The Tales of the Telephone Booths - By Nia Feriha Binti Syahrir Amirul
Written By: Nia Feriha Binti Syahrir Amirul
Category: Fiction Adventure
Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026
Nia Feriha Binti Syahrir Amirul brings us an enchanting tale with her manuscript, "The Tales of the Telephone Booths," submitted to the Fiction Adventure category of the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. This captivating story invites readers into a world where ordinary telephone booths become the gateway to extraordinary adventures. With a touch of magic and a lot of imagination, Nia's work stands as a testament to the power of storytelling and the endless possibilities it offers.
About the Work
"The Tales of the Telephone Booths" is a rich tapestry of fantasy and adventure. The narrative weaves through mysterious telephone booths that transport characters to magical realms. The story is imbued with themes of bravery, friendship, and discovery, set against a backdrop of an imaginative and ever-unfolding world. Nia's vivid imagery and engaging storytelling invite readers to lose themselves in the whimsical yet poignant journey of her protagonist.
The_Tales_of_the_Telephone_Booths
Original Submission by Nia Feriha Binti Syahrir Amirul
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS
A Fantasy Adventure Manuscript
Written by Nia Feriha
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 2
PROLOGUE
The Ring at Midnight
This is a story about two telephone booths.
Let’s go to number 001 first.
Now, you might be thinking, A telephone booth? Not interested.
Well, you're going to regret that.
Buckle up your seatbelts and enjoy the ride as I tell you what's so PECULIAR about this telephone booth.
In London, there was an unusual telephone booth. During the day, people could use it like any normal telephone booth. But at midnight, it let out a terribly loud ring, trying to get a child's attention. When a child came close, it opened its door, lured the child inside, and locked the door until morning.
People always say, "When a child goes in, they never come out." Some adults were lured in as well, but not many—about 90% were children and only 10% were adults. Sounds pretty boring, doesn't it?
Well, the real story begins at midnight.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 3
CHAPTER 1
The Girl Who Escaped
A girl named April Houncin heard the ringing and saw a child getting closer to the telephone booth. She lived on the third floor of an orphanage called Little Hope Orphanage. She had witnessed every terrifying thing the booth had done. Once, long ago, she had been trapped by it herself—but somehow, she had escaped. As far as anyone knew, she was the only person in London's history to do so.
She only wished the other children knew how.
"Alright, alright, settle down and go to sleep!" said Ms. Raner, the owner of Little Hope Orphanage.
April raised her hand.
"And...?" she asked.
"And don't answer the telephone booth," Ms. Raner replied, clearly annoyed. "Ms. Raner? What if we do?" asked Lilly.
"Then I'll save you," April answered.
Everybody laughed.
"You? I don't think so," one of the children said. "Instead of saving the child, you'd probably trap yourself!" April tucked herself into bed and whispered softly, "I'll show them who's a hero."
RING! RING! RING!
There it was—as loud as a trumpet.
April sat up and noticed Lilly was gone.
"Lilly? Lilly! Where are you?" she whispered.
She tiptoed to the open window, feeling the icy night air race through her veins like lightning.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 4
There she was.
Lilly stood in front of the telephone booth, muttering strange words as she walked inside.
On purpose.
April quickly put on her shoes, got dressed, stuffed a few things she thought might be useful into her backpack, and raced downstairs.
"Lilly! Are you crazy?" she shouted.
"Shhh! He can hear you," Lilly replied calmly.
"Who?" April asked.
Before Lilly could answer, the telephone booth pulled April inside as well. "Lilly, we have to get out of here!" Lilly slowly turned around.
Her eyes were completely yellow, with a strange circle inside each one. "Something like this has never happened before!" April shouted.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 5
CHAPTER 2
Beneath Booth 001
Suddenly, a trapdoor opened beneath them.
They fell...and landed back inside the orphanage.
The walls were the same color.
The desks were in the same place.
The blankets looked exactly the same.
What is going on? April thought.
Then the walls cracked.
They crumbled to pieces around her.
Just like that, the orphanage disappeared.
April wasn't in an orphanage anymore.
She was standing in a graveyard.
April slowly got on her feet.
Lilly's eyes were still glowing yellow.
This isn't a dream, April thought.
Like a ghost, Lilly drifted toward a lonely gravestone.
It read:
BENJAMIN FRANK
NOBLE TELEPHONE BOOTH MAKER...followed by several more words that were too worn away to read."Is this who you were talking about?" April asked. "Uncle! It's me! Your niece!" Lilly said.
"Niece?" April asked.
"You're finally here! Oh, I see you brought a friend with you," said Benjamin, holding Lilly's hand. "May I ask who you are?"
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"My name is April Houncin. I need to know who you are—and why, or how, Lilly is your niece," April replied.
"I'm Benjamin. I've built over 215 telephone booths.
Now, I know what you're thinking.
215?! Impossible!
But it's true.
One of them became what people now call a monster. They tortured me because they believed I had used black magic to curse it.
As for your second question, Lilly has been living with me ever since her mother and father passed away. After I died, she had to live in an orphanage. But before that happened, I told her to visit the telephone booth whenever she needed me.
If you're wondering why her eyes are yellow, it's because she's a ‘Weak’. Which means, she’s possessed. No offense, honey.
You aren't one, though. I can sense that you have a kind of bravery.
Follow me." Benjamin opened an old, rusty door.
"Follow this path," he said. "Never leave it. It's your only way out."
"Can I save the children so I can prove to my friends that I'm brave? That I'm a hero?" April asked.
"Please do. I can't go through the door, and neither can Lilly. Both of us are ‘Weaks’," Benjamin replied.
As April stepped through the rusty doorway, Lilly let out a strange hiss. April wouldn't realize until much later that the hiss had created a protective shield around her.
CREEEAK!
The door slammed shut behind her.
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Candles suddenly lit up, forming a glowing path ahead.
One hour later…
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 8
CHAPTER 3
The Heart of the Booth
The path split into three different directions.
"Follow the path, he said.”
"Which path am I supposed to follow?!" April shouted, her voice echoing through the hallway.
Suddenly, the path on the left glowed much brighter than the other two. "Fair point," April muttered.
She walked onto the glowing path and felt a strange tingle.
"Hello?" she called.
For the first time, she felt completely alone.
She walked straight.
Then another straight hallway.
Then another.
And another.
And another...
Until she reached another fork in the road.
"Oh, great. Another split path." April stepped forward— —and suddenly the floor disappeared beneath her.
"Help!" she screamed.
She landed in a dark chamber.
Only one thing lit up the room.
The heart of the telephone booth.
I was underneath the telephone booth all along? April thought.
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The heart looked like a magical, glowing pod. It shimmered with beautiful colors, looked soft and squishy, and gave off a peaceful, calming feeling.
"Hello," said a voice. "You must be April... a ‘hooman’."
"Yeah, sure. 'Hooman”,' or whatever you said. Who are you?" April asked. "Seriously? Isn't it obvious? I'm the Heart of the Telephone Booth."
"Not even close," April muttered. "Tell me everything about the booth." "Very well.
All of the booth's dark magic is powered by me.
Benjamin earned over one hundred patents after building more than 215 telephone booths. But now he's dead.
This telephone booth used to be white.
When Benjamin was killed, it turned black.
Since then, souls have wandered around it.
A man named Harvey Harvis once imagined that a child had gone inside the booth and was desperately knocking on the door, begging for help..." For a moment, there was complete silence.
Then—
GROWWWL!!
"It's the ‘Typedians’!" shouted the Heart.
"What are the ‘Typedians’?" April asked.
"They're enormous tribes that growl with a roar that's part T-rex and part lion. They're outsiders.
Very.
Not.
Nice.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 10
Outsiders.
Call me anytime when you need help!
Right now, you…
Run!" April ran as fast as she could, but the ‘Typedians’ kept getting closer. She spotted a stick and picked it up.
Looking back at the creatures, she shouted,
"I-I'm not afraid to use this stick... or m-maybe t-two st-sticks!" She grabbed another stick.
As she accidentally rubbed the two together...
WHOOSH!
Fire burst from the sticks.
