The anxious housewife quickly rushed to the phone, her hands trembling as she dialed, desperate to get help before it was too late.

“How are you, dear?” she asked. “How’s your day going?”

“Oh, mother,” the woman replied over the phone, bursting into tears, “it’s been terrible. The baby won’t eat, the washing machine broke, I haven’t had a chance to go shopping, and I’ve just sprained my ankle, so I have to limp around. On top of that, the house is a mess, and I’m supposed to host two couples for dinner tonight.”

Her mother was instantly full of concern. “Oh, darling,” she said, “sit down, relax, and close your eyes. I’ll be there in half an hour. I’ll do your shopping, tidy the house, and cook dinner. I’ll feed the baby and call a repairman I know to fix the washing machine right away. Stop crying—I’ll handle everything. In fact, I’ll even call George at the office and tell him he should come home and help for once.”

“George?” the woman asked. “Who’s George?”

“George! Your husband! Is this 223-1374?”

“No, this is 223-1375.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have dialed the wrong number.”

There was a brief silence, then the woman on the line asked, “So… you’re not coming over?”

“Hello. Hi, Honey. This is Daddy. Is Mommy near the phone?”

“No, Daddy. She’s upstairs in the bedroom with Uncle Paul.”

After a brief pause, Daddy said, “But honey, you don’t have an Uncle Paul.”

“Oh yes, Mommy says I do, and he’s upstairs with Mommy in the bedroom right now.”

After a moment, Daddy replied, “Okay, here’s what I want you to do. Put the phone on the table, run upstairs, knock on the bedroom door, and shout that Daddy’s car just pulled into the driveway.”

“Okay, Daddy, just a minute.”

A few minutes later, the little girl was back on the phone.

“I did it, Daddy.”

“And what happened, honey?” Daddy asked.

“Well, Mommy got so scared, she jumped out of bed without any clothes on and ran around screaming. Then she tripped over the rug, hit her head on the dresser, and now she isn’t moving at all.”

“Oh my God!!! And what about Uncle Paul?”

“He jumped out of bed naked too. He got scared and jumped out the back window into the swimming pool. But I guess he didn’t know that you drained it last week and cleaned it. He hit the bottom and I think he’s dead.”

Long pause…

Then Daddy asked, “Swimming pool? … Is this 486-5731?”