Do you want to play?

"Do you want to play?" it said. It was written in big bold golden letters on a black screen. Before I could close the pop-up, the word 'play' turned to 3D font. It was made up of balloon letters. It then took up the whole screen. Then L blew up releasing golden confetti on the screen. A door appeared on the screen, locked. It said "pay" in balloon lettered font.

I closed the pop-up advert then, mindlessly. I was back to doom scrolling on the hand held screen once again. My food had arrived. The approval from the gate security app opened up on the phone. As my fingers neared the green approve button, it turned to golden and blew up with confetti. In it's place was the balloon lettered 'pay'. I nearly dropped my phone. It fell from my hand, before in a reflex I caught it with other. I turned the screen around and the green approval button was frozen into a brown color now. I was getting a call from the security.

"I-021 Sir, you did not approve the entry? Are you at home?"

For him I was "I-021 Sir". Like I was "0503 Toyota" for the carwash guy, "363 Evening" for the office, "1 coffee 1 wills classic" for the cigarette shop lady, "21 sir" for the house maid. Identity is a mirage. I wonder who was I to myself.

"Yes, yes. My phone screen was frozen. Let him in." It was frozen, wasn't it.

I checked again. It seemed quite normal. There were 3 notifications. The door bell rang at the same time. I reached out and opened the door.

The delivery guy's face was lit up with white light from his screen.

"I-021?" he looked up briefly.

"Biriyani?" he checked with me.

I nodded.

"Enjoy." he handed it over to me, and smiled. It was an expectant smile. I kept the box inside, picked up my wallet and fished inside for some change.

"Do you want to play?" he said mischievously.

"Pay?" he repeated.

I was confused. How could he know? Had he hacked into my phone.

"Wha... what do you.. what is going on.." I showed him my screen which had the same questions in the notification. His face reflected in my phone's screen.

"Just play sir." he said.

"What do you want to play?" I had no idea what was going, maybe playing along would help.

"Pay, sir. Pay. Tip" he held his fingers up and rubbed the thumb and index finger together - in a universal gesture for money.

I handed him a note sheepishly and closed the door.

Back inside the room, I rubbed my eyes. I cannot remember what I was doing before the ad. Where am I? How long has it been?

I check the time on my screen. It is night. I check the date on my phone. 15 September said the locked screen, that's less than a week. Not as bad as I thought. Not as bad as I felt.

I fished out a plate from the kitchen and put two spoonful of the flavored rice on it. The smell of oil and spices engulfed my very being. It was the same and yet new. I wonder how can something so tasteful be so bad for me. Isn't our body evolved to respond to what is good for us? And if it isn't why not? I scoop an fistful and start to eat. It tastes just like it looks. Predictably delicious.

I open the screen half mindedly starting to doom scroll again -

see how beautiful the lives of everyone around me were,

how successful, happy and well adjusted they all were,

how the world was just a rainbow filled sphere of joy and harmony.

But, something seems off. I still cannot remember what was I doing before. The grease from my hand falls off. I wipe it away and the calendar app opens. My eyes pop out. It is 15 September alright, but 2025. How is it feasible?

I sit down with a thump. Did I just vegetate for a full two years? How can it be? And yet, I cannot seem to refute it. I look at my call records - nothing. I check my emails - nothing. I check my photos - nothing. Nothing. Nothing.

The newspaper says the same, the television, even the paper calendar on my wall. It is 2025.

I throw my phone away on the bed. Everyone said it was addictive, but I paid no heed. I should not have played. Now I had to pay. Pay with what matters the most. Time.

I continue to eat. A man has got to survive, to solve a mystery like this, right? Maybe it is a dream. Once I wake up, it will be 2023 once again. I wonder where everyone else is - my family, daughter, neighbors. And why am I eating delivered food?

A ping on the phone breaks my reverie. It is glowing with a golden gleam. I can tell before looking. It is the same balloon font.

"Do you want to play?"

"Pay."

This time I click Pay. A coin appears on the screen and continues to multiply till the whole screen is full of gold coins. A small rectangular space opens in the center. It asks for my password. I type. The screen turns into a door once again. It starts to open. The phone whirrs, spins and turns around a couple of times.

Then, something bangs against my head.

I fall. I continue to fall for a long time. It does not hurt. It is like falling on cotton candy. It even leaves that aftertaste.

I wake up in the back garden of our house with the sun warming me up - every part of my body except my face. My face feels cool. I open my eyes. My daughter is looking at me - headwise.

"Do you want to play?" she asks me.

"Yes, darling. I do want to play." This time, I close the phone down, pocket it and get up. We lie down on a high point atop the grassy small hillock and roll down together. The world spins and spins - faster and faster before it comes to a gradual stop. As we laugh and dust ourselves off, I see a lady walk towards us huffing with anger.

"You will break your phone! What are you doing K?" I remember her from our 8 years of marriage.

"It does not matter. I know what matters now."

"See, it is broken." she takes it out from my pocket and shows me the screen. The screen saver is a door.

"This is a door. The hidden door to definite doom. Better it remain broken than open." I say back to her. She looks at me as if I have turned mad. I laugh and so does the garden around us.

The screen reads 13 September, 2023. I climb back up the hillock with my daughter. My wife follows us, still a bit unsure, a bit angry, a bit taken aback, but also a bit curious. She leaves the phone behind.

The screen lights up "Do you want to play?"