...of a mysterious telephone call

After I had dialled the number Cecelia's telephone went on ringing for a long time in a mysterious silence. To be more precise, I felt the silence was mysterious inasmuch as Cecelia who was in the background of this silence, had from the moment when she failed to arrive become mysterious to me, like an animal which had taken refuge in the depths of its lair. However, although it was mysterious, this silence was not entirely negative. In an insecure sort of way, like a gambler who after many losses still deceives himself into thinking he is going to win, I hoped that Cecelia's voice would become audible. Instead of that a strange thing happened: the ringing stopped, someone took off the receiver but no one spoke; or rather I seemed to hear heavy breathing, or a kind of whispering, at the other end of the line. I called out: "Hello, hello," and several times I asked: "Who is speaking?" Finally I realised that the receiver at the other end had been replaced. In a rage I dialled the number again, was again answered with the same silence and with that mysterious sound of breathing, and again, finally, the receiver was replaced. The third time, the telephone rang for a long time but nobody replied.

[Boredom, Moravia, A.]