[ WP ] There exists a phone line that will correctly answer any question asked to it . Write about either someone calling the line , or the person answering the question ...

Jenny let the phone ring twice before picking it up. 
 
 
 `` Hello, welcome to the Apple AnswerLine, how can I be of assistance?... no, Sir, that will not be happening. May I remind you that you are kindly requested to refrain from sexually explicit questions if possible when using the Apple AnswerLine, as per the Apple AnswerLine Terms and Conditions. Have a good day.'' 
 
 
 The call centre had been open for 5 years now, and the all-female group of operators still attracted a daily barrage of drunken, horny men who thought they were clever. Jenny had quickly learnt to suppress her disgust; she had seen more than one of her colleagues terminated for allowing themselves an angry retort or witty remark. She was obliged only to answer questions, not to think for herself; a point which management pounded home at any opportunity. 
 
 
 Jenny let the phone ring twice before picking it up. This was protocol. She did n't care why. 
 
 
 `` Hello, welcome to the Apple AnswerLine, how can I be of assistance?'' 
 
 
 The caller took a deep, rasping breath, but then spoke in an oddly soft tone, as if singing a lullaby to a child. 
 
 
 `` Tell me, dear. What is death?'' 
 
 
 This was a rare one. She was asked for the meaning of life almost hourly. It was on page one of her handbook, but she had memorised it anyway. This one took a minute of page turning for her to find. 
 
 
 `` Death is the end of life, Sir. Have a good day.'' 
 
 
 Jenny pressed the blue `` End Call'' button, and a moment later jumped as the caller's breath rattled through her headset once more. For the first time in nearly half of a decade, she was outside of her comfort zone. 
 
 
 `` Bullshit. I did n't need to ring a phone line to be told that. Tell me yourself.'' 
 
 
 Jenny took a second to compose herself. She was a little startled, but she knew she was safe, and that this strange little episode would be easily explained away by her supervisor, who was listening in as always. For the first time in her adult life, she truly answered a question. 
 
 
 `` When the heart stops beating.'' 
 
 
 `` And is your heart still beating?'' 
 
 
 A chill ran down Jenny's back, as if the cold finger of some supernatural entity were tracing its way down her spine. She knew that she ought to feel threatened, that she ought to throw down her headset and fetch a superior. But as almost every fibre of her being pulled her away, she felt a deep yearning within her, as if she needed to respond as naturally as she needed to breathe. 
 
 
 `` Yes. Of course.'' 
 
 
 A deep, throaty chuckle echoed through her ears. The soft voice, though comforting, took on a patronising tone. 
 
 
 `` You are not alive though, are you, Jenny?'' 
 
 
 At the mention of her name, Jenny felt a sudden coursing of anger through her veins. Who was this person, who knew her name, and had the sheer arrogance to answer her back? How the hell did they know her? She sharpened her tongue, ready to respond. But was cut off before she could begin. 
 
 
 `` You have sat at that desk, for years, I'm sure. Speaking. Drinking. Typing. That can not be life. If you had any ounce of true life left in your body, you would leave right now, and never come back. But you wo n't. You are nothing but a pathetic shell of your former self. You have all of the answers, but you do n't know a damned thing.'' 
 
 
 There followed only a low, electronic tone, as the caller left her as abruptly as they had come to her. Jenny struggled for her breath. Her head was a hive of activity, but she could n't pin down a single thought. She gripped the armrests of her chair. 
 
 
 
 Jenny let the phone ring. 
 
 
 
 

