Duo's Revenge

Introduction: Before the Terror

It was a cool, crisp autumn afternoon. I was seated on my bed, bored and unsure what to do with my time. I looked through my planner once again to make sure that I had completed everything. Study for Chemistry? Yes. Complete my geometry homework? Yes. Work on my English assignment? Yes. I sighed and closed my planner.

Then, my mother walked in. "Hello," she greeted me, smiling. "Is everything alright?"

I nodded. "Yes, I am fine. I'm just unsure of what to do now that I've done all my schoolwork."

She paused, thinking. Then, after a moment, she said, "Why don't you learn something new?"

I looked at her, confused. "Learn something new? Like what?" I asked.

"A language?" she replied. "You'd be spending your time wisely. Being bilingual gives you a great advantage when applying for jobs–or anything, really. It opens new doors for you. You could learn Portuguese and communicate with my side of the family."

I stopped, considering this. Then, a small smile appeared on my face. "You're right," I said. "That's a marvelous idea. I'll begin right now." I then realized something. "But learning a language costs money, and it can be quite expensive."

She laughed softly. "It doesn't have to be expensive, dear," she answered, "if you're wise and know which program to use. Just download Duolingo on your phone."

I hesitated. "But–How much is it?"

She giggled. "Don't be ridiculous, darling! Duolingo costs absolutely nothing!"

I gasped. "Nothing?! This cannot be!"

"Oh, but it is." My mother picked up my phone, tapped on the App Store icon, and downloaded the application for me. She was, in fact, correct. Duolingo did not cost anything at all. I was shocked.

"Now, all you need to do is set up your account, darling, then choose Portuguese, and begin your lessons. You'll have a splendid time! The lessons are in the form of fun little games, so you will certainly not be bored." She kissed me on the cheek, gave me my phone, and left, closing my bedroom door gently behind her.

I stared at my phone for a moment, still incredulous. This must be too good to be true. Maybe the lessons are terrible and vague. Maybe I won't learn a single thing.

I created my username and password, writing them down on a sheet of paper so I would not forget them, in the event that I was ever logged out. I then typed them in the appropriate boxes. Next, I typed my email address (which will not state here, for personal reasons), and clicked next. Choose a language! the screen said. There was such a wide variety that I was temporarily in utter shock. It was incredibly overwhelming. I eventually chose what my mother had suggested, Portuguese, which had a flag of Brazil–a nation whose primary language was indeed Portuguese–, then clicked next once again.

I was taken to a new screen, one that had many small circles with illustrations in them. All were grey except for one–the very first one, which contained a lovely, detailed illustration of a oval-shaped egg–presumably laid by a hen–with a small crack at the top of it. The background was a deep shade of red. Impressed by the illustration, I clicked it. Basics 1, it said. I was intrigued, and I began my lessons.

My mother had told me the absolute truth–the lessons were in the form of games. They were incredibly enjoyable. So enjoyable, in fact, that I spent hours upon hours on this application, each new lesson beckoning me further and further down the rabbit hole that was Duolingo.

Each day after school, I always had something to look forward to. I eagerly awaited my Portuguese lessons. I was so invested in Duolingo that I deleted all other games and social media applications from my phone. The first thing I would do when I arrived home was complete my Portuguese lessons. It is extremely difficult, maybe even impossible, to describe what I felt whenever I completed a skill, but if I had to, it would be sheer glee. My love and commitment to the application showed: I was beginning to be able to hold increasingly complex conversations with my Brazilian relatives, who I had never been able to communicate with before. Duolingo made each of us happy, and had an enormous impact on our lives.

Unfortunately, though, it wasn't long before I began to grow bored with the language-learning application. While I still completed a minimum of one lesson upon my arrival to my home, it was no longer something I looked forward to or became excited over. I despised doing my lessons–I would rather be doing anything else. The games were not fun anymore. They had lost their glamour. I only used the application so my mother would be pleased and proud of me. Even on days when I was exhausted due to schoolwork and extracurricular activities, I still used Duolingo. This only fueled my hatred for Duolingo.

It was a chilly winter evening when I had finally had enough. Earlier that day, I had taken an American History Test, completed Creative Photography and Chemistry homework assignments, attended a Paws for a Cause meeting, AND attended my sister's swimming competition. I arrived home, utterly exhausted and depleted of my energy. All I desired to do was eat my dinner, take a calming shower, and go to sleep. Suddenly, my phone went ding!, and I removed it from my pocket. It was a notification. Hi! It's Duo. It's time for your daily Portuguese lesson. Take 5 minutes now to complete it.

Filled with frustration and anger that Duo would even DARE to ask me to complete Portuguese lessons after the tiring day I had, I threw my phone on the floor. I panicked momentarily, fearing that it would shatter. Luckily, it was perfectly in tact, and my screen did not crack at all. I sighed.

"No, Duo," I said, shaking my head. "I do not have time for Portuguese lessons today. Or ever again."

I lifted my phone from the floor and gently set it on the side table in my bedroom, then exited the room, going into the kitchen to prepare my meal. Realizing that I was not obligated to go on Duolingo was incredibly freeing. It made me slightly happier.

Little did I know that I had made a terrible, terrible mistake.