The Google home screen stared back blankly as Dan tried to work up the courage to type in the fateful words. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and let his hands find their way. He knew it was right just by how many times he'd typed the same thing. AmazingPhil. Under the keywords three words popped up that nearly made his heart stop. 'Did you mean' and then a list of countless, meaningless phrases. No. This can't be happening! A person can't suddenly vanish, leading everyone to believe they never existed. Not everyone. He grabbed his phone again.
Dialling PJ, he gasped out his fear: "Phil disappeared!" Silence. So long Dan feared his friend had never heard him. "Who is this?" Came the hesitant reply. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'WHO IS THIS'? It's Dan, you idiot!" The familiar voice was blank. "Sorry, I think you've got the wrong number." A person can't suddenly vanish. Can they?
Wait...Phil supposedly doesn't exist, He looked down at his hands. If Phil doesn't exist, does all he did for me still exist? Dan reached again for the phone, and typed in the words that came even more naturally. Danisnotonfire. Instead of finding his channel, however, an assortment of random videos popped up. No! If I'm not a Youtuber, then what am I? Suddenly, a horrible realization dawned on him. Memories - so faint they felt like scraps of dreams - flickered through his mind. Memories before the existential crisis. Memories before Phil.
If Phil never existed, then I had no one save me from myself.