2 Texting and Taxis

Tyler stares at the glowing face of his smartphone, the only source of light in the room, until his eyes begin to strain. Part of him wants to answer immediately, another is unsure. Six years have passed since the last time he had done anything like this.

"I'll just look at her profile..." he whispers into the blackness of his dorm room. Talking to this girl seems too terrifying, especially if she believes that they are destined lovers. A systematic approach is better than rushing into a pointless conversation, Tyler decides.

With a few taps, he is scrolling through her profile. Daniella is her full name. There is even a picture that Tyler clicks on to enlarge, looking at the beautiful woman he is paired with, hair long and red like a gentle flame, eyes a soft yellow like stars, smiling like she had not a worry in the word. She is breathtaking.

Excited, Tyler closes the picture to read more about her. Unfortunately, things begin to make less sense the more he reads:

Name- Daniella Lockhart

Nickname- Dani

Age- 18

Hair Color- Red

Eye Color- Yellow

Title- Princess

Location- Qaplurg

Hobbies- Inventing/Tinkering, Pranking, Public Speaking, Dancing, Traveling

Magical Affinity- Charms and Space Manipulation

"Magical Affinity?" Tyler asks aloud.

Then, another message pops up on Tyler's phone. Glancing up at the banner, he can read the message. It says, "Your eyes look lonely, can I do anything to cheer you up?"

Terrified, Tyler's finger flies to the button that brings him to his own profile. An image of himself casts a gloomy gaze at the camera, like a toddler that doesn't want to be in the family photograph. Tyler never took a photo like this, which concerns him, but he is relieved that his match isn't able to see him.

Cold sweat drips down Tyler's neck when he notices that the picture features him in the clothes he fell asleep in. "When was that picture taken?" He wonders, looking around the room. His profile is also somewhat concerning to him since he didn't fill out most of it:

Name- Tyler Thompkins

Nickname- Ty

Age- 20

Hair Color- Black

Eye Color- Brown

Title- Student

Location- Boston

Hobbies- Studying, Chemistry, Sulking

Magical Affinity- Support, Construction

"Now I have magic? This app is unreal..." Tyler sighs. He clicks over to the chat function; his eyes examine the three messages from this mystery match.

"Hey," he types, only to delete it. "What's up?" he tries, but that seems too casual. Finally, he sends a message that reads, "Yeah, I'm here, and I'm alright. Nice to meet you, Daniella."

"You too, Ty! Gosh, you are so formal! Call me Dani, my full name gets old," comes a quick response.

"Okay, Dani," Tyler responds, annoyed by her informality. No one calls him Ty except Carla, and she hasn't even talked to him in the last year.

"Cool! So, where is Boston anyway? Sounds exotic!" Dani types quickly. Tyler frowns at his phone, unsure of if she is trying to be funny.

"It's in Massachusetts, you know, one of the most famous cities in America... what is Qaplurg? And why do you list magic on your profile? Is this app based on an MMORPG? My city is a real one," Tyler types, growing aggravated.

"America? I think we might be in different realms. Qaplurg isn't a city, it's a country. I live in the royal capitol, to be specific. My home is just as real as yours," Dani's response is sarcastic, but a smiling emoji follows to take out the anger Tyler originally read it with.

"Different realms? What is this, a bad anime? I'm sorry, I think I made a mistake..." Tyler hits send and slaps his phone down on his nightstand. Rubbing his eyes, he looks around wondering what he has to eat.

No sooner than when he stands up to open a pack of pop tarts, his phone buzzes again. With a heavy sigh, he opens the message from Dani, "Calm down! Gosh, is everyone in Boston as pessimistic as you? It's no wonder my sniffer couldn't find you though. I assumed you would be somewhere in this realm..."

"No, I'm the only one here that likes to date people from a real place," Tyler shoots back without thinking. "What the hell is a sniffer anyway?"

