Riding a speedboat in the middle of the sea isn’t so bad after all. At first, I was a bit scared, but now I’m actually enjoying it. The only thing worrying me is the thought of the boat breaking down in the middle of the sea. Maybe I can go a little further. What’s another 100 taka in boat fare, anyway?

But wait… what’s that floating in the water? Hundreds of white boxes!

Are these really what I think they are? Or is there something else inside those boxes?

There is only one way to find out. I pick one up from the water and open it.

Oh my God! It’s actually an iPhone!

I can hardly believe my eyes, but there it is, right in front of me. At this very moment, I feel like the princess of an entire kingdom of iPhones. I’ve heard of floating markets around the world, but a floating iPhone market, that too, all-inclusive and cost-free?

But why are there so many iPhones floating in the sea? Who has thrown them away? And who do they belong to? A thousand questions are running through my mind.

Anyway, why overthink it? I can take at least one for myself. There are almost a hundred of them floating around; taking just one won’t make much of a difference. Besides, if anyone is around, I’d ask for permission first.

Before going back, I should take a picture with my old phone to preserve the memory of this incredible kingdom of iPhones.

But the moment I start the speedboat to return, something strange happens. A sweet, little bird-like sound starts coming from the boat. Not just once, but continuously. The speedboat, or should I say, the bird, just won’t stop chirping.

I’m getting terribly annoyed when suddenly, my eyes fly open.

I’m no longer in the middle of the sea. Instead, I’m lying in my bed in Room Number 5026 of my university hall.

It doesn’t take me long to figure out what has happened. But how can a dream ever feel so real?

Anyway, I shake off the last traces of sleep, pick up the phone beside me and open social media. The very first post I see sends a chill down my spine.

“Last night, a Singaporean ship sank in the Strait of Hormuz, carrying thousands of iPhones that are now floating in the sea!” “Fishermen and locals are catching iPhones with their nets, just like they catch fish!”

And the strangest part? The picture circulating on social media looks exactly like the kingdom of iPhones I saw just a few moments earlier!

I rush to my phone’s gallery to check the picture I took, but it’s nowhere to be found.

Wait a minute. Where was I all this time?

Wherever I was, I really should have taken more than one iPhone. After all, it was only a dream! And a Bangali’s dream, at that.