What will you do?...

[Amiel]

It is the middle of summer, and you are relaxing at home after an abnormally hot day. You have opened the windows to let in the warm gentle breeze rather than turning on the air conditioning like so many other households. Your parents have gone to pick up dinner and have informed you they won't be back for a while due to traffic congestion.

You turn on the television for the evening news and as you do so, the lights flicker. Seems like the power grid can't cope with the electricity demand. Heh.

Suddenly, a knock at the door startles you from your nap. You must have dozed off without any effort. You go to answer the door. Your parents must have taken a shortcut.

It's your friend, one who you haven't seen in a long time, five years or thereabouts. Your best friend from childhood. As you look upon your friend in mild surprise and exclaim your happiness, both in greeting and by giving your friend a hug, your friend smiles a sad little smile. Your friend asks to be invited in.

You politely inquire about whether or not your friend is hungry, your friend denotes a negative. Unable to contain yourself, you take your friend by the hand and race upstairs like old times, to chat away like you did all those years ago, all those times before. Seconds trickle by into minutes and minute turn into an hour.
The power goes out, not unexpectedly and you prepared a candle just in case.

Suddenly, your phone rings. Your mobile, you must have left it downstairs. With the power outrage, it must be running on a separate power grid and reception line. You go downstairs to answer. It could be your parents.
Your friend implores you to stay, you promise to return quickly.

When you answer, a stranger is at the other end of the line. A professional voice tinged with sadness and fatigue. "Hello," he says
"I'm Doctor O'Brien. "

You are somewhat confused and hesitantly give a reply, "Hi, doctor, how can I help you?"

The doctor continues "I found your contact details within your friend's possessions. His/her parents are with him/her and have asked to contact you."

He pauses, "I'm sorry to say that your friend passed away recently. S/he was in a car accident and sustained massive injuries. There was nothing we could do. I'm so sorry...hello, hello? Are you still there?..."
*Click* Your mobile is out of battery.

You clutch the mobile as if it were a lifeline and cannot say anything. You turn your head to look up at the darkened staircase that leads up to the second storey. You promised your friend that you will return quickly. Yet...

What will you do?

[billtodamax]

Grab the chainsaw I keep by the phone for just such an emergency (The blue one, mind, not the orange) and go upstairs with it behind my back, while nonchalantly inquirying if he/she is an undead. Positive answer means chainsaw. Negative answer means laughing over chainsaw, while keeping it withing reach. Braaaaainzzz Means chainsaw.

[Amiel]

I doubt you'd keep a chainsaw within the house proper; in a garage, workshop or storage area maybe but in no way would a chainsaw be lying nonchalantly/causally within the actual house. Some households may not even have chainsaws.

Oh, and serious answers please

[Dallas-Dakota]

Offer him a ''brainshake'', judge his reaction and deal with accordingly.

Or just ignore the phone call and assume it was just a weirdo.

[billtodamax]

You'd be suprised how obediant chainsaws will be if they think there's a more dominant chainsaw to mete out justice. I just had to convince them that the other was dominant and they keep each other in line.

Serious answer?
I'd assume that the caller was mistaken, go back upstairs and tell the friend, have a bit of a laugh about it, and call them back when I got a chance to charge my cell.

[Amiel]

Offer him a ''brainshake'', judge his reaction and deal with accordingly.

What is a brainshake, may I ask?


Or just ignore the phone call and assume it was just a weirdo.

The call is from an actual doctor in a hospital. Hospitals, as an essential vital resource, have backup generators that kick in the advent of emergencies.


You'd be suprised how obediant chainsaws will be if they think there's a more dominant chainsaw to mete out justice. I just had to convince them that the other was dominant and they keep each other in line.

Good luck and have fun with that!


Serious answer?
I'd assume that the caller was mistaken, go back upstairs and tell the friend, have a bit of a laugh about it, and call them back when I got a chance to charge my cell.

The caller on the other end of the line is an actual doctor and is not a hoaxer. The details found were your details, which your friend kept in possession, seeing as how your one of their best friends.
As the power is out, you may have wait quite a bit until both your parents come back and you are able to recharge your cell phone.

[ghost_warlock]

I'd probably wake up, because this has to be a dream.

[Jinura]

Being frightened like hell and waiting by the phone afraid for so long untill he comes down and we both get up again. I then twitch everytime he moves and looks suspicious at him.

[raitalin]

Well, I'd say call the Ghostbusters, but the phones are dead.

As it is, grab a camera/camcorder, preferably one with a timestamp, and go get photographs with the friend holding todays paper and a watch.

If they don't realize they're dead, don't tell them. It may come as a shock.

[Dallas-Dakota]

What is a brainshake, may I ask?
Brains, shaken, not stirred.

[Player_Zero]

I tl;dr. Is what I do.

[Ninja Chocobo]

The caller on the other end of the line is an actual doctor and is not a hoaxer.

And exactly how are you supposed to know that?

[Amiel]

And exactly how are you supposed to know that?

Caller ID.
Hospital phone no. identification
No one else knows

[Giggling Ghast]

I go up and tell my friend about the weird call I just got. If he doesn't laugh and continues acting strangely, then I say, "Look, I've seen enough X-Files and Outer Limits episodes to guess what's going on here. Are you dead and is your spirit here to visit me? Or is this the sort of thing where you try to kill me or possess me? 'Cuz I'd rather get it over with and skip over all the nail-biting suspense."

[Mad Mask]

I wouldn't think that my friend is undead, a spirit or anything, given those things only happen in fiction, and I don't know I'm in a story. I'll just wait for the power to come back, and if my friend is completely normal and it was just a misunderstanding, no problem. But if he's some sort of ghost, I won't mind either way. After all, why would he attack me ? It's more likely for him to keep the same personality than suddenly turning evil. And I could get my chance at winning a Nobel Prize and even attract worldwide fame for proving the existence of the afterlife.

[Shikton]

I'd march right back up there, sit down, chat for a while and reminisce about old times. Then get around to telling him/her about the phone call after a good long time.

[Anuan]

He asked to be invited in, he's uninjured, intelligent and able to converse.
That rules out zombie and ghoul...
He's also solid, as I was able to hug him, so probably not a ghost.
Unless he's a revanant, he's obviously been 'rescued' from death by being turned into a vampire or similar.

I discuss this with him. If he's a revanant, I tell him he can sleep in my house during the day and ask what his quest is and if I can help him.
If he's a vampire, I allow him to bite me and then terrorize the countryside with him.

[Dispozition]

He asked to be invited in, he's uninjured, intelligent and able to converse.
That rules out zombie and ghoul...
He's obviously been 'rescued' from death by being turned into a vampire or werewolf or similar.

I allow him to bite me and then terrorize the countryside with him.

This. Vampire is most likely option since they have to be invited in and appear to be material and not hungry...

But yeah, cool story bro. Fairly intrigiuing.

[Tempest Fennac]

I'd probably expect it to be a crisis apparition* other then the fact that I'm not sure if those are ever solid, and the cases I've read about involving those never seem to last for more then a few seconds. I'd probably ask them about if they are really there as soon as possible. If they were a ghose of some sort I'd ask them about how long they had left before passing on, if they were going to leave this world. I take it this is a hyerthetical situation rather then something based on experience, right?




*A crisis apparition is aghose which appears before people who the person knew in life at the time that they died. They are one-off events so they are pretty much impossible to study in detail due to leaving no clues behind afterwards. There's a theory that they happen because of the person wanting to say "goodbye", but I don't remember reading about any which spoke.

[ghost_warlock]

I take it this is a hyerthetical situation rather then something based on experience, right?

:smalleek: You know, I never considered that...

Amiel, GET OUT OF THE HOUSE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!11!

[V'icternus]

It is the middle of summer, and you are relaxing at home after an abnormally hot day. You have opened the windows to let in the warm gentle breeze rather than turning on the air conditioning like so many other households. Your parents have gone to pick up dinner and have informed you they won't be back for a while due to traffic congestion.

First of all, I do not open my windows, even if it's 45 degrees out. (And this is not exageration, it happened just last summer. Don't beleive me? Well... uh...
... Shut up.
Second of all, I don't have air conditioning, I'm not that lucky. I'll have the ceiling fan on, and that's about it. And as for the heat, I'll just live with it like a real Aussie.
Third, "pick up dinner"? Where'd it go? Why isn't it still here? And how did it get away?


You turn on the television for the evening news and as you do so, the lights flicker. Seems like the power grid can't cope with the electricity demand. Heh.

Alright, first, the TV would already be on. I like my TV. And as for the power, well, that's to be expected. Happens all the time in summer here.


Suddenly, a knock at the door startles you from your nap. You must have dozed off without any effort. You go to answer the door. Your parents must have taken a shortcut.

Me? Nap? In the lounge room? While watching TV? I can hardly fall asleep at night in bed with all the lights out and everything completely silent. Also, I can tell if there's a car in my driveway when I stand inside my front door (Without opening it), so I'd know it wasn't them.


It's your friend, one who you haven't seen in a long time, five years or thereabouts. Your best friend from childhood. As you look upon your friend in mild surprise and exclaim your happiness, both in greeting and by giving your friend a hug, your friend smiles a sad little smile. Your friend asks to be invited in.

...I do not exclaim. Now, I know two friends who may suit the description given to me... the closest match is actually a girl, but I'll let that slide for now and assume you mean the guy who I last saw 7 years ago.
Now, for the most obvious flaw...
I do NOT hug. I barely hug my parents, I'm not hugging this person. No hugs.
I then punch his shoulder for asking to be invited in and saying "come on in, if the power breaks I'll need someone to talk to to stop myself from going crazy".


You politely inquire about whether or not your friend is hungry, your friend denotes a negative. Unable to contain yourself, you take your friend by the hand and race upstairs like old times, to chat away like you did all those years ago, all those times before. Seconds trickle by into minutes and minute turn into an hour.
The power goes out, not unexpectedly and you prepared a candle just in case.

Alright, he's not hungry. Good. My friends (and myself) never seem to be all that hungry at friends houses...
I do not take anyone by the hand. Ever.
I don't have an upstairs, whose house am I in here? (Also, there's no way they're getting in my room.)
Now the powers out, and I live with it. I get a torch, not some candle. I don't want to burn the house down.


Suddenly, your phone rings. Your mobile, you must have left it downstairs. With the power outrage, it must be running on a separate power grid and reception line. You go downstairs to answer. It could be your parents.
Your friend implores you to stay, you promise to return quickly.

I do have a phone that runs off of the telephone lines and works when the power's out...
Alright, so I go and answer the phone, easy-peasy.


When you answer, a stranger is at the other end of the line. A professional voice tinged with sadness and fatigue. "Hello," he says
"I'm Doctor O'Brien."

I'm used to getting calls from Doctor's, this is fine.


You are somewhat confused and hesitantly give a reply, "Hi, doctor, how can I help you?"

The doctor continues "I found your contact details within your friend's possessions. His/her parents are with him/her and have asked to contact you."

Wait, if I haven't seen them in 5+ years, how do they have my current phone number? It's changed twice since then... and neither of those friends ever came to my house, so they don't know where it is... and they can't be calling my mobile, because I didn't even have one back then...


He pauses, "I'm sorry to say that your friend passed away recently. S/he was in a car accident and sustained massive injuries. There was nothing we could do. I'm so sorry...hello, hello? Are you still there?..."
*Click* Your mobile is out of battery.

Alright, so we're cut off. Big whoop. They just assume my friend is dead.


You clutch the mobile as if it were a lifeline and cannot say anything. You turn your head to look up at the darkened staircase that leads up to the second storey. You promised your friend that you will return quickly. Yet...

What will you do?

I refuse to clutch my mobile, as it is not a lifeline and helps me in no way. It's dead. I put it down, and, as I promised, I head back up to my nonexistant second story to talk with my friend, who is apperantly also a stalker.

I'll tell him it's getting late and that he should probably go, and then judge his reaction.

#1. Is fine with this, and goes on his merry way. I do nothing to stop him.
#2. Doesn't want to leave. I then announce, quite clearly, that he must leave my property now.
a) He accepts this and leaves. I let him.
b) He still refuses. I kick the ever-loving crap out of him (fully legally, by the way) and kick his undead stalker ass out of my house. I then call the police on my phone that does not require my house to be powered to work and report the incident, strangeness and all.
#3. Tries to kill me. See 2B.

[Adlan]

#1. Is fine with this, and goes on his merry way. I do nothing to stop him.
#2. Doesn't want to leave. I then announce, quite clearly, that he must leave my property now.
a) He accepts this and leaves. I let him.
b) He still refuses. I kick the ever-loving crap out of him (fully legally, by the way) and kick his undead stalker ass out of my house. I then call the police on my phone that does not require my house to be powered to work and report the incident, strangeness and all.
#3. Tries to kill me. See 2B.

I seriously doubt 2b is legal, not even in Texas. Call the police and have him removed, maybe, but beat the crap out of someone you invited into your own home with no more provocation than refusal to leave?

And you'd kick an old friend out, who's taken the trouble to track you down, because of a phone call with some erriee details? What kind of Friend are you? Maybe he left your details with his Identical Long Lost Twin brother, who has borrowed his wallet, and was in the car crash, and is thus, mistakenly identified as him? More likely than it actually being an undead.


I'd go upstairs, and see if my friend is there. It'd be very weird if he were not, and I'd probably want to check myself into some counselling were he not, assuming there was no evidence or other sign that he had been there that I could use to show others.

I'm a Skeptic, while I'm open to the idea of the paranormal (not supernatural, difference), it's more likely this is a prank or mix up.

[hnokki]

I'd assume that my friend had never actually visited me. It was just something my mind made up once I received the bad news to save me from the pain.

I'd see a psychiatrist.

[Lupy]

I would post on Giantitp.

Then go back upstairs.

:smalltongue:

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

This is a long version of something my friend got in an email from some random Finnish person:

your sitting at home
the phone ring
"Hello son"
your parents are dead
THEN WHO WAS PHONE?

[V'icternus]

I seriously doubt 2b is legal, not even in Texas. Call the police and have him removed, maybe, but beat the crap out of someone you invited into your own home with no more provocation than refusal to leave?

And you'd kick an old friend out, who's taken the trouble to track you down, because of a phone call with some erriee details? What kind of Friend are you? Maybe he left your details with his Identical Long Lost Twin brother, who has borrowed his wallet, and was in the car crash, and is thus, mistakenly identified as him? More likely than it actually being an undead.


I'd go upstairs, and see if my friend is there. It'd be very weird if he were not, and I'd probably want to check myself into some counselling were he not, assuming there was no evidence or other sign that he had been there that I could use to show others.

I'm a Skeptic, while I'm open to the idea of the paranormal (not supernatural, difference), it's more likely this is a prank or mix up.

First, it's totally legal. Once I've asked someone to leave my property, they have to do it. If not, then they're tresspassing... and if they're tresspassing, well, then I'm allowed to employ (reasonable) force to remove them.

Second, you bet your ass I'd kick him out! I haven't seen this guy in 5 years. Frankly, he's not my friend any more. He used to be. He's just another guy now, and I'll judge him based on what he is now, not what he was. And refusing to leave when I want you to? Well, that puts you on the list of people I really, really don't like.

Third, it doesn't matter if he's not undead. In fact, a living stalker in my house would be worse (the only way he could know where I live and have my phone number would be major stalkage, as the only person who has both those details has a rather bad case of memory loss and cannot remember them enough to repeat them to anyone.)

Besides, this theory makes so many assumptions about me that really, if I were to go along with all of them, I'd probably just get murdered right after the token black guy does, and right before the random cheerleader everybody hates by a mysterious guy with a hood who is never around when my friend is, but in the end it turns out it was just my dad or something...

[Perenelle]

I think I'd leave the house and run to the nearest neighbor. Especially if it was dark. I'm really paranoid and jumpy when I cant see very well and I normally end up scaring myself. Even in broad daylight for that matter... so with someone in the house that I hadn't seen in years, and after getting that phone call, i'd be pretty freaked out.
So I guess I'd quietly put down the phone, slowly open the front door and calmly exit the house....

and then sprint across my yard and start frantically beating on my neighbor's front doors. :smalltongue:

[Krrth]

Interesting. The first thing I would do would be to go back and make sure my friend was still there. After that, I'd probably restart the conversation with "I'm sure you can guess what that call was about. Care to talk about it?"

I'd be assuming that it was either:
A) a prank
B) a misunderstanding
C) Something else.

If it's something else, I'm not automatically going to assume they are hostile.

[V'icternus]

That's not what you'll be saying when you're drained of all your blood by the dark spawn of the night! Fear them, for their lust for blood knows no limits and they're coming for you! Muahahahahahahaha!!

...Hem, hem...

Anyway, uh... carry on.

[Krrth]

That's not what you'll be saying when you're drained of all your blood by the dark spawn of the night! Fear them, for their lust for blood knows no limits and they're coming for you! Muahahahahahahaha!!

...Hem, hem...

Anyway, uh... carry on.

Well, that IS the other side. I was operating on the "Assume they're peaceful because there isn't anything I can do about it if they're not".

[Flickerdart]

I'd go back and begin making numerous undead-related puns. If it's a horror flick, I'd doomed from the start, but it might be a Pushing Daisies style thing, in which case I'm fine.

Since the friend is not visibly maimed, but has a physical presence, one can assume either an impostor or some manner of Clone. Which means the guy is a pretty powerful wizard either way, which is pretty neat. Maybe it's one of those "it's not your time yet" deals, too.

[GoC]

I'd shrug, go back upstairs and continue chatting. I'm the kind of guy to assume it's an elaborate prank or I misheard.

[Recaiden]

But I saw my best friend from childhood yesterday.:smallconfused: The only friends I haven't seen in 5 years I haven't seen in 12, so I'd barely know them. And I don't have a mobile or caller ID.
But enough holes in your story. I walk back, stopping to get garlic from the hanging garlic chains near the phone, a mirror from the bathroom, and as I enter the room grabbing my sword and cross from by the shelf. If he's not a vampire, he won't mind. If he is, I might need them. Assuming this is my best friend still.
So I tell him about it, watching for shadows, breathing, always looking in a certain direction, or any other signs of being dead.

[Ichneumon]

Original post

I'll try to answer as honest as possible.

The first thing that would go through my mind would be the vampire stories that I read as a child. I would immediately try to dismiss them as I don't believe in stuff like that. I would however understand there is something fishy about this, possibly dangerous.

Depending on who the friend is and how strong he/she is compared to me I would go up and just ask him/her about it. There are some friends I had that I would trust blindly and in whatever way their lives may have changed, I would never think they would try to harm me, so I would just go ask what it was about. Surely it means he/she is in trouble and maybe I can help.

In any case I would try to rationalise a sollution. The fact is I don't have any real weapons in house and because of my slender build I am unlikely to win in any fight.

There are many old "friends" who I wouldn't trust blindly, even without considering the fact that they might have changed dramatically in the years past. Although I might be able to call the police without him/her hearing it, I would likely find it disloyal to do so, as the friend hasn't actually done anything to me and might be in serious personal trouble and come here to me to ask my advice (I have people often do that), so I would likely confront the friend with the fact that people think he/she is dead, although I might also search for something "heavy" before hand in case he/she turns violent.

[Ossian]

If this was the pilot for a new telefilm ("the revenant" or something in this vein) and I was aware of that, I'd probably follow literally all the common sense rules acquired in years of TC watching, first and foremost go grab a katana (even if it is a replica) and use that as an argument to open and close any discussion.

From a couple of details here and there though, the friend wold seem harmless, or perhaps he is dangerous but he does not bear any grudge to me. What puzzles me is: is he really there? The doctor might have very well called me from the morgue room, in sight of the corpse. This complicates everything horribly. Or maybe he / she actually died, and the corpse/ revenant somehow left the morgue (or the tomb).

So what I do is : Check the time!!!!

If it is dusk, I go to the kitchen and prepare two VERY HOT mugs of coffee/tea (70°C / 158 °F each, what a wonderful and cheap weapon + gourmet's choice). I invite him down and make sure, before he comes down, that all exits are open.

If dusk is still some time away, I do go warily go upstairs, with the two smoking mugs of coffee and place one on a coaster next to him.

I just say it was the pizza boy on the mobile, but the line went down. I just hope he can find the place anyway.

I keep chatting away, but cautiously ask him if everything is ok (he begged not to leave me alone) and inspect him for evidence.

Soil under the shoes. Broken fingernails. Strange formaldehyde smell. Unease next to holy symbols.

I keep very good track of time, and make sure he does not change when the sun is setting.

For anything else, we would need to know more from the OP (intriguing, I must say)

O.

PS
Needless to say: braaaaaains = two mugfuls of steaming coffee in the face, followed by a roundhousekick, an armchair and a china vase and a hasty escape.

[evisiron]

I would probably head back upstairs and high-five him for the awesome practical joke. :smallsmile:

[Nerocite]

Rebuke Undead, make him my slave, then demand answers.

[RandomNPC]

well nobody goes in my bedroom 'cept me, so we'd be in the living room. I'd head for the bathroom, and on my way back grab the swords i've got, they're new to this friend and i show them off to everyone.

Thing is I tend to keep guests closer to the door (i like the chair nearest the back of my living room) so no escape. I'd willingly let the guest look at one sword at a time (i hate it when people try to put one sword in another sheath) and after putting the swords back in my room ask my guest if he wants to go for a walk around the area, powers out so it's not like i can pop in a DVD.

I always wear steel toe boots, so the only time after call this person could do something not nice is after i put away the swords (unless they make a move with one while i've got a bunch near me) up untill i get the boots on. I'm a kick stle fighter, and i can toss someone to the ground decently. Granted some tales of vamps give them hightened physical powers, but in that case i've got a silver holy symbol on all the time anyway, and that'll turn into a match of can i get to them before they get around me?

On the other side of things if this friend is a non-hostile and they are at the morgue I'm about to verrify a few theories about unlife.

[thubby]

i would tell him I just got an important call and need to make some calls. from there i would ask to borrow his phone (in addition to just being convenient it's a good way to verify who he is).
barring that i would borrow my neighbor's land line (my house has one but we're obviously assuming that isn't an option)
then call around and find out what's going on.

btw the phone lines provide their own power, so long as the actual wiring is still up phones should work through a blackout.

[Faulty]

I would wake up, because that stuff doesn't happen outside of dreams.

[Xsesiv]

Get upset. One of my friends has died. It is clearly not the one upstairs.

[Trixie]

Now the powers out, and I live with it. I get a torch, not some candle. I don't want to burn the house down.

Torch? The flame thingy?

Wouldn't that be even worse? :smallconfused:

[THAC0]

Torch? The flame thingy?

Wouldn't that be even worse? :smallconfused:

Flashlight, I believe.

[Galileo]

Yep, us non-Americans call flashlights torches.

I draw my sword (which I always keep on my belt when I'm at home), munch some garlic, which should give me a breath weapon against vampires, and go upstairs to have a chat with the humanoid within my room. Unless he attacks first, we have a lengthy discussion about whatever it was he came here for.

[Amiel]

Thanks for the answers, everyone! :)

Dunno about people's take on it being a vampire; despite cultural and allegorical representations, vampires tend to be few and far between, if they exist at all. Unlike ghosts.
A crisis apparition on the other hand...sounds plausible...


But yeah, cool story bro. Fairly intrigiuing.

Thanks, mate!



I take it this is a hyerthetical situation rather then something based on experience, right?

:smalleek: You know, I never considered that...

Amiel, GET OUT OF THE HOUSE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!11!

:smallsmile:, pretty much up a hypothetical, what-if scenario. Never encountered something like that in real-life, although it would be...interesting, to put it mildly. May just have to...run away to somewhere else like Perenelle, encountering something like that would shatter any pre-conceived notions of the afterlife, non-existence of paranormal entities, the supernatural et al.

However, our house - "which is a very fine, very fine house" - may have a visitor of the spectral variety.


First of all, I do not open my windows, even if it's 45 degrees out. (And this is not exageration, it happened just last summer. Don't beleive me? Well... uh...
And Recaiden, more so a 'what will you do' based on the situation as given; it's good V'icternus situated the example to his own life though.


This is a long version of something my friend got in an email from some random Finnish person:

your sitting at home
the phone ring
"Hello son"
your parents are dead
THEN WHO WAS PHONE?

That doesn't even make sense...



What happens if it does turn out to be something else, something other? Something that is not a prank, that is not a vampire, or any other 'garden variety undead' (if, of course, it is that at all)?
What would folks do? Call Ghostbusters? :smallbiggrin:

[Dallas-Dakota]

Why are you using Rabbit-MadHatter?

I was seriously confused. And thought Rabbit changed her name.
Till I saw your post count and join date.

Argh, stop confusing me. >.>

[Shadow of the Sun]

I have no friends that know where I live. My life outside this house and my life inside it are two very separate things.

Said 'friend' is not getting in. At all.

[Thajocoth]

Go back upstairs to finish chatting. Maybe play some Mario Kart or something.

[Zanaril]

Go back upstairs, continue the conversation.

Maybe try to ask later about it. But if they don't want to talk about it I'd be fine with that.

They are my friend after all. If they've come back from the dead to see me, I doubt they mean me any harm. And it they do, running away will only make them angry and they would probably be able to find me again.


Assuming, of course, that the phone call identified your deceased friend specifically as the one who is in your house.


Actually, I'd probably just come straght out and ask "Are you dead?". Any of my friends probably wouldn't be insulted or upset. We're all such unemotional weirdos. Heck, they'd probably gleefully tell me about how this proves that there's life after death and the possible implication of it. We'd go on to arguing whether or not it could be explained scientifically.

[Destro_Yersul]

This is a long version of something my friend got in an email from some random Finnish person:

your sitting at home
the phone ring
"Hello son"
your parents are dead
THEN WHO WAS PHONE?

Chuck Norris. :smalltongue:

As for what I would do...

Well, good chance I'd go back upstairs. See if they're still there. They have yet to express any desire to kill me, and my room has swords in it that I can grab if necessary. There are no swords downstairs. Well, ok, there's one, but it's dull.

Then I'd probably try to find a way to bring it up in conversation, but I imagine they'd deny they were dead. People usually do that, and quite often spirits are portrayed as not realizing they're deceased. So I can't trust their answer.

A better thing to do would be asking them what brought them by. Were they just in the neighborhood, or what? Assuming it is a ghost of some sort, it's possible that it's still here due to unfinished business and the least I can do is try to help resolve that.

[Amiel]

You know what'd solve this? Fire and lots of it. Unfortunately, given the negative connotations, one cannot flamerise the house at the drop of a hat.


Somewhat related, let's try a different but similar scenario...what would people do if the girl from the Ring/Ringu movies decided to pop out of the TV?


