When Anxiety Writes the Script: A Mistaken Call from the Police

Ever get a vague voicemail that hijacks your peace of mind and launches your brain into full panic mode?

It never fails to amaze me how quickly the human mind kicks into overdrive when faced with the unknown. Give us a mystery, even a tiny one, and suddenly we’re Spielberg, scripting scenes and casting characters to fill in the blanks.

That’s exactly what happened to me today.

I received not one, but two voicemails from a police department—an hour away from where I live. The first was from a dispatcher who gave nothing but their ID number. The second? A detective calling “regarding a hit and run.”

Cue instant panic.

At first, I chalked it up to spam. I get enough scam calls in a day to field my own episode of Dateline. But then I Googled the number—because of course I did—and sure enough, it belonged to the actual police department in that town.

Now my brain went into full-on storytelling mode. I haven’t been to that town in over 20 years, but suddenly I was a prime suspect in a case I didn’t even know existed. Was someone trying to commit insurance fraud using my name?

Then it hit me—what if it wasn’t about me at all, but someone connected to me?

I remembered that someone I know drives a company vehicle that’s tied to my email and phone. This guy has a bit of a lead foot—something I had just been joking about last night. Could it be him? Had he been in an accident? Worse, had he driven off?

My mind was racing. I felt sick. This is someone I really care about. A genuinely good human being. I couldn’t bear the thought of him being involved in something so serious.

I finally mustered the courage to call the number back.

Turns out, it was all a mistake. The dispatcher had dialed one digit wrong. They weren’t looking for me—or anyone I knew. Just a case of wrong number, right amount of drama.

It’s wild how fast we can go from zero to Oscar-worthy drama based on a couple of vague messages and a Google search. But hey, at least now I know I’d be great in a crisis… that doesn’t involve me.

Ever had your brain write a dramatic story out of nothing? Share it in the comments—I’d love to know I’m not the only one casting myself in psychological thrillers over a missed call.