The Calls

I paused, just for a moment, before turning on the light. I had to laugh at my own nervousness. I sat down at my computer and shook the mouse to wake it from standby. 

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My phone rang again. Once again, it was 000-000-0000. I considered letting it ring through, but I answered anyway.

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“This is Text Relay Operator #2574. Have you ever used a Text Relay System before?” a new, different voice said. It was the cold, stilted cadence of someone working, but the voice itself was night and day from the first caller.