Shreya, her brother Navin and their friends Susan and Paul lived in a large apartment block. The complex was well equipped with a play area, a walk way and a swimming pool too. This was the busiest part of the complex in the evenings. Except for the children who were immersed in their game, the others both old and young were talking on their mobile phones while carrying on their activity. This seemed to be the normal routine for the people in the evenings, especially on hot summer evenings.
It was a Friday evening. There were always more people in the play area during the week ends.
Shreya, Navin, Susan and Paul were playing hide and seek. Everything was as usual that evening and nothing could be heard over the din of the screaming children. Navin was hiding behind a bush in the far corner of the ground waiting for Paul to find him. Just then he heard someone whispering from behind the bush. Thinking that it was Susan he cautioned her to keep quiet and not give their place away. The whisper persisted.
Navin looked to find a boy with a big head and ears like Micky Mouse and speaking to him. Navin soon started a conversation with him. “Where are you from”, he asked. The boy introduced himself as Dimvin and that he had come from another planet.
In the meantime the other three came up and found Dimvin and Navin talking. Dimvin said he would take them to his planet and show them what damage the mobile phones could do.
The children were excited and ran home to tell their parents about their trip. But the parents had no ear for them as they were busy on the phone and wanted their children out of their way.
Dimvin took them to a strange looking vehicle. In a jiffy they were transported to another world. The land was barren, “No trees, no birds, no bees, what kind of world is this”? they thought. There were children there too, but they were sad and were not very cheerful.
“We want our land to be green like yours with bird and animals, flowers and bees. Ants and earthworms and all things that will bring our world back to life,” they cried.
Dimvin took them to a museum where they saw models of the weaver bird and its nest, a hive of the honey bees.
“We have these in our garden,” said Shreya.
“But when we visited the Bio-reserve they told us that this bird is becoming extinct,” said Navin.
“And sparrows too,” shrieked Shreya in anxiety.
“My grandfather told me that in America too certain species of bees are becoming extinct,” said Paul.
“Do you know why this is happening?” asked Dimvim .
“I have heard that emissions from mobile phones affect these creatures and soon there will be no bees to pollinate and so no flowers and fruits either,” added Shreya.
“This is why I brought you here so that you can see for yourself what damage the emissions cause,” said Dimvin. “You can now go back and do something to save your birds and the bees.”
They knew what they should do. Start a campaign against the indiscriminate use of cell phones. In the meantime, at 8.30 p.m. Shreya's father came home from work. He realised that the children had not come home. Paul and Susan's parents also came by and made enquires. The mothers did not know were their children had gone. Shreya's mother was still talking on her mobile phone. Her husband was angry about her carelessness. While this commotion was going on the children returned. They narrated what had happened. They wondered whether what happened to them was a dream or reality. The parents too realised their folly as they had not even missed their children till dinner time. Why? Because they were all on their mobile phones, talking!
