Please Leave a Message

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(if:(visited:"the neighbors.")or(visited:"my broken door lock.")or(visited:"wild animals."))[No, that's no good. Too negative. I can do better this time. Just be casual. Here goes....] (else:)[Okay...just going to leave a nice easy voicemail so he'll want to call me back.] “Hi, sweetie. It's Mom. Sorry I missed your call, really. I should have been there to pick up. You know how it is with me sometimes. This week has been a nightmare. I've been busy dealing with [[the neighbors.]] [[my broken door lock.]] [[wild animals.]] (if:(visited:"the neighbors.")and(visited:"my broken door lock.")and(visited:"wild animals."))[[a bunch of time-consuming things.]]

“You know the new neighbors I told you about? They moved in about a month ago, across the street where Travis's family used to live. They're awful. So rude. I waved to them when I was walking back from the store, and they totally ignored me. I was going to go over and tell them ‘welcome to the neighborhood,’ but not anymore! “You know what else? I'm pretty sure they stole [[my license plate.]] [[my plumbing pipes.]] [[my cat.]]

“You know the skeleton key we always used for the back door? It won't work anymore, for some damn reason. And did I tell you I lost the front door key? I don't know what happened to it, but I looked for the spare under the flowerpot, and it wasn't there either. You didn't bring it home with you, did you? Anyway, I've been leaving the door unlocked—but don't worry about me, you know I don't go out much. I just wish I knew why it stopped working. Do you think [[my ex had the lock changed?]] [[a ghost did it?]]

“You know how I always wanted to live in the woods because it's nice and private and closer to nature? Well, I still love it, don't get me wrong, but I don't love finding dead animals in my yard every other week. Sometimes it's bones, but usually it's small animals like rabbits—sorry. I've been throwing them out in the compost pile. Once it was a chicken, must be from the farm down the road. It's not too gross if I find them early enough. But I'm worried that [[they'll go after my cat.]] [[they want to kill me.]]

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//-click-// I hope he isn't worried that I talked about those things... I hope he doesn't mind that I rambled a little bit. He doesn't like when I worry him. I hope he calls me back this time. (align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[THE END]

//-click-// I don't think he wants to hear me talk about all those things... He never listens to my voicemails anyway. I just hope he sees that I called. I hope he calls me back this time. (align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[THE END]

“We never had a problem with hot water, you know that. But ever since they moved in, I can't get the hot water to work at all. And you know there's been an increase in people stealing copper pipes lately, right? I've been using the outdoor shower on warm days, but I gotta get it fixed before the fall. If Mark was here, he'd know what to do—but I'm not saying I want him back! Haha...I'm not that desperate. (display:"etc.")

“I noticed it was missing last week. Just ripped right off. I don't even want to know what they're gonna do with it—something illegal, no doubt. I've been writing down all my activities and taking photos of the car so I have an alibi, just in case. I know, you probably think it's a coincidence that it happened right after they moved in, but nothing like this ever happened before. I mean, sometimes I'll misplace something, but nothing this big. I mean, come on! (display:"etc.")

“I haven't seen Spider in a week and I'm starting to get worried. Sometimes she goes away for a day or two, but never this long. I know you don't think she should be living outside, but she likes it. I'm not gonna be the one to stop her. But she's been getting fatter lately, so I think the neighbors started feeding her. You know how she is, she'd fall in love with anyone who gives her food. But they can't have her! (display:"etc.")

“There's more stuff going on too, but you don't need to hear me go on and on. Don't worry, everything's fine. I know Mark's not here to help me anymore and my friends all live too far away, but I always figure something out. And if I really need help, the senior rideshare guy is my new friend. I told him about what's been going on and he said I should [[forget about them.]] [[start locking my doors.]]

“He thinks I should stop worrying about them and just relax. You'd probably say the same thing! You're both the same, you only see the good in people. It's nice to have someone to talk to. But I don't know. He may not be able to see the neighbors for what they really are. But it's okay. I'll take care of them myself.” [[BEEP]]

“He's really nice, and sensible. One of the good ones. He even gave me a gun for protection, since I'm living alone in the middle of nowhere. And don't worry, I'm not gonna shoot myself in the foot or anything. He taught me how to use it. And I won't shoot anyone else either. Not unless I have to.” [[BEEP]]

“I know, I know, he moved to Denver six months ago and the door lock stopped working long after that. Or maybe it happened earlier and I didn't notice—no, I would've noticed. But don't you think he could've come back and had it changed? Now, I don't want you worrying about me, because I know he wouldn't hurt me. But it would be just like him to mess with me like that. Try to make me doubt myself. Gaslighting, they call it. So anyway, I wanted to ask if you could do me a favor. Do you think you could [[look him up online?]] [[drive me to Denver?]]

“You probably don't believe in ghosts, right? I know I don't. But it's the only thing that makes sense. How else could this 100-year-old iron door key suddenly stop working when I haven't done anything different? I can't think of another explanation, can you? Let me ask you: when you were little, or when you were living here last summer, did you ever [[notice things going missing?]] [[feel a strange presence?]]

