“More floods!” his mum said when Jake got home. She pointed at the TV. There were people being rescued in boats. A fireman climbed up a tree to rescue a cat.
The news said the town had flooded many times before. In the worst flood, fifty years ago, a whole family had been swept away by the rising water. It was all a bit sad, so Jake went to his room to read a book.
At bedtime, he fell asleep quickly. He had a dream about hands knocking at doors. He felt that someone was trying to get to him.
* * *
There was a ringing sound. He woke up with a start.
His mobile really was ringing, but by the time he’d got his hand onto it, it had stopped. He stared at the glowing screen.
Voice message
Jake called his voicemail and waited. It was a girl’s voice, but he didn’t know her.
He couldn’t hear the message very well because there was a kind of “ssshhh….” sound in the background, like running water.
“I’m sorry you… answer me… I … very cold… lonely… will you come to me… try again… so dark and cold…”
Jake listened to the message again, but he couldn’t make out the missing words. He scrolled down to see the girl’s number, and his heart thumped. Once again, the message had come from his own phone.
Delete voice message?
Jake pressed the Save button as quickly as he could. He needed to let people hear the voice message to prove he wasn’t going crazy. But he wasn’t quick enough.
His mobile was as cold as a block of ice. He threw it down in anger and rubbed his fingers to get them warm. How was he going to prove that there had ever been a voice mail? Who would believe him?