A New Phone with a Magical Ability

Mariah Jones flipped open the door to her cousin’s attic. She could keep anything she wanted up there. She crawled inside the square-shaped hole and found herself dazed at everything around her. Her cousin was a collector of sorts, for she had many boxes piled to the ceiling with books and old newspapers. Unable to move from astonishment, she looked around, turning her head from left to right. 

“Pshhhhhhhoooooo!!!” It sounded like a balloon letting go after being filled up with air. She turned around. In the corner was a box marked “Do Not Open”. The more she thought about it, the more she felt her hand creep on the lid and flip it open. Expecting it to be something frightening, she jumped back. 

She moved closer and realized it was just a phone. It was neither modern nor ancient. Mariah grabbed the phone quickly and started examining it. Where did it come from? When was it made? More and more questions bombarded her mind as she pressed the button to activate it. Surprisingly, it lit up and immediately directed her to the camera roll, almost as if it were enchanted with a presence. She scrolled through the camera roll, but nothing. 

Mariah considered taking the phone for herself, for her cousin said she could keep anything she found in the attic. Soon, she made her decision and hugged the phone. 

“Well, I guess this is mine now!” She declared to nobody in particular. She climbed down the ladder and waved the phone at her mom.

“Mom! I found this in the attic. Can I keep it?” she exclaimed.

“What? Oh sure honey, I guess your phone is a bit broken.” Her mom peered at the phone, which had a broken case and screen, across from the table. “Sure, if your cousin doesn’t want it, you can keep it. I’ll make it your early birthday present!” She winked as Mariah pulled her into a tight hug.

Mariah skipped away in utmost glee as she took a selfie of herself next to her house. However, when she went to the camera roll to check how it looked, she saw herself in the 1800s, wearing a cap and old, ragged clothes, posing next to a rusty train. What was happening? She took another selfie to make sure and found herself in the picture next to the Eiffel Tower, devouring a croissant. She inspected her body and pinched herself. It did not look like she was hallucinating. It must be a new filter that was specific to this phone, or she was dreaming. 

“Wake up, wake up, wake up!” She screamed to herself while slapping her face as hard as she could. “I guess I am awake. Maybe it’s glitching. After all, it probably hasn’t been opened for a while.”

She scavenged through apps and settings and still found nothing that could help her solve the mystery of the mysterious phone camera. How could this have happened?