Also, our house seems to be entertaining a visitor of the spectral variety, I keep seeing a white blur that usually moves at the periphery of my vision...interesting.

[thubby]

she wouldn't get out, there'd be a baseball bat in the tv before her arm was out.

[Coidzor]

Ring Girl: Hmm. look back and forth to see if anyone else notices her due to the fact the only TVs I'm around are in public these days.

Else, chuck something suitably heavy such as a frying pan or chair at her or grab the loaded rifle and pump a few rounds into her.

Or just run after throwing something at her.

First scenario: Be amazed that anyone who could match that sort of description would have had my contact info.

If female, I think I would go back up and see what sort of interesting way I would die in/attempt to seduce, for science.

If male, see what kind of interesting way I would die in if I just started running.

[golentan]

Ring Girl: I would revert to my standard mantra of killing for dealing with threats of unknown capability: Fists, Knives, Firearms, Explosives, Orbital bombards, Thermonuclear Weapons, M-ruptors, E-ruptors, Singularity cannons, Rents, Soulburns, and Void. Always open with a salvo 1 higher than you think is necessary to remove the threat, and do not wait for confirmation of the foe's survival before moving to the next stage if survival is in doubt. (for the record, a stern talking to is the minimum rating but because of the rules is not on the table for this).

Original: Sweetness. Go talk to the person, break the news gently, and try to spend as much time as the universe will consent to giving me with them.

If they turn out to be hostile, probably let them shred me. I can reattach limbs, and it's not like I have a soul or anything that a vampire could meddle with to begin with. Prevent them from carrying hostilities against ordinary people, though. See the Mantra of Killing, above.

[Lioness]

Go back upstairs.

'Umm...friend...I just got a rather weird call. It said that you were dead. What's happening?'

Hopefully then he wouldn't realise that I know his secret and kill me. I assume he was planning to tell me, otherwise he would've just hidden somewhere. I just got it out into the open a little earlier than planned.

[Yarram]

I swear, this exact same thread with the exact same story has come up on this site before...

I'd laugh, chat with him for a while and see what happens next. Good things come to those who wait.
If he established he was a threat to me, I'd probably hurt him, then use my phone to call the cops, otherwise it's just a joke right?

[Adumbration]

I was able to hug her, right?

I would see this as an excellent opportunity to gain the Lich Loved feat. :smallamused:

[SDF]

I'm thinking in reality none of you would actually assume paranormal (well unless you have a few screws loose) Clearly the hospital made a clerical error, because hospitals are really good at making clerical errors, but dead people are not good at being alive.

[Amiel]

I swear, this exact same thread with the exact same story has come up on this site before...

That's because this is the exact same thread.


I'm thinking in reality none of you would actually assume paranormal (well unless you have a few screws loose) Clearly the hospital made a clerical error, because hospitals are really good at making clerical errors, but dead people are not good at being alive.

Iatrogenic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iatrogenic) deaths. Fear it.

[CrimsonAngel]

Get up there and tell her about the call.

[Jack Squat]

Well, going in the vein of this story, and disregarding facts about my habits or my friends:

The doctor is mistaken. That or it's not my 'friend'. If he's in the hospital/morgue, his physical body is there. If I was able to hug him (or more likely, shake hands, as I'm not a huggy person), there's a physical being in my house. Unless he's a master at bilocation, this is impossible.

Knowing this, I arm myself. I'd have probably ran to the kitchen or the adjacent family room to answer the phone. I yell up at the 'friend' that I'm going to grab some more candles and lights.

I go into the guest bedroom, open up the closet, and pull out a box of candles and an XD(m) in .40 S&W. I head to the garage and grab a 15 million candlepower light and the ammo for the XD(m). I suppose I'd check the breaker while I'm there as well...then peek outside and look to make sure no electrical stuff is damaged, and to see if the neighbors' power is on. I'll also grab a chef's knife from the kitchen and tuck both the pistol and the knife into my belt.

I'd go up to ask the friend some questions. Mostly what brought him by, how he found my address, all that stuff (if I hadn't already). I'd then bring up the phone call. Judging by his reaction, we'd either have a good laugh about how inept the hospitals are, or he better start telling me who he is, and why he shouldn't leave in a body bag.

[SilverSheriff]

I seriously doubt 2b is legal, not even in Texas.

Second of all, I don't have air conditioning, I'm not that lucky. I'll have the ceiling fan on, and that's about it. And as for the heat, I'll just live with it like a real Aussie.