"Okay, I'm guessing it will be easier to just show you. Of the seven realms, you must be from one of the two that hasn't discovered inter-dimensional travel," Dani's message reads. "If you don't know what a sniffer is there is either a translation error in the app, or you are from THAT realm."

"Translation error? Just how far away do you live from Boston?" Tyler asks, his curiosity starting to get the better of him.

"Oh boy, just get in the ship when it lands. It should touch down near you soon," is Dani's only response.

"Ship?" Tyler asks out loud. He is about to text back, when a horn shatters the silence of the morning.

Looking out the window, Tyler sees a yellow taxi cab parked in front of his dorm. After ten seconds of staring at it, the horn blasts again. Tyler grabs his coat and runs out of the door.

"Are you crazy," he yells to the cab driver as soon as he rushes into the frigid autumn air. "It's 5:00 A.M.! You are going to wake up everyone!"

The tinted driver-side window creeps downward until a large man whose face is hidden beneath a bushy grey beard can lock eyes with him. Steely and grey, his eyes size Tyler up like as if he is a wild animal. A series of grunts and growls that don't sound human escape the creatures throat, causing Tyler to back up slowly. The taxi driver sighs and types something into the center console of the taxi.

Suddenly, a loud noise like a fire alarm causes Tyler to jump, but it only his phone. He must have accidentally turned the volume on as he rushed down the stairs. Risking a glance at the screen, he sees a message from Dani that reads, "Open the app."

Tyler only does so to respond, "Please tell me this... thing is friendly."

"Can you understand me now?" the man in the drivers seat asks. A beeping turns his attention to the center console. "A thing? By the goddess, what does Dani see in you?"

"Umm... wait you can talk now?" Tyler asks, half-expecting a grunt for a response.

"Yes, this thing can understand your gibberish as long as the app is open to translate. Please, call me Moko," Moko says with a heavy sigh as the center console beeps several times.

"Oh, okay... umm... sorry Moko," Tyler stutters.

Tyler's cell phone rings again, "Are you in the ship yet? Moko isn't answering me... have you opened a wormhole yet?"

"Uhh..." Tyler tries to find the words to explain what Dani is asking.

"I'll respond to the princess, just get in the ship," Moko orders, typing at the console.

"Ship?" Tyler repeats as he looks over the standard taxi cab again. Moko doesn't even look up. "There is no way in hell-"

A pink flash erupts from Tyler's phone. A message from Dani pops up that reads, "Get in now, sweetie."

Tyler is confused for a second. Then he proclaims, "What the hell, why not. This is either the most elaborate murder plot ever, or a delusional anime fan is going to force me to have a tea party with her... In both cases, Peter will shut up about these apps."

Tyler cautiously climbs into the back of the taxi; there is nothing unusual about the interior either. Dani's demand consumes Tyler's mind as he fastens a seatbelt with trembling hands. As the door locks he realizes that he made a huge mistake.

Before anything can happen, he shoots a text to Peter that says, "Hey man, I tried your app. My 'soulmate' sent a taxi to take me to her kingdom. If I'm not in class Monday call the police or something."

Thinking for a moment, he opens the destiny dating app and looks over Dani's picture again. Clicking to the chat feature he types, "Okay, I got in the 'ship,' now is your chance to show me your fantasy kingdom."

"Yay!" Is Dani's response as the engine starts. "I knew you would... See you soon!"

"Hold on, kid," Moko grunts, typing furiously into the center console.

Tyler is about to suggest that he watch the road, when the hood of the car opens and an old-fashion cannon raises out of the engine compartment. Firing straight up, a black ball tears a hole in the sky. "What the hell are you doing?" Tyler shouts.

"Deactivate camouflage," Moko says into the center console. Each component of the taxi melts away to reveal a sleek rocket with an all-glass cockpit, not unlike the car from The Jetsons. "Liftoff."

At Moko's command, the rocket shoots upwards into the hole. Screams escape Tyler's mouth as he lurches forward and is caught by the harness belt. Crossing through the hole causes every familiar sight to vanish before Tyler's eyes.