Hari awoke to birdsong, sunshine, and the smell of ripe mangoes.
Except there were no birds, just a malfunctioning system chime that played tropical flute music on loop. And the mango smell? Yeah, that was permanent now.
He stepped out of Hari's Humble Mango Hut, stretched dramatically like a Bollywood hero preparing for a solo number, and looked around.
To his left: sand.To his right: more sand.Straight ahead: three strangers with selfie sticks staring at him like he'd emerged from a spaceship made of pineapples.
"...Hi," he said.
The one in the middle, a guy in a neon visor and shirt that read Live, Laugh, Dune-Buggy, raised an eyebrow. "Bro. What… is that?"
Hari turned and looked proudly at his hut. "My house."
"It's… made of fruit?"
"No," Hari said seriously. "It is fruit."
Enter: The Influencers
The trio introduced themselves as lifestyle vloggers filming a series called "Desert Finds: Lost and Juicy."
Hari wasn't sure if that was a prank or a genuine brand.
"So like, you live here?" the woman asked, filming the mango hut from every angle. "In the desert? In a mango dome?"
Hari folded his arms. "Yes. The mango system chose me."
They stared.
"Right. So anyway," the third one said, "do you, like… sell mangoes?"
Hari's smile froze.
The tragic truth. The unripe sorrow. The central curse of this bizarre Dubai: there were still no mangoes.
"No," Hari admitted. "But I will. Someday. For now, I have only the dream."
The girl gasped, dramatically inspired. "That's… so aesthetic."
Before Hari could explain further, the system DINGED into his head.
[New Quest Unlocked!]Title: "Public Mango Relations"Objective: Convince three people that mangoes are not only real, but life-changing.Reward: Mango Sapling Starter Kit – Grows in 3 hours. Limited water required.Bonus Reward: "Mango Messiah" nickname unlocked.
"You've gotta be kidding," Hari muttered under his breath.
I never kid about mangoes, the system replied solemnly.
The Great Mango TED Talk
Hari straightened up, cleared his throat, and addressed his new, confused audience.
"My friends," he began, spreading his arms dramatically. "What if I told you there existed a fruit so powerful, so perfect, that entire childhoods were built around waiting for its season?"
The influencers leaned in.
"What if I told you it could be sweet and tangy, firm and soft, a meal and a memory?"
The woman whispered, "He's like, spiritual."
"And what if I told you…" Hari paused, gaze burning, "…this world has none of them?"
They gasped. One of them dropped his phone. A pigeon flew overhead, as if reacting to the tension.
"I have been sent—no, summoned—by powers beyond your influencer tier lists to return the mango to this world. And I shall not rest… until there are mangoes in Dubai."
Mission Complete
DING![Quest Complete!]You have inspired three mango-less souls.Reward Unlocked: Mango Sapling Starter KitNote: Plant with care. Water with hope.
Hari suddenly felt a warm weight in his hands. A small clay pot with a seedling—tiny, but glowing faintly like it had ambitions.
He stared at it, heart pounding.
The first mango tree in this dimension.
"Yo," said the guy with the visor, awe-struck. "You starting like, a mango religion or something?"
Hari looked him dead in the eyes and replied, "Yes. And you just witnessed the first miracle."