The Pantomath

Chapter 3: Magic or Tech?

I woke up the next morning, feeling all dizzy and incoherent. I got out of the bed and dragged my feet into the bathroom to wash my face. With the first splash of water to my face, memories of last night came rushing back and I froze. Did I really meet that strange man last night? What was that small box? I wiped my face and came out to check that box. I picked up the jeans from the previous night and turned its pockets inside out, but no box. Then it hit me, it was all a dream. Yes, it must have been a dream, albeit a very weird one. That does explain a lot. Raj could never gather the guts to ask out that girl. I went out in the hall to tell him about the weird & unrealistic dream I had. I found him sitting at the table, munching away on his favourite cereal and humming to himself.

"Someone seems happy today", I said. He looked at me and smiled brightly. "Well, the weekend is finally here. And after what seems like ages, I have weekend plans", he replied smiling ear to ear.

"You seem awfully happy about a normal gaming night. Don't tell me you got some new fancy game to try out."

He looked at me funny for a second and said, "Since when do you get memory loss from eating pizza? Did you forget that I have a date?"

I have never been struck by lightning before but it really couldn't feel any different than what I felt at that moment. "What date?", I inquired.

"Stop messing with me bro. I finally have a date. And that too with a beautiful girl like Pari!", he said with a little too much enthusiasm for my comfort.

No. No. No. It can't be. So it was real? Like absolutely real?

"Oh yeah, I forgot. All the best for that bro", I mumbled before making a beeline for my room, leaving a very confused Raj in the hall. I went into my room, quickly closed the door and leaned on it to take a breath. If it was real, where was the damn box? Then I remembered, I had taken that box out and placed it on the table near my phone. There was so much clutter on the table that I had missed it earlier. Also because, as I saw it now and picked it up, the book symbol on it was no longer glowing. There was a ridge on it which meant it could open, but when I tried to, it didn't budge. Maybe it needs a key, I thought. Then I saw the notification light on my phone, which should be very normal. But the problem was that the light on my phone was always white and I saw a golden light blinking away. I hid the box in my cupboard and picked up my phone and unlocked it. There was only one notification. It was a message from an app which I had never seen before. The message was very simple and clear, but it did send chills down my spine. It was from an app called 'Pantomath' and the message said,

'Yes, it was real'.