Ghost Phone

Dave: “Okay, who is this and how are you able to answer my phone? If this is some kind of scam, you’re wasting your time. I’m broke and even if I wasn’t I wouldn’t give any money to you. Get an actual job!”

Ghost phone: “This is my phone number, and who the hell are you? Nobody talks to me like that, especially seeing as you called me. Loser!”

It all started while Dave was having a few drinks with some work friends on Friday night. Someone’s phone rang. Lara recognized her ringtone, fished the phone out of her bag, said excuse me, and walked outside to take the call. One person in the group of friends jokingly made the comment, “Popular lady! I bet she gets fifteen calls a day, maybe more.”

The conversation went around the table with each person bragging or complaining about the volume of calls they receive and how many are from the dreaded robo callers. It was finally Dave’s turn to contribute, but he paused and instead of coming up with a number, he just looked perplexed.

“Strange, but I haven’t received any calls for a week now. I keep my phone charged, and it’s always on. It just doesn’t ring.”

The group chimed in with all the usual suggestions: Is your ringer turned on, do you have it on vibrate, did you pay your phone bill? Dave answered yes or no, depending on the question. Finally, a coworker offered as a joke, “Maybe no one wants to talk to you.” Everyone laughed, except Dave, who felt a little hurt by the remark. Seeing his reaction, the person who made the comment bought Dave a drink as an apology.

The evening wound down, and Dave headed for home. The complete lack of calls really began working on his mind. Instinct took over, and he had to make a conscious effort to leave his phone alone. The pressure continued to build until he picked up his phone and called his brother, who lived on the other coast.

“Hey Jack, it’s Dave. Got a minute?”

“Sure Bro, what’s up? Forget to tell me something?”

“What are you talking about, Jack? We haven’t spoken in a month?”

“What have you been smoking, dude? We just hung up five minutes ago. Don’t you remember? I called you about the family get together. We must have talked for an hour. Seriously, are you okay?”

Totally befuddled, Dave covered his tracks. “Just messing with you, Jack. I didn’t write the date and time on my calendar. Give me the info one more time and I’ll leave you alone.”

The brothers exchanged information and hung up. Dave was even more confused than before. Was he losing it like his brother suggested? No, he knew he hadn’t spoken to Jack or anyone else on that phone for weeks now. Dave liked mysteries but not ones where there were no obvious clues, and he was the person being messed with. He went back to the den, plunked down in his favorite chair, and gave his full attention to this phone dilemma. Calling on inspiration from some of his favorite sleuths, he pondered, “What would Sherlock Holmes or Columbo do to solve this case?”

Dave sat in the chair, watching himself in the big mirror over his fireplace. He turned the phone over and over, switching hands from time to time while deep in contemplation. Suddenly, he realized what his first move needed to be. He reached over and picked up the landline phone on the table by his chair.

“Elementary, my good man. Simply call yourself to see if the cell phone is working.”

Dave laughed as he watched himself in the mirror dial his cell phone. Simple is always best. Sherlock would be proud. Strange, he could hear it ringing, but the cell in his lap stayed silent. A bone rattling fear coursed through every fiber of his body as the David in the mirror answered the phone.

Dave: “Okay, who is this and how are you able to answer my phone? If this is some kind of scam, you’re wasting your time. I’m broke and even if I wasn’t I wouldn’t give any money to you. Get an actual job!”

Ghost phone: “This is my phone number, and who the hell are you? Nobody talks to me like that, especially seeing as you called me. Loser!”

Dave hesitated before speaking again. “The person in the mirror is me, but it’s not. It’s you. How is that possible?”

“You really don’t remember, do you? Alright, I’ll explain it to you just as I have every night for the past week. I am not your reflection, you are mine. The phone you have is only a reflection of the real one, which is what I’m talking to you on. What you are looking at: chair, mirror, fireplace, even the room itself is a construct your damaged brain has created. We are in a hospital bed waiting for you to recover from a blow to the head. Although I said my phone is real, it’s as imaginary as yours. Before you were injured, you spent so much time on your phone that this is the only way your brain wants to communicate. I hope you get better soon. This existence is boring.”