Late Night Radio

Salinae sat at the desk of her inn room, writing in her journal, her radio on.

She and her friends had splurged a bit that night. 30 stones for 3 bedrooms. She could just barely hear her friends shuffling on the other side of the wooden walls.

Salinae's radio weakly played a vague phantom of music, mostly drowned by static. It was the only frequency that had anything. The inn was remote, deep in the woods by a set of service rail tracks that were rarely used. There probably wasn't a radio tower for miles.

The hours dragged on, Salinae scribbling her notes and record of the day with added sketches of the sights and people she had seen.

The sun had already set, the sky a slowly darkening purple, the trees across the tracks becoming as a black mass.

Soon, though, as the first stars began to shine in the sky, Salinae heard something. She perked up, hearing a faint voice.

It didn't sounds like Oushiqae or Nexakii.

In fact, it was coming from the radio.

Salinae turned the volume dial on her radio. The music was still there, but rather than just static buzzing over it there was now what sounded like a faint voice, announcer-like.

She adjusted her frequency, the music melting away as the voice became clearer.

"And that's 41s on the field, 42s on the 45. Ball is out and we've got a good game for the folks at home."

Salinae nodded to herself. Sports were fine, that'd make for fine enough background noise. She returned to writing in her diary, a dog-eared book to the side she'd continue.

"Green and yellow to field marker 41. And the ball is out!" The announcer spoke. "It's a run to the side-lines and what a day for U-Ball it is tonight, folks! Green making bee-line, and it's out of play! They'll need to hand it off to blue and red for play 2."

U-Ball...Salinae had never heard of that game before. She kept up with a few sports, even made cheeky wagers for money on some, but this must have been one she was unfamiliar with.

Her pen scratched on the paper idly as she listened.

But the radio was silent.

Salinae cocked an eyebrow, the radio quietly buzzing, the announcer taking a strangely long pause. Seemed to be a very inexperienced announcer. Salinae knew the mic hadn't cut, she could faintly hear papers shuffling, and nigh imperceptible voices speaking softly.

"And what a game we have for the folks at home." The announcer suddenly said, making Salinae jump. "Red and Blue out on the field. Ball out and in the sidelines. Deep in the sidelines."

There was a pause and a faint talking.

"Green and Yellow have the 42."

Salinae furrowed her brow, closing her journal, eyes affixed to the radio. She couldn't make heads or tails of this game.

"Ball's to post, and that's a field 2 crossing ladies and gentlemen. What a game we have tonight. What a game, what a game."

The radio continued like this for a while, Salinae picking up her book to read with the game as background noise. Even if she didn't get the voice it at least filled the air while she read.

The hours dragged on. It was always the same stuff. Red and Blue going for the goal.

Every so often there'd be another unprompted 5 minute bout of silence before the announcer would come back with the same drivel, repeated ad nauseum. Blue and Red crossing to field 3. Then field 4. Ball going to sidelines. Yellow and Green at the 42.

Then, something changed.

"Here it is, folks. The moment we've been waiting for! Red and Blue down on field 8, Ball at final post. It's the home stretch. What a game. What a game, everybody. Bring it home, boys."

Salinae perked up, interested.

But again, there was only silence. The longest silence yet. The announcer's silence was only punctuated by what sounded like shuffling noises and footsteps, low-quality, as though played through another radio on the mic.

Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. Twenty.

"Purple to intercept receiver." The announcer spoke suddenly. "And looks like we've a field goal for Red and Blue."

Another five minutes passed.

Then a sound rang out. It was quiet, tinny, barely noticeable.

Someone was yelling. Frantically. Hysterically.

Salinae's breath caught in her throat. There was a click on the radio. Then silence.

Salinae felt a chill rolling down her back. Her oil lamp had long gone out.

"Purple to intercept receiver" The announcer's voice came back suddenly. Salinae shuddered.

That's when she noticed it, outside her window.

In the silence of her room, accompanied only by quiet static, she looked out.

There, a figure stood.

It was on the dirt road outside the inn. Under a street lamp. A hat on its head, briefcase in hand. It stood and stared, Salinae unable to discern any features.

"Purple to intercept receiver." The announcer spoke. "What a game we have for you, folks."

Salinae panicked, clicking her radio off instantly, her terrified eyes affixed to the figure outside.

For a long time it only stood, unmoving. Salinae watched it, unblinking, in the darkness of her room.

Finally, after an hour of watching, it moved. Salinae's breath caught in her throat. She saw it holding something up, and it stood like that for a minute.

At last, it put the object away, turning and walking into the black forest.

Salinae felt sick. She stared at the empty road for a long time, hand firmly affixed to the power knob on her radio.

She turned it apprehensively, clicking the radio on.

Nothing but static.

Salinae didn't sleep that night, eyes glued to that spot where she saw the figure.

In time, the sky turned a light blue, the dark silhouette of the forest clear. Salinae didn't leave until she saw the sun peak over the treeline, lighting her room faintly.

Days passed, the inn was far behind Salinae, along with those bizarre events. She, Oushiqae and Nexakii simply continued on their way.

For some reason, Salinae couldn't bring herself to breathe a word of what happened.

"Grim news from Vokoden..." Oushiqae said, local gazette in hand as they passed a small village. "Mining Union Leader hung himself in his own home. Just up and ditched the inn he was staying at one night."

"So much for the poor workers..." Nexakii huffed.

Salinae said nothing.