Between the Lines

episode i: the fire in the heart, the smoke in the lungs

VOICE

Escaping into the forest, he met the isolation of night- blind in the darkness, deaf in the silence. The piercing chill of the air bit viciously against his skin. The wind was not light as a gentle embrace yet not harsh like the fury of a storm. This wind was present but selfish as it watched, almost amusingly, from afar.

(Sound of wind rustling leaves is accompanied by owl sounds.)

VOICE

He gasped for air but did not receive the relief he wanted. It scraped along his throat, clawed against his lungs, begging to get out, and choked him in its desperation.

(Sound of wind slowly grows louder.)

VOICE

All he could do was clasp his hands against his throat. He opened his mouth, wanting to scream, but all that came out was-

(Cough)

VOICE

(Clears throat) Where was I...? Oh right. He opened his mouth, wanting to scream, but all that came out was-

(Another cough, now harsher.)

VOICE

Are you okay? Drink some water. Wait, is your mic- Dammit. Your mic's on, Andy. You keep forgetting to turn it off.

ANDY

Sorry, Cal. I guess I got a sore throat after staying up practicing my voices.

CAL

No, yeah, I noticed you made that, uh, owl noise instead of our stock audio. Let's just... stick with the stock one until you get better at it.

ANDY

And I thought I was getting the hang of it... I'm aiming for a great horned owl, but I keep sounding like a great grey owl instead.

CAL

And you're getting there. At least you got the "great" part right, yeah?

NARRATOR

We begin this story not lost in the woods but in a small recording studio. This studio, rented cheaply by the hour because of its old HVAC system and older recording equipment, was occupied by two men.

NARRATOR

The voice from the beginning was Peter Callahan-Jang, or simply Callahan- his first last name. He believed the name makes the person, and he didn't want to be a Peter but a Callahan.

CALLAHAN

I realized both of our mics were on the entire time. (Clears throat) Audio note to remove conversation in the recording. We apologize for that detour there folks. Just know that we strive to bring only the best stories to the 37-

ANDY

36. We have 36 live listeners. Wait, nevermind. It's 35 now.

NARRATOR

And the second part of the pair is Andrew M. Barrett. He doesn't have any self-proclaimed nicknames, however, Andrew enjoys the nickname Callahan gave him as he has always been an Andrew until he met Callahan.

CALLAHAN

Really? Do you think it was the owls? I think it was the owls.

ANDREW