When a Siren Calls

I was on my way home, after visiting my girlfriend at her Mom’s house, and decided to stop at Letchworth State Park. I had been there once before but hadn’t been to the gorge overlooks in the northern part of the 17-mile long preserve. It’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in New York, after Niagara Falls and Howe Caverns, but it was late in the fall, long past leaf season, so on that evening I was practically alone as I stopped at each of the scenic lookouts.
I was sitting on a bench at the Tea Table Overlook when I noticed a young woman talking on a payphone across the road. I hadn’t seen a payphone in years, forget about witnessing someone using one. She looked to be in her early 20s, had dark brown hair, and was wearing a red wind jacket with the hood up. I didn’t watch her for too long because I knew how creepy it’d be if she caught me staring at her—it being near twilight and having no one else around but the two of us.
Which was why she startled me when she appeared by my side on the walkway.
“Oh, Hey! You scared me,†I said, my voice cracking.
She looked me over, not quite facing me, as she leaned against the waist-high rock wall with its ‘no climbing’ signs every few feet.
“Have you been here before?†she asked.
“Yeah, but I only saw the waterfalls and I only stayed one night…â€
“It’s nicer up here, I think,†she replied. “Especially now that everyone’s gone.â€
“Do you live nearby?â€
“Yes.†She sat back on the wall.
I could now see most of her face despite a few errant strands of hair that spilled out from her hoodie. She was a pretty girl; she reminded me of a Dawson’s Creek era Katie Holmes with the way she pursed her lips.
“Hey, could you do me a favor?†she asked, cutely.
“Maybe…†I already felt a little weird talking to this girl who was probably ten to fifteen years younger than me. I was hoping that she wasn’t going to ask for money or drugs.
“Could you get the phone if it rings again?â€
“Why?â€
“It’s my boyfriend. He knows I come up here when I don’t want to deal with his crap.â€
“I guess.†I was now curious. “What should I say to him?â€
She crinkled her nose at me and smiled. “Tell him you’re on a date with me.â€
I can’t quite remember the idle chat we made over the next few minutes before the payphone rang. But when it did, I didn’t hesitate to get up and head toward the phone, ready to serve as this girl’s receptionist.
Before I crossed the road, I looked back—I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe to gauge the girl’s reaction, to see whether she was messing with me. But when I did check on her, I saw that she was standing on the rock wall where it was explicitly stated that one should not stand. She was looking at me funny too—I might’ve described it as a smirk, had the light not been so dim—and before I could even register that she was in danger, she had turned abruptly and dove headlong into the gorge!
I yelped and ran to the wall, climbing up onto it myself and looking over to try and see if there was any hope. But there was no way to see directly down due to the shape of the rockface. When I heard a car coming I jumped down and ran toward the road—all the while the payphone kept ringing.
Luckily, it was a ranger and he stopped when he saw me coming.
“Sir, this girl just jumped into the gorge!†I was now out of breath, in shock and rushing through the details of what had transpired. The ranger listened carefully but his face revealed little emotion.
He got out of the car before I could finish with everything I had seen that evening. He was tall; about my age.
“Dark hair, jeans, red windbreaker?†was all he asked when he first spoke.
I nodded, while I was confused by his lack of urgency. I noticed that the payphone had stopped ringing. “I was gonna get the phone for her…â€
“Christ; really?†he remarked. “We can’t get rid of this payphone because of the pavilions and camping area nearby. It’s state law.â€
“Huh?â€
“You’re lucky you didn’t answer that phone,†he said, wringing his hands.
I was beside myself. Why wasn’t he getting on his radio and contacting the emergency rescue folks? “I’m telling you, this girl just flung herself into the gorge!â€
The ranger took a few steps toward me and patted me on the shoulder. “You did see something here, sir. Just not a flesh and blood person. I’m sorry I didn’t make it in time,†he said. “I usually try to get here before six, but I was running late. She won’t show if I’m here.â€
“What do you mean by ‘not a flesh and blood person?!’â€
“Christine was my girlfriend. She took her life here in ’99.â€
“Okay…â€
He pointed across the road. “She called me from that payphone before she did it. I tried to call her back, but it was too late.â€
“So, I would’ve talked to you from ’99 had I picked up the phone?†I said, trying to make sense of it all. “She wanted me to talk to you?â€
The ranger shook his head. “No. She wanted you to follow her.â€
“I’m not tracking…â€
“I come up here at a quarter to six to prevent guys like you from answering that phone,†he said. “I don’t know who’s on the other end, but there have been witnesses saying that people answer that phone and then jump into the gorge moments later.â€
“Is that what all the memorial plaques on the tables are for?â€
The ranger nodded. “There have been nine deaths here since Christine’s. They all jumped from the same spot. I know for a fact that four of those people answered that phone.â€
“You’re saying she’s trying to get people to take their own lives?â€
“I don’t think it’s her,†he replied. “That’s not her spirit. She was troubled, but she wasn’t like that. Vindictive. She wasn’t angry at the world…â€
“Then something else is drawing people here and convincing them to jump?†I asked.
“The only way to know for sure would be to answer the phone…â€


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