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The Call - Thirteen Around ten p.m., Ted ran out of energy and returned home for the night. He went upstairs and undressed for bed, planning to read for a while. An hour or so later, Ralph also returned, and after talking briefly they both decided to call it a night. Ted got back in bed and started reading again, but before too long he heard an odd noise downstairs which seemed to originate in the kitchen. It sounded like a radio turned on very loudly, picking up only static. After a few seconds the noise stopped suddenly, and Ted went back to his book. But he heard it again, a little louder. Once more it ceased, only to start up again, continuing the on-and-off cycle about every sixty seconds. Each time it returned, the crackly, wheezy noise was louder, and Ted could tell it was no longer in the kitchen. The sound was moving through the living room and slowly into the large central hallway. By the time it reached the stairs, it was disturbingly pow- erful. Ted got out of bed and walked to his door, peering out. “Ralph!” he shouted over the noise, “what the heck are you doing down there?” Just then Ralph let out a yell and ran from his bedroom into the hall. As he came bolting up the stairs, Ted retreated into his room in fright, with no idea what was happening. He broke out in a cold, clammy sweat, trembling all over, unable to think or respond. Ralph ran into the room and dived wide- eyed onto Ted’s bed. “Tt’s not me!” he screamed, “it’s not me, it’s not me! Do something, Ted, make it stop!” “My God, Ralph, what is it?” Ted shouted back. The sound was now filling the stairway, booming so loudly that the two men were deafened by the noise. The very walls shook with each explosion of sound, until the whole house seemed to be breathing, in and out, in and out, alive and monstrous. All Ted could think of was getting away from the threatening roar, but it was climbing relentlessly up the stairs toward his room, cutting off the escape route to the front door. In sheer panic, Ted ran to his window and tore off the screen, determined not to stay in the room a second longer. Masquerade of Angels 120 The Call - Thirteen Ralph had the same idea at the same moment, and it was utter pandemonium as they both struggled to squeeze through the window in a mass of tangled arms and legs. At last Ralph climbed out onto the overhanging porch roof, and Ted was right behind him, tossing his trousers and shoes out the window. They slid off the roof in a rain of falling clothing, and Ralph took off running. Ted grabbed up his trousers and followed as fast as he could, tripping and stumbling as he tried to dress himself and run at the same time. They didn’t stop until they reached an_ all-night restaurant a few blocks away. Hurrying inside, Ralph and Ted took refuge in a well-lit booth, and there they sat, terrified, until dawn. For a while, all Ralph could do was moan and tremble, fearful and anguished. This time, Ralph had no doubts. He knew that Ted wasn’t responsible for the uproar, and he knew just as certainly what the noise was all about. This time, he had an explanation. “When Miss Flowers was dying,” he told Ted, “I went to see her every day in the hospital. She was in a coma those last few days, and her breathing was extremely labored and loud. I'd never been around anybody dying before. I listened to her struggle for breath, hour after hour, and Ill never forget how it sounded. “That’s what we heard tonight,” he said miserably. “That was the sound of Miss Flowers as she died. It’s called a death rattle.” Ted shuddered and said nothing. He had never been scared so completely, and as they walked slowly back to the house when the sun came up, he almost couldn’t make him- self go inside. But Ralph begged him to stay. There was no way he could live there alone, not after such a night of terror, and finally Ted agreed. He had made a promise to Miss Flowers, after all, and now he was too frightened to break it, knowing the force the ghost could summon if it chose to do so. For the rest of the semester, Ralph worked feverishly to complete his studies and earn the degree as his godmother had insisted to Ted. No more dates, no more anything until his work was done. And his efforts paid off, improving his Masquerade of Angels 121