The following is a transcript of a call received by a resident of Portland, Oregon in the early morning hours of November 3rd. The resident, who has requested anonymity, provided this transcript to a local paranormal research group in 2019. The call was logged by her phone carrier. The investigation into the call's origin is, to our knowledge, still technically open.
HR
[Call received: 2:47 AM. Duration: 4 minutes, 12 seconds.]
RESIDENT: Hello?
CALLER: [Pause of approximately three seconds.] Hello, Sarah.
RESIDENT: Who is this?
CALLER: You're in your bedroom. You're wearing the gray shirt with the hole in the left sleeve, the one you've been meaning to throw away. Your lamp is on the right side of the bed.
RESIDENT: [Audible pause.] How do you know that?
CALLER: The window is open about four inches. The curtain is moving. You closed the other window because the sound of the street bothers you when you're trying to sleep.
RESIDENT: Who are you? Where are you calling from?
CALLER: You live at [REDACTED AT SUBJECT'S REQUEST]. Your car is in the lot on the street level. You parked a little too close to the line on the right side. You didn't fix it because the lot was mostly empty.
RESIDENT: [Long pause. Background sound of movement.] I'm calling the police.
CALLER: Sarah. I'm not outside. [Pause.] I wanted you to understand that. I'm not outside.
RESIDENT: Then where are you?
CALLER: [Very long pause, approximately twelve seconds.] I don't know how to explain where I am. I wanted you to hear my voice. I wanted to make sure you were real.
RESIDENT: [No response.]
CALLER: The lamp has a chip on the base. You keep meaning to replace the shade. The book on your nightstand has a receipt tucked into page eighty-four where you stopped reading two weeks ago.
RESIDENT: Stop. [Audible distress.] Stop talking.
CALLER: [Long pause.] I'm sorry. I can see you're frightened. I don't know why I can see what I see. I have been able to see you for a while now and I only called because — [voice changes quality, becomes slightly more distant, as if the speaker has turned their head] — I don't think I'll be able to see much longer, and I wanted you to know that someone was watching. I know that sounds wrong. I mean it kindly. I was watching and you were safe and I couldn't tell you before but now I think I can and now I think — [audio distortion, lasting approximately three seconds] — I'm sorry.
RESIDENT: Hello? Hello?
[Caller disconnected. Call duration: 4:12.]
HR
The carrier traced the call the following morning. The number from which the call had been placed belonged to the resident herself. Her phone showed no record of an outgoing call at that time. Her phone had been in her hand, receiving the call, while the call was simultaneously registered as originating from it.
The carrier has no explanation. The phone company's technical team reviewed the log twice and flagged it as "equipment anomaly, cause unknown."
The resident moved apartments in December. She reports no further incidents. She kept the gray shirt but cut the sleeve off just below the hole.
She does not know who was watching. She does not know why they stopped.
She says the thing that stays with her is the word they used. Kindly. They said they meant it kindly. She said it didn't sound like a threat. It sounded like someone saying goodbye from somewhere she couldn't reach.
She says she misses it a little. The feeling of being watched, and knowing it was safe. She doesn't talk about that part to many people.