"The Midnight Caller"

### Narrator(s)

Penny Scott-Andrews, Erika Sanderson, Andy Cresswell, David Ault, James Cleveland, and Jesse Cornett

### Next

"A Low Spirit"

**"The Midnight Caller"** is the fifth tale in the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the Nolseep Podcast. In it, a worker at a call center receives strange messages. Written by Charles Eades, it has a runtime of 53:04 and was performed by Penny Scott-Andrews, Erika Sanderson, Andy Cresswell, David Ault, James Cleveland, and Jesse Cornett. It is the 1790th tale overall.

## Summary

Fiona has a job at a center that receives calls and messages for companies. She works the night shift, as it has the highest pay and no one else wants it.

One evening, she falls asleep and is woken up by a phone call from Gary, the accountant of a roofing company with an angry message to be written to a client who wants an impossible payout. After the request is processed, he hangs up.

Several minutes later, Fiona's best friend Judy calls. Though she isn't supposed to take personal messages at work, they chat for a few minutes about how much she hates her job and wishes she could do something else. Judy says she will call again later and leaves.

After another call from Gary with an addendum to his message, Fiona receives a call from a blocked number. Though hesitant, she answers it. A frightened child begs for help and says there's a man in their room watching them. Despite Fiona's requests for information, the child doesn't respond and the message is cut off.

Frightened, she calls Judy and tells her about the incident. Judy says she'll investigate into the matter and tells her to call the police. At the station, Fiona gets through to an officer, who tries his best with the limited information she provides. She doesn't know the child's name, where they are located, or who the man is. Fiona realizes all the calls in the center are recorded and says she'll try to get the message the child sent her. The officer agrees and says he'll call again to see if she needs to be interviewed.

Fiona calls her manager to get to the message files, as they are password-protected. The manager berates her for contacting the police without telling him first and refuses to give her the password. When she threatens to walk out and leave the office unattended, he angrily relents and tells her the login info. However, when she listens to the message, there is no sound.

Judy calls again to say she went to Twitter to find out more. She discovered the call center is built on a tract of land that held apartment housing twenty years ago. A child was found strangled to death in their bedroom one night, with no witnesses or clues. The shocking murder lead to the lot being bulldozed and the center being built on top of it. She says perhaps the child is contacting her from beyond the grave. Gary calls once more, but Fiona hangs up on him, frustrated by his intrusion.

While the two argue, the blocked number calls again. Judy agrees to stay on the line while Fiona answers it. The child once again says there's a man in their room watching them and begs for help. Fiona tells them her name and they begin repeating it. After several seconds of silence, the child screams and the call is cut off.

The two continue talking, trying to make sense of the message. Suddenly, a knock comes at Judy's door. She says she's home alone and all her roommates are out. Though Fiona tells her not to check, she opens it and begins screaming about a man watching her. The call abruptly ends.

Fiona calls the police in hysterics after being transferred through a secretary, getting the same officer as before. Though he is initially skeptical, he agrees to send a car out to Judy's house to check. Gary calls again and she apologizes for hanging up on him. They talk for a few more minutes and agree to go out sometime.

The officer from before contacts her again, with news that Judy was found strangled to death in her apartment. Fiona tearfully agrees to be interviewed the next morning. Shortly after hanging up, she receives a frantic call from her manager, saying that the security alarms of the call center were tripped and someone has broken into the building.

The child calls again, this time taunting her by asking if she can see the man. All the lights shut off in the room. A dark figure enters and sneaks up before wrapping its hands around her neck.

## Cast

Penny Scott-Andrews as Fiona

Erika Sanderson as Judy/the child

Andy Cresswell as the manager

David Ault as Gary

James Cleveland as the police officer

Jesse Cornett as the secretary