When I was a child, I was absolutely convinced that being
eight years old meant that I was far too old to need a
babysitter. So, I convinced my parents that I could be safely left
home alone, that I knew all the
emergency phone numbers, etc.
One of the
caveats was that I was not
allowed to
answer the phone unless it was someone I knew, so the
answering machine was running with the
volume turned all the way up, so I could hear if it was my
parents calling to check on me. We got a few calls from
telemarketers, and a few calls from friends of the family, but it was quiet enough to assuage even the
paranoia of an eight-year-old with an
overactive imagination, until about 9:00 P.M.
The phone rang as I was reading in the living room, with a voice that said "Your phone has been wired. Do not pick up the phone for the next hour, or the operator will be electrocuted as she makes the connection.
TRUST ME. Do not open the door. They're watching you."
This scared me enough (and sent my imagination into enough loops) that I spent the rest of the night hiding in my loft, armed with
marbles and
Light-Bright pegs, in case someone tried to break into the house.
figured that out, thanks Jolph Very cute