The Device Hunt

P-H-O-N-E: A great invention for humankind. It changed the lives of millions. It is a solution as well as a problem for humanity. Everybody is on their phone all the time. Same was the case with the daughters of Peter, a hard- working man working in a good company.           Peter had two daughters, Daisy and Rose. The twins were always busy on their phones or tablets. Even at the dining table, instead of eating the healthy food prepared by their mom, they used to click pictures of the food and post them online. After posting the pictures they would refuse to eat the healthy food and would often order junk from restaurants. Instead of going outside to play with their friends, they would play online games with people they never knew!

Peter hardly ever noticed this as he was always busy with work from his office. This went on and on until summer. It was summer vacation for the twins. Peter had specially taken a month’s off to spend some time with his family.           On the first day, he told his daughters to pack their bags and come along with him to a waterpark. He had pre-booked 3 tickets for some Dad and Daughter time and had been waiting for this day for an exceptionally long time but Daisy and Rose, had no interest in the waterpark. 

When Peter was about to leave, he saw that his daughters had not packed their bags yet and were busy playing video games on their game console. Peter was upset because of the twins’ behaviour but, instead of forcing them to come along or scolding them, he politely said that he would take them to the waterpark another day. 

The entire day had passed. Daisy and Rose just played video games and watched TV throughout the day. Little did they know that they would be in great shock the next day. 

The following morning, when the twins woke up, they immediately started looking for their phones and tablets but, they were nowhere to be found!. They hardly cared because they knew that they could always watch YouTube videos or binge Netflix on their television.           

When they switched on the television, none of those things worked. The Wi-fi password had been changed by someone. They tried all the different password combinations: their last name, first name, middle name, favourite food, song- everything they could think of, but nothing seemed to work. 

Finally, when they had lost hope, they saw a piece of paper stuck to the fridge with a magnet. When they looked at it carefully, they saw that it was a treasure map. 

The words on the map said, “All the devices, I have with me. Follow the instructions and the devices I guarantee!”           “It’s a riddle!” said Daisy. 

She continued reading, “It’s in a place where mom waters her plants. The other side not near the ants.” 

“This means that the first clue is in the backyard. Near the water hose not near the anthill!” exclaimed Rose. 

“Yes! Let’s go check.” said Daisy. 

          They quickly ran to their backyard and saw another piece of paper stuck to the hose. 

“It’s at a place where dad loves to go. Among the trees and the badminton courts.” read Rose. 

“I guess the next clue is at the park because that's where the badminton courts are!” guessed Daisy. 

They quickly wore their shoes and ran to the park, which was right around the corner. 

          When they finally arrived at the park entrance, they saw that their dad’s badminton coach had been waiting for them. “Here you go! Here is the last clue for the device hunt.” said the coach, handing over the paper to Daisy. 

“Thanks coach! But how did you know about the device hunt?” asked Daisy, with a tone of confusion. 

“My lips are sealed.” he replied. 

          Daisy read the last clue: “Under the picnic tree, this is the last of me.”

“This means that the devices must be right under the picnic tree! It's definitely the last bit of the treasure map! Let’s go!” said Daisy. 

          They ran to the picnic spot, where their dad was waiting for them. “Wow! You solved the mystery. I knew you could do it.” 

“So, it was you who set up the device hunt, wasn’t it? Well, it was pretty obvious. There was no one at home, which is a clear sign of you setting up the mystery.” said Rose. 

“Yes, it was me. Good job that you noticed this sign, Rose. I set the mystery up because you both were always busy using tech. You never thought of spending time with me and Mum. I thought if I’d hide your devices, you’d come looking for them and in turn, spend some time with us.” hesitated Dad.           

“We loved the treasure hunt and being outdoors! It was much more fun than playing video games and watching television!” exclaimed the girls. 

“That’s what I’ve been trying to make you both understand all this while!” 

“We’ve realised our mistake. Now, we'll spend more time outdoors and with you and mom.” the twins said, apologising to their dad.           

“Speaking of mom, where is she?” asked Rose. As soon as she said that, the twins saw their mom coming along with a cute little puppy. “You solved the mystery! Here’s your reward.” said mom, handing the puppy over to the girls. 

          “OMG! A puppy! We’ve been wanting a puppy for so long. Thanks mom and dad.” said the girls. 

The family spent their entire day playing with the puppy, having the best day of their life. 

          Moral: Family is the most important thing in life. One should always make time for them, enjoy the gift of nature, and live their life to the fullest.