AN OLD PHONE IN SVALBARD, NORWAY…
You find yourself before an ancient phone in Svalbard.
You don’t know how you know this, but you do. If you pick up the receiver and dial, you can call anyone at any time from your life up until now.
Would you call an old friend in a previous time?
Would you call your younger self?
Would you call an old family member or friend who has long since passed away?
Much like Stephen King’s “Word Processor of the Gods”, this phone has a limited use and a limited existence. It won’t keep the connection for long, you’re limited to people you’ve known and spoken to during your lifetime. The connection quality will be scratchy, and you’ll never know when the connection might drop and never be made again.
So, who would you call?
SOURCES:
- PHOTOGRAPH taken by Vadim Shevchenko of an old telephone outside Svalbard, Norway. Sourced from https://shevchenkovadim.com/gallery/eurasia/norway/architecture
- CONCEPT by Stephen King in his short story, “Word Processor of the Gods”, first published in the January 1983 issue of Playboy magazine under the title “The Word Processor”, and collected in King’s 1985 collection Skeleton Crew.
- CONCEPT by Stephen King in the teleplay, “Sorry, Right Number”, written by author Stephen King for an episode of the horror anthology series Tales from the Darkside. It’s the ninth episode of the fourth season. It was later included in King’s 1993 short story collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes
POSTLOGUE:
I gave this a LOT of thought last night as I was reading short stories and came up with the concept, sourcing both the short stories that inspired it and the photograph by Vadim Shevchenko of an old telephone outside Svalbard, Norway.
I would NOT call any human being, NO ONE alive or dead in my past. Despite my love and missing Benjamin Balogh, Scott Anderson, and Ben Szoko (to name just a few), it’s actually my aunt MaryAnn Balogh’s Collie / German Shepherd that I would reach out through time and space for just a few more minutes with.
Daiquiri was one of the kindest, gentlest, most-loving dogs I’ve known in the 48 years I’ve walked this planet. It was my Aunt Mair who awoke my love for dogs, and it was Daiquiri specifically who enflamed my passion for dogs as family companions. It was Daiquiri who felt more like an older sister and beloved companion to me from puppy to grand dame.
If I could have a minute more with her, I would hug her if I could, tell her how much I loved her, and tell her just how very much she meant to me and inspired me.