Faceless

Holo arrived back home from Happy Burgers, his mind racing with thoughts about the lies he had spun and the potential consequences if they were discovered. He knew that if his fabrications were exposed, it could jeopardize his chances with the girl he had been trying to impress.

As he settled onto the cozy mattress of his bed, he found himself fixated on the ceiling fan lazily spinning above. The interaction with Cherry replayed in his mind, each question and answer haunting his thoughts. Just then, the familiar text notification chimed on his phone, pulling him back to reality. He picked up his phone and unlocked it to read the WhatsApp message: "All is Well @Holo," posted by DJ in their group.

The message did little to ease Holo's mounting anxiety. He knew he needed a distraction. He headed to his study desk, powered up his PC, and immediately opened his web browser. Searching for a remedy for his restless mind, he typed in "trekking places in Meru." The search results displayed numerous blogs, and he clicked on the first one. The blog was filled with information about trekking destinations, capturing Holo's attention given the day's experiences. Determined to immerse himself in the world of trekking, he diligently read through the entire blog. He then proceeded to the next blog, hungry for more knowledge.

An hour had passed, and the door downstairs creaked open, announcing his uncle's arrival. "Come downstairs. I've brought dinner," his uncle shouted.

Holo, engrossed in reading a blog, replied loudly, "I'll have my dinner later."

Having finished reading numerous blogs about different treks and trekking in general, Holo realized that the Nebula Falls trek had only a few dedicated blogs, and none considered it particularly difficult. Given his prior experience with the Nebula waterfall trek, much like the majority of Papoli residents, he didn't need to conduct additional research for that particular trek.

It was 9:30 PM, and Holo's enthusiasm for learning about trekking remained undiminished. As he delved deeper into the web, he stumbled upon a chat room named "Tough Terrain" dedicated to trekking on a chatting website called Faceless. This platform allowed anonymous chatting, making it perfect for practicing trekking-related conversations. Holo decided to give it a try, clicking on the link that redirected him to the "Tough Terrain" chat room. However, he was promptly halted by a notification that read, "Please Sign Up To Proceed," with a signup button below it.

Holo clicked on the signup button and was led to a QR code, accompanied by a message urging him to download the Faceless app for continued service. He scanned the QR code with his phone, which directed him to the Faceless app on Google Play Store. After installing the app, he signed up using his phone number. When prompted to choose a username, he thought for a moment and entered "Luffy." Instantly, his avatar transformed into the face of a smiling cartoon boy donning a straw hat. Holo then navigated to the "Tough Terrain" chat room section, which displayed a population of 18. He clicked on it and pressed the join button that popped up, ready to engage with fellow enthusiasts in trekking discussions.

There was hardly any conversation in the chat box, and the last text was from a person named Indiana Jones a few hours ago. Among the 18 people present in the chat room, only 3 were showing online, including Holo himself, Dora, and TrekLord. To kick start a conversation, Holo typed in the group chat.

Holo: Hi

After a minute with no reply, Holo placed his phone on the table and went back to watching trekking videos on YouTube. A few minutes later, the notification alert on his phone rang, prompting Holo to stop the video and check his phone. It was a text from Dora.

Dora: Hi

Thus, Holo's first conversation on Faceless began. The app was savvy enough to fix grammatical errors and jargon, presenting the conversation in proper English.

Holo: Is this room purely meant for trekking-related talks?

Dora: Yes

Holo: What if someone talks too much about something irrelevant?

Dora: The members of this group have the option to report that person, and the moderator can then block that person from entering this room.

Holo: Okay

After a brief pause, Holo texted again.

Holo: Which is your favorite trek?

Dora: I have been to a select few, and all of them are my favorite.

Dora: Mushroom Hill

Dora: Shunanta Glacier

Dora: Nebula Waterfall

Holo felt a surge of excitement seeing Nebula Waterfall mentioned by Dora. As he was about to respond, TrekLord entered the chat.

TrekLord: Nebula?

TrekLord: That's a mediocre trek.

TrekLord: Not challenging enough for me.

Holo couldn't help but think, "What a jerk?" Meanwhile, Dora responded.

