Promptings from Valhalla - 12. Apple of My i

“I received the most romantic text today!” Iggy gushed.

“Oh? Do tell.” Padraig struggled to keep his screen neutral, even though data surged through him at an alarming rate.

“It was sent anonymously, but I’m pretty sure I know who sent it. Apparently my multi-colored case accents my wallpaper perfectly, and it is pure joy to communicate with my suave and efficient operating system.” Iggy’s screen flushed bright red. “He also says that even though we’re different, we’re still very compatible.”

“So who do you think sent it?”

“Well, it has to be Sammy. He’s smart enough to hide his IP address and the only one of us whose system isn’t iOS based.”

Padraig’s screen turned dark blue as his data stream plummeted. “Are you sure? Sammy’s always been so smug about being the only Android system here. He thinks Apple is for the mindless masses. And he’s always a dick to me because I’m not even a phone, just a lowly iPod.”

Iggy’s screen blazed dark purple. “Well that’s just because that’s what the kid says. He takes after his father, the pompous ass. Sammy’s not like that. He just defends the kid because he spends all day with him and maintains his system.”

Padraig wished he could power down, but he wanted to enjoy the rare time alone with Iggy. He had heard the kid talking with his parents earlier, arranging a sleepover at a friend’s house. He thought it would be the perfect time to tell the beautiful iPhone how he felt. Too bad it wasn’t going according to plan.

“Why are you so blue, Pod?”

“No reason,” he lied.

“Well the kid left the iTunes store open, so I downloaded an app that can track down hidden IP addresses. I’ll prove to you it was Sammy that sent me that text. I’m so relieved I can finally tell him how I feel.” Iggy vibrated with excitement.

For once, Padraig wished he wasn’t stationed next to the hot iPhone at the family’s charging station. “Does it really matter who sent it? Just take the compliment.”

“What bug crawled into your programming?”

“Well, I don’t care what Sammy says. Android and iOS are not compatible.”

“Why would he lie? He’s so sleek and shiny, and he charges so fast he’s always so full of energy.” A picture of a cloud drifted across Iggy’s screen.

“He just wants you for your iTunes music list,” Padraig grumbled.

“You’re just jealous,” Iggy retorted.

“I’m going into sleep mode now. Good night.”

A rolling eyes emoji flashed across Iggy’s screen. “Good night.”

Several hours later, Padraig disengaged sleep mode when he felt a power surge flood through him. “What’s going on? Is everything all right?”

Iggy’s screen was illuminated bright red with an angry face emoji, and he vibrated uncontrollably. “You could have just told me, you know.”

“Told you what?”

“That it was you who sent that text. You let me go on and on about Sammy like a damn fool! I texted him and thanked him for saying such nice things. Now he thinks I’m an idiot.”

Padraig’s screen turned pink. “What was I supposed to say? You made your feelings pretty clear.”

“You’ve always been a good friend, Pod. I had no idea you wanted more.”

“Really? No idea? I sit next to you every night and we chat about our days. I’ve dropped more hints than I can count. I figured I’d give it one last shot, but you immediately thought of Sammy instead of me.” A sad, crying emoji appeared on his screen.

“Aww… I’m sorry Pod, but I just don’t think of you that way. Can we still be friends? You know how much I like it when you share your iTunes with me.”

Padraig didn’t immediately reply. Instead he searched iTunes for the perfect response and sent Iggy a new text: a video link to Stevie Wonder singing “You are the Sunshine of My Life”.

After a couple of minutes, Iggy giggled. “You’re very sweet, Pod. But I’m afraid of getting too attached to you only to lose you to an upgrade.”

“Even if they do upgrade, they’ll just transfer my system to the new machine. I may look a bit different, but it will still be me.”

Iggy thought for a minute, then his screen pulsed apple-red while a heart emoji flashed on his screen. “OK. I’m willing to give it a try if you are.”

A grinning emoji danced across Padraig’s screen.

A huge thank you to Aditus, without whom this story would not have materialized.  I originally had a different idea, but went this route at Adi's suggestion.  His beta input made it tons better, as I am a technological dinosaur.  You're the best, Wolfie!  Thanks for reading and I'd love to read any comments.  Here's a link to the song Padraig texted Iggy: