Roddy Phillips

from the great and mysterious Unknown.

Ellis paused mid-sentence, stared at Carolyn's phone and then looked baffled. Meanwhile, I waved like an elated madman across the little window. An old woman passed with her dog and gazed at me with a sort of detached interest.

“It's my turn to be the Peeping Tom," I said and the old woman's dog barked at me.

Suddenly, my phone warbled in my pocket.

It was Carolyn replying to my text. “Who's there?” she asked.

“What the what," I exclaimed out loud.

I texted back “it’s me” and then added one of those smiley face things.

I watched Carolyn jump in her seat when she read the text. Now we'll get some action, I thought, and we did. Carolyn promptly dropped her phone on the desk. Then, for some reason, she swivelled round and round, scanning the room, which was lined with stacked chairs.

Ellis now picked up Carolyn's phone, read the text, looked surprised then laughed nervously. “Who is this?” he texted back. By now, several of the other writers were involved, so I phoned Carolyn's mobile.

I think the whole room jumped when it started its piercing bird whistle. Ellis was elected to answer it.

“Hi, Ellis," I said calmly, making him sit bolt upright, “can you put Carolyn on, please?"

Nervously, Ellis handed Carolyn her phone. I waited a moment until she had the whole room's attention. “Carolyn?" I asked. “Yes, speaking," she replied hesitantly.

“Knock knock," I said and then banged with my fist on the door.

Again the whole room jumped and again Carolyn dropped her phone.

Some people thought I'd gone too far, but I was freezing and I couldn't help thinking I was being kept outside intentionally, possibly to give the writers more time to finish their exercise.

“Actually, I did hear knocking," declared one of the writers.

“So did I," said another, “but I just thought it was someone outside."

“That's right," agreed a third, “it was like someone knocking outside." “Possibly at a door?” I added. “Wait a minute, was that part of the exercise?" asked Carolyn.

“Absolutely," I said, “next week I'll be up on the roof in my pyjamas."

“We could definitely write about that," chorused everyone.

Now I have to buy a ladder.