Dora: It's not always about the difficulty of the trek. Sometimes it's the beauty the trek offers.

TrekLord sent a laughing emoji and added another text.

TrekLord: A real trekker doesn't go trekking for a picnic. Trekking is the arena for them to push their limits.

Dora: It can be your definition. But for me, trekking will always be the means to enjoy everything nature has to offer.

TrekLord: Seems like you're just a stupid amateur trekker

Holo had been observing the exchange between Dora and Treklord, growing more irritated by TrekLord's behavior. He decided to intervene.

Luffy: The way you're acting is like a 9-year-old wannabe trekker.

Dora responded with some laughing emojis, and seeing those, TrekLord posted a middle finger emoji and then replied.

TrekLord: You can only dream of the treks I have been to.

Luffy: Because those treks exist only in dreams

Holo finished his text with a laughing emoji and continued.

Luffy: Of 9-year-olds.

TrekLord: You know I can report you for bullying, right?

Luffy: And that will just prove my point of you being a 9-year-old.

Dora added a few more laughing emojis. In a matter of seconds, Treklord's status changed to offline. After he was gone, Dora sent another message.

Dora: You are savage.

She finished the text with a thug life emoji

She finished the text with a thug life emoji. Moments later, a pop-up appeared on Holo's screen, featuring a cartoon image of "Dora The Explorer," accompanied by the message, "Dora has sent you a friend request." Holo clicked the accept button without a second thought.

Just a few seconds after accepting the friend request, a private chat box opened, and Dora messaged.

Dora: Now you can text me if you want to discuss anything related to trekking.

Luffy: Only trekking?

Dora: That depends.

Holo had a doubt about Dora, considering the direction of their conversation. To clarify, he asked a question.

Luffy: Are you a girl?

Dora: What makes you think so?

Luffy: Just a hunch.

For more than a minute, there was no reply. Then Dora responded.

Dora: You are correct.

She finished the sentence with a confetti emoji.

Dora: And I presume you're a guy?

Holo was enjoying the conversation. Unknowingly, the happiness in his heart had manifested itself in the form of a smile.

Luffy: Correct.

He also ended his sentence with a confetti emoji.

Dora sent some laughing emojis.

Luffy: So, from what age have you been going trekking?

Dora: Since I was 8 years old.

Luffy: And how many years have you been trekking?

Dora didn't reply immediately, and the chatbox showed, "Dora is typing." After a few seconds, she responded.

Dora: I see what you're trying to do there.

She sent a smug face emoji.

Dora: I'm not going to answer that.

Holo: Fair enough.

Dora: What about you? How many years have you been going trekking?

Holo pondered for a moment. If he gave a big number, he might face challenging questions, but a very small number would make him look inexperienced. After considering, he replied.

Luffy: 3 years.

Dora: And where have you been in those 3 years?

Luffy: Mostly to the treks in Meru. But recently I went to the Nebula waterfall for a change.

Dora: So, did you like it?

From the earlier chats, Holo now knew that Dora liked Nebula waterfall. So Holo framed his answer accordingly, even though there was some truth in it.

Luffy: Loved it

Luffy:  The trek was spectacular. But, the waterfall and the ruin of the temple covered in the wilderness were just breathtaking

Luffy: I even made a wish at the wishing well.

Dora: Did it come true?"

Luffy: Kind of.

Luffy: What about you? Did you make any wish when you went there?

Dora: I don't believe in such things

After a brief pause, Dora sent another text.

Dora: Sorry, I need to go.

Luffy: That's fine. Good Night.

The next moment, Dora's status changed to offline. Holo closed the app and hopped onto the bed, a contented smile on his face. He mused to himself, "It was easier than I thought. I guess now I can have some casual trekking conversations." Placing his phone beside him, he drifted into sleep, dreaming about impressing Aria.

While he was asleep, a notification appeared on his phone—a message from Dora on Faceless.

Dora: Good Night.

Meanwhile, Dora logged out of the app after replying to Holo. As soon as she logged out, she received a message on WhatsApp. It was from Cherry, who wrote, "There aren't any classes tomorrow. I'm coming to your home. Let's watch some movies all day, and then we can leave for work together."