• The weather was perfect outside, and the full-moon, romantic in essence, made the night bright as very early morning. Kimberly sat, legs crossed meditation-style, on the sofa with a big bowl of strawberry-vanilla ice cream in her lap and a spoon meant for scooping lodged in her mouth. The multicolored pixels danced across the concave screen, and that’s all Kimberly could really make of it, though she generally was submersed in movies. This time, however, was quite different — considering the circumstances.

    Some fifteen minutes earlier, the college student had been stooped over her studies, binging on Doritos while 80s’ classics drowned out all other distractions. Distantly, she heard the chiming of the phone. Thinking it was her roomy calling to rave on about the frat party she was missing, Kimberly didn’t budge. Strangely, there were two voices. The first was raspy and aloof, the second reserved and a little frightened. Even more alarming; the voices seemed to be having a conversation. Kimberly shuddered and reluctantly removed the headphones.

    “Tell Kim I called, would you?”

    “Kimberly won’t be available for awhile,”

    Click.

    Kimberly, not entirely sure why she was shaking so badly, traversed to the kitchen and checked her inbox.

    No new messages.

    Thoroughly freaked, she picked a random flick from her expansive collection and popped it in the DVD player. Barely able to grip the remote properly, she skipped the previews to the main feature. The movie, while maybe not the best, was her method to get the eerie phone call off her mind. And it worked.

    Halfway through the movie, Kimberly fell asleep with the spoon still in her mouth. Again, the phone rang several times. Kimberly struggled to grip her dream, to revel in its fancies, but failed. Blurrily, she sat up and made her way to the kitchen to put away the bowl.

    She stopped in her tracks, and the dishes clattered to the floor. The man, a complete shadow devoid of facial details, watched her for a moment, almost longingly, and then disappeared. Kimberly collapsed to her knees, staring blankly at where the shadow man had been. Beside her, the phone dangled from the counter. It swayed back and forth like a pendulum.

    “Kim! Kim! Pick up….please…………………..”

    Kimberly put the phone to her ear and whispered a feeble greeting. Very abruptly, there was a piercing, bloodcurdling scream, and then a soft, deliberate click. Hysterical with fright, she ripped the phone from its jack and tossed it out the third-story window. The figure reappeared as quickly as it had gone, and she found herself in a suffocating embrace. The shadow man would not let go no matter how much she struggled. Eventually, she gave up and burst into tears.

    “Mine,” he mumbled in her ear; softly, lovingly.