A Strange Call in the Middle of the Night
It was nearly three in the morning—the quietest hour of the night.
At the station, the duty officer sat staring at the glow of an old computer screen. The clock on the wall ticked slowly. He stifled a yawn. Not a single emergency call had come in all night.
Then suddenly, the phone rang.
“Police station, officer speaking,” he answered automatically, lifting the receiver.
On the other end came a thin, trembling voice.
“Hello…”
The officer frowned. It was the voice of a little girl—no more than seven years old.
“Hello, sweetheart. Why are you calling so late? Where are your parents?”
“They… they’re in the room,” she whispered.
“Alright, can you hand the phone to your mom or dad?”
A pause.
“No… I can’t.” Her voice grew quieter.
The officer’s hand tightened around the phone.
“Then tell me what happened. You only call the police when something important is going on.”
“It is important…” the girl sobbed. “Mom and Dad are in the room… and they aren’t moving.”
In an instant, the officer’s drowsiness vanished.
“Maybe they’re just sleeping? It’s very late.”
“No. I tried to wake them. Usually, Mom always wakes up when I come in… but not this time.”
A chill ran down his spine. Something was terribly wrong.