"Ooooh..." the ‘Typedians’ gasped.
"Yeah, that's right," April said confidently. "Fire. Bright fire. Hot fire." The ‘Typedians’ stopped to stare at the flames in amazement.
While they admired the fire, April quietly backed away...and then ran as fast as she could.
"That was close," she sighed.
She then stopped when she remembered something.
"I thought I heard something."
EEEEENNNN!
A strange sound echoed from somewhere to her right.
Then—
THUD! THUD!
Huge footsteps shook the ground.
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But another tiny voice made everything seem much less frightening. "Hello." April looked down.
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CHAPTER 4
BonBon
Standing there was a talking baby griffin.
"My name is BonBon. I'm lost. I got separated from my mommy during a flood in 1898. Today is 1911. It's been years since I last saw her." BonBon smiled with an oddly cheerful grin.
1911? April thought.
But when I entered the telephone booth, it was 2000.
Did I travel back in time?
"Did I go back in time?" she asked.
"Are you a ‘Weak’?" BonBon asked.
"No."
"Then yes," BonBon replied. "You traveled back in time." He scooped up a mouthful of mud and swallowed it.
"Now," BonBon said with a grumpy expression, "back to finding my mommy." "Right," April said. "Where was the last place you saw her?" Together, they walked toward a bright opening on the horizon.
Beyond it stood two towering mountain peaks surrounded by endless greenery. "Through those mountains," BonBon explained. "That's where the flood started. I fell into a drain." His ears drooped.
"I miss her so much." April looked toward the mountains.
Then she took her first steps on a brand-new journey.
Now, I know what you're thinking.
"Isn't April supposed to find her way out?" Well, dear reader, if April rushes straight home, she can't truly prove she's brave.
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She wanted to prove to her friends that she was a hero.
Now...
She's trying to prove it to herself.
And helping BonBon is the perfect place to start.
This quest might just lead her to her dreams...and brighten her heart. The winding trails were muddy, uneven, and difficult to cross.
Wait...
I already said they were muddy.
Anyway, April faced challenge after challenge, but none of them stopped her. After traveling for more than two hours, BonBon looked up at the sky. "A storm will arrive in about twenty minutes," he said. "We still have time to gather blackberries or anything else we can eat.
Like mud...
Very precious...
Very icky...
And... and..."
"Forget about the mud!" April laughed. "We have two choices. Either we get ready for the storm, or we gather berries before it arrives." It took them about fifteen minutes to gather enough food.
Five minutes later...
CRASH!
Lightning flashed across the sky with a blinding light.
Thunder had brought along its friend, Rain.
Chaos erupted everywhere.
The rain poured so heavily that it was almost impossible to see.
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You can't imagine how difficult it was for April.
The water was rising fast.
"Help!" screamed both April and BonBon as they struggled to climb to higher ground.
Everything went black.
Cough!
April slowly opened her eyes.
She was lying on the ground near the left side of the mountains.
EEEEEEENNNNNN! EEEEEEENNNNNN!
It was BonBon's mommy.
BonBon woke up as the mysterious cry echoed through the mountains. "Mommy?" he whispered, coughing.
Then his eyes widened.
"Mommy!" He ran toward her.
She stood about fifteen feet away.
"I've missed you so much!" BonBon's mommy cried.
She hugged him tightly before turning to April.
"Thank you for bringing my son back." BonBon gave April the biggest hug he could manage before happily leaving with his mommy.
Wow...
All of this happened underneath a telephone booth, April thought.
"Are you ready to go home?" asked the Heart, appearing out of nowhere. "I don't think so," April replied.
"This place is even more fun. BonBon likes me. I mean... that was the first time I ever felt like I truly had a friend.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 15
A real friend.
I want to stay."
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 16
CHAPTER 5
A Home Under the Booth
Two years later...
"WOOHOO!" April raced down a zipline she had built herself using vines and pieces of wood.
She landed softly in her very own treehouse.
"April! Catch!" BonBon shouted as he tossed her a basket of fruit.
"Can I try your zipline?"
"Of course!" April laughed.
"WHEEE!" Later, April blended the fruit into smoothies.
SLURP!
The two friends enjoyed every sip.
"Hey, April," BonBon said. "I want another adventure.
A few weeks ago, we fought the spirits and recovered the Golden Chest. Two months ago, we tamed a baby dragon that later flew away to find her soulmate.
Ten months ago, we sailed across the Sparkle Ocean and discovered Umbas and lots of other amazing creatures."
"You know," April replied, "I still haven't rescued the children and teenagers who were trapped inside the telephone booth. Maybe that should be our next adventure." BonBon looked a little embarrassed.
"Oh... about that...
They already escaped.
They didn't like this place, so they left and never told anyone they had been here." He smiled.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 17
"But there are still lots of animals out there that need our help.
Let's begin a brand-new adventure." April looked down at the ground. "April?" BonBon asked quietly.
She had always enjoyed every adventure with BonBon.
But there was one thing she could never stop thinking about.
Unlike BonBon, she had never found her own mother or father.
A wave of sadness washed over her.
"BonBon..." She took a shaky breath.
"You're the closest thing I have to a family.
But... I still want my own mom.
I feel like...
you're not enough." BonBon's smile disappeared.
EEEEEEENNNNN!
"That's my mom. I have to go," BonBon said softly, wiping tears from his eyes. "Wait! BonBon! I didn't mean it!" April shouted desperately.
But he had already flown away.
How sad.
Two best friends...
Separated because of words spoken in pain.
I'm not blaming April.
There's nothing wrong with missing someone you love.
But sometimes, our sadness can hurt the people who have always been there for us.
Feelings can be beautiful...
and they can be painful.
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That night, sadness lingered between the two best friends.
As they lay awake under the same sky, each one hoped that when morning came... they would be able to forgive each other.
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CHAPTER 6
Words That Hurt
BonBon woke up early at 8:14 a.m. and hurried to April's treehouse, hoping she was already awake.
But April wasn't there.
Instead, BonBon found a little schedule lying on the table.
Wake up: 5:50 a.m.
Make my bed: 6:05 a.m.
Pick berries to share with BonBon and make smoothies: 8:15 a.m.
The rest of the schedule didn’t matter.
8:15?
BonBon glanced at the sun.
It's 8:15 right now!
He knew exactly where April loved picking berries.
Harvest Forest.
Flapping his tiny wings, BonBon flew as fast as he could.
As our little friend soared toward Harvest Forest, strange sounds echoed through the air.
Animals groaned.
Others cried out in fear.
BonBon had been right.
The animals really did need help.
These days, the Typedians hunted both animals and humans without mercy. BonBon landed in Harvest Forest, the foggiest place beneath the telephone booth. He looked around.
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Where could April be?
Then he spotted her.
She was sitting beneath a tree, happily writing down recipes for mouth-watering smoothies and fruit juices.
"April?" BonBon asked quietly.
"I came to say I'm sorry." April immediately stood up and ran toward him. Tears streamed down her face.
"Don't be!" she cried.
"You didn't do anything wrong.
It was my fault.
I pushed you away because I wanted to express my feelings.
Instead...
I let my feelings hurt you.
I'm so, so sorry.
Thank you for staying my friend through the hardest times." She gently picked BonBon up and hugged him tightly.
BonBon hugged her back.
"Not only during hard times, silly," he said with a smile.
"Every time."
"By the way," he continued, "do you still want to go on another adventure?" "If it's what you want," April replied.
The two friends spent a little more time gathering fruit and making smoothies before heading home.
As they walked, BonBon eagerly explained everything between giant slurps of April's special smoothie.
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"And then... Slurp!...there's the Cydeian... Slurp!...and the Gurgan... Slurp!...and then there's..." April couldn't help smiling.
Seeing BonBon enjoy her homemade smoothie made her happy.
They had almost reached home when—
EEEEEEENNNNNNNN!
BonBon froze.
"It's my mom!
Something's wrong!" The two best friends raced toward BonBon's home. When they arrived...
It was already too late.
The Typedians had attacked.
BonBon's mother was gone.
"Mom..." BonBon whispered.
He ran straight into April's arms.
