The Telephone
by Nancy Bachus · August 2025
The Telephone is a chilling, time-bending mystery that begins in 1985, when ten-year-old Kelly discovers a dusty black rotary phone in her grandmother’s attic. The phone has no cord. No connection. It should be silent. But one night—it rings.
What begins as faint static soon becomes a desperate voice: a little girl pleading for help. As Kelly grows up, the phone follows her through childhood, college, marriage, and motherhood—haunting her across decades. The voice calls her again and again, leading her back to the old family home and a long-forgotten mystery buried since the 1950s.
Blending elements of The Haunting of Hill House and The Lovely Bones, this novel is a gripping family drama wrapped in supernatural suspense. It’s about memory, grief, and the invisible threads that bind generations together.
Will Kelly uncover the truth behind the mysterious voice? Or will the secrets of the past remain lost forever?
Dear Readers,
Have you ever wondered what echoes might still linger in the quiet corners of an old house? Or what would happen if a voice from the past suddenly called out through the dark, asking for your help?
In The Telephone, ten-year-old Kelly Reynolds unearths a heavy, corded black rotary phone from her grandmother’s attic. It’s an antique—a relic from another era, missing its cord and entirely disconnected from the world. Yet, when the house falls quiet, the metal bells inside begin to ring.
When Kelly picks up the receiver, she doesn't hear a normal dial tone. She hears static, followed by the faint, desperate voice of a terrified girl pleading for help.
What begins as a bizarre childhood mystery quickly spirals into a haunting, decades-long journey. As Kelly grows up, gets married, and starts a family of her own, the phantom calls continue to surface—pulling her deeper into a dark, forgotten history and an unsolved tragedy that hits terrifyingly close to home.
The Telephone is a story about the unseen threads that tie us to the past, the chilling weight of long-buried secrets, and the relentless urge to help a voice in the dark when no one else believes you.
Step into 1985, pick up the receiver, and discover who is waiting on the other end of the line.
Warmly,
Nancy Bachus
Author of The Telephone
— Nancy Bachus
About The Telephone
The Telephone is a chilling, time-bending mystery that begins in 1985, when ten-year-old Kelly discovers a dusty black rotary phone in her grandmother’s attic. The phone has no cord. No connection. It should be silent. But one night—it rings.
What begins as faint static soon becomes a desperate voice: a little girl pleading for help. As Kelly grows up, the phone follows her through childhood, college, marriage, and motherhood—haunting her across decades. The voice calls her again and again, leading her back to the old family home and a long-forgotten mystery buried since the 1950s.
Blending elements of The Haunting of Hill House and The Lovely Bones, this novel is a gripping family drama wrapped in supernatural suspense. It’s about memory, grief, and the invisible threads that bind generations together.
Will Kelly uncover the truth behind the mysterious voice? Or will the secrets of the past remain lost forever?
Nancy Bachus
I am a recently retired Flight Attendant who now puts my stories in print. I am an animal lover so pets are a part of most of my stories. I’ve written a children’s book about a rescue Husky which is becoming a series. Also coming soon is a story about a colony of stray cats. I’ve written a book about ghostly telephone and woman’s interaction with it over most of her life. And soon a story of another woman’s haunted house.
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