On the phone, at 3am, in a cabin in the middle of nowhere… with my dad… I haven’t been able to talk about this prior to now. But here goes nothing.

I have to preface this story by saying that this actually happened to my mom. I’ve wanted to recount this story because she was never actually able to express her feelings about what happened other than humor. So, this is my retelling of what happened to her because i think it captures a strange and scary experience. Sorry if you don’t like that I’m in the third person, my mom and I are similar while both being dramatic and I like getting close to realism. <br><br>Every few years we’d go to a cabin in the woods to unplug from life and hang out for a week without having an obligation to work. It’s always been a fun family experience, and notably a chance for a digital detox for both my parents. For some context, our cabin is in the middle of nowhere, off a dirt road with a small valley around the cabin. Then there’s a short hike up the hill and you’ll find the road that goes to the nearest town. Let me tell you, if you try to get into the cabin without the key, you’d be in for a world of pain. My dad had rigged the door up with locks galore, and boards in the windows that reached an entire foot onto the sides of the panes. If you tried to break the windows, you’d first have to pull the boards off. Needless to say, I’m sure you’ll understand why we never used an alarm system with how long it would take to get inside.<br><br>My mom and dad were in the cabin alone for a week, and then my siblings and I were going to come up to the cabin for an additional week. We did this if my siblings and I were on summer vacation and my parents wanted to be in the cabin for an extended time. My dad was the first to arrive while my mom came the day after. I remember her saying that she hated being there alone, but loved spending time with my dad in the middle of nowhere. It’s a very peaceful place to be even if it’s old and rickety. I mean, there’s one bathroom. It’s a pull-the-chain deal while the shower is just a hose hanging from the ceiling that my dad rigged up. It’s like camping, but there’s a refrigerator and beds. A rustic experience without having to be outside. <br><br>On the second night that my mom was there, she received a phone call at about 3 in the morning. She was groggy, and as we all know, when we get calls like that, they’re usually a wrong number. When she answered, all she heard was silence. She was annoyed that someone had woken her up so she would’ve yelled at whoever to stop pranking her, but my dad was sleeping. So, she waited patiently to see if someone was on the line. Then, a man’s voice came through. He first asked her if she was having a good night. She remembers the voice being deep and clear, but she doesn’t remember what his words were. Then the line went dead. My mom was confused, but she chalked it up to some random person who’d accidentally called the wrong number.<br><br>The next night, she got another phone call. This time, she woke my dad up, thinking maybe there was an emergency and someone was trying to call us about it. The phone rang for about 3 minutes solid before my dad finally answered. Again, there was silence. Then the man’s voice came back. All my dad remembers is that the voice was taunting him, saying, “You know why I’m calling.” My dad immediately hung up the phone. Then he pulled the plug on the phone line. <br><br>After that, no more calls came. My dad thinks the guy had been inspired by the movie Scream. I don’t know if you know the premise of the movie, but a serial killer is terrorizing a small town by pranking people over the phone. Eventually, his pranks turn into brutal and graphic murders.<br><br>My dad was irritated that someone had decided to use our phone to prank us. But he decided not to unplug the phone because he actually needed it in case of an emergency. The next night, he received another call. This time, the man’s voice was angry. He yelled at my dad for hanging up on him, then called my dad very nasty and hateful names. Then the line went dead for the last time. <br><br>After that night, my parents decided to go to the nearest town and see if they could figure out who it was. The next town had a trading post, a restaurant, and a gas station. So, my parents went into the restaurant and asked people at the counter. The owner of the restaurant happened to be sitting there, and he knew immediately who my parents were talking about.<br><br>The guy was from a nearby town, and he worked at the trading post. Apparently, he was known for making strange phone calls to the residents of the town he worked in. Making threats, prank calls, and other strange things. He had actually been fired from the trading post for making these bizarre calls. But the owner said that the guy still lived in the town. <br><br>My dad joked that the next time he called, he was going over to the guy’s house and “have a few words with him.” My dad never went through with it, but if you knew my dad you’d know that he isn’t anybody you want to mess with.<br><br>Even though my parents never received any more calls after that, they’d never forget the guy who was brazen enough to call a cabin in the middle of nowhere and threaten the residents at 3 in the morning. So, Weird Guy who calls random people in the middle of the night, let’s not meet.<br><br>EDIT: I think it’s important to note that my parents never reported this to the authorities. I think my dad just had it in his head that he could take the guy on himself. I mean, if you knew my dad, you’d know that he’s completely right. I hope that the guy stopped doing this and got some sort of help. If you’re the weird guy, I hope that you’re doing well now.