Ahhh. So you've found my little node have you? Did you hear about it and were curious? Perhaps you are here on a dare. Or maybe you just came across it randomly? Or maybe it is Halloween time and you felt like a scary little story. Sorry to disappoint you, the story itself that I am about to tell you may not be so horrible because you probably won't believe it. What may come after you read it, that is another matter...
I am Callback Jack. My name can be explained thusly: whenever you read this node, you are calling to me. I can feel you right now, reading these words. It makes my nose twitch. It makes my fingers tingle. By now I know who you are, what you do, your thoughts, your hopes, your dreams...
...and, if you have a cellular phone, your number.
It flashes across my mind's eye like a news ticker marquis. I am Callback Jack because after you call me, I call you back. Only if you meet a few requirements, but we'll get to those in a moment.
I would like to tell you about my pet. Her name is Crawler. She is little, she is fuzzy, and quite adorable, at least in my estimation. Somebody, however, who has arachnophobia, might have a differing opinion. Crawler, you see, is of the eight-legged variety. She is a large black spider. Crawler is a very rare species. I found her spinning her giant web while in the forests of Cambodia. She was dining on a bird. When she saw me -- she is very quick and agile -- she jumped from the treetop and landed on my shoulder. She bit me; it felt like two tiny knives ripping deep into my flesh. Although she had no actual means of communicating with me vocally, I could hear her in my mind.
She said: "I will spare thee if we can make an arrangement. Your kind travels here, deep in this forest, quite rarely. Take me with you so I may dine on your kind and instead of end your miserable life, my venom will imbue you with special abilities. You will see what they are after you agree."
So I did. Then I could feel without feeling. See without seeing. Hear without hearing. A hunger for humans, similar to what she had but of a slightly different kind, came to me. I named her Crawler and indeed took her back with me. And that is the end of the little story of how I came upon her.
So what does that have to do with nodes and cell phones? Glad you asked. Of course, you might already know. You might have come to this node after hearing about it from somebody else. You might have already heard the rules. But, in case you haven't, let me impart them upon you now.
At the end of this node is a poem. It is a catchy little ditty if I do say so myself. When you come upon it, you must read it aloud. Then, after you are finished, say my name, Callback Jack, three times. After that, your cell phone will ring. It will be me calling you back. Even if your screen says it's somebody else -- your mother, your brother, your sister, a friend -- it is actually me. Your phone may even say it is indeed "CALLBACK JACK." You will of course answer it. Even though the call will startle you, you will come to your senses and you will not be afraid because you don't believe this node is real, perhaps thinking it is just some Halloween treat. But, rest assured, it is. Within three hours -- it could be two seconds, it could be two hours, but never more than three hours -- I will pay you a visit using your cell phone signal to locate you.
I will arrive silently. I will wait until you are alone, either on your computer, in your bedroom, or in the bathroom. You will be alone before three hours have passed; it is inevitable. It is part of the spell. I will slip in behind your back. You will not hear me, you will not feel me. Crawler will crawl out of my trench coat pocket. She will jump onto your back, right below the base of your neck. You will have only a half second to swat her off, for she will bite you. The venom contains a neurotoxin that will paralyze you almost immediately. You will not be able to move, you will not be able to feel anything.
You will not even be able to scream.
After you fall, I, with my unusually long, strong, and sharp right index fingernail, will begin to cut off sections of your skin. Yes, it is human skin I hunger for. It's quite delightful, really. It's usually soft, salty, and the inner-most layers are juicy. Don't worry. You will not feel the pain. You will remain awake, unable to close your eyes save to blink. You will have the privilege of watching me cut off each section and devouring it, as well as seeing, perhaps for the first time, what's inside you.
After enough skin has been removed to create a suitable entrance for her, Crawler will crawl inside you and begin to feast on your flesh. She prefers to burrow deep and dine from the inside out. Again, you will not feel any pain, only maybe the pressure of her legs as she scurries all over your innards. That would be a most interesting sensation, don't you think?
Eventually the prickly fingers of Death will begin to tickle your soul. The sight of me peeling layers of skin off of your face or chest might become blurry. You will feel very cold. It won't be long before our painless torture will end...
But laugh, you do. You nervously chuckle at these words. How absurd! A flesh-eating spider and a crazy man with a big fingernail that eats skin! And somehow he can travel great distances in a short amount of time! Ridiculous! You will read that poem at the end of the node and say my name three times and laugh when your phone remains silent. I smile at you as you read this. I know what you're thinking. The author just made this up. No, he probably doesn't even realize he's noded it. I am merely using him as a vessel. You might be thinking of the friend who told you about this node. Or the last node you wrote. How silly they are! Or maybe you're thinking of your mother.
All right, without further delay, scroll down and read the poem. Then say my name three times. Oh, you'll do it. I know you will. Because you don't think this is real. Even after what I've told you about what will happen afterward, you will do it. They all do.
Now this writing, the end is near
'Tis just a story, I've nothing to fear
After I read this poem, I will say his name thrice
Three times only, that will suffice
Then, somebody, perhaps him, will call me
And then pay me a visit within hours three
When I am alone, he will make his flight
Then I will feel Crawler's bite
He will then eat my skin, so divine
And upon your inner flesh Crawler will dine
And now three times you will say his name
It is Callback Jack, and thanks for playing his game.
Is that your phone ringing?