Vicky sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the sniper rifle like it was a dragon egg that had just hatched. His heartbeat hadn't slowed since afternoon.
"How… how did this come out of my mobile phone?" he whispered, reaching out with trembling fingers.He ran his hand across the icy barrel, the long steel body cold enough to make his skin prickle.
It was real.Too real.
"Why did it come out with me? Was it because I grabbed it inside the game?"His mind spiraled, looping the same questions without answers.
While he was still lost in thought, his phone's evening alarm rang sharply at 7 PM.
The sound jolted him back to reality.
"Oh shit… I can't leave this lying around."
His brain immediately pictured the worst-case scenarios:
Accidental misfire? Entire building screaming? Police? Jail? Life ruined?
He swallowed hard.
"Nope. Not happening."
He scanned his room frantically, eyes bouncing between possible hiding spots. Under the bed? Too obvious. Behind the window curtains? Too risky. In the bathroom? His mom cleaned that place like a military inspection.
Finally, he found the perfect place—the top cupboard drawer, the one nobody touched except once a year during Diwali cleaning.
He opened it, shoved the rifle all the way to the back, then piled clothes on top like a panicked raccoon hiding stolen treasures.
"Okay… okay… safe. I think."He closed the cupboard gently, whispering a small prayer.
Still shaking, he grabbed his phone.
"Did it happen only because I was in-game…?" he muttered.
He tapped the screen.Nothing.
He launched PUBG again.Still nothing.
Then he remembered:"In lobby, everyone has an apple."
He equipped the apple.
"Alright… moment of truth."
He pressed his right thumb hard against the screen.
And—just like before—his thumb sank inside.
"What—"His entire hand followed.
This time, he touched something round, smooth, cold.
He wrapped his fingers around it and slowly pulled.
His hand slid out of the screen…
Holding a red apple.
Not a cartoon apple.Not pixels.A real apple.
"Hooooly…"
He lifted it to his nose.Smelled nothing.
He took a small bite.
Crunch.
Sweet.Not like an actual apple—more like sugarcane juice mixed with cotton candy. Fun to eat but not… real.
He laughed nervously.
"This is insane."
He quit the game right there.
And then—
"Vicky! Dinner ka time hogaya!" his mom called from the hall.
He shoved the phone into his pocket and rushed out.
"Mai aa gaya!"
A Family of Five
His household—the small, warm, loud, loving nest—consisted of:
Vicky Kumar (19): Just finished 12th boards today
Sneha Das (36): Mother. Housewife. Best cook in the galaxy
Vikram Choudhary (37): Father. Government bank clerk. Silent supporter
Reena Kumari (21): Sister, 2nd-year BTech at Jaipur University
Ankit Kumar (15): Brother, 8th grader at CBSE school
(In Rajasthani families, unmarried kids usually carry Kumar/Kumari until marriage.)
His dad had come home early—it was Saturday.
They all gathered in the hall.No dining table.Just the large family mat laid out on the floor.
They sat cross-legged while Vicky, Didi, and Mom brought out the vessels.Steam rose from dal, rotis, sabzi… simple food, but home tasted better than any five-star hotel.
Conversation flowed easily:
"Exams kaise gaye?""Sis ke semester ka kya plan hai?""Ankit ke marks theek aaye?"
Just little family moments.Warm.Normal.grounding.
After dinner, Vicky helped his sister move the vessels back into the kitchen, then retreated to his bedroom.
The house was a 3BHK—one room for him and Ankit,one for his sister,and one for their parents.
Small, old, slightly vintage-looking according to foreigners, but still their sanctuary.Home sweet home.
Inside the room, Vicky argued for five minutes with Ankit about who gets which pillow, then they settled down.
Ankit fell asleep quickly.
Vicky didn't.
Not even close.
He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, eyes wide open.
The thrill bubbling inside him refused to fade.Today wasn't normal.Not even remotely.
"A superpower… from a mobile game? Kya sach mein? This is like some sci-fi movie stuff…"
He grinned, unable to contain the excitement rising in his chest.
"Heroes always test their abilities first… ho ho… looks like Christmas came early."
If anyone saw him, talking to himself with shining eyes, they'd think he had full-blown 8th-grade chuunibyou syndrome.
But if something like this happened to someone?
They would understand.
They would know how it felt.
And Vicky…was only at the beginning.