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My Phone Number Showed Up on My Caller ID

When we got back from the beach, I checked the caller ID instead of playing the answering machine because I am just that lazy.  I was scrolling past the names when I thought I saw my own and backed up.  Wait.  I hadn’t seen things.  There it was: my own name followed by my own number.  A call made from inside the house while we were out of town.

Which instantly called to mind every “I’m calling from inside the house” horror story told around campfires.

telephone

Image: Stephen Pierzchala via Flickr

I played the answering machine, but the only message was a hang up.

A hang up preceded by a moment or two of eerie silence.

I sent Josh around the house, certain that he would find someone who looked like Bob from Twin Peaks hiding in our basement, holding an old-fashioned, rotary phone.  (Why was my horror man holding a phone that takes 10x longer to make a phone call?  I don’t know.  Because he has all the time in the world as he leaves his creepy horror messages?)

The basement was empty.

The rest of the house was empty.

That night, I Googled the situation and discovered that phone solicitors have now discovered a way to make your own name and number appear on your caller ID.  They know that we all ignore “private caller” or unlisted numbers, but how can you ignore yourself?  I mean, it could be future-you calling present-you in order to warn you about Twin Peaks-like, rotary-phone operating horror characters.  Or it could be a robo-call.  Either/or.

In any case, the mystery was solved.

But for a few hours, it was pretty damn creepy.

13 comments

1 Susannah Fox { 08.25.14 at 8:48 am }

That’s creepy. I hope the practice is publicized so more people know about it.

2 a { 08.25.14 at 8:57 am }

I saw that from someone on Facebook, so my first response was “He’s in the house! Get out!” I don’t know what the telemarketers think, but I wouldn’t answer a call from myself any more than I answer any other call…

3 Valery { 08.25.14 at 9:29 am }

ehmmmm, if I would call myself, shouldn’t the line be busy? It’s just not logical!
(But if we go for the illogical: if a phone can call itself it can talk to itself too 😉

I admire your imagination!

4 Tiara { 08.25.14 at 11:07 am }

Wow, so creepy! I’d be just as creeped out if I was at home when the call came in. I know my future self wouldn’t bother trying to call me since I never answer they phone. I’d know enough to email myself! Or text…

5 Laurel Regan { 08.25.14 at 11:18 am }

That is creepy! But very good to know… I’ll have to remember that.

6 Geochick { 08.25.14 at 4:48 pm }

Argh. Solicitors always trying to get you to answer. Don’t they know you’re just going to hang up?

7 Colleen { 08.25.14 at 10:47 pm }

really funny post — used to spend many a Friday night watching Twin Peaks. Really got strange at the end . . . . i mean stranger

8 Cherish { 08.25.14 at 11:22 pm }

Creepy! I’m creeped out even reading it! But I guess it isn’t surprising since I get emails from spammers that appear to come from my own name and email address.

9 Arnebya { 08.26.14 at 10:15 am }

If I were home and it happened, I’d be out so damned fast I’d stretch out the rotary phone cord to that irritating, twisted unravel that never returns to the original shape. As for telemarketers doing it, that just irks me and I’d be more apt to yell into the phone, LISTEN, ARNEBYA, STOP CALLING ME, OKAY?

10 Lori Lavender Luz { 08.27.14 at 3:54 pm }

“He’s calling from inside the house!”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_a_Stranger_Calls_%281979_film%29

I haven’t thought about Twin Peaks for years. Now I can’t get the theme song out of my head. Thanks.

11 Bronwyn { 08.28.14 at 9:45 am }

That is creepy. Which part of their brain thought it would be better to creep people out?

12 Amber { 08.29.14 at 6:33 pm }

Oh wow. That is definitely creepy!

13 Battynurse { 09.05.14 at 6:47 pm }

Yikes! That produced a flash back to that movie from grade school that scarred me for life.

(c) 2006 Melissa S. Ford
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