Alright, alright. What story was that....right the babysitting one.
[Just give him a moment to think back. Right...that one. He takes a breath and enters story mode. So suddenly less awkward.]
Well, that one's actually one of the stories I collected for one of my books. It was a little bit before you were born Heather. Your mother and I drove quite a bit to hear it.
It was in the fall, in a fairly average sized town in the next state over. The girl who told us this story. Her name was Anna, she was sixteen and she was babysitting in a house with three kids. Two little boys and a girl who was almost a teenager herself.
Now the girl, Marie. She didn't want to have a baby sitter at all, so she spent most of her time sulking in her room. This left Anna to play with the two little boys. She didn't mind though, she liked kids. So they played games in the backyard until it started to get dark. Going inside, they set up a movie to watch.
They were watching the movie when the phone rang. Now this was before they had caller id, so, assuming it was the parents calling. Anna picked up the phone.
However before she could say something, she heard a man laugh on the other end. It was a cold cruel laugh and she hung up quickly.
One of the boys asked her what it was and she just told them it was a prank call. And she thought so too.
Half an hour later the phone rang again. Anna picked it up and this time the man on the other line spoke.
'I'll be there soon'. It was the same shrill voice as before and the laughter that fallowed was just as disturbing. Anna hung up the phone and then making a quick excuse made sure to check the doors were locked. Going back she continued to watch their movie.
Half an hour later, the phone rang again. This time Anna picked it up quickly. It was the same voice.
'One more hour', the same cold laughter.
[Lisa curls up on Harry's lap as he talks. Harry's a quiet speaker but he's been adding voices to the story as well.]
Anna was starting to get scared but the parents should be home soon so they went back to the movie.
Half an hour later, the man called back.
'Pretty soon now'. And there was more laughing. Anna demanded to know why he was doing this, but this time the man hung up first. She was getting scared and the children were starting to realize something was wrong as well. So she made a big deal of being tired of the prank calls and called the operator to complain. The operator told her to call back if it happened again and they'd trace the call.
So they went back to the tv. Sure enough, half an hour later the phone rang. Anna picked up the phone.
'Very soon now' the man laughed and Anna hung up the phone and called the operator.
[Harry pauses for a moment.]
The operator and almost seconds after she had the phone rang again. This time however it was the operator. 'We've traced the call. It's coming from inside the house. Get out of there and I'll call the police.'
Anna dropped the phone and grabbed the now frightened boy by the hand. She ran to the door when one of the boys yelled. She looked behind them to see a tall thin man with a narrow grin slowly walking down the stairs. He wasn't in a hurry, he just slowly walks towards them. There was a long thin knife in his hands that he played with as he walked.
Anna managed to unlock the door and almost dragged the boys out into the night. The man didn't follow them as they ran to the neighbours.
The police arrived at the house to find the older sisters dead body in the room upstairs. She'd been killed with a long thin knife. On the wall there was a drawing of a clock in blood. With a two small scratch's on every half hour.
[Another pause.]
The man though, was nowhere to be seen.
They caught him a month later. In a similar house. With a similar murder.
They boys family moved away and Anna stopped babysitting. She says she doesn't like to be alone still. That she's still afraid, that one day she's going to pick up that phone and hear that, horrible, cold, laughter.
no subject
Alright, alright. What story was that....right the babysitting one.
[Just give him a moment to think back. Right...that one. He takes a breath and enters story mode. So suddenly less awkward.]
Well, that one's actually one of the stories I collected for one of my books. It was a little bit before you were born Heather. Your mother and I drove quite a bit to hear it.
It was in the fall, in a fairly average sized town in the next state over. The girl who told us this story. Her name was Anna, she was sixteen and she was babysitting in a house with three kids. Two little boys and a girl who was almost a teenager herself.
Now the girl, Marie. She didn't want to have a baby sitter at all, so she spent most of her time sulking in her room. This left Anna to play with the two little boys. She didn't mind though, she liked kids. So they played games in the backyard until it started to get dark. Going inside, they set up a movie to watch.
They were watching the movie when the phone rang. Now this was before they had caller id, so, assuming it was the parents calling. Anna picked up the phone.
However before she could say something, she heard a man laugh on the other end. It was a cold cruel laugh and she hung up quickly.
One of the boys asked her what it was and she just told them it was a prank call. And she thought so too.
Half an hour later the phone rang again. Anna picked it up and this time the man on the other line spoke.
'I'll be there soon'. It was the same shrill voice as before and the laughter that fallowed was just as disturbing. Anna hung up the phone and then making a quick excuse made sure to check the doors were locked. Going back she continued to watch their movie.
Half an hour later, the phone rang again. This time Anna picked it up quickly. It was the same voice.
'One more hour', the same cold laughter.
[Lisa curls up on Harry's lap as he talks. Harry's a quiet speaker but he's been adding voices to the story as well.]
Anna was starting to get scared but the parents should be home soon so they went back to the movie.
Half an hour later, the man called back.
'Pretty soon now'. And there was more laughing. Anna demanded to know why he was doing this, but this time the man hung up first. She was getting scared and the children were starting to realize something was wrong as well. So she made a big deal of being tired of the prank calls and called the operator to complain. The operator told her to call back if it happened again and they'd trace the call.
So they went back to the tv. Sure enough, half an hour later the phone rang. Anna picked up the phone.
'Very soon now' the man laughed and Anna hung up the phone and called the operator.
[Harry pauses for a moment.]
The operator and almost seconds after she had the phone rang again. This time however it was the operator. 'We've traced the call. It's coming from inside the house. Get out of there and I'll call the police.'
Anna dropped the phone and grabbed the now frightened boy by the hand. She ran to the door when one of the boys yelled. She looked behind them to see a tall thin man with a narrow grin slowly walking down the stairs. He wasn't in a hurry, he just slowly walks towards them. There was a long thin knife in his hands that he played with as he walked.
Anna managed to unlock the door and almost dragged the boys out into the night. The man didn't follow them as they ran to the neighbours.
The police arrived at the house to find the older sisters dead body in the room upstairs. She'd been killed with a long thin knife. On the wall there was a drawing of a clock in blood. With a two small scratch's on every half hour.
[Another pause.]
The man though, was nowhere to be seen.
They caught him a month later. In a similar house. With a similar murder.
They boys family moved away and Anna stopped babysitting. She says she doesn't like to be alone still. That she's still afraid, that one day she's going to pick up that phone and hear that, horrible, cold, laughter.