It happened on the evening of Friday, I was going to leave for the day. Suddenly, my cellphone started to ring. Phone number was hidden.
”Hello?”
”I need your help! Please, help me, please!” a crying woman shouted into the phone.
”Okay,” I was struck dumb. “What has happened?”
”I’m begging you, help me, I need to tell you something … It’s very important! I’m pressed for time to stay alive… they gave me three days … I’ll die today at the midnight!”
”I can do nothing for you. I’m sorry, call your relatives or a nuthouse,” I blurted. Such calls made me annoyed. If something has happened, call the police or an ambulance, today is Friday evening, bear that in mind! I knew several jokesters of that kind— surely, it’s one of them. I put the phone down on her.
In five minutes, when I was putting my dress on, that “hidden number” rang again. Very well, this time you’ll catch it! I’ll teach you some good manners!
”Hello!” I cried into the phone. Surprisingly, nobody answered. Then voices and cries were heard, I thought I had bawled that woman out for nothing, perhaps, she had really got into trouble.
”Hello … I beg you…” woman’s voice was faint.
”You have five minutes”.
”Okay. I’m going to tell you…” the woman gave a sob. “The whole story had started three days ago. I had been already sleeping when someone called me in the middle of the night. The number was hidden. When I took the call, I heard hissing noise and then a man’s voice, croaky and husky, asked me:
— Want to buy desired for valuable?
When I asked him who is was, the man said: “It’s from hell. Well, what do you say? Desired for valuable, huh?”
I put the phone down and decided that someone had just played up. I looked at caller list — turned out we had talked for five minutes, but I knew for certain it was not more than twenty seconds! I hardly turned off the light and continue dreaming in color as my phone rang again. In response to my “hello” I was again offered to buy desired for valuable. Well, I gave a smile, this time I would crack a joke…
”Yes, of course, I want to!” I said.
”Then ask that you want to get.”
When I thought maybe the pal had taken a drop too much and offered me to buy something very cheaply and I would seize the moment?
”Very well…So… I need gold earrings with brilliants!”
”Whatever you say. Will be tomorrow. You’ll pay in three days.”
”But what’s method of payment, dollars or euro? — the odd fish didn’t ask my address, obviously, he was wrecked.”
”By appointment. Desired for valuable — earrings for soul.”
He put the phone down. I thought: “Aha, let it be,” and went to bed.
In the morning there was a ring at the door. I opened — a small box laid on the threshold, earrings were inside of it. But how? That fellow didn’t even ask my address!
Everything has begun since that day. It seemed the earrings shifted from place to place - I put them on the table, but found them on the floor in the bedroom. Someone constantly tooted the ringer. I looked in a peephole - and every time there was nobody. Things weren’t on their places, dishes fell, every day they called me and said: “Soon. Very soon.” I didn’t understand what was going on and decided to ignore it - maybe it would pass by itself.
Today, on the third day, I woke up pegged to the bed. Some thing sat at the foot - either a cat with snout of a pig or a pig with cat’s body. It was completely black. Hardly had I scared, it said: ”I’m here to take what belongs to me. You’ll be alive till the midnight, but you have to tell someone what has happened to you. Otherwise, your family will get quietus, and you’ll die slowly and painfully.”
The beast disappeared. I’m still in bed… the woman gave another sob. I’m still tied and it holds the to my ear and a lancet in other hand… He has also a handsaw, clamps, a saw and huge nails. One of the nails he drove in my heel, because you had put the phone down… I’ve told you everything and now he’ll call you today at the midnight… Forgive me…”
Short tones gave way. I gave a shrug of the shoulders taken things I had heard for the delusion of a lunatic and went to bed. I snuggled in front of a TV and soon fell asleep. Woke up in the night to the ring of my mobile. Glanced at time - it was 00.00. Someone called my cell.
”Hello?..”
”Want to buy desired for valuable?”
Then the story of that woman came back to my memory and I cried into the phone:
”No! No! I want nothing from you!”
”Whatever you say. Nothing for soul. In three days I’ll come and take that belongs to me.”
And it put the phone down.
