(Revamping the blog. Please excuse the odd headings. Working on it!)

Writing History & Mysteries

When I'm not delving into historical research, I'm planning a character's demise.

Sunday, November 27, 2005

The Drama & Traumas of Chain Letters


I got a chain letter today in my email box. I hate them. Some people think if they don't answer them something terrible will happen. This one was very long with a lot of spaces. The idea was to scroll down, and as you did, make a wish. By the time you got to the bottom the phone was supposed to ring, and you were to get your wish, IF you did exactly what the chain letter said. I posted the short version here without the spaces. You will understand after you read it what my dilemma was with all of this.



********************************
> >>this truly is freaky,
> >>my cell literally rang as soon as I read
> >>the last word of this email!!!!!
> >>
> >>
> >>I am taking the bait -
> >>what do I have to lose right?
> >>
> >>
> >>Hope it works!
> >>
> >>
> >>Supposedly The Phone Will Ring
> >>Right After You Do This.
> >>
> >>
> >>Just read the little stories and
> >>think of a wish as you scroll all
> >>the way to the bottom. There is
> >>a message there - then make your
> >>wish.
> >>
> >>
> >>No attachment on this one.
> >>
> >>
> >>Stories
> >>
> >>
> >>Im Kevin im 13 and am in 7th grade. lots of girls like
> >>me but i cant choose which one i really like. i love
> >>doing things with my friends and girls say i really
> >>hot.
> >>
> >>
> >>I'm 13 years old, and I wished
> >>that my dad would come home from
> >>the army, because he'd been having
> >>problems with his heart and right
> >>leg. It was 2:53 p.m when I made
> >>my wish. At 3:07 p.m. (14 minutes
> >>later), the doorbell rang, and
> >>there my Dad was, luggage and all!!
> >>
> >>
> >>I'm Katie and I'm 20 and I've been
> >>having trouble in my job and on the
> >>verge of quitting. I made a simple
> >>wish that my boss would get a new
> >>job. That was at 1:35 and at 2:55
> >>there was an announcement that he
> >>was promoted and was leaving for
> >>another city. Believe me...this
> >>really works!!!
> >>
> >>
> >>My name is Ann and I am 45 years
> >>of age. I had always been single
> >>and had been hoping to get into a
> >>nice, loving relationship for many
> >>years. While kind of daydreaming
> >>(and right after receiving this email)
> >>I wished that a quality person would
> >>finally come into my life. That was at
> >>9:10 AM on a Tuesday. At 9:55 AM
> >>a FedEx delivery man came into my
> >>office.He was cute, polite and
> >>could not stop smiling at me. He
> >>started coming back almost everyday
> >>(even without packages) and asked me
> >>out a week later. We married 6
> >>months later and now have been
> >>happily married for 2 years.
> >>
> >>
> >>What a great email it was!!
> >>
> >>
> >>Just scroll down to the end, but
> >>while you do, think of a wish.
> >>Make your wish when you have completed
> >>scrolling. Whatever age you are, is the
> >>number of minutes it will take for your
> >>wish to come true. ex.you are 25 years
> >>old, it will take 25 minutes for your wish
> >>to come true).
> >>
> >>
> >>However, if you don't send this to
> >>people in 5 minutes, you will have bad
> >>luck for years!!
> >>
> >>
> >>Go for it!!!
> >>
> >>
> >>SCROLL DOWN!!!!
> >>
> >>
> >>*
> >>
> >>
> >>**
> >>
> >>
> >>***
> >>
> >>
> >>****
> >>
> >>
> >>***
> >>
> >>
> >>**
> >>
> >>
> >>*
> >>
> >>
> >>STOP!!!
> >>
> >>
> >>Congratulations!!! Your wish will
> >>now come true in your age minutes.
> >>
> >>
> >>Now follow this carefully....it
> >>can be very rewarding!!!!
> >>
> >>
> >>If you send this to 10 more
> >>people, other than the 5 that you
> >>already have to send to, something
> >>major that you've been wanting
> >>will happen.
> >>
> >>
> >>Message: This is scary!
> >>
> >>
> >>The phone will ring right after
> >>you do this
*****************************
Drat! My computer crashed and it took me longer than 5 minutes to even read it! So now what does that mean? I will have bad luck for years? But it doesn't say how many years! That's not fair! It wasn't MY fault my computer crashed! It took me too long to figure out who else to send it to when I realized I only knew 14 people!
Is there an exception clause in this somewhere? Like, "HOWEVER, if it takes you longer than 5 minutes to read this you will not have bad luck for years if you still send it to 15 people. The only bad luck you will have is the 15 people will be annoyed at you for the rest of your life for sending them a chain letter. If however you do not know the required amount of people we will double your bad luck per year for every person you do not have."
Is there a warranty with this? Can they guarantee I will get good luck? If I don't can I sue for false advertising? Would I sue the Make a Wish Foundation? What if one of the people I send it to doesn't do it, and they are so distraught about not sending the letter and dwell on having bad luck for years, and jump off the Empire State Building!! Am I responsible because I sent it to them in the first place? Is there Chain Letter Insurance to cover this?
What to do... what to do... send it or not send it? Gosh I just HATE these major life altering decisions! OK, I’ve decided. I am going to.......
rinnnnnggggggg.... Ringgggggggg.....
"Hello?"
"I'm sorry, but your time limit is up. This is a recording."
Share:

1 comment:

  1. Don't worry Sleuth... it was not intended for computer crashers.
    Crashers are exempt, and in fact they are exonerated, since today's problems may be attributed to computers.
    So... no, don't be concerned. The tel didn't rang FOR US either, OTHER THAN TO TELL US, what we already knew.
    I guess its a thing of you had to be there, and I wasn't, but I suppose neither were you. So now although I sent the chain... I am also exonerated.

    ReplyDelete

Anyone can comment. You don't need to jump through hoops or be a member of anything. Nice huh?

Available in paperback and eBook formats

Available in paperback and eBook formats

Now Available At:

Barnes & Noble
Amazon
The History Press
Walmart

Carried by over 40 college/university libraries across the county, according to daily updates by worldcat.org, including Columbia University, Oklahoma State, Texas A & M, and Yale University Law Library.

Book Trailer

Weekend Writing Warriors

Weekend Writing Warriors
WeWriWa

Bread & Butter the Murders of Polly Frisch

Bread & Butter the Murders of Polly Frisch
Available on Amazon

Other Great Reads

Followers

Recent Posts

A to Z - 2015

A to Z - 2014

A to Z - 2014

A to Z - 2013

A to Z - 2013

Goodreads

Cindy's bookshelf: read

Waiting for Harvey
4 of 5 stars
Alone, in a cabin in the woods, with a ghost. Who could ask for more in a ghost story? Harvey starts right out with a hint of foreboding in a conversation between brothers John and Erik. Already my curiosity is roused as to what happened...
tagged: books-i-read-to-me
James Potter and the Curse of the Gate Keeper
3 of 5 stars
I randomly downloaded this on my iPad when I hit the wrong button being a bumble fingers, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I've never read fanfic before. It was pretty good. But like many other people, it still can't compare to J. K. Row...
CHIMERAS
5 of 5 stars
I beta read a few chapters of a different book by this author (one that isn't out yet) so when this one was out I had to read it as it was the same character in the one a betaed a bit of--the character of Track. I have a fondness for thi...
tagged: books-i-read-to-me

goodreads.com