Councillor Habton is late for a committee meeting. When she does arrive, her appearance with the titular headphones (which she refuses to remove) incites anger, both at her and at politicians more broadly, sparking a national debate about how much we can expect of someone working in the public sector and what they owe to us and their loved ones. This short story takes inspiration from Nathaniel Hawthorne and hopes to tempt those seeking light horror with some deeper questions behind it. I'll admit that this is but the work of a morning, likely untidy but a hopefully enjoyable quick read. As ever, I am keen to get to the next story, so may return to this one some time down the road.