This is my entry into @vermillionfox's contest "Fox Tales" (week 7) @vermillionfox/week-7-fox-tales-story-image-and-announcing-the-winners-for-last-week
The challenge is to write a paragraph story in response to this image (image by @vermillionfox - used with permission for this contest):
Telephone Time
"Hello?" she said, her left hand stroking her belly. The line crackled and for a moment she thought the line was dead. Then the line hissed and she heard a faraway voice. "Hello...M… errr… Julia?" A man. She didn't recognise his voice, but the line really was very bad. “Yes. Who is this?" There was a pause, and Julia wondered again if they had been cut off. "You don't know me... yet. But I need to meet with you. It's a matter of life and death." Julia laughed, a little bell of a laugh that tinkled down the line. The caller did not return the laugh. "Life and death?" Julia said. "That's a little bit dramatic, don't you think?" Again, a pause. "I am not exaggerating Julia," the voice said. "What I have to tell you concerns my life... and your death." Julia almost dropped the phone. “Look here,” she said. "I really don't know who you are, but I think you are very rude! A grown man making prank telephone calls! And making threats to a lady. You should be ashamed of yourself!" She was about to put the handset in its cradle, when she heard his response, this time rushed, as if he knew he had to get it all out before she hung up on him. "I am not threatening you, Julia, please believe me! I know this is going to sound a little crazy to you. But please try to keep your mind open… I am calling from the future, Julia. I am your son. "
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Now, I may have been pushing the 'story in one paragraph' thing a bit, because really you need to have speech quotes on a new paragraph. But let's call it artistic licence.. shall we?