The phone rang. The phone rang just as she turned to leave, had placed her free hand on the tarnished door knob. She turned back to stare at the ringing phone. The old phone she’d found in the box along with the faded photo and the menorah, was ringing.
It insisted. She put down the three crayons on top of the faded photo next to the menorah and the insisting phone. She brought the receiver to her ear.
“Hello?”
White noise. The knuckles on the hand that gripped the receiver were white. The other hand. The white hand that overlaid her own. Its whiteness was a mist. Her own, slightly pinker hand, flickered in and out of visibility beneath it. For a while. Then only the misted hand remained.
“Hello?” she asked, from out of the white noise.
Ann Isik
140 words
Related articles
- “Missing” – Friday Fictioneers 100 word story – Historical Fiction, Jan. 16, 2013 (jemj47.wordpress.com)
Poetic Mapping: Walking Into Art 
scary..so well done
LikeLike
Thanks for reading and for your kind comments. Ann
LikeLike
I’ve tried Haiku. Not good at it! I have a collection of classic haiku, though and will try again no doubt.
LikeLike
yes, be sure to try it:) Your fiction is so good and the haiku should be interesting too:) They have weekly haiku challenges and are a very friendly community. I’ve been trying 100-word fiction for the past two weeks:)
LikeLike
You will see that you comment triggered and inspired a new blog post. Thank you. Poetry is indeed powerful. Here’s to the onward journey.
LikeLike
Eerie pretty much sums it up. Love it.
LikeLike
Thank you! Ann
LikeLike
well done – but remember – you don’t have to use everything in the picture. you could skip the crayons and give us even more about the white hand, which is really what this is all about. well done!!
LikeLike
Thanks for reading Rich. I believe you’re right about the focus of the story, which teeters between episode and story. Some others feel the latter. I don’t know the nature of the region of ‘white noise’. I only know it exists. Problem? I guess I feel that if props appear ‘on stage’ they have a job or ought not to be there. Debatable?
Ann
LikeLike
easily debatable. for me, as long as there is just one “connection” to the picture, that’s enough. sometimes i see writers who spend too much time nailing down all of the items in the picture that there really is no story – just items in the picture – and that’s not wrong. if that’s what they want to do, they have every right. it’s just not what i prefer. so, as you see, it’s all about me! 😉
LikeLike
A fellow narcissist, she says, shouldering him away from the mirror. But no, I’m with you in this. I’m glad you’ve bothered to point this out. Have you taken part in this one? I can’t find a link on your site. Just to your poetry.
LikeLike
http://brainsnorts.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/fridayfictioneers-via-rochelle-118/
we need a bigger mirror.
LikeLike
Two narcissists share one mirror? Two mirrors perhaps. Facing each other. One on one wall, one on the other. Each narcissist has his own mirror, from which to admire both front and back views at the same time.
I’m getting silly because I’m hungry for my supper. Have a nice evening or day!
LikeLike
yeah, but i like where that was going…
LikeLike
Ann, oh you gravitated toward the spooky, too. Like mine, I worked with the phone and the white noise. Very cool interpretation. Nicely done! – Amy
LikeLike
Thanks! I’ve left a comment about your story too. Nice to meet you! Ann
LikeLike
Dear Ann,
Again, welcome to Friday Fictioneers and thank your sharing your chilling little tale. As the owner of the phone in the picture I’m getting a little nervous. If it rings I’m outta here!
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLike
I like the watercolour of this ‘still life’, Rochelle. You are multi-talented. If your phone rings, answer it! But have a priest standing by! Ann
LikeLike
Okay, so let me understand this; she was sucked into the phone like Caroline was into the television in the movie Poltergeist?
LikeLike
Hello there. Thanks for taking the time to read my story. You’re the second who’s used the word ‘sucked’, curiously, though there is no mention of sucking in the story. The trigger for the story was the phone. And that it was a trigger was subconscious until after writing the story. I had a similar experience of ‘white noise’ and a phone. I’m still ‘here’ though, wherever that is! Ann
LikeLike
Ok, well thanks for clearing that up.
LikeLike
Wow – this is unnerving and mysterious! I want to know more, and that’s a good thing. Well written.
LikeLike
Thanks for the comment! I’ve left a comment about your excellent story. Ann
LikeLike
oh, gosh, you left us hanging here…white noise…wonder what will come next?!?
…and you fixed your link, by the way.
i tried the first one and got nowhere but second one works! yay!
thanks for sharing ❤
LikeLike
Thanks for your comment. Yes, I made a new link but couldn’t delete the first. It’s been deleted for me now. However, I’ve tried to connect to YOU via your link about and got a warning page saying the link could not be verified as trustworthy! Can’t get through. Are you in the ‘white noise’ zone by any chance! 🙂
LikeLike
Oh, man, sucked into the phone to where? Welcome, Ann. A good start.
I had trouble getting here from the link you left on the inlinkz page. I got a message saying I didn’t have authorization to get to the dashboard for this site and more. The title of your blog in the message had a highlighted link and after clicking on that several times, I was patched through. I don’t know if others will have the same problem or not.
janet
LikeLike
Thanks for persevering! I’ll check out the link.
Thanks for the comment about the story too.
LikeLike
I hope I took care of the problem by eliminating the first link that led me to nowhere.
LikeLike
Thanks Rochelle, for the welcome. And for your story. I’ve left a comment. Thanks for getting rid of the first link, too. I made another as had word that the first led only to a blue frog (surreal!) but couldn’t delete the first! I am not as you see a blue frog.
Ann
LikeLike
Yes, thanks! Ann
LikeLike
A very different take on the prompt. I enjoyed this. I might be a little frightened of answering the phone in the future though, just in case!
LikeLike
Especially a phone that’s not been plugged in for a century! Thanks for the comment.
LikeLike
Wow, you’ve certainly thought outside the box for this story. I think this prompt is going to do that for a lot of people – it’s certainly unusual.
LikeLike
You’re very kind! I’ve not done this kind of thing before. It’s interesting what the mind will bring to the table.
LikeLike
Holy Bell! That’s one way to get into Heaven… Good one… Welcome to FriFic, Ann!
LikeLike
Thanks Ted. I’ve visited with your story. You’ll see that it’s more of a horror than mine is, from my personal viewpoint! Nice to meet you. Ann
LikeLike