"Will you be there for me?" he asked through his tears.
April hugged him tightly.
"BonBon...
I know what it feels like to lose someone.
You've always been there for me.
Now I'll be there for you.
Every single day."
"Thank you so much...
Sister," BonBon cried.
In the distance, the Typedians continued to growl.
Their hunt left nothing behind but silence...and grief.
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Deep grief.
"April?" BonBon asked.
She wasn't listening.
She was staring into the distance.
Fire.
A roaring wall of fire.
Suddenly...
She remembered.
She had seen her mother.
Only once.
Only for a moment.
It happened in a hospital.
The day April was born.
Just after her mother gave birth, flames swept through the building.
With all the strength she had left, April's mother carried her baby to safety and threw her outside, away from the fire.
Moments later, Ms. Raner found the tiny baby.
She rescued April, cared for her, and raised her at Little Hope Orphanage until she was old enough to live on her own.
Everything came rushing back.
Every painful memory.
Every lonely feeling.
Now...
And April understood exactly how heavy it was.
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"BonBon, we have to destroy the telephone booth. We have to find our way out and destroy it for good.
Right now, pack your things.
Let's go home." BonBon carefully gathered everything he owned, including the belongings that had once belonged to his mother.
April wanted to go home with BonBon.
What she didn’t know, is that this place grants the easiest wishes to be granted. A colorful portal appeared.
Inside it was London's district.
The two friends stepped through.
Time seemed to swirl beneath their feet.
Then, April noticed something horrifying.
BonBon was slowly disappearing, piece by piece.
"BonBon! What's happening?" April shouted.
"I can't go with you!" BonBon called back.
"I have to stay."
"You have to come with me! The Typedians are taking over your world!" April begged.
"You don't understand," BonBon replied.
"The Typedians aren't just staying here.
They're coming to your world.
Your people are in danger.
You have forty-five minutes to prepare.
If you don't...
the same thing will happen." April's eyes filled with tears.
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"Thank you, BonBon.
And...
I'm so sorry about your mother." The two best friends smiled sadly. Then they floated in opposite directions.
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CHAPTER 8
Forty Five Minutes
April took her first steps back into London.
"April!" shouted Ms. Raner.
"I've been looking for you for days!"
"Days?" April asked.
"I've been gone for two years."
"What are you talking about?" Ms. Raner replied.
"You've only been missing for a few days." April froze.
Time had moved differently beneath the telephone booth.
"Listen," April said urgently.
"We're all in danger."
"What do you mean?"
"The Typedians are coming." Ms. Raner sighed.
"Classic April." She smiled patiently.
"I appreciate your imagination, but let's calm it down a little, okay?" "I'm not making this up!" April cried.
"I promise!
The Typedians are coming to destroy our world!"
"Come on," Ms. Raner said, gently leading her back toward the orphanage. "Wait!
At least let me destroy the telephone booth first!" April pleaded. Then she remembered.
BonBon was still inside.
Destroying the booth would destroy him and his world too.
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Her shoulders dropped.
Without another word, she quietly followed Ms. Raner back to the orphanage. "Hey, look!
It's Ms. Hero!"
"Also known as April!" the children teased.
April calmly walked to her bed.
"Fine.
Mock me all you want.
At least I proved to myself that I'm a hero." Whispers spread across the room. "Who does she think she is?"
"She's gone completely crazy."
"She's seriously lost it." Forty minutes later...
GROOOOWL!!
The Typedians had arrived.
Ms. Raner was alone in her office when she looked out the window. Her face turned pale.
"Holy macaroni...
April was right." She sprinted to Room 604.
"April!
What do we do?" she asked breathlessly.
"You're seriously asking the dork?" one of the children laughed.
"April told me about those... Ty... pia... dains... or whatever they're called," Ms. Raner said.
"Typedians," April corrected.
"I don't care what they're called," Ms. Raner replied.
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"I need your help.
What should we do?" April stood up.
"We fight.
With everything we've got.
We protect London.
For everyone...
and for BonBon."
"We didn't hear that last part," one of the children said.
"It doesn't matter," April replied quietly.
Together, they rushed outside.
The Typedians were already sweeping through the streets.
One by one...
people fled in terror as the creatures attacked.
The battle for London had begun.
Amid all the chaos, April spotted a tiny figure standing perfectly still. As you might have guessed...
It was BonBon.
"BonBon!" But something was terribly wrong.
His eyes glowed bright red.
The Typedians had possessed him.
"BonBon...?" Before April could take another step, BonBon charged toward her. An axe was tied to the end of his tail.
"BonBon! Stop! This isn't you!" April shouted.
She ran as fast as she could until— A dead end.
BonBon snarled and leaped.
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For a moment, he pinned April to the ground.
She pushed him away just long enough to escape.
While BonBon searched for her, April rushed back into the battle.
She punched.
She kicked.
She slammed into Typedians with all her strength.
But she needed a better weapon.
Nearby, Ms. Raner had managed to make one of the Typedians so dizzy that it collapsed.
She grabbed the creature's weapon and tossed it to April.
It was a heavy bat covered in spikes.
"Oh...
I could get used to this," April said with a determined grin.
She raised the bat— —but before she could swing it...
BonBon knocked her to the ground.
SNARL!
He stared straight into her eyes.
"BonBon..." April whispered.
"You're my friend.
I don't want to fight you.
Life isn't fair.
One day you're drinking a delicious smoothie...
The next day...
you lose your mom.
I know how much it hurts.
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I know you're still in there somewhere.
Sometimes...
the hardest thing we can do...
Is to keep moving forward.
My mom taught me so."
EEEEEEENNNNNN!
BonBon's red eyes flickered.
For a brief moment...
his real eyes looked back at April.
Then his body trembled.
He collapsed into her lap.
Fast asleep.
April carefully carried BonBon inside the orphanage so that when he woke up, he would be safe.
Then she returned outside.
She picked up the spiked bat.
One by one...
She fought the remaining Typedians.
Hours passed.
At last...
The battle was over.
London had won.
"Where am I?" April turned around.
It was BonBon.
She ran toward him and wrapped him in a hug.
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"Stand back!" BonBon cried.
April froze.
His face was full of fear.
"Who are you?
Why am I here?
Where's Mommy?...What are you?"
"BonBon...
It's me.
April."
"How do you know my name?" he whispered.
He stumbled backward before falling onto the ground.
Trying to defend himself, BonBon attempted to breathe fire.
Instead...
he coughed.
Sneezed.
And choked.
"Go get a doctor!" April shouted to Ms. Raner.
She knelt beside BonBon, gently holding him close.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Oh, BonBon..." she whispered.
This...
was what April had meant.
Life is impermanent.
Some wounds don't disappear.
Some stories don't end the way we hope.
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So...
Is this the end?
Well...
Some stories save their biggest surprises for later.
Right?
BURST!
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 32
CHAPTER 9
The Missing Booths
The doors of the telephone booth flew open.
"Lilly!" April gasped.
Standing beside her...
was Benjamin.
The legendary telephone booth maker himself.
"What happened?" Lilly asked.
"Lilly!" Ms. Raner cried.
"I've been searching for you for days!
And... who is this?" Benjamin smiled awkwardly.
"Allow me to introduce myself.
My name is Benjamin Frank.
I've built over 215 telephone booths.
Until...
well...
you probably know the rest." He scratched the back of his head. "April?" Lilly asked gently.
"Are you okay?" April looked down at BonBon.
"I made a friend...
A baby griffin named BonBon.
He lost his memory, and I..." She couldn't finish the sentence.
Benjamin stepped forward.
"Sometimes...
the path to an easier life...
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 33
isn't always a straight line." BonBon was taken to a clinic to see what damaged his memory.
Five days later…
Ding-Dong!
Somebody was at the Little Hope Orphanage.
“April!”
It was Benjamin, holding Lilly’s hand.
“Oh, hello Benjamin, Lilly. What brings you here?”
asked April in a subdued voice.
“We thought that maybe you’d like to join us for breakfast,”
Said Lilly, curling her hair.
"There's something important that I want to tell you,”
Informed Benjamin, with a serious face.
