The Town of Forest Shadow

Chapter 2: The Radio

It was raining. The not the usual rain, but the small pieces of scrap metal that the Fairy Government rains down on us from above once a month. Due to said rain, work was cancelled so those who needed the metal could go and collect it, as we don't have enough money for brand new appliances. The radio turns on. "You forgot about this, dear roommate," said a whisper from under my fridge. "In more recent news, my new intern who I just recently hired, was not listening to the radio when she was supposed to, and would know where to be right now if she was. Well, intern, I suggest, that you go make quick report on something stupid, because you weren't listening to what I was saying an hour ago." I turn off the radio and get my things. The usual things someone would have in their bag when they leave the house. Then again, life isn't as usual as it was before, is it?

In my car, driving down the road, switching the radio stations, only to hear the same voice, over, and over, and over again. If only there was something else to listen to. His annoying, awful voice, speaking for hours on end every single day, all day, for years. How could anybody do that? We don't know when he got there, or when became our radio host. His voice just, appeared, one day. We had never heard him before, but we went with it, because it was unusual and we aren't supposed to acknowledge things like that. I continued flipping the stations, until I got a warning from the Fairy Government, who only call themselves fairies because they fly in their rainbow helicopters and think that they are doing good.

Everyday is a usual day, if you think about it. Something special happens every once and awhile, but it's usually nothing much. Usually. Most likely nothing much. But sometimes, it is something much, something that will change your life forever. That would be getting arrested by the Fairy Government and being put into a box underground, or just dissipating into the air. I turned off the radio, but it turned itself back on, which wasn't unusual, it happened quite often.

I pull up to the hospital, which was really just a camp left over from the skeleton war almost three centuries ago. Pretty recent, really, but not unusual. It is hard for something to be unusual here. I walk into the hospital, there to make a quick report on Jordan's condition, as she had gotten to fangirl phase three, the most deadly of all phases. Who knew she had such a fatal illness? She was cute, I'll admit that. I walk to the reception desk, and ask for Jordan's room. It wasn't a large room, but not small, either. It was also very cold, as it was also the middle of winter and we were in a hut still left over from the skeleton war. "Hello, my friend," she says quietly. I nod. "Still so emotionless, I see?" I nod again. "Well I know why you're here so I'll make it quick." She explains everything that had happened. I simply nod along and take notes. On the way home I stopped at a diner and wrote my report. I turned it into the radio station before I drove home. On my way home, I continued flipping the stations. Until I got to one. "Turn left," they said. It was no longer the usual man on the radio. I turned left. "Go right," they said. I turned right.

I arrived home quicker than usual. "Take that route home, the government can't track you when you use it," they continued. "Stay safe, friend, talk to you tomorrow morning." The radio was quiet, so I turned it off. I exited my car and walked up to my house. I got out my house key and tried to open my door. Once again, I felt stupid and I cut my finger with my house key. I pushed open the door. I walked over to my home radio and turned it on, flipping to the radio station that was on in my car. "So I see you've heard her, dear roommate," said a voice from inside the fireplace. "She shares great wisdom, yes she does!" it continued. "Don't use her advice all the time, though, or you'll be caught." I looked up into the fireplace. Nobody was there. "Trying to find me again, I see? I thought you had given up." I shrugged and walked up the stairs.

I got ready for bed as fast as I could. It was that time of the week again. I quickly hid under the covers of my bed. The shadows returned from their week long dormancy. I saw them along my bedroom floor. The frogs came out from under my bed once again, and the cockroaches crawled out from the lampshade. This has happened for many years, since I was born, I believe. I shut my eyes, and after many hours, I fell asleep.

I got in my car, waiting for something to report on to come up on the news. As I drove around, nothing of interest came up, and I remembered the station from the day before. I switched the radio station and waited. "O-Oh, sorry, didn't see you there," they started. "I'm Mare, so if you could, in, look out or window right about, now," I turned my head and saw a small glimmer through the trees. "That's us! Our little village of Blue Hollow! We've been avoiding the government for awhile now, and we noticed that you were different from everyone else in Forest Shadow!" I turned back to the road. The scrap metal rain still coming down. "Do you remember how many times you've been re-educated? Do you remember?" she said. Really, I didn't. I've been re-educated too many times to count. I stopped counting after fourteen. "There is much more going on here than a usual town," she continued.

She's too happy, I don't like her. She probably wears pink. I just nod along to what she says, not really paying attention. I highly doubt anything she says. I'll just go home and report the station later. Until she said my name. "Hey, are you still listening?" she asked. I look at the radio. "I guess we'll just have to find someone else." She stopped speaking, and after a few seconds of silence, it went to the usual radio broadcast, with his annoying voice again.

I turned into the parking lot of the radio station after being transferred from the newspaper. I passed the receptionist, said hello. Walked past a dog floating in a fixed point in space with it's own time bubble, and made coffee in the break room. Used a finely cut diamond to crush the coffee beans, and put the Redbull in the coffee maker with a small bit of water, put the coffee into the coffee machine and turned it on. As I waited for the coffee to finish, I called the Fairy Government, alerting them of the fake radio station.

The coffee had finished and I was currently sitting in the booth, waiting for the radio broadcast to start. It was my job to take calls and add awful music. After awhile he finally sat in front of the microphone, and began the daily broadcast.