THE THREAT

I dug up a time capsule I buried years ago. Instead of the memorabilia, I found a modern phone. It rang...

The caller ID read +963 14 226877

Looking at the ID, I immediately knew the call wasn't coming from an Indian phone. Using my smart phone, I did a quick Google search only to understand that +963 was the ISD code or the war-ridden Syria from where ISIS terrorists hail. This made me panic. I didn't know if I was over thinking, but I couldn't also completely strike off the possibility of the phone being a bomb. I was no expert in handling a crisis, so I immediately called the police from my own phone. The police man I talked to sounded quite alarmed. He asked me to repeat the phone number, and I did. With that information, he said the police would instantly come to the site for further investigation. His last words before cutting the call were, 'Don't Panic'.

While I waited for the police to come, I wondered how my life changed in a moment. One second I was looking for a teddy bear I had buried as a kid, and the next second I was fearing for the life of many, including my own.

The phone rang again, however, this time, only for a few seconds. As soon as it stopped ringing, it beeped. I lifted the phone to see the message

All set. Need your approval.

My hands started to shiver so badly that I dropped the phone down. With that impact, the phone broke into two pieces. For a moment I thought the phone would explode. Thankfully it did not. However, I understood that a valuable evidence was now lost. Tracking what the phone was meant for would be next to impossible now.

In a few minutes, two young police officers arrived with hounds sniffing beside them. As soon as they noticed my disturbed expression, they came by to console me, saying there was nothing to fear, now that they were here. One of them noticed the broken phone on the phone and looked at me with disappointment.

I said, 'Sorry, sir. I know this was very important for you, but I didn't do it on purpose. I shivered...and...the...phone...' I got hysterical. I didn't know how to react. Never ever had I been in such a situation and being just a teenager, I couldn't really handle myself well.
'Its okay' The other one spoke. 'You did a good job by informing us ma'am. We have been looking for possible bombs all over the city. The security has been beefed up since the blast in the city last week. We should thank you. You could have saved several lives today'
'This phone,' the first one continued as he examined the broken phone. He had earlier removed the SIM and inserted it in his phone. 'I guess must have been dug up here only a few hours ago, as it can be clearly seen that the phone was in range until 2:00 pm. It was only after you dug it up, at about 4:00 pm did it come back in range. For two hours, it was not reachable. I wonder why someone would have dug this, if they were expecting callers.'

'The message....' I interrupted.
'I got a message... Saying "All Set. Need Approval" That's it. Nothing else' I must have spoken so fast that they barely understood. They did not bother to hear it again though.
'Oh!' They spoke together.
The first police officer grinned at the other. Both of them started laughing, and I could not understand why. What was so funny about the situation. Here, I wanted to cry out loud and run, and they were laughing.

Just then, dogs started to bark in coherence somewhere. One of the police officers made a call and said nothing but 'Yes' and I saw it all coming. The flames, the fire and finally...it felt like I was gone.

I woke up in a place that seemed very peaceful yet depressing. Room was painted white, and chart displaying human body was the posted on the wall. I was lying on a bed and I saw a barely recognizable figure standing by the door.

I opened my eyes wider to realize that it was none another than my brother. He was grinning at me, almost laughing in fact.
'You're so stupid and weak, you fall for a prank like this! You literally imagined fire and fainted, you know?'
He showed me the website from which one can call from a number of any country.
My techie brother was always up to some or the other mischief. This time, I had become his target.
'But... The police???' I asked
'Ohh, that. Nothing... They were my friends in uniform. You never called police in fact. As you dialed the police, we intercepted the call and diverted it onto my phone. Stupid girl that you are, you are very easy to fool.'
As I started to shout at him with rage, not bothering for a moment that I was at a hospital, he ran outside making faces at me and saying 'This is not even a hospital. It's your room, with all your furniture and posters removed'

*This story is an entry to Indispire edition 102 titled
'You dig up a time capsule buried years ago. Instead of memorabilia, you find a modern phone. It rings... Continue the story. #TimeCapsule*