They sat at a perfectly set table with bright red roses in a clear, glass vase. They started by ordering some light food, Then, they started the conversation. Benjamin started by saying,
"I built 215 telephone booths...
But only one became cursed.
The others...
Disappeared." April was shocked.
"Disappeared? Where?" Benjamin looked worried.
"No one knows.
They choose where they want to be found."
That night…
April was lying in bed, wide awake.
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Benjamin’s words spiraled around April’s mind.
“The others disappeared…”
RING!
April hadn’t destroyed the black telephone booth, Yet.
She ran down the stairs, Feeling conjured to this.
She was all alone on the streets.
The moon shone brighter than usual, which gave April that tingle feeling. Her fingers tightened around the hammer until her knuckles turned white. “Don’t do that! Answer the call first!”
Warned a mysterious voice.
Lots of people got trapped, But now I have to answer a call?
Thought April.
April carefully went in, feeling frightened.
She slowly pulled the door handle of the booth with a creak.
She gripped the sides of the booth, hoping the trapdoor wouldn't open. Nothing happened.
Instead, the receiver lifted by itself until it rested against April's ear. “Help…”
“We’re trapped…”
“Hurry…”
April quickly recorded the message so she could show Benjamin the next day. “Hello? Who is this?” April asked.
But the line already went dead.
Next morning…
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 35
Instead of Benjamin and Lilly asking April to go out for breakfast, April invited Benjamin and Lilly to go out for breakfast.
They sat at the same table they had used the day before.
Before Benjamin could ask April why April invited them to breakfast, April pulled out her phone from her pocket, and slammed it onto the table. Benjamin had a teacup in his hand.
It nearly spilled across the table.
“Hear this,”
Panicked April.
April smashed the play button.
“Help…”
“We’re trapped…”
“Hurry…”
Benjamin listened to the recording.
Instead of speaking...
He dropped his teacup.
CRASH!
Lilly asked,
"Uncle Benjamin?" Benjamin whispers,
"That's impossible..." Benjamin’s body shook.
"That voice...
It belongs to Telephone Booth Number 147." Lilly looked confused. "What's so special about Number 147?" Benjamin took a deep breath. "It's the only booth...that I never finished building." Benjamin ran to the door, bursting it open before the waiter even asked to pay.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 36
“Uncle! Wait!”
shouted Lilly.
He stopped running when he reached the black telephone booth.
Benjamin stared at the telephone booth.
Then he said,
"April... have you ever noticed the little brass plate above the door?" April looked up.
It said:
Telephone Booth No. 001
Benjamin whispered,
"I built 215 booths." April nodded.
"So?" Benjamin smiled nervously.
"This was the first."
“So? What’s so important?”
Asked April.
“The recording you showed me, isn’t from your world,”
replied Benjamin, April's stomach tightened. She had expected a strange answer— but not this one.
April looked at Benjamin with a frightened expression.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Benjamin hesitated.
"There's too much to explain," he replied, his voice uneasy.
"Then we can talk tomorrow. Right now, I need to check on BonBon," said April. Without waiting for an answer, she ran toward the clinic, hoping BonBon was all right.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 37
She pushed open the doors.
"Oh, hello, April," said Amy, a kind woman who worked at the clinic. "Please have a seat. The doctor will see you soon." Fifteen minutes later...
"“The doctor will see you now,”" Amy said.
April stepped into the room.
"Hello, April," the doctor greeted her calmly.
"Is BonBon okay?" April asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
The doctor gave her a gentle smile.
"You can go and see him if you'd like." Silence filled the room.
Then...
April began to cry.
BonBon's eyes slowly opened.
"A..."
April held her breath.
"Ap..."
Tears filled her eyes.
BonBon blinked.
"April..."
April burst into tears.
She was just about to hug BonBon when he gently asked,
"April... how do I know your voice... but not your face?"
April smiled through her tears.
"Would you like to know?"
BonBon nodded.
April sat beside him.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 38
"Then let me tell you a story."
She took a deep breath.
"Once upon a time... there was a very peculiar telephone booth."
Forty-five minutes later...
BonBon sat quietly, staring at the blanket on his lap.
"Wow..." he whispered.
A long silence followed.
Then he looked up at April.
"So... My mommy is dead?"
April lowered her head.
She didn't have the heart to lie.
"...Yes."
BonBon cried and buried his face into his paws.
April patted his back.
She had an idea to cheer him up.
"Do you want to try a soda?" she asked.
"Maybe," BonBon replied,
wiping his tears away.
April marched to the supermarket.
Seventeen minutes later...
BonBon took a sip.
BURP!
A tiny puff of fire floated out of his beak.
BonBon stared at the bottle.
"The drink is angry." April laughed so hard that tears rolled down her cheeks.
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After catching her breath, she said, "Come on. We need to go back to the doctor." BonBon nodded and happily finished the rest of his soda.
BURP!
A tiny flame.
BURP! BURP!
Two more little puffs of fire drifted into the air.
At the clinic, April asked the doctor,
"Can BonBon stay with me at the orphanage?" The doctor smiled.
"Well, if he agrees... I don't see why not." April turned to BonBon.
"Would you like to come with me?"
"Of course!" BonBon replied, taking her hand.
Together they walked through block street, past MiMi's Bakery, a busy café, a pet shop, and finally a long, bumpy road.
April climbed onto a bicycle.
"Hop on!" BonBon climbed onto the back.
As they bumped along the road, April shouted,
"Hang on!" BonBon immediately jumped off the bicycle, grabbed the nearest tree branch, and hung from it with all his strength.
April slammed on the brakes.
"BonBon! Why did you do that?" BonBon blinked.
"Because you said, 'Hang on.'" For a moment, April just stared at him. Then she burst into laughter all over again.
Eighteen minutes later…
They arrived at the ‘Little Hope Orphanage’.
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When they opened the door, they saw four construction workers building a brand new elevator for the orphanage.
They went upstairs, to find Ms. Raner sleeping on her desk.
BonBon raced to April's bed.
A tiny teddy bear sat perfectly still on the pillow.
He whispered,
"Small bear..." Carefully, he placed a few berries in front of it.
"Eat." He waited...
Nothing.
He gently nudged one of the berries closer.
"Go on." Still nothing.
Five minutes later...
"April," BonBon called, "why won't it eat?" April walked over and smiled. "Because it's not alive."
"Oh." BonBon nodded thoughtfully.
"More berries for me." He picked them up and happily ate every last one. After BonBon had finished eating the berries, He pats the teddy bear on the head. “Maybe next time,”
April giggled.
She felt the closeness she had once shared with BonBon beginning to return. Wanting to make another good memory, April asked,
“BonBon, would you like to go to the beach tomorrow?”
Asked April, feeling shy.
“Why not?”
The next day…
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“Wow!”
Yelled BonBon, running to the shore.
April settled down on the shore, and took out the sand toys from her bag. A wave splashed BonBon.
BonBon gasped.
"It attacked me!" Another wave came.
He pointed at it.
"I knew you were coming back." He spent the next five minutes trying to scare the ocean away.
April cheered,
“Go BonBon!”
Even though April knew that the wave wasn’t doing anything, she still wanted BonBon to feel proud, or welcome to the open world.
BonBon took a break, and said,
“It won’t go away,”
April giggled,
“It’s okay, you tried your best.”
April stared at the sand toys.
“Do you want to build a sandcastle?”
“What’s a sandcastle?”
Asked BonBon, looking confused.
“You’ll see,”
Replied April, taking the shovel, sand scrapers, fish molds, and buckets, placing it all in front of BonBon.
“Let’s get started.”
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Twenty minutes later…
BonBon hasn’t even started his sandcastle.
He was too confused.
“It looks pretty." Said BonBon, admiring April’s sandcastle.
"...Nobody lives there?"
"No." Replied April.
BonBon gently whispered to the sandcastle,
"I'm sorry." A few minutes passed, and April caught BonBon thinking about something.
“BonBon, what are you thinking about?”
“If soup is a drink, Is cereal a salad?” April blinked.
"...What?" BonBon looked completely serious.
"I've been thinking about it for seven minutes." BonBon kept thinking about it, until April dragged him into something else.
