Dead Line

You know, contacting the dead really isn’t that difficult.

Luca stared at the message on his screen. The famous paranormal researcher, Oliver Jinx, had a massive online following. So to reach out, and actually get an answer? Luca was floored. He was almost to the point of shaking with excitement while he typed up his response.

What do you mean? I’ve tried for years but never gotten any response at all.

After making sure he was saying what he wanted to, without wasting Dr. Jinx’s time, Luca hit send. He turned around to go back to his chores, but was surprised when he heard a ding from his computer, signaling another message.

Most don’t know how to do it correctly. They’re trying the wrong ways. Talking boards, spirit boxes. The simplest way to contact the dead is just the same as how you would contact the living- making a phone call, with a few extra steps of course. I’d be happy to send you some instructions. As long as you promise me one thing.

  Luca couldn’t believe his luck- to get a response from Dr. Jinx was one thing, but to be offered information was another entirely. He would finally be able to prove to himself for once and for all that ghosts exist. He had been trying to do just that for so long, but to no avail. He felt like he always got so close, but in the end, he had never gotten as much as a meager “hello.” But he was absolutely determined in his resolve. He would prove that there was a life after death- even if it was only himself he was proving it to. Lost in his thoughts for a moment, Luca realized he hadn’t messaged back yet. So he quickly typed into the chat and hit send.

What is it?

Luca had scarcely turned his gaze away when there was another message.

Don’t do it. It’s not wise to do without the aid of a professional. I’m sharing this with you for educational purposes only. 

Luca thought for a moment, then typed his next message.

I promise I won’t do it.

That was the beginning of the end.

The same night, Luca had gone to get a few materials, ones he would later destroy, according to the instructions, and was now standing in the middle of an old foreclosure house. It had been abandoned for years, and vines had started to take hold of the building. It was funny, Luca thought. This really was the perfect place to do this. Somewhere that once had life, but the light had gone out, and nothing remained but the shadows, and the looming threat of nature.

Luca hadn’t thought much about lying to Dr. Jinx. Someone as smart as him really should know better before telling someone on the internet not to do something. Luca still had a few minutes before he could start- he needed to begin at midnight, which he thought was a massive cliche, but was able to overlook it as he glanced over his materials. An old rotary phone (courtesy of the local antique shop Luca frequented- the instructions had said “the older, the better,”) A single purple candle, matches to light it, and a pocket watch. Luca didn’t actually need a whole pocket watch, he just needed a regular one, but he liked the aesthetic of using something older, especially when he was already using such an outdated phone.

He checked the time. He had about thirty seconds to do this right. If he didn’t, he supposed he could always try again. 

It was time. Luca lit the purple candle, and sat in front of the phone. He saw, in his mind’s eye, that it was ringing. He mimed picking it up, but didn’t touch the phone. Then he said a few words aloud.

“I am speaking to someone who has passed to the other side,” he said, and then he bit his tongue and waited. This was the moment that he was supposed to hear the phone actually ringing, and he would be able to speak with someone through it.  He waited, and waited, until he was sure it was at least 12:20. But no ringing came. Finally, Luca sighed, and turned around to go home. What a bummer. He was sure he had done everything right, and Mr. Jinx seemed so sure that-

Brrrrrring.

Luca stopped dead in his tracks. He didn’t want to turn around. He was unsure of what he would find. But after a second ring, he worked up the courage to turn around. 

Despite the lack of power- it was the phone.

Luca slowly edged closer, shaking slightly as he did so, and reached down to pick up the receiver. He held it to his ear, and heard a simple phrase in a deep, calm male voice.

“I tried to warn you.”

The next thing Luca knew was the intense, stabbing agony through every cell of his body. He could see the phone, and his hand holding the receiver, which was now a few inches away from the rest of his body. He knew something had happened, but he couldn’t exactly tell what. And then, he knew nothing at all.

—

In a small cafe, a man unfurled a newspaper. He wasn’t one to read the news, he was actually listening to the people gossip about a boy who was found dead a few towns away. He died in a ritualistic setting, leading others to believe that his suicide was connected with the occult, however, his parents swore up and down though the boy was interested in the paranormal, he would never hurt anyone, including himself.

They talked about how the coroner couldn’t deduce how the boy died. After all, the wild animals had done a number on the body. They were still finding parts scattered around the area. From what the coroner could examine, the boy was in perfect health before the incident.

The man sipped his coffee, and withdrew an old pocket watch from his coat. He opened the cover, corroded and stained red, which any onlooker could have mistaken for rust, and checked the time. 12:25 pm. He smiled, with teeth that were too long, too sharp. Dr. Oliver Jinx put the pocket watch back into his coat, neatly folded the paper, stood, and left the coffee shop. He was headed to the library- he could use the computer to find his next meal.