Don't Talk to Strangers
by Champina
Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of all children-Eric Draven "The Crow"
"Damn," cursed Frank as he entered the apartment he shares with his girlfriend. 'Why must the phone always be ringing when one just get into the door.' He pondered sourly. He quickly made his way the phone banging his knee on the end table in his mad rush to get it before it stopped ringing.
"Hello," he answered as he picked up the receiver. "Frank and Kendra's place," as he sat down. He found himself looking into the room that carried the fanciful title of den but in reality was nothing but a room for their computer and books.
"Hi sweetie," came a voice that had a heavy menacing air about it. "Please do not hang up the phone, I want to talk to you" the voice continued. Frank figured it to be a prank call and wanted to put the phone down. But no matter how hard he tried to he couldn't move it from his head to the phone rest.
"Who the hell are you?" he shouted angrily into the headset. His anger at not being able to hang up the phone, found an outlet through yelling at the prankster.
"Now sweetie that is no way a young lady should be talking," said the voice again. "You remember the last time you used such language and your mother washed your mouth out with soap." Suddenly in Frank's mind came the image of Kendra pushing a bar of soap into his mouth for using such language. That is one thing he never wanted to happen again.
"I am sorry," Frank replied politely, deciding being nice is better then yelling. As he was saying this it seemed that his voice sounded meeker and higher pitched. But before he could think on it some more, the voice was back talking to him.
"That sounds like a proper young lady there. So sweetie what is your name?" asked the voice. Frank wanted to say his name but soon he was remembering a conversation a week ago with Kendra. They were discussing names of children if they ever got married and had them. Kendra had said that she would go along with any boy name as long as she got to name any daughter. And so it was that the first name on the Kendra's daughter list came to Frank's lips. "Kaylee" was Frank's reply in even a higher pitched voice.
"What a beautiful name, Kaylee," said the voice. "What grade of school are you in?"
"I am not in any school," Kaylee replied. "I work for an accounting form." Kaylee was certain that voice had indeed had gotten higher. This guy must think I am a girl with the way my voice is sounding.
"You wouldn't be lying Kaylee? You sound a little too young to be having a job in the adult world," inquired the voice. "Why don't I have you prove to me that you are indeed an accountant? What is 4x3 Kaylee?
This took Kaylee by surprise. He couldn't believe the voice thought he was lying. Oh well that was a simple one and the answer would be…. He realized he couldn't think of it or even how to figure it out. Now wanting to look the idiot, he blurted out, "Ten."
"Sorry Kaylee that is wrong, the answer is 12," the voice came back. "How about this one what is 34-16?" Kaylee started frantically trying to figure it out, even counting on his fingers and toes, when the voice broke his train of thought. "Kaylee it is quite obvious that you don't have the skill to be an accountant. But maybe you are a better speller than you are at math? How do you spell wheat?
"Um, let me think here," came back Kaylee's reply. "That would be WHEET, right?"
"I am sorry again sweetie. But wheat is spelled WHEAT not WHEET. Now I know you are not an accountant let alone an educated adult. Why don't you look in your backpack and tell me if there is anything in there that tells you what grade, you are in? And remember to come back to the phone when you are done looking." asked the voice.
Looking in the direction where he had dropped his briefcase. Kaylee saw instead a pink Barbie backpack. He walked over to it, sat down, opened it and spilled the contents onto the floor. Amongst the coloring books, crayons and such were work books for the second grade. "I must be in the second grade," was all Kaylee said dumbfounded. He got up and went back and sat down on the couch. Picking up the phone, he said in a nervous tone, "I think I am in the 2nd grade."
"I didn't think you were much farther than that in schooling Kaylee," the voice continued. "I bet you have the nicest long blonde hair, just like your mother."
"No I have short brown hair," he replied. "Are you sure Kaylee?" asked the voice. He was really getting tired of the voice always thinking he was lying when Kaylee remembered just last night as they were getting ready for bed and Kendra brushing his hair out. Instinctively he read up and found that his hair was now indeed long and blonde and that it was being held back from his face by head band. "No, I have blonde hair," he said worriedly.
"All right Kaylee the next question is easy, how tall are you?" the voice asked. Once again Kaylee thought he knew the answer and replied that he was six foot and the voice respond, "Are you sure? I bet your mother have one of those charts up by a door to mark your height with. Why don't you go and grab a ruler to use help mark your height? Also please remember to come back to the phone; it isn't nice to leave someone hanging."
Kaylee got up and walked over to his backpack and grab his ruler. As he began to cross the room to where Kendra... Mommy had put the size chart; he noticed the room seemed to be getting larger. A part of him wanted to run, to get out of there, but he found that he had to obey the voice. He took his measurement and went back and crawled onto the couch. "I come up to 48," he told the voice as he picked up the phone in both hands.
"So you are only four feet tall and not six as you had said Kaylee," rebuffed the voice. "You really don't know much about yourself do you? Okay this is a simple one, what are you wearing."
'This time I am going to get this one right' thought Kaylee beginning to view as a game. "I am wearing a suit and tie," he said proudly. But then the voice asked are you sure and Kaylee looked down at himself. He was wearing a white short sleeved blouse with a peter pan collar over which was a blue jumper with a school badge. A small crucifix hanged from her neck over blouse and the jumper. A flowery bandage was on his leg between the bottom of his jumper and the blue knee high socks and a pair of girl's shoes that completed the ensemble. "No," Said Kaylee. "I am wearing my school's uniform." He remembered that mommy was Catholic and while he used to have no interest in religion mommy always attended church and so should he.
"You must be one really cute girl Kaylee," the voice said. "No I am a boy," was his reply back. "Would a boy have long hair in a headband and wear a dress?" the voice asked. "No," said Kaylee meekly. "Then you must be a girl," continue the voice. Kaylee felt weird for a second as her body adjusted to its new feminine state. "Uh-uh," was her reply.
"Well Kaylee, you will be quite the heart-breaker if you had the chance to grow up, but that isn't in the cards for you." The voice said menacingly. "Look toward your bedroom sweetie and you will get to see me." Kaylee looked up toward the room that had been the den and saw it too had changed from that to a girl's room. Her eyes widen as she began to see the closet door began to slowly open. Her fear held tightly in place as the closet door slowly opened. In her mind she kept saying a prayer for mommy to come home. Suddenly at the door she could hear a set of key trying to get open, but who would make to her first as a claw hand could now be seen at the closet door………….
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