[ WP ] You are in Time Square in New York . You get an unknown call . Everything the person on the line says starts to unfold around you as if predicting the future .

It was my first time visiting Times Square. My girlfiend Jen and I were two of thousands of tourists visiting today. We were taking a selfie with a guy in a Cookie Monster costume when my phone started buzzing. `` Hold on, let me get this,'' I said. 
 
 It was an unknown number. I answered. `` Hello?'' 
 
 A woman's voice came over the line. `` Your name is Kevin Quinn. You're standing next to a man in a Cookie Monster costume and your girlfriend Jennifer Ashford. I can see you and both of them. If you hang up, I shoot. If you say anything to them, I shoot. Understand?'' 
 
 *What the hell? * I started spinning around, trying to spot anyone in the crowd who looked suspicious. `` Um, I, um–'' 
 
 `` Stop moving. Tell your girlfriend that it's your father, and you need to take this,'' said the woman. `` Tell them, or all three of you die.'' 
 
 `` Hey Jen, it's my parents. I have to take this,'' I said. I hoped she'd get the hint: the woman had told me to say I was talking to my father, but I had said *parents*. Jen knew that my mother had died years ago. 
 
 `` Uh, ok.'' said Jen. She furrowed her brow. I widened my eyes and *willed* her to understand that something was wrong, but my efforts were for naught. 
 
 I heard a loud bang, and Cookie Monster slumped to the ground. Blue fluff and red liquid sprayed all around his neck. He'd been shot. Several people screamed and started running. I grabbed Jen's hand and started leading her away. She was panicked but looked unharmed. 
 
 The woman on the phone spoke again. `` You did n't do what I told you to. Do *not* attempt to fool me again. Understood?'' 
 
 I swallowed and kept walking. `` Y-yes. Understood.'' 
 
 `` Who the fuck are you talking to? Put down the phone!'' said Jen. 
 
 `` I, um, I ca n't, it's–'' 
 
 `` Stop talking to your girlfriend and stand still,'' said the woman. I did as I was told. 
 
 `` What are you *doing*?'' asked Jen. I ignored her and the rest of the commotion in the square. 
 
 `` Look up at the Avengers advertisement. At your eight o'clock,'' said the woman. 
 
 I turned to see an animated ad for the new Avengers movie. `` I'm looking,'' I said. 
 
 `` In three seconds, it will shut down.'' Sure enough, a few seconds later, the ad flickered a couple times and went blank. `` Now, look at the ad above that. It will shut down too.'' It did. `` Now continue watching the rest of the ads in that area,'' she said. 
 
 One by one, the rest of the glowing ads in the square shut off, starting with the lowermost ads and rising to the top. After the topmost billboard had flickered off, the woman spoke again. `` Now look back down.'' 
 
 I looked. Times Square was empty. Jen was gone. Cookie Monster's body had disappeared. The tourists were gone. The only sound was the faint background noise on the other end of the line. I suddenly started breathing very rapidly. 
 
 `` Close your eyes, Mr. Quinn,'' said the woman. I did. A few seconds later, she spoke again. `` Now open them.'' 
 
 As soon as I reopened my eyes, everyone was back. My girlfriend was screaming at me in vain, police were converging on Cookie Monster's body, the chaos in the square had not subsided, and the advertisements were functional once again. `` What did–what did you just do?'' I asked. 
 
 `` The answers will come in time, Kevin. I'll be in touch,'' said the woman. Then the line went dead.