Australia is not a state of America, the laws are different here.:smallwink:


It is the middle of summer, and you are relaxing at home after an abnormally hot day. You have opened the windows to let in the warm gentle breeze rather than turning on the air conditioning like so many other households. Your parents have gone to pick up dinner and have informed you they won't be back for a while due to traffic congestion.

So, my father and my insane mother who lives in another state are out collecting dinner, its the middle of summer (i.e. right now) and I have chosen to open the windows instead of waste electricity by turning on my FAN like I usually would...


You turn on the television for the evening news and as you do so, the lights flicker. Seems like the power grid can't cope with the electricity demand. Heh.

Suddenly, a knock at the door startles you from your nap. You must have dozed off without any effort. You go to answer the door. Your parents must have taken a shortcut.

So...I've turned on my television for the evening news Sci-Fi channel...
nothing good on (Buffy the Vampire slayer), knock at the door, answer it and I see a face of somebody I don't know (Remember), I then proceed to shut the door. The End, but lets just play on for a little bit more.


It's your friend, one who you haven't seen in a long time, five years or thereabouts. Your best friend from childhood. As you look upon your friend in mild surprise and exclaim your happiness, both in greeting and by giving your friend a hug, your friend smiles a sad little smile. Your friend asks to be invited in.

best friend from childhood? saw him about 3 months ago, lives in another state... I say hello and hug him in a MANLY WAY (RAWR), he gives a sad smile which I notice, I then ask: whats wrong? He should answer but chooses not to for some strange reason.


You politely inquire about whether or not your friend is hungry, your friend denotes a negative. Unable to contain yourself, you take your friend by the hand and race upstairs like old times, to chat away like you did all those years ago, all those times before. Seconds trickle by into minutes and minute turn into an hour.
The power goes out, not unexpectedly and you prepared a candle just in case.

NO HAND HOLDING GRAAHHH! He's upstairs in my room, we talk, blah... an hour passes, power goes out...again for some reason.:smallconfused:
In which case I bring out my wind-up lamp.


Suddenly, your phone rings. Your mobile, you must have left it downstairs. With the power outrage, it must be running on a separate power grid and reception line. You go downstairs to answer. It could be your parents.
Your friend implores you to stay, you promise to return quickly.

When you answer, a stranger is at the other end of the line. A professional voice tinged with sadness and fatigue. "Hello," he says
"I'm Doctor O'Brien. "

Panic for grandmother, because statistics show that if an elderly person dies and leaves behind a spouse, said spouse will die in the next ten years (give or take).


You are somewhat confused and hesitantly give a reply, "Hi, doctor, how can I help you?"

The doctor continues "I found your contact details within your friend's possessions. His/her parents are with him/her and have asked to contact you."

He pauses, "I'm sorry to say that your friend passed away recently. S/he was in a car accident and sustained massive injuries. There was nothing we could do. I'm so sorry...hello, hello? Are you still there?..."
*Click* Your mobile is out of battery.

You clutch the mobile as if it were a lifeline and cannot say anything. You turn your head to look up at the darkened staircase that leads up to the second storey. You promised your friend that you will return quickly. Yet...

What will you do?

Grab a hammer from the garage and walk back up-stairs, start yelling at him , demanding answers and if he doesn't give me one: break his arm.:smallconfused:

Ring Girl? HAMMER TIME! DUH NAHNAHNAH NAHNAH NaANANA! Can't touch this!:smallcool::smalltongue:

[UnChosenOne]

Orginal post I do wake up as this is clearly a dream because A) I live in one floored house B) I have never had any friends other than dog(s) (Yeah, I like to be alone).

[BritishBill]

Id give that friend an ass beating. Real friends dont come back to haunt you, thats unacceptable and punishable by (re)death.

[Mystic Muse]

get my Dad's 410 and put a round into it.I'll also grab a sharp piece of wood (in case of vampire) I go back upstairs load the shotgun and say "Hand up now. I Just got a call saying you're dead. You better explain what's going on now I unload a shotgun shell right in your face."

If they turn out to be my friend and the hospitals were wrong? great! although there'd be some tension considering I just threatened to shoot them in the face.

If they turn out to be an undead..............Not so great because now I'm super paranoid and will get defenses against every single type of undead I can find anywhere.

Then I call the police saying "I was just forced to shoot a hostile." I don't know what else I'd say after this because mentioning the undead to the cops is a good way to be ignored.

This is of course assuming I don't scream like a little girl after getting the call.:smalltongue:

[thorgrim29]

Go back, ask

-You're sure I can't offer you anything? Beer, a drink, blood, brains? Because I just got a call from the hospital saying you're dead.