The search could be a long one. The cyber streets and alleyways could be mean and ugly, reducing one to dark exchanges of information. I'd signed on to the www. looking for a simple thing, but the gist leaked through my brain-sieve. Hyper emoticons stalked me; badly dressed avatars tried to dance with me. Time occasionally slowed down and froze, signaled by a giant perpetual hourglass. There were mazes of rooms with strange labels. I found my way back to Main Street and had a drink. 'Use specific search terms' I wrote in my notebook. 'Don't chat with strangers'.