UNIVERSE.

It’s coming. The app where people go to talk to people all across the world. The app where you can make friends, find relationships, and build connections. The only app you will need from here on out. UNIVERSE, you need it. 24 hours and counting till universe hits the app store. Are you ready?

The anticipation is real. The whole school is talking about it. It is going around everywhere. “Maybe, I should download it,” thinks Demani as he makes his way through the crowded hallway. “This could be my chance to finally get out of my box and be social.”

4 hours later

Demani can’t help but shake his head as he looks around the dinner table. His parents and his younger sister all stare down at their phones anxiously awaiting the UNIVERSE drop. 10 minutes and counting till it drops. Demani can’t help but wonder if this is really a good idea. If everyone is this obsessed now, how much worse is it going to get? Demani pushes the thought to the back of his mind and opens up the app store. If his parents are downloading UNIVERSE how bad can it be?

Right on time the UNIVERSE app appears - a pink, purple, and yellow globe appears. With a deep breath and shaky hands, Demani hits download. He is now part of the UNIVERSE.

Once in the app, Demani can’t help but be impressed. He quickly builds his profile and starts to explore. The app has everything: games, clubs, and platforms to communicate across the globe. 50,000 members of the UNIVERSE blinks up at him as he goes to log off for the night. He can’t wait to wake up and explore more.

4 hours later

Demani could hardly sleep because the anticipation to get back on the UNIVERSE was killing him. Demani rubs his eyes to eyes to make sure he is seeing clearly. 500,000,0000 members of the UNIVERSE stares back at him. Demani can his feel confidence growing with each connection he makes. Before he knows it, it is dinner time once again. He has spent all day on UNIVERSE, and he can’t bring himself to regret it one bit.

Dinner is silent as everybody stares down at their phones, each living in their own UNIVERSE. Each one content to make conversation on the app instead of in-person. Demani eagerly goes back up to his room. He has a club meeting in an hour on UNIVERSE that he can’t wait for. After day one, UNIVERSE is at 700,000,000 members. It hasn’t just broken the records, it has shattered them.

The next few days seem to go by in a blur as everyone continues to live in their own UNIVERSE. Life is so much better there than living in reality. Demani can barely even remember why he was hesitant to download the app at all.

The UNIVERSE had grown to over one billion members in just one week. It seemed that anyone who was old enough to navigate was a part of it. One day 8, a 24 hour countdown appeared in the upper right hand corner of the APP. Anticipation and excitement flooded the UNIVERSE chatrooms as everyone speculated as to what it was. Is it a new update? A new feature? How was it possible that the UNIVERSE could get any better?

Demani found himself at the silent dinner table once as again as the countdown reached its final minute. Demani couldn’t tear his eyes away from his screen. 10 - 9 - 8 - 7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2- 1. The screen goes black. Demani looks around confused. In blood red writing, UNIVERSE OVER blinks across the screen.

UNIVERSE OVER. 

The house is blanketed in darkness as all the power shuts down. Demani’s family looks up at each other their faces slightly visible in the red glow emanating from the app. Demani stares in horror as a swirling vortex appears on his screen. He watches frozen in fear as his parents and sister are sucked into their phones. He frantically tries to push his phone away to avoid the same fate, but it is too late. 

He’s trapped in the UNIVERSE  now.