Once Upon a Phone

A black object shone under the street lights. Milco took a closer look and found a phone lying on the ground and grabbed it.  It was one of those new ones, capable of connecting to the internet, taking pictures, and all sorts of things he barely understood. Who needs these fancy things anyway?

He decided to put the phone back on the ground but the cell vibrated on his hand and played a song he’d never heard off, “Let’s danz on the floor where you ain’t richer than me…” That followed by a storm of cursing. A name blinked on the screen, announcing the caller, “Retha.” That’s a nice girl’s name, he thought, but it could be a guy’s name too.

Without thinking, he answered, “Huh… Hi.”

“Who’s this? Where’s Lara?” said a female voice.

He moved his free hand to hang up but stopped midway. What did he have to lose? “Err… I found her phone lying on the ground, ringing.” Silence. “Hello?” Milco added.

“Who are you?” the voice inquired.

“I’m just a dude who found your friend’s phone. Name’s Milco.” He scratched his head.

“I’ve called her like a million times,” the girl said, “and I thought she was mad or something, but I guess she lost her phone, and that’s uncool. I mean, her whole life is inside.”

Milco sighed. Teenagers, he thought. “Whole life?”

“Yeah, it’s an FB phone. It pushes all the updates. Isn’t that the coolest?”

Milco arched an eyebrow. “FB?”

“As if… you’re joking, right? Facebook. How old are you?”

Once again, Milco thought about ending the call, but he was curious. “Twenty five.”

“What! And you don’t know what FB is? What planet are you from?”

“I’m just not a whole lot into technology.”

“Are you cute?” she asked.

She doesn’t even know me. “Well, I think I’m average.”

“Aha,” she said. “I’d like to meet you.”

“But—“

“To pick-up the phone,” she interrupted, “of course.”

“Oh, yes… I guess—“

“Where are you?” she asked.

Milco checked his surroundings, the street was empty. Where Am I? he thought but couldn’t remember.

“I’m not sure.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hold on,” he said and once again checked the street—no people. Odd. The phone displayed 10 p.m. What was I doing before answering the call? He made an effort: the street was crowded when somebody approached them. Them! He was with another person.

“I’m waiting,” the girl on the phone interrupted his train of thought.

“It’s just; I’m a little dizzy.”

“Are you drunk? You don’t sound drunk.”

“No, I’m not; I’m just—please hold.”

Who was this other person? Guy or girl? Definitively a girl. They’ve just met. An unnamed woman’s face appeared in his mind. She held a keychain on one hand and her phone on the other—just like the one he held right now. He played with the cell, looking for something, until he found a picture of the girl, her name showing below her photo, “Lara Camarillo.”

“You there?” the phone girl asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “I think I know your friend. We were together.”

“Where’s she?”

He checked around but once again, found an empty street. Without notice, his head spun, and he felt as if he were floating. The street showed in the distance and to his horror, he saw himself lying on the ground, Lara by his side, a small carmine river running around them.

“Hello?” the girl on the phone asked. “Hello?” her voice sounded distant. “Hello? This is so uncool,” she added before hanging up.