It was a bright Saturday morning when Pockets burst through Mukur’s front door, his wild hair sticking up like he’d just run through a windstorm.
“Mukur! You’re not going to believe what I found!” Pockets exclaimed, holding up a small, mysterious-looking gadget. It blinked with a strange, swirling light.
Mukur, sitting at her desk with a half-built robot in front of her, looked up and raised an eyebrow. “What is that, Pockets?”
“I don’t know,” Pockets said, his eyes gleaming. “I found it at the bottom of my cereal box this morning! I think… I think it’s from the Internet!”
Mukur chuckled. “Pockets, the internet doesn’t just send out gadgets in cereal boxes.”
But Pockets was already fiddling with the device. As soon as he pressed the biggest button, the world around them began to shimmer. Mukur jumped to her feet, just as the room twisted and swirled, transforming into a whirlwind of flashing lights and beeping sounds.
Suddenly, the two friends were standing in a vast, colorful landscape. But it wasn’t like anything they’d ever seen before. Giant floating messages drifted by like clouds, some with pictures, others with strange symbols.
“Whoa,” Mukur whispered. “We’re in the internet!”
“Exactly!” Pockets grinned, excited by the discovery. “I told you this thing was special!”
Mukur pulled out her smartphone, quickly checking for anything that could help. “This is incredible, but Pockets, we have to be careful. The internet is full of amazing stuff, but there are also things that aren’t so friendly.”
Before Pockets could reply, a booming voice interrupted them. “WELCOME, USERS!”
A giant figure appeared before them—an enormous emoji with a smile so wide it stretched across the horizon. “I am Emojio, the Guardian of the Web! You must be new here.”
Pockets waved excitedly. “Hi, Emojio! This place is awesome! Can you show us around?”
Emojio’s grin grew even bigger. “Of course! I can take you anywhere. Want to see the Game Islands? Or how about Video Mountain? Everything is fun here, and all it takes is one click!”
Mukur stepped forward, narrowing her eyes. “Wait a minute. We can’t just go anywhere without thinking. What’s the catch?”
Emojio’s smile faltered for a split second. “Catch? No catch! Everything’s FREE! You just have to click… and agree.”
Mukur crossed her arms. “What exactly are we agreeing to?”
The giant emoji hesitated. “Nothing major… just access to some of your personal stuff. You know, like photos, messages, passwords—small things!”
Pockets’ eyes went wide. “Wait, what?! That’s not small! Those are our things!”
Mukur grabbed Pockets’ arm. “Come on, we need to get out of here.” She pulled him down a narrow path made of glowing code, leaving Emojio behind, whose smile had turned into a disappointed frown.
As they ran, Pockets gasped, “That was close! But where are we going?”
“We need to find a safe place to figure out how to get home,” Mukur said, glancing around. “Look, over there!”
They raced toward a towering structure shaped like a giant shield, shining with silver light. A sign above the door read, The Tower of Protection.
Inside, they met a wise old owl sitting on a perch made of keyboards. His feathers glowed softly, and he greeted them with a gentle nod. “I am Sir Bytewise, the Keeper of Digital Wisdom. What brings you here, young explorers?”
Mukur explained everything. The strange gadget, Emojio, and how they were stuck in the internet.
Bytewise nodded thoughtfully. “The internet is a vast and wonderful place, but not everything you encounter here is safe. Some places will try to trick you, just like Emojio did. You must protect your information, just like you’d guard your treasure in the real world.”
Pockets scratched his head. “But how do we do that?”
The wise owl spread his wings and flew toward a glowing bookshelf. He picked up a sparkling book with the title The Guide to Safe Surfing and handed it to Mukur. “This will help you navigate the web responsibly.”
As Mukur opened the book, it glowed with bright letters that floated in the air. The first page read:
Always think before you click. Protect your personal info. Not everything is as it seems.
Pockets’ eyes widened. “This is super important! I didn’t realize the internet could be tricky.”
Mukur nodded. “Yeah, we need to be smart about where we go and what we share.”
Sir Bytewise smiled warmly. “Exactly. The internet is full of fun, learning, and connection, but you must always use it wisely. Now, how about I send you two back home?”
“Yes, please!” Pockets said, clutching Mukur’s arm tightly.
With a flap of his glowing wings, Sir Bytewise tapped the small gadget Pockets had found. The world shimmered once more, and they suddenly found themselves back in Mukur’s room, the mysterious gadget now silent in Pockets’ hand.
Mukur grinned. “I guess it was kind of from the internet after all.”
Pockets looked at the gadget and then at Mukur, his face serious for once. “I’m glad we found that Tower and learned about being safe online. Imagine if we’d clicked on the wrong thing!”
Mukur nodded. “Yeah. The internet is amazing, but we’ve got to use it responsibly.”
Pockets’ grin returned. “Next time we explore, let’s make sure we’re prepared. Maybe even make our own safe surfing guide!”
Mukur laughed. “Deal.”
And from that day on, Pockets and Mukur became the best web explorers—wise, careful, and always looking out for each other.