“Is the phone ringing?â€? I said.

“No,â€? Julia said. “It’s your ears.â€?

“No, it’s a phone.â€?

“Not our phone. It’s our neighbor’s phone. In the next apartment.â€?

“Our neighbor’s phone doesn’t sound like that.â€?

The phone was still ringing. We both looked at the wall, and Julia had an idea. She got a hammer and took some good hard swings at the wall, prying away plaster until we were down to the beams. There was a large green phone inside the wall, ringing. I picked it up.

“Hello?â€? I said.