A Foreign Call On My Answering Machine (nonfiction): Difference between revisions
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This was unusual: I typically received zero or one or two messages in a day, or possibly three on a rare day — but never ''nine''. | This was unusual: I typically received zero or one or two messages in a day, or possibly three on a rare day — but never ''nine''. | ||
I replayed the messages. (This was back in the day when answering machines stored incoming messages on a cassette tape. | I replayed the messages. (This was back in the day when answering machines stored incoming messages on a cassette tape.) | ||
The first eight calls were hang-ups. | The first eight calls were hang-ups. |
Revision as of 12:23, 8 May 2019
A Foreign Call On My Answering Machine is a short essay by Karl Jones. It reads in full:
Sometime in 1989, or perhaps 1990, I returned home from work to find nine messages on my answering machine.
This was unusual: I typically received zero or one or two messages in a day, or possibly three on a rare day — but never nine.
I replayed the messages. (This was back in the day when answering machines stored incoming messages on a cassette tape.)
The first eight calls were hang-ups.
The ninth call began with a woman's voice saying "Will you accept a collect call from —"
— and then a brief pause —
Followed by a deep male voice booming: "— Turkey."
No, I do not know anyone in Turkey.
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