“Do you want to do a digging contest?”
“Sure,”
Replied BonBon.
April started digging through the sand.
BonBon watched.
"...That's digging?" He started to dig.
Sand flew everywhere.
Three minutes later...
April couldn't even see him.
"BonBon?" A tiny voice came from underground.
"I'm still going!" April’s jaw widened.
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She hadn’t known griffins could dig that well.
BonBon screamed.
AHHHH!
He flew back up to shore.
“Something’s chasing me!”
April stared hard at the hole.
“Oh, it’s a mole crab.”
Said April.
She picked up a shovel, and shoved the mole crab into the ocean. “There. You’re safe.”
Said April.
She stared at the sun.
“It’s nearly sunset,”
“Let’s do one more activity before going back,”
April stepped towards the ocean.
April skipped a flat stone across the water.
Skip.
Skip.
Skip.
Skip.
BonBon watched in amazement.
"...The rock knows how to swim." April laughed.
"No, BonBon. I threw it." BonBon picked up the biggest rock he could find. "Watch me."
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SPLASH!!
The rock immediately sank.
BonBon stared at the water.
"...Mine forgot." April smiled at BonBon.
They packed up their sand toys, and walked back to the orphanage.
After arriving, April went to the new elevator.
The doors opened.
“It ate the people!”
Panicked BonBon.
“It’s an elevator,”
Replied April, stepping into the elevator.
“That’s exactly what it wants you to think.”
Whispered BonBon.
When they arrived at the third level, BonBon apologized to the elevator for thinking it ate the people.
April walked straight to her room.
She laid down on her pillow, hoping that the next day would be another adventure with BonBon.
BonBon saw a broom standing in the corner.
He froze.
"...Who's that?" April looked over.
"...That's a broom." BonBon whispered,
"It has no face." BonBon ran to April, climbed on her bed, and hugged her tight. Next morning…
DING-DONG!
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 45
April had so much fun with BonBon, that she forgot about the conversation she had with Benjamin and Lilly.
“Good morning!”
Said April.
“Happy sunlight!”
Said BonBon, coming up from behind.
There was a moment of awkwardness.
“We haven’t settled our previous conversation,”
Said Benjamin, with a serious face.
“Oh, right.”
Replied April, with a sad face.
April loved adventures and mysterious things, but she also loves spending time with BonBon.
“Can I come too?”
Asked BonBon.
“Fine,”
Sighed Benjamin.
April’s frown turned upside-down.
She smiled, but didn’t say a word.
The four of them walked towards a busy cafe.
Not the same as last time.
Instead, it’s a private cafe.
Our friends sat at an outdoor table of the cafe.
Benjamin started the conversation by saying,
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 46
“When you went into the booth, there was a magical forest where magical animals lived. Well, for the rest of the booths, they have their own different themes. For example: Underwater, library, and a desert. Telephone booth 147, is the library. Not just any library, the library of forgotten stories. But because I haven’t finished building it, telephone booth 147 can destroy the entire world or in fact, the entire universe.” April had a million questions.
“How does telephone booth 147 destroy the universe? Isn’t booth 001 the only one that’s magical? Are there other people in the other booths? Are there more enemies there? Am I asking too many questions?”
"Nope. Not at all... I think," Benjamin replied with a sigh.
"I want to tell a story too!" BonBon exclaimed, raising one wing.
Benjamin rubbed his forehead.
"As long as it isn't too long."
"I'll tell a spooky story!" BonBon announced proudly.
"Fine," Benjamin said. "Just don't take forever." BonBon took a deep breath. "Once upon a time..." Everyone leaned in.
"...I met April." He happily told the entire story of how they became friends. When he finally finished...
There was silence.
"Aww..." Lilly smiled.
Benjamin blinked.
"BonBon..."
"Yes?"
"That wasn't spooky." BonBon tilted his head.
"It wasn't?"
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"No." BonBon thought for a moment.
"Oh." He looked at everyone.
"...Is it spooky if I tell it in the dark?" Everybody stared at each other. “No,”
Replied Benjamin,
"Now may I continue?" Benjamin asked.
BonBon zipped his beak shut with an imaginary zipper.
"Ziiip." He even pretended to throw the invisible key into the bushes. Benjamin stared.
"...That was surprisingly helpful." Benjamin cleared his throat.
"May I begin?"
"Go on," said BonBon.
Everybody stared at him.
Benjamin raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you zipped your beak."
"Oh... right." BonBon mimed pulling an imaginary zipper across his beak. "Ziiip." Then he tossed the invisible key into the bushes.
Again.
Benjamin watched the imaginary key disappear.
"...One day, we're going to need that key." BonBon gave a muffled little shrug. "Mmph."
"Now, I can't answer all of your questions, April. What I can answer are your second and third questions.
"The curse from Telephone Booth No. 001 spread to my other booths. The spirits roaming around it became interested in the rest of them. And as for your third question...
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 48
Yes.
There certainly are." Silence settled over the table.
For about three seconds.
Then BonBon spoke.
"So... are we going on another adventure, April?
And can Lilly come?
Also...
Can we leave Benjamin behind?" Benjamin slowly closed his eyes. "I told you we were going to need that key."
"Don't worry," BonBon said proudly. "I have a million more."
"Then stop wasting them by talking so much!" BonBon gasped. "You just wasted words telling me not to waste words." Benjamin pointed at him. "I've only said thirty-seven words." BonBon stared.
"...You counted?"
"I was preparing for this moment." BonBon nodded thoughtfully. "Fair." Then he grinned.
"...You still talk too much." Benjamin sighed.
"...I walked right into that one." Lilly giggled.
April laughed so hard she nearly spilled her drink.
Benjamin folded his arms.
"Anyway..." Everyone became quiet.
"We do have another adventure." BonBon immediately raised his wing. "I wasn't talking to you." BonBon slowly lowered it.
"...Okay." Benjamin reached into his coat and unfolded an old map. At first, it looked completely blank.
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BonBon tilted his head.
"...You forgot to draw it." Benjamin sighed.
"I didn't." He gently placed a finger on the map.
One glowing dot appeared.
Then another.
Then dozens.
Every glowing dot marked a different telephone booth.
One of them suddenly began flashing red.
Benjamin stared at it.
"Telephone Booth Number 147..." BonBon leaned closer.
"...Pancake?" Before anyone could stop him—
CHOMP!
He bit the corner of the map.
Benjamin nearly fainted.
"BONBON!" BonBon chewed thoughtfully.
"...Definitely not pancake." Lilly quickly caught Benjamin before he fell out of his chair.
When Benjamin finally opened his eyes again, Lilly smiled.
"Uncle..." Benjamin blinked.
"I want to come too." He looked at her in surprise.
"The last time you entered a telephone booth, you were possessed."
"I know." She turned toward April.
"But April came back for me." The table became quiet again.
Benjamin looked at April.
Then back at Lilly.
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For the first time that morning...
He smiled.
“April, BonBon, stay at our house until we’re ready to go on the adventure.” April and BonBon quickly ran to the orphanage, and packed up everything that’s useful (Not BonBon…).
April packed:
• A flashlight
• A notebook
• 4 sharp sticks
• 4 water bottles
• 4 lunchboxes (With a tuna sandwich and strawberries)
BonBon packed:
• twelve berries
• a teddy bear
• three spoons
• a rock
• an empty bottle
• A stinky sock
April blinked.
"...What's the sock for?" BonBon shrugged.
"...Emergency." They walked to Benjamin's house, Wondering how their adventure starts.
They had just arrived when Benjamin hung a sign on the door, saying:
DO NOT DISTURB.
PRIVATE MEETING.
(ONLY APRIL & BONBON ALLOWED…)
“Hey, I’m famous!”
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Said BonBon, proudly.
The next day…
April had just woken up from her sleep at Benjamin’s house.
She spent about five minutes making her bed perfectly.
Until…
BOING!
BOING!
BOING!
“... BonBon,”
“I made it more fun,”
Replied BonBon, still jumping on April’s bed.
“April! BonBon!”
“Time to eat!”
Yelled Lilly.
