To Cry Wolf ~ 5 minute freewrite ~ Prompt: phone

The phone rang shrill on the wall in the kitchen.

Merrill rocked in her chair on her front porch in the late July afternoon. Back and forth, back and forth.

The phone grew silent, but no matter, it would ring again she thought. Maybe next time she would take her time, and go answer. Or maybe she would let it ring again. She laughed to herself.

She knew how crazy it drove them when she didn’t answer right away. Well serves them right. She thought to herself. If they really cared they’d come for a visit every now and then, and not just wait for me to not answer.

She liked the sun in the morning, it was the perfect spot to watch her birdfeeder. And in the afternoon she was able to say hi to the mailman as he made his rounds.

She sipped her ice tea, and listened to the phone ring again. She laughed to herself, one more round ought to do it.

“Hi Ernie,” she called to her mailman as he strode down the sidewalk.

“Hey there, Merrill, any guests today?” he asked.

“Not yet,” she said with a wink. “But I have a feeling it won’t be long.”

“Ohhh you’re playing a game I was taught never to play as a kid.”

“What’s that?” she asked.

“The boy who cried wolf,” he said. “You have a good day now.”

Merrill sat for another hour in her chair, her iced tea had grown warm. She looked down the street again in both directions, but there was still no sign of her family. She stood up to head in the house to make her dinner, but as she took her first step, her toe cut the edge of a loose board, and she hit the porch hard. Her right hip throbbed as she lay unable to move, and her head began to ache. She heard the phone ring again in the kitchen, and for the first time wished she could answer it. She counted ten rings total before her answering machine kicked on. She wished she could get up. As she closed her eyes to sooth her head, she hoped Ernie hadn’t been right.

“Mom!” a faint voice called.

“Grandma!” she heard her little Matthew call.

She cracked her eyes to see the face of her daughter kneeling by her side.

“I knew it,” her daughter said. “I knew one of these times you didn’t answer it would be for real. It’s a good thing I love you so much.”

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