British accent
Emma lived alone in a small apartment. She worked from home and enjoyed quiet evenings with books and tea. She hated answering unknown numbers. If something was important, people could leave a message.
One rainy Tuesday night, her phone rang.
Unknown Number.
Emma ignored it. Ten minutes later, the same number called again. Soon, a voicemail appeared.
She pressed play.
At first, she heard only static. Then a weak voice whispered, “Emma… please answer…”
Emma froze. The voice sounded familiar, but she could not remember why.
That night, another voicemail arrived.
“Emma… answer before she comes.”
The message made her feel cold. The next morning, she called her old friend Sarah.
“It is probably a joke,” Sarah said. “Block the number.”
“But the voice sounds familiar,” Emma replied.
Later, Emma looked through old photographs. One picture caught her attention.
Three young women smiled at the camera.
Emma.
Sarah.
And Julia.
Julia had died ten years earlier in a car accident.
The memories returned. The three friends had been driving home during a storm after a party. Suddenly, Julia’s phone rang. She looked away from the road for a second. A truck appeared, and the car crashed.
Emma and Sarah survived.
Julia did not.
That evening, Emma listened to the voicemail again. Her blood turned cold.
The voice sounded exactly like Julia.
She invited Sarah over. After hearing the message, Sarah became pale.
“It sounds like her,” she whispered.
At ten o’clock, the phone rang again.
Unknown Number.
Sarah grabbed Emma’s hand.
“Answer it.”
Emma slowly picked up.
“Hello?”
Only static answered.
Then a voice whispered, “Too late.”
Sarah started to shake.
“We argued that night,” she admitted. “Julia wanted to stop because of the storm, but I wanted to go home. I never told you.”
Before Emma could speak, another voicemail arrived.
“You forgot…”
It was Julia’s voice again.
Sarah suddenly stood up and rushed out.
The next day, Sarah disappeared.
Her apartment was empty. Her phone, keys, and purse were still inside. The police found nothing.
Frightened and confused, Emma searched through old boxes and found Julia’s phone. After charging it, she discovered an old voicemail recorded on the day of the accident.
Julia’s voice spoke.
“If something happens to me, tell the police. Sarah and I fought. I think she damaged the brakes. I hope I’m wrong.”
Emma felt sick.
Then she remembered that Sarah’s uncle owned a cabin in Blackwood Forest.
That night, she drove there.
Inside the dark cabin, she found Sarah sitting on the floor, crying.
“I didn’t mean to kill her,” Sarah cried. “I only wanted to scare her. I thought she would notice the brakes.”
Suddenly, Emma’s phone rang.
Unknown Number.
She answered.
One word came through.
“Leave.”
The lights went out.
Cold air filled the room.
Near the window stood a woman.
Her clothes were wet.
Blood covered her face.
It was Julia.
Sarah screamed.
“I’m sorry!”
Julia stared at her with sad eyes.
“Why?” she asked softly.
The lights exploded.
Emma covered her face.
When the lights returned, Sarah had fainted. Julia was gone.
Emma called an ambulance. Sarah later confessed everything to the police. She was sent to prison for causing Julia’s death.
Years passed.
Emma built a peaceful life, but she never forgot Julia. Every year, she visited her grave and left three white roses.
Thirty years later, after her husband had died, Emma was living alone again.
One rainy evening, her phone rang.
Unknown Number.
Nervously, she answered.
“Hello?”
There was only static.
Then Julia’s voice spoke softly.
“Emma.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“Julia?”
“I came for the truth,” Julia said. “Thank you for remembering me.”
Three knocks sounded at the front door.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Emma slowly opened it.
Nobody was there.
Only three white roses lying on the doorstep.
Beside them was an old phone.
Julia’s phone.
Emma picked it up. The screen lit up by itself.
One message appeared.
Thank you.
Then the screen went black forever.
Emma smiled through her tears.
“Goodbye, old friend.”
She never received another call.
But people driving near Blackwood Forest during storms still tell strange stories.
Sometimes they see a young woman standing beside the road.
Her clothes are wet, and she never speaks.
She simply points ahead, warning drivers about danger.
And before she disappears into the rain, she smiles.
As if she is finally at peace.
📒 Key vocabulary
- unknown – not known or recognised; not familiar
- static – a noisy sound from a phone, radio, or television that makes voices difficult to hear
- froze (freeze, froze, frozen) – stop moving because of fear, shock, or cold
- crashed (crash, crashed, crashed) – have an accident or hit something violently
- whispered (whisper, whispered, whispered) – speak very quietly
- shake – to tremble or move slightly because of fear, cold, or strong emotion
- rushed (rush, rushed, rushed) – do something quickly as if in a hurry
- brakes – the controls that make a car stop moving
- cabin – a small house, usually made of wood and located in the countryside or a forest
- fainted (faint, fainted, fainted)– lose consciousness due to shock or illness
- confessed (confess, confessed, confessed) – admit that you have done something wrong
- grave – the place marking the spot where a dead person is buried
- doorstep – the area directly outside the entrance of a house or building
- forever – for all time; without an end
- warning – telling people about possible danger or problems
🤔 Comprehension quiz
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