BonBon and April raced downstairs.
April sat down on a chair.
“Take a seat, BonBon.”
Said April.
BonBon picked up a seat.
“Done,”
Said BonBon, straining hard.
"No..." April laughed. "I meant sit on it." BonBon carefully placed the chair back on the floor.
"...Humans make talking very difficult." Lilly giggled.
Benjamin placed toast on the table.
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BonBon poked it.
"...It's crunchy." He poked it again.
"...Did you cook a sponge?" April laughed.
"It's bread." BonBon took a bite.
"...Humans make delicious rocks." Lilly walked over to Benjamin.
“Uncle, may I have the cereal?”
Benjamin nodded.
“Of course,”
Lilly poured the cereal into a bowl.
BonBon carefully poured his into his pocket.
April blinked.
"BonBon..."
"What?"
"The bowl."
"I know…...It's too round."
“April, BonBon, can you take your bags? I want to see what you packed,” Said Benjamin.
April and BonBon raced upstairs.
They returned with their bags.
BonBon stepped forward.
“April first. I don’t want to see yours,” said Benjamin.
April opened her bag.
“I packed:
• A flashlight
• A notebook
• 4 sharp sticks
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• 4 water bottles
• 4 lunchboxes (With a tuna sandwich and strawberries)” Benjamin approved.
“Good,”
“Now, BonBon,”
“I packed:
• twelve berries
• a teddy bear
• three spoons
• a rock
• an empty bottle
• A stinky sock”
Benjamin blinked.
"Why did you pack three spoons?" BonBon proudly pointed.
"One for eating." He pointed to the second.
"One in case I lose the first." He pointed to the third.
"...I forgot." Benjamin sighed.
"I should've guessed." Benjamin pointed to the sock.
"...Explain." BonBon whispered dramatically,
"If something smells me first...
it can't surprise me." Nobody said anything.
Benjamin slowly nodded.
"...I have absolutely no idea what that means."
"Me neither," said BonBon.
Benjamin raised an eyebrow.
“I’m tired of this,”
He walked towards the table.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 54
Benjamin spread a custom map that he made himself, across the table. "We all have responsibilities." He pointed at April.
"You're the leader." He pointed at Lilly.
"You're the observer." He pointed at himself.
"I'm the guide." He looked at BonBon.
"...You're..." BonBon waited excitedly.
"...Try not to eat anything important." BonBon saluted.
"I can do that!" Five seconds later...
CHOMP!
"My pencil!" Benjamin cried.
Lilly stared.
“Uncle, do you want me to make pancakes? I know pancakes always calm you down,” said Lilly.
Benjamin smiled.
“Yes please,”
Five minutes later…
Lilly served the pancakes.
BonBon studied one.
"...This one looks tastier than Benjamin's map." Benjamin quickly pulled the map closer.
"Don't even think about it." Benjamin kept his eyes on BonBon as he was taking the pancakes, and chewing it softly.
With the map still cradled in his arm, he hugged Lilly tightly, whispering something in her ear.
Lilly’s smile faded.
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She was just about to whisper something back, When…
RING!
Everyone froze.
The telephone on Benjamin's wall began ringing by itself.
Benjamin slowly stood.
"...It knows we're ready." Nobody answered.
The ringing got louder.
BonBon hid behind April.
"...I don't like telephones anymore." Benjamin walked over...and answered. A whisper came through the receiver.
"Telephone Booth Number 147 has awakened." Silence.
Benjamin quietly hung up the receiver.
"...We leave in one hour." BonBon picked up his bag.
"All right, let's go." Benjamin stared at him.
"I said we leave in one hour." BonBon tilted his head.
"Isn't April the leader?
You said so yourself." Benjamin blinked.
"...Right." BonBon turned to April.
"So...
when do we leave?" April smiled.
"We leave now." BonBon looked back at Benjamin with a proud grin. "I know her better than you do." Benjamin rolled his eyes.
April chuckled.
"Benjamin..." He looked at April.
"You're our guide.
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Guide us." A tiny smile appeared on Benjamin's face.
"...All right.
Let's go." Before anyone else could move, Lilly pushed open the front door. As soon as Lilly opened the door...
Everyone froze.
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CHAPTER 11
Telephone Booth 147
Outside, standing perfectly still on the opposite side of the street...was a red telephone booth.
Nobody remembered seeing it yesterday.
BonBon whispered,
"...Did it walk here?" Benjamin slowly replied,
"...No.
It chose to appear." Benjamin ran towards it.
Everybody followed.
He checked the brass plate above the door of the booth.
It said: TELEPHONE BOOTH NO. 147.
“It’s here,”
Whispered Benjamin.
“April, do we HAVE to go in?”
asked BonBon.
“Well, if we want to save the universe from dying, then yes,” replied April. Lilly stared at the booth.
"Uncle?" Benjamin turned to her.
"Yes?" Lilly stepped closer to the telephone booth.
"I thought you said you never finished building it." Benjamin studied the booth for a moment.
"I finished the booth itself...
but I never finished the telephone inside it." Lilly frowned.
"You mean it can't—"
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RING!
RING!
RING!
"...It still can," Benjamin replied quietly.
Everyone fell silent.
April slowly reached for the door handle.
"Wait!" BonBon shouted.
She paused.
"Is it safe?" April smiled nervously.
"I won't know until I go inside." BonBon thought about that.
"...Right." April stepped in.
A warm breeze carried the smell of old paper and ink.
“Smells like, a library,” whispered April.
April picked up the telephone.
“Hello?”
Asked April.
A whisper came through the receiver.
“Your story… Is about to end,” April froze.
She hung up.
She looked back at Benjamin, her eyes wide open.
She shivered.
“Our story… is about to end,” BonBon blinked.
“I seriously don’t get it,”
Benjamin stared at BonBon.
“Of course you don’t,”
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BonBon looked at April.
“But if it’s important to April, it’s important to me.” April smiled at BonBon. Even though BonBon had lost his memory, he was still close to her.
The story really helped, April thought.
April tried to get her head back in the mystery.
Benjamin asked, “When you went into the first booth, how did you get into the graveyard?” April looked back at the booth.
“There was a trapdoor that opened beneath me, then I appeared at the same place I was before.
Finally, the walls fell and I appeared.” Lilly looked back to the booth. “Should we see if the trapdoor for this booth could open?”
“This booth doesn’t have a trapdoor,”
whispered Benjamin.
“Instead, it chooses who should go in,”
BonBon raised his wing.
“I’ll go first!”
Benjamin stared.
“You need to tell a story that will impress the telephone booth.”
“I can do that!”
BonBon cleared his throat.
“Once upon a time, I ate mud.” Everybody stared at BonBon.
“BonBon, that’s not a story,”
Three seconds later…
CLAP!
CLAP!
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CLAP!
“Amazing story, you got there!”
The telephone booth itself started talking, without any face or mouth. “You may go in!”
Benjamin blinked.
“But– but that’s not a story!”
The telephone booth didn’t listen.
Now, instead of opening the door to enter the library, the door itself was a portal to the library.
BonBon stepped into the portal.
“My turn!”
yelled April.
“Once upon a time… the cloud spoke to the sun.”
CLAP!
CLAP!
CLAP!
“Fantastic! Excellent hyperbole, or is it a metaphor?”
April stepped into the portal.
Lilly raised her hand.
“My turn?”
She asked, looking shy.
“Once upon a time… Through the sky, An old man appeared, that looked friendly, but was about to destroy the world,” There was a moment of silence. “Uh, uh, good imagination,”
said the booth.
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“But uh, if somebody says something like that, I’m not allowed to bring you in.” Lilly’s eyes turned yellow.
SNARL!
“Lilly?”
asked Benjamin, looking worried.
Lilly’s eyes turned back to normal.
“Uncle,”
Then back to yellow.
SNARL!
Then back to normal.
“help…”
Her eyes were glitching.
Lilly ran back home, wiping tears from her face.
“Lilly!”
Called Benjamin.
“Benjamin!”
yelled the booth.
“Your turn!”
“I’ll tell a fact,”
said Benjamin.
