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Home / Mystery/Thriller Short Story / The Strange Call Across Time and Space / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of The Strange Call Across Time and Space: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

13 Chapters

Chapter 1

Year 2002, Tina's POV.In my memory, my mother had always been a gentle and virtuous woman. The villagers all said my father was a lucky man to have married her.Grandpa liked his daughter-in-law very much. He was always afraid that she would get tired of doing too many chores. When Dad was not at home, my elderly grandpa would take over some of the heavy tasks. As far as I could remember, we lived a happy and harmonious life, even though our family was not wealthy.However, everything changed after Uncle Liam's death.Mom went crazy. She was always talking to herself. She would laugh when she spoke and then suddenly start crying. She no longer did the chores or cooked.Grandpa told me that Uncle Liam raised my mother, and she had a deep bond with him. Uncle Liam's death was a huge blow to her. He told me not to worry and said that Mom would be fine in a few days.Uncle Liam's death was bizarre. He actually hanged himself at home!I heard from Grandpa that Uncle Liam was weari

Chapter 2

Year 2002, Tina's POV.I was so scared that I froze on the spot. Mom came toward me carrying the raw beef. With a weird smile on her face, she asked, "Tina, are you hungry too? Come and eat some.""No, I... I won't eat!" I was at a loss and burst into tears. Mom was still walking toward me, carrying the raw beef. Finally, I came to my senses and wanted to go back into the house. However, my legs were so weak that I could not walk at all. In the end, I crawled into Grandpa's room.Grandpa's room was quite close to me, and his landline was also there. I latched the door lock and picked up the phone, ready to call Dad to ask when he would be back. Only Dad had a mobile phone in the family. I did not remember the phone numbers of anyone else besides his.Mom tried to push the door open and said in the gentle tone she had used earlier, "Tina, hurry outside to eat."If I had not seen her kill the cow, I would really have thought she was normal.Dad finally picked up the call. I quickly

Chapter 3

Year 2022, writer's POVI had always wanted to rent a place in the countryside, live quietly for a while, and write a few articles.The hustle and bustle of the city made people restless. Maybe it was in the countryside that I could calm down and focus on writing.A few days ago, someone recommended a small farmhouse to me. It had four rooms, one of which served as a kitchen.The yard was overgrown with weeds, looking dirty and unkempt, but I loved the location. It was also rustic, embodying the rustic aesthetic described by ancient scholars.The landlord said the house had not been occupied in 20 years and was very old, so he rented it to me for 800 dollars. I tried to bargain but realized the price he quoted was for a year's rent.It was ridiculously cheap! I had seen several farmhouses but had never heard of such a low rent. Thinking I had found a great deal, I quickly paid, fearing the landlord would regret it. Then, I gave the landlord another thousand dollars and asked him

Chapter 4

Year 2022, writer's POV.I had been raising this dog for the last two years but had never heard it bark so fiercely.Thinking that a thief had broken into the house, I stormed out to check. However, all I saw was the dog barking wildly at the locked door of the east room when I pushed open the door.I slept in the west room. The east room was big, and I planned to use it as the place for my creations.If the dog barked at the door of the east room, then the thief had to be inside.I was not scared either. After all, I was tall and strong. I was not afraid of any thief! I pushed the door open and was about to curse when I found that there was no one in the room at all!Moreover, there was no furniture in the room, so there was no place for thieves to hide. Why did the dog bark at the room, then?I was puzzled but did not think much of it. I just assumed that the dog had not adapted to the new environment and squatted down to touch its head. Sure enough, it quieted down.I felt a

Chapter 5

Year 2002, Tina's POV.Mom was still outside urging me to open the door. She seemed normal, her tone and voice exactly the same as before she went crazy.After hearing what that young man said, I was scared to open the door.When she was about to feed me the raw beef in the afternoon, she briefly regained her senses but then went crazy again and started gnawing on the cow's carcass in the yard. Hence, I suspect she had not fully recovered. If the door was opened, she was very likely to go crazy again.I chose to trust the person who called me, but who was he? Why was it always him who answered when I called Dad? He said before that I dialed the wrong number. Why did he call back, then?I could not figure it out. There were just too many things that I could not figure out today!Grandpa said he would be back before 3:00 pm. Why was he not back yet? Dad usually arrived before dark when he came home from the city. Why was he not back yet either?The sound of my mother knocking on t

