Tuesday 12 April 2016

Speaking into Silence

Message received 19 march
from (redacted)

Hello Ada.
I think I got right number.
its Florence.
I just want to ring and tell you that Heather... Heather Pete has just been this morning and given me communion and I feel great.
I feel great now.
I thought I would let you know.
I hope you get your message... this message... all right.
Bye.


Chloe hadn't even known they had an answering service until she'd received the letter telling her she was about not to have. It seemed her dad had been paying eleven pounds a month for the privilege of confusing old ladies. She was tempted to call the number to tell Maisy her message hadn't gone through to Edna but it was a month old now and any conversation might be awkward.

Florence sounded nice, though, like Gran used to sound when she was giving Chloe chocolate on the sly. She missed Gran. More than Mom and Dad, to be honest, but not as much as she missed Buster.

She pulled on the headset, her mouse skimming over the dialling pad before she talked herself out of it. It rang once... twice... A man answered. “Hello?”

“Oh, Hello.” Chloe swallowed her social terror. “May I speak to Florence, please?”

“Mrs Allcot? She died, love, I'm sorry. Two weeks ago. I'm clearing out her bungalow for the council. Are you a relative?”

Chloe didn't know why, but she answered yes.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh... Jasfoup?

DK said...

Aww.

Rachel Green said...

Not Jasfoup but he'll be about :)