“Ooh! I love facts! You may start!” Clapped the booth.
“Did you know that bees have two large compound eyes and three smaller eyes (ocelli) on top of their head to detect light?”
Told Benjamin.
“Wow!”
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“You may go in!”
Before Benjamin went in, he looked back.
He was worried about Lilly.
His stomach felt queasy.
Before he could say his second thoughts to the booth, the booth pushed him inside of the portal, and said,
“Bye bye!”
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 63
CHAPTER 12
Ms. Bookmark
He landed inside of the library of forgotten stories.
He looked around.
Towering shelves filled with glowing books stretched higher than the tallest trees. Golden lights floated through the air, making the room look dreamlike and mysterious.
The ancient bookshelves were covered in vines that sparkled like tiny stars. The magical library was so vast and endless that nobody had ever explored every room.
Strange creatures quietly guarded the shelves, protecting the legendary stories inside.
The air smelled of old paper, magic, and wonderful adventures waiting to be explored.
April stared at the towering shelves.
“How are we going to find our story here?”
Benjamin looked around.
Then, he spotted somebody useful.
“The librarian,”
The three of them walked towards the librarian’s desk.
She looked scaly but young.
She looked like a crocodile you see in Disney.
When she shushes somebody, her tongue comes out as a red bookmark. She was wearing gold outlined glasses that had the lens of a tiger.
She had a pet whose name was ‘Hiss’.
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‘Hiss’ was a reticulated python, a dangerous snake.
Hanging on her desk, was a golden sign that carved out the words:
MS. BOOKMARK
That explains why she has vibrant, colored, bookmarks on her desk. What they didn’t know was that, whenever someone interrupts her... She silently places a bookmark in the middle of their sentence.
Like, literally.
But Benjamin, of course, wasn’t aware of that.
“Can you help us find a–”
SLIP.
Ms. Bookmark gently slipped a bookmark into Benjamin’s mouth.
“...”
Benjamin slowly removed it.
“I deserved that,”
“HISS”
hissed Hiss.
He opened his jaw to show off his razor sharp fangs, when Ms. Bookmark tied his mouth with a long rope.
“What do you want?”
whispered Ms. Bookmark.
Her whisper was so quiet, they barely heard it.
Luckily, BonBon had sensitive ears.
“We’re looking for a book named, ‘The Peculiar Telephone Booth.” Ms. Bookmark nodded.
“Ink!”
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called Ms. Bookmark, as quiet as possible.
Ink was a creature made entirely of black ink.
He left little footprints wherever he walked.
“Yes Ms. Bookmark?”
his voice sounded warbled, as if he was underwater.
Ms. Bookmark pointed to a section of shelves, that said:
GREATEST ADVENTURES.
“Take them there after you bring them to meet the forgotten author at his desk,” Before the three of them even moved, Ms. Bookmark took out 3 notebooks. “Your story,”
muttered Ms. Bookmark.
She took out 3 pens.
One said: APRIL HOUNCIN The other said: BENJAMIN FRANK The last one said: BONBON ARIN As soon as she put each one on their own notebook, the pages flipped open.
The pens started clicking.
Finally, they got ready to write their story.
“Let’s go,”
said Ink.
As our friends got closer to the forgotten author, the library seemed to get darker and darker.
BonBon hid behind April.
“Are all libraries like this?”
April shook her head slowly.
Benjamin pointed to something he saw in the distance.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 66
"Is that who you were talking about?”
Ink looked worried.
DRIP.
His nose came off.
He quietly stuck it back on.
“Sir, Ms. Bookmark told me to bring you some guests,”
“Tell them they can wait,”
A low voice echoed through the entire library.
Ink whimpered.
“They’re already here,”
The forgotten author looked back.
His skin looked a little wrinkled.
But his eyes sparkled with a tiny glimmer of light.
He wore brown, fuzzy boots.
He had a mug on his desk.
The mug said: WORLD’S GREATEST
AUTHOR.
He looked at Ink, with daring eyes.
“Can you leave us alone for a minute?”
Ink did a tiny bow.
He walked back to Ms. Bookmark, quickly.
“Hello, My name is April.
This is Benjamin, and this is BonBon.” April looked at him, confused. “Why was Ink afraid of you?”
instead of answering April’s question, He put his hand on her heart.
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There was a bright glow on April’s chest.
The light lit the library like northern stars.
The forgotten author pulled his hand back.
“ You are the main character of a book named ‘The Peculiar Telephone Booth’, am I right?”
He asked.
April looked confused.
“Main character?”
The author sighed.
“Are you still in kindergarten?”
April grunted.
“Of course not. But, I have never been in any story in my life.” The forgotten author didn’t listen.
Instead, he stared in her eyes.
“You have her eyes,”
April froze.
“...Whose?”
He smiled sadly.
“Your mother’s,”
April fell to the ground.
“How do you know my mother?”
He crouched down.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 68
CHAPTER 13
The Forgotten Author
“Because April, I’m your father,” April had no time to speak.
She fainted.
BonBon looked at him.
“Father?”
Benjamin looked proud.
“I took care of her ever since.”
April’s father blinked.
“Ms. Raner has been taking care of her.”
BonBon gasped.
“How do you know?”
He sighed.
“It doesn’t really matter anyway,”
April finally got up.
She immediately started talking.
“I need to understand,”
Her father pulled her gently to a room that said:
PRIVACY ROOM
“We can talk. In there.” They pushed open the door.
Inside was thick dust, laying down on corners of the floor and ceiling. There was a wooden table, with a jug of water and cups.
There were two chairs standing beside the table.
It was as dark as night, and it was so quiet, you could hear a water drop, falling towards the floor.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 69
April’s father sat down first.
April looked back at BonBon and Benjamin.
“I’ll catch you guys later,”
BonBon gasped.
“You’re going to catch us?! With what?
A fishing hook?
Coolest thing I have ever heard.” April giggled.
She closed the door.
She started to sit.
Her father started.
“I was on a business trip to Paris when your mother gave birth. I was there because I had a writing partner that could help me with my finest book. I wasn’t there to see you as an infant. When I heard about the fire, I panicked. I flew straight back to London, but it was too late. You were found nowhere. I asked one of the doctors. The doctor said: ‘I saw an infant outside of the hospital. Then, a woman took her and they vanished into the night.’ I was shocked. They showed me a photo of that woman they got from the CCTV camera, and I calmed down. Then, notifications started to pop out on my phone. One said: When is your new book going to get published? Another said: Line 15, page 710 is missing a comma! Another one said: Aren’t you supposed to write about how Joy is feeling from your ‘Way Back Home’ book? The last one said: Trevor, aren’t you supposed to be writing your final book? I fell to the floor. Then, I don’t remember what happened. All I know is that I felt guilty for missing your first breath on this planet.” Tears rolled down his cheeks.
April hugged her father.
Meanwhile…
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 70
“BonBon!”
yelled Benjamin.
“SHHH!”
shushed Ms. Bookmark.
Benjamin ran to BonBon.
“What are you doing here?”
BonBon kept his eyes on a dirt pit with six holes inside.
“SHH! They can pop out at any moment by now,”
Benjamin stared.
“What is going to pop out?”
BonBon spoke.
“We have to leave dad.”
Then, a goblin popped out of one of the holes, and shouted,
“COMMA!”
Benjamin ran.
“Let’s get out of here,”
Benjamin walked over to the librarian counter.
He handed over his mini notebook.
“I want to know if the grammar is correct,”
Ms. Bookmark raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
Benjamin looked embarrassed.
“I’d like everything to be in order,”
Ms. Bookmark sighed.
“Let’s have the bookworms inspect it.”
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 71
Tiny little worms wearing glasses crawled onto Benjamin’s notebook. Nibble…
Nibble…
Nibble…
One of them looked up.
“Nice stuff you got here.”
Nibble…
“Missing a comma,”
Nibble…
“This sentence is missing a capital letter…”
CHOMP!
Half the page disappeared.
“You didn’t tell me they eat bad grammar!”
cried Benjamin.
BonBon gasped.
“They’re hungry!”
Then, he got closer.
“Can I pet one?”
