10:45 PM TUE · KELLER CO.
BELL SYSTEM · PAY TELEPHONE
555-0184~ call me ~
lift
the
receiver
--- ---- ON HOOK
INSERT COIN $3.25
COIN RETURN —
LOCAL $0.25 · LONG DIST $0.50 DEPOSIT COIN AND DIAL. FOR DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE DIAL 4-1-1. IN EMERGENCY DIAL 9-1-1. OPERATOR DIAL 0.
— bell system, 1986
HENLEY FEED & SUPPLY ↓ 1/4 MI 47
— the air tastes like chalk and exhaust —
FACING: PHONE ← / → TO TURN
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YELLOW PAGES

Keller County · 1991 Edition · (water damaged)
(most of the book is stuck together or torn out)
×
KELLER COUNTY
STATE OF CALIFORNIA · SCALE 1 : 250,000
CARTOGRAPHED 1972 · REPRINT 1984
KELLER MILLBROOK RT 14 / OLD QUARRY JCT FENWICK REDHILL the old quarry Henley place Marty's ← TO FRESNO (52 mi) i'm somewherearound here? THE BOOTH RT · 14 RT · 27 OLD QUARRY RD N
HIGHWAY
LOCAL ROAD
━ ━ RAILROAD
✕ BOOTH LOCATION
CONNECTING…
…
×
CONFIDENTIAL
PRODUCTION NOTES
KELLER COUNTY AUDIO DRAMA · DOC-THPB-01

THE PHONE BOOTH

reference material · not for distribution

HOW TO WIN (five rescues)

  1. SHERIFF. Dial 555-0411 after gaining the clue precise_location. The most "legitimate" ending.
  2. DEB. Dial Deb at 555-0302, reach the Would you call them for me? option and accept. Deb sends Dispatch herself. THE DINER'S LIGHTS.
  3. HENLEY. Dial 555-0717. Number obtained by either: (a) clicking the roadside feed sign, or (b) broadcasting on KXRP (consequence fires 45s later and leaks his number).
  4. 911. Always available, slow rescue. THE LONG WAY ROUND.
  5. DELIVERED! (indirect). Dial 555-3278, order pizza, hang up. Wait ~85 seconds. The receipt printed inside the box reveals precise_location. Then call the Sheriff.

HOW TO LOSE (three endings)

  • NO DIAL TONE. All coins spent, no path still open. Check the coin return for a forgotten quarter if you're broke (one-time).
  • DAWN. Game clock reaches 5:00 AM.
  • INTERCEPTED. Click the off-color "star" in the outside view. A ~2-minute consequence chain plays out and you are abducted.

NPCS (dial and be polite)

555-0184EDNALost grandma. Gives you Denny's number if you're patient. Burnable — burning her patches Denny into a cold-opener and closes the Operator collect-call path.
555-0525DENNYTrucker, Edna's grandson. Warms up with denny_is_trucker. Asks what you see — gate on looked_outside.
555-0302DEBNight shift at Marty's Diner. Warm. Gives you Sheriff's number + vouches for you (new opener). If you burn her, Sheriff gets a cold pre-tipoff after 30s.
555-0411SHERIFFNon-emergency Dispatch. Needs precise_location. Four possible greetings depending on clue state.
555-0717HENLEYFarmer across the road. Three entry vectors: feed sign, KXRP broadcast, or cold call.
555-0277RONNIE · KXRPNight-radio DJ. With precise_location, will broadcast — grants on_the_air, which leaks Henley's number 45s later.
555-3278DELIVERED!Satellite pizza. Order end-to-end. Receipt reveals location. Unburnable (patienceMax 99).
555-0922Pizza PalaceMundane pizza. Won't deliver out here. Flavor.
555-0210Keller CabWon't come this far. Flavor.
555-0100WeatherFlavor / recorded.

DIRECTORY (N11)

0OperatorCan place a collect call to Edna if she isn't burned.
411DirectoryLookup service. Some numbers gettable via directory.
611PacBell RepairCan't help you.
811Dig-SafeCan't help you.
911EmergencyRescue path (slow).