Chapter 6

Year 2002, Tina's POV.Only after getting Uncle Hector's guarantee did I jump off the bed and slowly open the door. Mom and Uncle Hector were both at the door.Uncle Hector saw me, patted my head, and laughed out loud. He said, "Aren't you usually quite bold? How come you're so scared this time?"Mom explained from the side, "It's my fault. I scared her."Uncle Hector nodded and said to Mom, "Okay. Then I'll leave first."He planned to leave with no intention of taking me along. I quickly grabbed his arm and asked him to take me along.Mom grabbed me right up to her and said sternly, "Stop bothering Uncle Hector! You already asked him to come over this late at night. And you still want to go to his house to bother him!”Uncle Hector looked back at me and said, "Tina, your mother has really recovered. Don't you believe me?"I was furious. Adults loved to lie to children! He said he would take me away, but it turned out he was just trying to trick me into opening the door!I yel

Chapter 7

Year 2022, writer's POV.I heard a banging sound from the other end of the line. It was as if someone had knocked on the door again. I wanted to ask about the girl, but she hung up.I glanced at the dog. It was still barking at the door of the east room. Could it be that the girl did not escape?I quickly turned on my phone and found the news from 20 years ago. The content of the news remained unchanged. In other words, the girl was still killed by her mother!The girl still refused to believe me. On second thought, I thought it was normal. A stranger called and said that your family was going to kill you. Who could believe it?With this in mind, I pulled out my laptop, connected it to the internet, and diligently searched various forums for information about the case from 20 years ago. Knowing some details would make the girl trust me more.First, I determined the girl's time of death—around 10:00 pm.The police received a report from the girl's father at 1:00 am and immediatel

Chapter 8

Year 2022, writer's POV.I sighed in relief at the sound of Tina’s voice. If she could pick up the call, it meant she was safe for now.I checked the time and warned, "It's 9:20 pm now, right? Your mom will kill you in the east room around 10:00 pm. Run!""Impossible! Mom has recovered. Who are you?" Tina retorted firmly.She still refused to believe me! I pondered for a moment and decided to trick her. I responded, "I'm a god. I know everything. Your name is Tina Lester, your mother's name is Chelsea Wilson, and your father's name is Jacob Lester. Do you believe me now?""You're a god?" She was still skeptical.I did not expect the little Tina to be so difficult to deceive.I panicked and did not bother about pretending to be a god to deceive her. I just said, "This is about your life. Even if you don't believe me, you still have to think about your life. Run away and hide. Your father will be back at 1:00 am. You can go home then!"I realized I was indeed too anxious when I f

Chapter 9

Year 2002, Tina's POV.To a nine-year-old girl like me, the statement 'I'm a dog if I lie' carried weight. I had no choice but to believe him. Besides, Mom might have returned to normal, but I still could not guarantee that she would not go crazy later. Thus, I decided to go out and hide until 1:00 am as the man had said. I would go home after my dad came back.Mom was still in the kitchen. I turned off the light in Grandpa's room, walked lightly, and slowly felt my way out.The kitchen light was on, and the sound of Mom scrubbing the pot came from inside.Hiding from the light from the kitchen, I slipped along the yard wall to the main gate, gently pushed it open, and ran out.It was already past 9:00 pm. I had no idea where to go, so I just kept running. I had never been out alone so late before.It was currently summer, and many people in the village slept outside. Their homes lacked air conditioning, and some even lacked electric fans, so they would spread mats outside their

Chapter 10

Year 2002, Tina's POV.I heard their conversation from inside the room, finally feeling relieved and letting out a sigh of relief.Mom left.Uncle Hector came inside again and asked me, "Your mom seems perfectly normal. Why won't you go back?"I told him about the young man who had called me.Uncle Hector got angry as soon as he heard this. He thought I was lying. In Uncle Hector's eyes, I had always been honest; it was why he liked me.I heard from my father that Uncle Hector hated most when others lied to him. Uncle Hector originally had a wife and children, but his wife deceived him and eventually ran away with their children. It was the reason why he hated it when others lied.I hurriedly explained, but Uncle Hector just would not believe me. I even said I would be a dog if I lied, but Uncle Hector was still furious. He went to sleep outside by himself and ignored me.Besides Grandpa, Dad, Mom, and Uncle Liam, the one who treated me the best was Uncle Hector, but now, he ha

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