The Bookworm replied,
“Certainly,”
BonBon got closer.
“Can I feed one?”
The Bookworm tilted its head.
“We only eat grammatical errors.”
BonBon reached for Benjamin’s ‘Super Important Notes’ notebook.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 72
“Here.”
Benjamin grunted.
“Traitor,”
Nibble… Nibble… Nibble…
BonBon thought it was cute.
“AWW!”
Meanwhile…
Again…
“Let’s explain to your friends about me in this library.”
said April’s father, after wiping away his tears.
They pushed open the door.
“BonBon!”
shouted April.
They held each other tightly in their arms.
BonBon blinked.
“It felt like days!”
April snickered.
“It was only for 15 minutes,”
April looked back at her father.
“You said you were going to explain,”
April’s father blinked.
“What? Oh. Oh!
Right.
Please, sit down.” Even though April’s father seemed wise, and everybody was scared of him, he was still terribly forgetful.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 73
They all sat on some old, rusty chairs nearby his desk.
He cleared his throat.
Then, he paused.
Finally, he asked,
“Why are we sitting here again?”
April tilted her head.
“To explain,”
He cleared his throat again.
“Right. Um uh…
Long ago...
I wrote the greatest story ever created.
Everyone loved it.
But over hundreds of years...
People forgot it.
Eventually...
They forgot me too.
Now...
I live inside the Library.
Every day...
I wait.
Hoping someone will remember my story.
And the reason everybody is scared of me, is because I always have looked grouchy.” April looked at her father.
“What’s your book called?”
He smiled softly.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 74
“I can’t remember. The only book that I can remember, Is my ‘Way Back Home’ book.
The one I told you about.” It was an utterly sad moment.
April cried softly, burying her face with her hands.
BonBon hugged April, trying to comfort her.
April’s father stared at April, wishing his wife was here to whisper April in the ear that everything was going to be okay.
Benjamin stared at everyone, not really sure what the injustice was about. Until…
HOWL!
HOWL!
“SHH!”
shushed Ms. Bookmark.
WHINE!
“Sorry,”
from the fog of the library, was a fox.
It walked toward the four of them.
The fox’s fur looked clean.
It had a bright orange color that was painted around it.
The fox suddenly froze.
Then, it bowed.
“I’m sorry, did I disturb you?” April’s father looked down.
Then, he said, sarcastically,
“No. Not at all.” The fox looked up.
“Who are these people?”
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 75
April’s father sighed.
“These people are my daughter’s friends. And my daughter.” The fox walked toward April.
It held its paw up.
“My name is Pip.”
April gently shook Pip’s paw.
“April Houncin,”
Pip shook her head.
“No you’re not,”
April blinked.
“Yes I am,”
“No you’re not,”
“Yes I am,”
“No you’re not,”
“YES I AM,”
“NO YOU’RE NOT,”
“YES I AM!”
“NO YOU’RE NOT!”
“SHH!”
Pip and April looked at Ms. Bookmark.
Then, they looked at each other.
April cleared her throat.
“What did you mean by that?”
Pip opened her mouth to say something, But she froze.
Her ears stood straight up.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 76
Her eyes widened.
She whispered,
"...No way." Benjamin frowned.
"What?" Pip slowly pointed at April.
"...You're April Houncin." April blinked.
"...Yes?" Pip took three steps backward.
"...That's impossible."
"Why?" Pip swallowed.
"Because..." She looked toward the towering shelves.
"...I've read your book." Pip’s expression darkened.
April’s eyes widened.
“Is there anything wrong with it?”
Pip looked down.
“It’s… …Fading,” April stepped closer.
“Where is it?”
Pip looked frightened.
“It’s in… …The Storykeeper’s custody,” BonBon blinked.
“Who’s ‘The Storykeeper’?”
Pip explained,
“They call him, ‘The Book Healer.
He’s an old man carrying a lantern.
Every night...
He walks through the library.
Whenever a forgotten story begins to fade...
He gently reads the first page aloud.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 77
Immediately...
The book glows again.
But…” Pip froze.
April got closer to her.
“But what?”
Pip shivered,
“But for some reason… …Your story isn’t glowing again.
It’s dim.” April looked severe.
Her father looked calm.
“Pip, can you take them to ‘The Storykeeper’ at 08:20 PM?” Pip bowed. “Of course. Oh! I almost forgot!
Have you guys had a tour of the library?” BonBon and April looked at each other. “No. Why?” Pip looked nervous.
“It’s better to know your sections around here. You know, there has been a mystery ‘round here.
Not much of one, though. ”
“What is it about?”
asked April.
“It’s about how stories haven’t been finished. How stories forgot their author, their reader, their publisher.
About forgotten stories, like your dad’s.
‘Lots been going on here, I tell you." Pip started walking forward.
April chased her.
“How do we get a tour of the library?”
Pip smiled at April.
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 78
“I’m glad you asked. Follow me!” Benjamin tugged April’s shirt.
“We’re supposed to go to the ‘Greatest Adventures’ section.”
April replied,
“When we have the tour, we will go and stop at the ‘Greatest Adventures’ section,” They walked towards Ink, the tour guide.
April’s father was left at the desk, staring at Pip with suspicious eyes.. April and her friends set out to the library with Pip, their hearts full of hope. “How can I help you?”
Pip leaned closer to Ink.
“We need a– They need a tour.” Ink looked at the three of them.
“I’ve seen ya’ll before,”
April opened her mouth to say something.
But Ink interrupted.
"Doesn't matter anyway.
Let’s get you all a library card.” They walked straight to Ms. Bookmark’s desk. “HISS!”
Ink looked at Hiss.
“Sorry Hiss,”
He looked at Ms. Bookmark.
She looked back.
“These people need a library card to get the luxury tour,”
Ms. Bookmark looked at Pip.
“Including the fox?”
Ink replied,
“No.”
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 79
“Good. Sign your initials here.” Ms. Bookmark pushed three blank cards toward them.
April, BonBon, and Benjamin filled in the lines, while Ms. Bookmark took out her camera.
“Done,”
the three of them said.
“Now give me your best look.”
CLICK!
Ms. Bookmark took a picture of their faces.
ZZZT.
Tiny pictures printed out.
Ms. Bookmark took out some glue and pasted the mini-pictures in the square of their card.
“Done.”
“Thank you Ms. Bookmark.”
“HISS!”
“And Hiss.”
The three of them went marching along with Ink, while Pip stayed.
Then, she looked at Ms. Bookmark.
“Do I cause too much trouble?”
Ms. Bookmark sighed.
“Why don’t you ask Penelope?”
Pip blinked.
“But Penelope is too sarcastic!”
“SHH!”
THE TALES OF THE TELEPHONE BOOTHS | 80
shushed Ms. Bookmark.
Who went back to her book.
Pip huffed.
“Not fair.”
And walked away.
Back to the tour…
…Ink started walking through arches, and trees made out of papers, and magical animals that popped out of books.
"This library has existed for longer than anyone can remember." BonBon looked around.
"...Even longer than Benjamin?" Benjamin frowned.
"...Yes." Ink smiled.
"Much longer." BonBon nodded slowly.
"...Wow." Ink led them through a pair of towering oak doors.
"The room we're standing in now is called..." He pointed upward.
Golden letters slowly appeared.
THE GRAND ENTRANCE HALL
"This is where every visitor begins their journey." April looked around. "Why is it so empty?"
"It wasn't always." Ink looked toward the ceiling.
"Many years ago, thousands of readers arrived every day."
"What happened?"
"People stopped believing forgotten stories were worth reading." Silence filled the hall.
BonBon quietly whispered,
About the Competition
The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar celebrates the art of storytelling across genres and cultures. It invites writers from around the world to share their unique voices and narratives. This prestigious competition aims to foster creativity and provide a platform for both emerging and established writers to showcase their talent on a global stage.
We extend our gratitude to Nia Feriha Binti Syahrir Amirul for sharing "The Tales of the Telephone Booths" with us in the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Her imaginative narrative and creative spirit are truly inspiring. We look forward to seeing more of her work and following her journey as a storyteller.
About Hashtag Kalakar
Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.
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