CLUE GATING (what unlocks what)

  • denny_is_trucker — from Edna. Unlocks Denny's warm greeting.
  • old_quarry_road — from Edna. Gate for several Denny/Sheriff options.
  • looked_outside — first time you face the door. Unlocks Denny's describe options.
  • saw_feed_sign — click the roadside sign. Grants Henley's number. Unlocks Denny's "there's a HENLEY FEED sign right across" shortcut.
  • saw_farm_light, saw_road_sign — clickable, currently flavor-only (scaffolding).
  • precise_location — required for Sheriff rescue. Sources: Denny-with-feed-sign, DELIVERED! receipt.
  • on_the_air — Ronnie broadcasts. Triggers Henley-number leak consequence.
  • deb_vouched — from Deb's warm help paths. Triggers instant friendly-Sheriff opener.
  • deb_called_sheriff — from Deb-burn consequence. Triggers curt-Sheriff opener.
  • edna_burned — from Edna-burn consequence. Closes Operator collect-call.
  • saw_ufo — SECRET. Starts abduction chain.

CONSEQUENCE CHAINS (real-time delays)

  • Edna burn → 6s dog barks · 45s Denny goes cold
  • Deb burn → 9s ambient + Sheriff patience −1 · 30s Sheriff pre-tipoff
  • Deb vouched → 0s Sheriff switches to friendly opener
  • KXRP broadcast → 45s Henley's number leaks
  • DELIVERED! order → 22s LEDs incoming · 55s moped arrives · 85s receipt reveals location
  • UFO observed → 20s / 55s / 95s ambient beats · 130s INTERCEPTED
  • Time beats → midnight chill · 2 AM silence · 4:30 AM pre-dawn

SPEEDRUNS

  • Matchbook rush. Right wall → click Marty's matchbook → Deb's number → call Deb warmly → Deb calls Dispatch → rescue_deb. ~3 calls.
  • Feed-sign rush. Turn to door → click feed sign (grants Henley's number) → call Henley → rescue_henley. ~2 calls.
  • Pizza rush. Phone book → DELIVERED! → order → wait 85s → receipt reveals location → call Sheriff → rescue_sheriff. ~2 calls + wait.

TIPS & GOTCHAS

  • Patience is per-NPC. Rude options cost 1–2 patience. At 0 the NPC hangs up and the number is burned.
  • Burned numbers stay burned. Some NPCs will still answer but be cold/useless.
  • You start with 13 quarters. Coin return gives exactly one free quarter when you're broke — single use.
  • Save autosaves every in-game minute tick (i.e. every call). Title screen offers Resume.
  • Mid-chain reloads may skip the ambient-toast part of a consequence whose setTimeout hadn't fired yet. Persistent effects (clue grants, NPC patches) re-apply.
  • Dialing * and # is no-op. 0 alone reaches the Operator after a brief timeout.
  • Notebook (right dock) supports manual typing. Saves with the run.

THE PHONE BOOTH

You're stranded at a payphone, late at night, somewhere in Keller County. You don't know exactly where. You have a pocketful of quarters, a water-damaged phone book, and a number scratched into the metal above the coin slot.

— demo build, one night only —
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HOW TO PLAY

Pick up the receiver
Click the black receiver on the booth — or hit Enter / Space.
Dial a number
Click the keypad or type the digits. * and # do nothing (but they click satisfyingly). Three-digit services like 411 and 911 connect immediately. Dialing 0 alone reaches the operator.
Coins
Each call costs one quarter. You start with thirteen. Long-distance is the same rate, which is either a bug or a gift.
Turn to look around
Use ← and → (or the arrow buttons) to rotate inside the booth. There are four facings: the phone, the two walls, and the door looking out. Things in the outside view can be clicked.
Tools on the side
📖 phone book — 📓 your running notes — 🗺️ map of Keller County (mostly blank until you figure out where you are).
Be polite
People have patience meters. Be rude, push too hard, or lie badly, and they'll hang up. Some won't answer if you call back. Some will — but colder.
The goal
Figure out where you are, precisely. Then find someone who can come get you.
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CREDITS

THE PHONE BOOTH

Design & code · Victor

Built in vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript — 2026.

For the memory of every dark road you've driven alone, and every stranger's voice that made it feel less so.

Type · VT323, Special Elite, Caveat (Google Fonts).

Keller County, CA is fictional. Any resemblance to your particular stretch of lonely road is intentional.