“Mark deleted me on Facebook, so I can't look at his profile anymore. I can't even send him a message. All I can see is that he's male and he lives in Denver. Well, we already knew that! So if you could just take a quick look and tell me what he's been up to, that would be a big help. You're better at this stuff than me. (display:"paranoid")

“We could do fun stuff too. Hey, remember when you were a kid and we went on that road trip to see those arches? Mark left his forwarding address, so we can just drive by his house and see if his truck's there, that's all. I'd feel a lot better if I knew he was actually in Denver. Then we can enjoy the rest of the trip and have some bonding time. Wouldn't that be fun? (display:"paranoid")

“I bet you think I'm being paranoid, but I promise I'm not. I just want to rule out this possibility so I can move on to the next problem. You're always telling me to be reasonable, and that's exactly what I'm trying to do. And I'm not forcing you to do it. It's completely up to you, okay? Just let me know. As soon as you can. Please.” [[BEEP]]

“Sometimes I'll be looking all over the house for something and I find it in the strangest place. You forget where you put things sometimes—everyone does, especially at my age. But this is different. Like a couple weeks ago I couldn't find your grandmother's ring, the one I wear around my neck, and I looked all over for it, and then the next day I found it on the shelf with the kitchen cleansers under the sink. Why would it be there? And then other times when something goes missing, I can't find it at all. Before you start thinking it was Mark, I already told you he wasn't stealing from me—he was a bastard, but he wasn't a thief. The only thing he ever took from me was the bullets, and that was only because he was worried about me. Well, I guess he's not worried about me anymore.” [[BEEP]]

“I don't know if it could even be a ghost, because we never had any ghosts when you were growing up. At least not that I can remember. But it's always old houses like this that are haunted. And sometimes when I'm alone, making dinner or washing the dishes or whatever, I get this feeling there's someone else in the room—and of course when I look around, there's nobody there. And it's not the cat, either! You know Spider, she's always purring, so I know when she's in the room. Besides, it happens more often when she's away. You don't think I'm imagining it, do you?” [[BEEP]]

“You know how tough Spider is, but sometimes she comes back from her walkabouts with a dazed look, like something scared the crap out of her. I just wish I could talk to her and ask what she saw. Whatever's been leaving these animal bodies in my yard, it's bigger than a cat, that's for sure. If it was Spider doing it, she'd be leaving dead mice and birds, right? It could be foxes, or maybe a hawk, because sometimes there's just one big puncture wound. I don't know, but it doesn't make any sense. And I never hear any commotion or anything. They're just out there when I wake up. Wouldn't I hear something? I know what you're gonna say: [[I shouldn't be letting Spider go outside.]] [[I should try to get more sleep.]]

“Oh, I probably shouldn't be saying that. You'll think I'm losing it! But there's something so menacing about it—waking up in the morning and seeing a dead...thing out there. It feels...personal. And every time, it's a little closer to the house. Don't you think that's strange? And they've got a good reason to want me dead: it's because [[they're hungry.]] [[I'm on their land.]]

“You always say that, but I can't just keep her inside. She wants to be free. She loves rolling in the grass and feeling the sun on her fur. And she likes to go for walks in the woods with me. But...I don't know, maybe I'll keep her inside, just for a couple weeks to see how she does. Do you think I should get her some cat toys? What kind of toys do cats like? I'll figure it out, but if you do know any... Just give me a call sometime, okay?” [[BEEP]]

“I've already tried everything to sleep better, believe me. I just have a lot going on right now and it's stressing me out. And you know I don't like taking pills—I don't want them messing with my head. I've got nowhere else to be, so I can always take a nap in the afternoon if I need to. You don't need to worry about me, really. I've got my garden and my shelf full of books and a nice bottle of wine, and that's all I need. I guess, it's just...do you know what could make that kind of puncture wound?” [[BEEP]]

“You know why—climate change. Maybe they don't have the same food supply anymore, so their only choice is to prey on humans. Oh...but then why would they leave dead animals lying around without eating them? I don't know, maybe they're just mad that we're destroying the earth. They have every right to be mad! But I guess that wouldn't't make any sense, would it? (display:"realization")

“These animals have been living here long before us humans, and here we come with our fancy landscaping and our big metal cars and boats and four-wheelers messing with their habitat. They have every right to be mad! But then again, animals are so forgiving. Sometimes I forget to feed Spider and she still loves me. Animals don't have the capacity to hold a grudge like humans do—I saw that on a documentary. (display:"realization")

“I guess that means it's not animals. But if some //person// has been leaving dead animals in my yard...somehow that's even worse. I don't even think those awful new neighbors would do a thing like that. I guess I'm going to have to stay up and keep watch so I can find out for sure. Or—what's that website you told me about that tells you the best equipment to buy? Can you send me that link again? I need to get one of those security cameras and find out who's doing this to me.” [[BEEP]]

“There's just...a lot going on lately, but I'm doing okay. You know how it is with me sometimes. “You know these new neighbors I told you about? They moved in about a month ago, across the street where Travis's family used to live. “Hey, remember when you were a kid and we went on that road trip to see the arches? “You don't need to worry about me, really. I've got my garden and my shelf full of books and a nice bottle of wine, and that's all I need. “Just give me a call sometime, okay?” [[BEEP->Good end]]

//-click-// There, I think that was good. I don't need to tell him what's really going on with me... He wouldn't believe me anyway. I can't lose him too... I hope he calls me back. (align:"=><=")+(box:"X=")[THE END]