The Red Phone Booth

John ran as fast as he could through the dark and cold night trying to swallow him whole. The barrage of raindrops soaked his jacket and jeans, and his hood wasn’t helping much, for the rain always had a way to attack one’s face, even with an umbrella. The water covering the ground like a plastic wrap dirtied his white sneakers with each splashing step he took. His breaths were becoming rapid and white. His eyes were locked onto the end of the alleyway, the colorful neon lights. He needed to escape this alley first. That was round one.

John was finally out on the main street, and he was now surrounded by the brightness of signs and lampposts. At least he wasn’t alone in the dark anymore. At least the light was his ally. 

He ran a little bit slower across the street, turning his head this way and that in order to make sure there weren’t any pedestrians around. Watching him. Guessing what he had done. As he continued to run, he realized that the brightness protecting him was disappearing, that he was moving away from the lights. No. He couldn’t let that happen. He wouldn’t be able to keep it together in the dark. It would make him even more anxious and guilty than he was right now.

Just when he was thinking about turning around and going back the way he came, he spotted something. Something that stood out from all of the dull stores and buildings he was used to seeing while taking strolls after work. A very vivid object that seemed a bit holy and eerie at the same time. John walked towards it and squinted so he could see it better. He noticed that it had a rectangular shape, that it had windows, and that it had a yellowish glow on the inside. It was a red phone booth. Considering the cleanliness of its scarlet surface, it was probably newly made. 

John stopped right in front of the phone booth to stare at it and examine it for a while. He didn’t remember seeing it the last time he came here. It looked so bright and warm inside, and he was desperate to guard himself from the harsh rain, but he was hesitant to go in. Such a vivid object would be very easy to spot if a pedestrian came by. He would become visible immediately. However, something about the phone booth made him want to ignore his worries. It was so appealing and alluring like a delicious-looking apple that suddenly appeared before a starving man. 

John gulped down his saliva and slowly opened the door of the phone booth to step inside. He felt a rush of relief as the shutting of the door separated him from the sounds of raindrops crashing into the sidewalk. They couldn’t soak him anymore. He was free to take his hood off.

Two of the immediate effects of entering the phone booth were negative, though. Now that he was standing still, he realized how much he had overexerted his twenty-seven-year-old body. Every muscle and joint of his seemed to be creaking in pain. Also, the crimson stains on the front side of his torso and thighs had become apparent due to the light. The crimson stains that served as evidence of his sins tonight. The sight made him anxious again. What was he to do? How was he going to escape his fate? 

He then looked up at the phone in front of him. Right, he thought. He could call someone. He could call his wife Pam. She was the one he needed the most. As he slowly reached for the phone, he remembered Pam’s kind smile that illuminated his twisted nature like the sun itself. She would embrace him, ask if he was okay, cook him dinner, and hold his hand when they went to bed. She would always talk to their golden retriever Maggie as if it could respond like a human. That’s why John sometimes called her Fairy Tale Girl. The blissful memories made him smile a little. Though he couldn’t return home, he believed that Pam would at least be on his side and support him while he wandered through the streets. He desperately wished to be comforted by her sweet voice. 

John picked up the phone, inserted a coin he had pulled out of his pocket, pressed the metal number keys, and waited for Pam to pick up. 

“…Hello?”

John’s expression brightened up in a split second. “Pam.”

“John? Where are you right now?”

“I’m in a phone booth near that pub I used to go to.”

John was surprised by how shaky his own voice was. Was it because of the cold or the fear swirling within him?

“Look, I’m a little busy right now, so I need to ask you a quick-"

“John…..” 

There was a pause. John could hear Pam sniffling during the silence. It sounded like she was crying.

“Yeah? What’s wrong?”

“…Maggie’s gone.” Pam said, her voice breaking. “It looked like she was asleep, but…she wasn’t breathing.”

John’s eyes widened in shock. The arrival of the unbelievable news was so sudden that it took him a few seconds to take it all in. The lovely big dog that always cheered him and his wife up had left this world during his absence. He couldn’t stay by her side.

“John, you have to come home. I can’t take her to the vet alone. I need you.”

John stood still with a face even he couldn’t define. It felt like some of the strings in his heart had been cut, putting an abrupt stop to his emotions. He was…empty. His body had gone limp on the spot, and his mouth was slightly agape like a zombie. Sure, the news of Maggie’s death flew straight towards his brain like a missile and dealt him great damage, but he knew it wasn’t just that. The fate he had been running away from was coming for him.

“John? John, do you hear me?”

“…..Yeah. Yeah, I’ll be there soon.” John said monotonously before hanging up the phone.

He continued to stand still for about a minute or so. He honestly had no other choice. Pam was his most beautiful treasure, and he had to be with her when she was suffering. Even if his sins were to be exposed.

He took a deep breath, turned around, and opened the door of the phone booth, stepping outside into the rain again. He had to hurry. The love of his life was waiting for him. 

His fate was waiting for him.