“Hello?” Ann answered the phone just to make it be quiet. Its long, loud, eerie ring echoed off the bare walls and empty kitchen. Ann had only lived in the house for a week; unpacking usually didn’t finish until week three or four. Ann lived out of the boxes until there was nothing left in them.
“Hi! My name is Steven…,” Steven said with a decidedly non-Steven accent. “…I’m calling from Sharp Development Technical Support. According to my files, there’s a problem with your server. I’m calling to see if I can help you sort it out in a satisfactory manner.” Ann glanced at the lack of computers in her kitchen and smiled to herself.
“Oh no! A problem with my server?! How do I fix it?” she asked. Playing along with scam callers was something she enjoyed whenever she had a chance. Steven couldn’t have called at a better time; Ann was trying to decide how to entertain herself.
“It’s very easy. The previous owner passed away. Through random coincidence, it’s your server now. I will need your full name and social security number to transfer ownership to you,” Steven said.
“No thanks,” Ann sighed. She would have preferred playing along more before he asked for personal information. But once he asked she knew her fun was over.
“N-.. no thanks?!??” Steven sounded shocked. “No one’s ever said ‘no’ before. I don’t think you know what you’re turning down. An AlterNet Server is-
“No” Ann said again more firmly. “Thank you. If it’s that important give it to someone else,” she said then hung up the phone. She finished her evening in boredom, then went to bed.
Ann woke the next morning with an ‘off’ feeling. She felt cold, and her room was brighter than usual. She was bundled up under the covers and rolled onto her back. She looked up, but the ceiling wasn’t there.
Ann stared up at an endless violet sky filled with glowing golden text. She gasped with annoyance and frustration when she read the building-sized floating letters.
