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Mary  flipped  the  TV  channels  listlessly.  She  was  bored.  Both  her  

parents  were  working  and  there  was  nothing  interesting  on  TV.  She  wished  

she  had  something  to  do  or  a  friend  to  talk  to.  

 

Then  the  phone  rang.  

 

“Hello.  Jasmine,  please?”(1)  

 

“Jasmine?  There’s  no  on  here  by  the  name  of  Jasmine,”  (2)  answered  

Mary.  “What  number  did  you  dial?”  she  asked.  

 

“63556378.  Isn’t  this  the  right  number?”  the  male  caller  demanded.  

 

“Yes,  it’s  the  right  number  but  there’s  no  such  person  here,”  Mary  

could  hardly  keep  the  exasperation  out  of  her  voice.  

 

“Oh.  So  sorry.  I  really  thought  this  was  Jasmine’s  number.  I  must  

have  copied  down  the  wrong  number.”  The  caller’s  voice  had  become  most  

apologetic,  and  Mary  could  picture  a  woebegone  man  at  the  other  end  of  

the  line.  

 

“It’s  ok,”  Mary  replied  and  got  ready  to  hang  up.  (2)  

 

“You’re  very  nice.  Most  people  would  have  scolded  me  or    

slammed  the  phone  down  on  me,”  said  the  caller  softly.  He  sounded  mature  

and  educated.  His  voice  had  a  caressing  quality.  

 

“Umm,  it’s  ok.  Look,  I  have  to  go,”  said  Mary.  

 

“Do  you  have  to  go  so  soon?  I’m  all  alone  and  you  have  such  a    

nice  voice.  Would  you  mind  talking  for  a  little  while?”  interrupted  the  

caller,  (3)  in  a  cajoling  tone.  

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“Look,  sorry,  bye,  got  to  go.”  Mary  hung  up  the  phone  abruptly.  (4)    

She  wondered  if  it  was  rude  of  her  to  hang  up  like  that  but  she  was  

beginning  to  feel  frightened.  (5)  The  called  seemed  harmless  but  she  was  

uneasy  talking  to  a  complete  stranger.  (5)  Moreover,  he  sounded  so  

intimate,  as  if  he  wanted  to  know  more  about  her,  which  made  her  feel  

most  uncomfortable.  

 

The  phone  rang  loudly.  (6)  

 

“Oh  no,  what  if  it’s  that  man  again?”  thought  Mary  with  dismay.  (7)    

She  clenched  her  fists,  her  stomach  tightened  in  a  knot  of  fear.  (8)  She  did  

not  know  how  long  she  stood  there,  undecided,  staring  at  the  phone.  (8)  

“Stop  being  afraid,”  she  told  herself.  “It’s  probably  mom.”  (10)  Reluctantly,  

she  reached  for  the  receiver.  (9)  

 

“He-­‐llo,”  her  voice  was  quaking  as  she  spoke.  

 

“Hello,  you’re  still  there,”  drawled  the  saccharine  voice  of  the  male  

caller.  “I  was  hoping  you’d  still  be  there.  I  really  wanted  to  talk  to  you…”  

(12)  

 

Mary  slammed  down  the  receiver  hastily.  (11)  Her  hands  were    

shaking.  She  felt  threatened  and  trapped.  A  frightening  thought  came  to  her  

mind:  what  if  the  caller  could  find  out  where  she  lived?  (14)  Should  she  call  

the  police?  Her  phone  had  no  caller  ID,  so  she  could  not  trace  the  call.  What  

should  she  do?  The  caller’s  presence  was  almost  palpable.  Suddenly,  the  

flat  seemed  too  quiet,  with  no  one  else  at  home.  She  had  to  get  out    

before…  

 

Hastily,  Mary  scribbled  a  note  to  her  parents  and  grabbed  her    

bag  and  keys.  (13)  When  the  caller  called  again,  he  would  find  no  one  there  

 

 

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for  him  to  talk  to.  (15)