THE PHONE CALL

Maria Johns hurried  through the narrow lane that led to the Public Library building in the Bakers Corner. The Corner smelled of muffins, brown bread and cakes true to its name and each every walk through the area was mouth watering.

Maria walked up the shaky wooden staircase that led to the main entrance of the library. She had managed to reach the library half an hour before its closing time at five.

Mr. Thomas the head librarian who was a short elderly man sat in his seat.

“ Hello Mr. Thomas here are the books I have to return” She handed over the library books along with a petty fine to the librarian.

“ Ms. Johns ‘The Dungeon’ has been returned. You can pick them from the first shelf to the left side.” It had a been two week wait for the much in demand novel.

It was past six when she reached her private apartment.

“  Maria Dad here. Are you late back today? Is your cell phone off or what? Call back tomorrow” she listened to the record on the answering machine before moving in for a quick shower.

Maria lay on her bed with ‘The Dungeon’ in her hand. The book seemed less interesting than what she had heard. Maria had almost closed the book when she noticed a scribbling on the top of the page. It read-

‘ Please call I would like to make friends. Phone No…………..’.

Sleepy Maria ignored the note and was fast asleep.

All through the next day Maria thought about the note in the library book. She rushed from her office to her apartment in the evening.

“ Hello who is this?” It sounded like a teenage girl at the other end of the telephone line.

“ Hi this is Maria .. I got your phone number from the library book.”

Soon the room was filled with laughter and words between Maria and Jenny.

Jenny talked about her school while Maria shared her bit too.

Days and nights passed. Maria and Jenny were no less than best friends.

“ It’s been a week since Jenny called up nor she is picking my phone”

Maria wondered what could be the reason that Jenny had stopped calling her. She checked the local telephone directory to find Jenny’s residential address.

“ Let me surprise Jenny by visiting her at her home.”

The drive to the village area where Jenny lived was peaceful as the streets remained empty being a Sunday morning. The church bells on either side of the roads chimed that made the drive merrier. Maria carried a basket of chocolates and flowers for Jenny along with her.

Jenny’s house stood on the hillside. It looked even more beautiful than she had described. It was painted blue and white on the outside and it had a lovely flower garden.

“ Hello this is Maria Johns… Jenny’s friend .”

“ Come in ” replied the maid who opened the front door.

The drawing room looked attractive with furniture and wall paintings to counterpart the wall. There was a stone fireplace in the corner of the room. Several antique pieces were neatly arranged on an ebony wood shelf. A family portrait with a golden frame hung on the side of the shelf. The girl in the portrait looked familiar. Maria recollected the girl whom she had met in the library. They used to smile and greet each other but still they never knew each other.

“ Hello Ms Johns…” Maria turned to face a stout dark lady.

“ I am Jenny’s mom Barbara” She recognized the lady as the one who she saw in the picture with a man and a girl.

“ Is that Jenny in the picture?” Maria asked the lady who was pouring out coffee for her.

“ Hmm.. That’s our family” Barbara replied.

“ Can I meet Jenny ? We know each other for quite some time” Maria looked up at the locked room upstairs.

“That might be Jenny’s room” she thought to herself.

“For how long do you know Jenny ?How do you know her? Where did you meet her?”

Maria found Jenny’s mother to be too interrogative. She looked more like a teacher with her spectacles seated on the bridge of her nostrils.

“ It’s been more than a month.” Maria briefly described about how Jenny and she had become friends through the note in the library book .

“ What you mean how can you call her? Jenny died from cancer two months back.” Barbara was in tears.

Maria was more than shocked to speak any further. She gently placed the gift basket she had carried on the coffee table and silently walked out of the house.

“If Jenny had died .. . Then whom did I speak to?” Her mind seemed in a turmoil.

Back in her apartment Maria felt as if in a haunted house. She dialled Jenny’s number once again. The call remained unreachable.

‘The Dungeon’ lay on the table right in front of her. She opened the page where she had found Jenny’s number. There was no such note to be seen .

Was it a mental illusion or a wandering spirit?

Maria wiped the heavy sweat that had moistened her forehead.

The cell phone on her side table rang for long. The screen display on the phone read ‘Incoming call from Jenny’. She picked the phone with trembling hands

“ Hello Maria……… Jenny here………………….”

__END__