short stories

 Grandma in the Digital World

Grandma Sri is a 75-year-old woman who has lived all her life in a small village. She never felt the need to use modern technology. However, after her children migrated to the big city and her grandchildren were more often on their cell phones than playing outside, Grandma Sri felt a little left out.

One day, her favorite granddaughter, Rani, came to visit. Rani, a tech-savvy teenager, saw her grandmother sitting on the terrace weaving. She approached and spoke excitedly, “Nek, why don't you try using a cell phone? Everyone uses them now, you can make calls, send messages, and even see your grandchildren through videos.”

Grandma Sri chuckled. “Well, Rani, I'm old. I don't know how to use it.”

But Rani didn't give up. She took out her spare phone and started teaching her grandmother how to use messaging apps, watch videos, and even take photos. Sri's grandmother, although awkward at first, eventually became interested. She was amazed when she saw the faces of her children and grandchildren on the small screen.

“Wow, I can see you from here, right?” she said with a smile. She got used to pressing the buttons on the screen.

After a few hours of learning, Rani felt confident enough that her grandmother could use the cell phone well. “Nek, now Rani has to go home, but Grandma can call Rani anytime!”

Grandma Sri nodded and waved as Rani left. After that, she sat back in her rocking chair, trying to get to know her new cell phone better. She started pressing buttons and opening various applications.

However, not long after, something strange happened. She accidentally sent blank messages to all her contacts on the phone. When she realized her mistake, she tried to fix it, but instead sent funny stickers to a family group she never knew existed.

“Oh my God, what did I do?” she said in panic.

After that, she found the video call button and, by accident, contacted all the family members at the same time. One by one, the faces of her children and grandchildren appeared on the screen. They all looked confused.

“Grandma, why the sudden video call?” asked one of her grandchildren.

Grandma Sri, who was already starting to panic, could only smile awkwardly. “Grandma... I just want to see you all,” she replied stammeringly.

The atmosphere on the screen turned to laughter. Everyone in the family started laughing at her enthusiasm for technology. “Grandma, don't worry! We're all happy to chat with Grandma like this!” said one of her children.

Since that incident, Grandma Sri has been more willing to try new things on her cell phone. Every day, she sends funny messages, makes video calls, and even learns how to use social media to see pictures of her grandchildren. Of course, she still made the occasional mistake, like posting a photo of her kale stir-fry to her grandchildren's social media accounts or sending a voicemail with the sound of a rooster crowing in the morning.

However, instead of getting angry, Grandma Sri's family is happy and interacts with her more and more. They began to realize that technology could bring them closer together, despite the distance. And Grandma Sri, who used to be afraid of technology, now felt closer to her family.

Grandma Sri has finally become part of the digital world, and despite the many funny mistakes, everyone knows that whenever their cell phone rings and a strange message appears, it must be Grandma Sri learning something new.