… 
 
 Then we keep looking and sell the man who brings evil what we find. What he chooses to do with batteries is not *our* decision. 

