Spam phone calls can play havoc with our lives. We try to block them, but somehow they keep coming back.

 

At times, we listen to them, even when we know we shouldn’t. However, it may be hard to avoid an invitation to . . .

 

 

A Family Reunion

 

      It was a dreary Wednesday in January—not the best start for a new year. Heavy rain covered the window, as I sat in an empty Amtrak train car and moved around in the seat trying to get comfortable. My butt hurt like hell and my back itched like an army of ants was crawling up a mountain to my neck. 

      It seemed like I’d been waiting for hours for the train to leave the Roseville station on its way to the Bay Area. I had no idea why or where I was going. I’d received a mysterious message on my cell phone that read, “Come today and your life will change for the better. If you ignore this message, you will regret the outcome. Pay attention to your phone, as you will receive periodic updates instructing you what to do to improve your life.”

      I thought about calling the authorities. But all they’d probably say is that it was a spam message and I should just ignore it. I believed, Maybe I should. But obviously, I didn’t.

      And why was I alone, I questioned. In all the train rides I’d taken in the past, I’d always had trouble finding a seat. And it was 9 am on a work day. Where was everybody? Then, lost in thought, I was propelled back in my seat, as the train began to pull out of the station. I gasped for air and tried to relax.

      As we traveled, I became drowsy. My eyes glazed over and my phone slipped from my hand and slithered down my leg onto the floor. It began to flash bright red. I’d never seen this before. I bent over to pick it up and saw words appearing in large, bold type, “You will soon be joined by others. Treat them as brothers and sisters. Embrace the family reunion.”

      This blew my mind. I was an only child. And my parents abandoned me at the age of two. I spent sixteen of my twenty-seven years in foster care, and never with another child. How do I treat these people as my siblings? I had no idea.

      Then the train lurched to a stop at the Danville Station. I tried to grab the phone off the ground, but it slid down the aisle. I leaned down and dove for it as the car doors opened. Grasping it in my hand, I made my way back to my seat and focused on the people entering the train.

      Six individuals, three men and three women came aboard. All seemed to be in their early- to mid-twenties. A blond-haired man motioned to the others to follow him. They moved to the rear of the car and sat down in a section that had three seats on both sides of a table. Was this a meeting? I thought. None of them looked my way. Either they didn’t notice me or they were ignoring me. How was I to treat them as my relatives, if to them I didn’t exist?

      The car door closed and the train began to move out of the station. Crazy as it seemed, the fact they didn’t focus on me made me feel relaxed. Maybe the messages I received were just an absurd online prank.

      Unable to get this out of my mind, my eyes scanned the table of six. They seemed to be engaged in deep conversation. It was loud enough that I could hear their voices, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. My curiosity rattled my brain and my stomach churned uncontrollably. My desire to find out what was going on got the best of me and I decided I needed to be closer to my “siblings.” 

      With my eyes glued to my phone, I crept toward the table and, inconspicuously, took a seat across from my “relatives.” Now I was in range and could hear what they were saying.

      The blond leader spoke slowly, “Our instructions are clear. I hope all of you have taken the time to review them in the email we received.”

      “I have, Roman, but I’m not sure what they mean. They seem to be orders, but from whom?” Callie queried.

      “Roman, I agree with Callie,” Scotty stated. “Why have we been chosen to do what is being asked?”

      “Yes, why us, Roman?” Katie inquired. “We’re not the police or the FBI.” 

      “Maybe because we’re family,” Justin said in a strong voice that made me shake and almost look toward them.

      “What does family have to do with this?” Jessica shouted.

      “And is what we’re being asked to do even legal?” Callie questioned.

      “That’s a good point. But we’re not being asked to rob a bank or kill somebody,” Roman replied.

      “No, but we might as well have been. We’re being told to change someone’s life. Someone we don’t even know,” Scotty muttered.

      “And who is this person?” Katie asked, in a high-pitched voice.

      “The message indicated we will soon find out,” Roman said.

      “Soon. When’s soon?” Jessica whispered.

      And then they all went quiet. I began to shake. Were they receiving messages from the same person who sent messages to me. Were we related? The question danced through my mind in an unimaginable way.

      Still holding my phone, it began to vibrate. “My, God!” I moaned. Was I getting another message. I hesitated to look, but knew in my heart I didn’t have a choice.

      Gathering up my courage, I stared at my phone screen. The message read, “Reach out to your brothers and sisters. Their and your world is about to change.”

      “No, no,” I muttered. “They’re not my brothers and sisters.”

      Another message appeared on my phone. It stated, “Save them from themselves. Don’t let them do what they can’t undo?”

      This was getting crazier by the minute. What were they going to do? And why was I chosen to protect them from their fate? Then I could hear the voices at the table again. I didn’t want to, but I listened. 

      “Roman, what’s the matter? You’re quivering. What’s going on?” Katie screeched.

      Roman remained silent and stared at his cell phone. He started to bang on the table with unbelievable strength. The others peered at their brother, confused and afraid of what might happen next.

      “What are you doing, Roman?” Jessica queried. “Your scaring me.”

      “We’re all going to Hell. I got the message,” Roman yelled.

      “What are you talking about?” Justin asked forcibly. 

      “We have to kill the demon, the one that will ruin our family,” Roman cried out.

      “But we love each other. We’re sisters and brothers. It’s not one of us, is it?” Callie moaned.

      Roman ignored her and screamed, “I’ve got to do it! It’s our only chance for survival.”

      He pulled a knife from his jacket. Watching this rocked my universe. I had to do something—stop this from happening. Nobody had to die. I needed to save “my family.”

      Unseen, I got up from the table and was about to tackle Roman, when the train door opened from the car in front of ours. A large man wearing a head mic yelled, “Cut,” and applauded. “Great job, cast.” 

      I started to walk away. My job was done or undone, depending on how you looked at it.

      “Young man,” the guy called out and pointed to the cameras on the wall.

      I hadn’t noticed them. He was smiling, and I didn’t know what to say.

      Then he laughed and said, “Thank you for following our prompts on your phone. How would you like to join our family again for our next film shoot?”

      I stood in awe and thought, I guess I’ve been invited to another “family reunion.”         

 

 

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