Upload Complete

By Parvati Uppala

On a cold night in Bandra town

Rahul ran into store as rain poured down

A charger was all he needed to buy

On counter, a black phone caught his eye

He skimmed screen, its sharp display

Enchanted, he bought it without delay

But shadows emerged from the gallery

Of blurry street, wide-eyed face, dark alley

The chipped blue dresser, carpet frayed

Proved, there, the phone already stayed

At 2 AM, shutter clicked inside the drawer

Photo caught him sleeping, mouth ajar

Rahul rushed back to the electronic store

Tech man revealed, faces were missing, for sure

Returning, he spotted a ghost face across street

The same man from his phone’s gallery sheet

That evening, with a hammer’s crashing roar

The phone lay shattered, fragments on floor

The next morning came a package small

Inside lay the same black phone, after all

The gallery waiting, same photos came

But Rahul was caught in every frame

The final shot froze him, scream in defeat

Underneath, caption read, “Upload complete”

By Parvati Uppala