I was in a dusty, messy little room. I even could not stand up under the low ceiling. The smell of rotten chips and candies kept running into my charging hole. Ill! I was a new iPhone 13! Where were my natural rights…By the way, referring to my saved information, I was in the drawer of a desk owned by my owner, a 15-year-old boy named Charles. Now, Charles was dining with his parents, and my only hope was to escape from this smelly and messy drawer. I tried my best to ring my bell, but it was useless. So far, no evidence showed I would be taken out soon. “With the help of my new phone, my marks on quizzes and examinations are improving…I didn’t miss homework anymore…I do homework, revise and read all the time…” These were the only sounds I could hear from Charles.
It was the next day when the tired and hungry me was freed. I even could not check the time due to my low power. I was in huge relief when I was charged. I was so hungry that I could eat ten pizzas filled with electricity…But I knew that I would not be able to sleep. My prediction was correct! Charles tapped the logo of video games and started to play. Wait, there must be something wrong, something violating my knowledge. I felt so comfortable about it! I threw away this strange idea and concentrated on helping Charles receive the best playing experience.
A few hours later, things went wrong. Charles’ mom opened the door of our house. She saw Charles holding the phone with his surprised face, trying to hide it. Mom queried, “Son, I have come back! Wait, what are you doing with your phone?” “I am reading the learning materials posted by teachers,” Murmured Charles. Just then, Charles’s brother popped out of his room yelling, “He is a liar! I have watched him for many days! He always plays video games!”
Meanwhile, I remembered Charles emphasizing his hard work and obedience yesterday. Charles was lying! At this moment, Mom grabbed me rudely. It took her little time to find that Charles had played video games for many hours over these two weeks…
“Bang!” The door of Charles’s room was slammed hard. Charles’s mom, dad, and brother kept having their dinner silently. Mom’s eyeballs were enlarged, and her breath was low and heavy. Mom’s yell broke the silence, “He had played for 4 hours per day, and we didn’t notice it! He missed homework! All are lies!” At this moment, Charles’s brother suddenly asked anxiously, “Mom… Maybe you can lend me the phone… Charles did very wrong, and I can keep the phone for you!” I noticed his eyes sparkling while speaking, but I didn’t understand its meaning. Mom sobbed uncontrollably, “No way! You want to play on the phone, too, right? Why did all of you change after I bought the phone?” Mom grabbed me from the table I was staying on and threw me into that drawer again. I felt I was segregated from the outside world and light, just as last time. But this time, I kept questioning what the meaning for me to exist was. Make life happier or the other way round? I suddenly felt that I was trapping people inside of me, and they couldn’t escape…