Hello Again

Scott Hardie | June 5, 2002
We have a haunted or broken answering machine. Early in the afternoon, I was sitting on the couch in the living room playing a video game, and Kelly was beside me. I heard a disembodied voice say "Hello?" in the office. It was creepy. When I checked it out, I found nothing. The phone was connected, but it had not ringed, and there was a dial tone when I picked up the receiver.

Late in the afternoon, when I was taking a shower, Kelly reported the same thing: She was on the couch in the living room, when a voice in the office said, "Hello?" She checked the phone, nothing. The computer was on but the speakers were disconnected. The cats weren't in the office. There was nothing else in the office that could make such a sound. It was also loud - not shouting or anything, but loud enough to be heard clearly from the next room.

I think it's the answering machine. The announcement that's on there now doesn't sound like that, but the default announcement, in which a computer voice flatly says, "Hello, please leave a message after the tone," does sort of sound like that. I think the machine is malfunctioning, and is randomly playing the first word of its default announcement then stopping itself.

That, or it's haunted, which would be cool.

Anybody else have tales of possibly haunted appliances?

Anna Gregoline | June 5, 2002
Besides voodoo toasters? Uh...no.

Brannan Conrad | June 5, 2002
My whole house and everything in it. I wake up with cuts on my body, it's strange.

Scott Hardie | June 5, 2002
Anna - Is there an actual toaster that inspired VoodooToaster? I know you bought a toaster a couple of weeks before naming your domain, but I didn't know if there was a connection.

Eddie - You need to install a hidden camera on those little foosball men at night. I think I saw one of them run under the couch when I stayed at your place.