Horror Stories

Boothworld Industries

Like a lot of you, I called that number for Boothworld Industries.

Before I called, I read through the responses in the thread. I like knowing what's going to happen before it happens. I guess I'm boring like that.

It was still a sick thrill to dial in the number and hit call even though I knew what was coming. I was on the home phone and made sure to block my info. Just in case.

Something went wrong, though.

You all got a voicemail, I got a live person.

"Welcome to Boothworld Industries. My name is Samantha and I will be your operator today. Name?"

I froze at this point. I didn't know what to say. I expected a canned message like the rest of you got, maybe even the weird text. I never expected a real person to pick up. I panicked and hung up the phone.

When it started ringing five seconds later, I left the house to go pick up my daughter Ariana from school. On the way back, my cell started ringing. Ariana loves the hands-free phone in our car. She likes to pick it up and pretend like it's the intercom of a spaceship and that the caller is a Cylon. I blame my husband's frequent viewing of Battlestar Galactica for this.

"Mommy?" Ariana asked, "Can I push the button?"

"Sure," I said. "Make it fast before the light changes, though."

Ariana unbuckled her seat belt and reached up between the two front seats to hit the button that would pick up the phone.

"Hello?" she said, after she waited for the beep that let you know the phone picked up.

I heard the same voice from earlier. Flat. Almost robotic.

"Welcome to Boothworld Industries. My name is Samantha and I will be your operator today. Name?"

Everything stopped for me then. The light turned green. Cars drove by. The cars behind me honked.

But I sat there, staring at my steering wheel.

/r/nosleep is supposed to be a place for scary stories. A place where you can scare yourself a little, but be fine at the end. A place you live out your fears.

There was nothing safe about that woman's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Mommy?" Ariana asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Hello, Ariana," the operator said, "welcome to Boothworld Industries. My name is Samantha and I will be your operator today. Name?"

"Ariana!" my daughter said.

"Ariana, stop," I said.

"Mrs. Jacobs," the woman said. "Please call the office when you get home. We have some remodeling to schedule."

I didn't answer. I hung up the phone and drove the rest of the way home.

Ariana looked up at me as we walked up the driveway. "Was that a Cylon?"

I smiled, even though if felt like someone had skewered my stomach to the concrete and it was still writhing around there.

"No, honey," I said. "Cylons aren't real."

My little girl looked up at me. Her brow wrinkled and she frowned.

That broke my heart.

It was the first time I'd lied to her.

No, it wasn't a Cylon on the other end of the line, but there was something lacking in the Boothworld operator's voice.

Something broken.