Alex needed a new start. After a difficult year, a small house in the quiet countryside seemed like the perfect escape from the noise and crowds of the city. The estate agent called it a “house with character,” which Alex knew was a polite way of saying it was very old and needed a lot of work. But Alex didn’t mind. The price was low, and the silence was exactly what was needed.
For the first week, everything was peaceful. Alex painted the walls, fixed a leaking tap, and started to feel at home. It wasn’t until a rainy Tuesday that things began to feel strange. While clearing out the dusty attic, Alex found a box hidden under some old floorboards. Inside was a single object: an old, black telephone. It was heavy, with a rotary dial and a thick, coiled cord. It was a beautiful object, but there was one strange thing about it. The cord wasn’t connected to anything. There was no phone line in the attic. Thinking it was an interesting antique, Alex took it downstairs and placed it on a small table in the hallway.
That night, Alex was woken by a sudden, loud noise.
Ring… Ring…
Alex’s heart jumped. The sound was coming from downstairs. Confused and a little scared, Alex crept out of bed and went to the top of the stairs to listen.
Ring… Ring…
It was the black telephone. That was impossible. It wasn’t connected to anything. Alex stood frozen on the stairs, listening to the phone ring again and again in the dark, silent house. After a few minutes, it stopped. Alex didn’t sleep much for the rest of the night.
The next day, Alex decided it was just a strange dream. But that evening, while watching a film, it happened again. The loud, insistent ringing of the black telephone filled the house. This time, Alex felt a strange mix of fear and curiosity. Slowly, Alex walked into the hallway and stared at the phone. It was definitely ringing. With a trembling hand, Alex picked up the receiver.
“Hello?”
At first, there was only silence. Then, a soft, hissing sound, like static on an old radio. Alex was about to hang up when a faint whisper came through the noise. It was impossible to hear what it was saying. It sounded like a voice from very far away.
“Who is this?” Alex asked, but the only reply was more static. Alex quickly put the phone down, heart pounding.
The next night, Alex was determined to ignore it. When the ringing started, Alex turned up the volume on the television and tried to focus on the programme. But the ringing was impossible to ignore. It felt like it was inside Alex’s head. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, Alex ran to the phone and snatched the receiver.
“What do you want?” Alex shouted into it.
The static was there again, but this time the voice was clearer. It was a low, cold whisper. And it whispered Alex’s name.
A wave of pure terror washed over Alex. How could anyone know his name? Alex threw the phone to the floor. The heavy black plastic cracked. But the whispering didn’t stop. It was still coming from the broken receiver.
The next morning, Alex took the broken phone, put it in a bag, drove ten miles to a river, and threw it into the deep water. There was a feeling of relief. It was over.
But when Alex returned home and opened the front door, the first thing that he saw was the black telephone. It was sitting on the hallway table, perfectly clean and without a single crack. It looked as if it had never been moved. Alex stared at it, feeling cold dread spread through every part of the body. As Alex watched, frozen in the doorway, it began to ring again.
Look out for Part 2, next
Vocabulary Notes
Estate agent
Definition: A person whose job is to sell houses and land for people.
Example: “The estate agent called it a ‘house with character,’ which Alex knew was a polite way of saying it was very old and needed a lot of work.”
Another example: We spoke to an estate agent to find out the value of our flat before we decided to sell it.
Similar words: Real estate agent (American English), realtor.
Leaking (from the verb ‘to leak’)
Definition: When a liquid or gas accidentally escapes from a hole or crack in an object.
Example: “Alex painted the walls, fixed a leaking tap, and started to feel at home.”
Another example: The roof is leaking, so we have a bucket in the bedroom to catch the raindrops.
Similar words: Dripping, escaping, seeping.
Attic
Definition: A space or room at the very top of a house, just under the roof. It is often used for storing things.
Example: “While clearing out the dusty attic, Alex found a box hidden under some old floorboards.”
Another example: My grandmother keeps all her old photographs in a wooden chest in the attic.
Similar words: Loft.
Rotary dial
Definition: An old type of telephone dial that you turn with your finger to choose a number. Each hole represents a number.
Example: “It was heavy, with a rotary dial and a thick, coiled cord.”
Another example: It took a long time to make a phone call with a rotary dial because you had to turn it for every single number.
Similar words: (This is a specific object, so there are no direct synonyms, but you could describe it as an ‘old-fashioned telephone dial’).
Crept (the past tense of ‘to creep’)
Definition: To move very slowly, quietly, and carefully, so that nobody sees or hears you.
Example: “Confused and a little scared, Alex crept out of bed and went to the top of the stairs to listen.”
Another example: The cat crept along the garden wall, trying to get closer to the bird.
Similar words: Sneaked, tiptoed.
Trembling (from the verb ‘to tremble’)
Definition: To shake slightly, usually because you are cold, scared, or excited.
Example: “With a trembling hand, Alex picked up the receiver.”
Another example: His voice was trembling with anger as he told them to leave.
Similar words: Shaking, shivering, quivering.
Hissing (from the verb ‘to hiss’)
Definition: To make a long ‘s’ sound. Snakes hiss, and it can also describe the sound of static or air escaping.
Example: “Then, a soft, hissing sound, like static on an old radio.”
Another example: The old speakers started hissing in the middle of the song.
Similar words: Sizzling (for cooking sounds), fizzing.
Insistent
Definition: Demanding something forcefully and not accepting refusal. An insistent sound is one that continues in a way that is difficult to ignore.
Example: “The loud, insistent ringing of the black telephone filled the house.”
Another example: Despite the rain, he was insistent that we go for a walk.
Similar words: Persistent, demanding, relentless.
Snatched (the past tense of ‘to snatch’)
Definition: To take something quickly, suddenly, and often rudely or violently.
Example: “…Alex ran to the phone and snatched the receiver.”
Another example: The monkey snatched the tourist’s sunglasses right off his head.
Similar words: Grabbed, seized.
Dread
Definition: A very strong feeling of fear and worry about something bad that you think is going to happen.
Example: “Alex stared at it, feeling cold dread spread through every part of the body.”
Another example: She felt a sense of dread when she realised she had lost her passport the day before her flight.
Similar words: Fear, terror, horror, anxiety.
Don’t forget to look out for Part 2, next
Story written by SteveUK & Google Gemini AI
Image created by Grok 3 AI
CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads
Reading Short Stories/Content for English Learners 
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