Someone sent a recording into the station, and it’s pretty good— not sure what it is, but it’s good! Our first story comes from a traveler through. If you have had an experience similar to Anika Sanderson, please contact us at the station. The mountains have moved in a little closer today, but weatherman Todd says he isn’t worried. Plus, a mystery caller-- and some breaking news we hope is not related.
If you have any information about the whereabouts of either Elliot Housley or Tanner Walling, or any information about the Crowsnest River body, please contact the RCMP.
The voice of the poet is Jessica Nguyen. The voice of Martha is Daylin Chase. The voice of Elliot is Jonas Swain. The voice of today's sponsor is Aaron Potvin.
Nowhere On Air is created, voiced and produced by Jess Syratt. Cover art by Moon Hermit Crab on Instagram.
Have a small town story to tell you think our listeners might enjoy (that by no means has to be true)? Want to be one of our callers, or "sponsors"? Have questions about any of that, or anything, or just want to say hi?
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at nowhere.onair@gmail.com. Or, find us on twitter, @NowhereOnAir
For a little bit more info on the aforementioned "us," try visiting our website: https://nowhereonairpodcast.weebly.com/
Someone sent a recording into the station, and it’s pretty good— not sure what it is, but it’s good! Our first story comes from a traveler through. If you have had an experience similar to Anika Sanderson, please contact us at the station. The mountains have moved in a little closer today, but weatherman Todd says he isn’t worried. Plus, a mystery caller-- and some breaking news we hope is not related.
If you have any information about the whereabouts of either Elliot Housley or Tanner Walling, or any information about the Crowsnest River body, please contact the RCMP.
The voice of the poet is Jessica Nguyen. The voice of Martha is Daylin Chase. The voice of Elliot is Jonas Swain. The voice of today's sponsor is Aaron Potvin.
Nowhere On Air is created, voiced and produced by Jess Syratt. Cover art by Moon Hermit Crab on Instagram.
Have a small town story to tell you think our listeners might enjoy (that by no means has to be true)? Want to be one of our callers, or "sponsors"? Have questions about any of that, or anything, or just want to say hi?
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at nowhere.onair@gmail.com. Or, find us on twitter, @NowhereOnAir
For a little bit more info on the aforementioned "us," try visiting our website: https://nowhereonairpodcast.weebly.com/
*INTRO MUSIC*
JESS:
Welcome back, folks! Thanks for tuning in to 1110 AM on your radios. In case no one has uttered any sort of warm regard toward your physical form today, I’d just like to say:
It’s nice to see you! You look lovely today- not that your value comes from your appearance. And not that I can actually see you right now, that’d be weird-- But your heart, your spirit- and you really are so wonderful, you know that? Just, all around wonderful. Full of wonder. Of incredible and curious things. Your existence creates so many beautifully unanswerable questions.
Speaking of creating unanswerable questions, someone sent this in to our facebook this morning, and I gotta say- I’m not quite sure if it's a message, a poem, a warning or a premonition or something? Maybe a dream. Not sure, but it was sent with a little text that said “if it's not too much trouble, could you please play this on your show? Thank you” And I thought that was just so nice that I had to, you know? So here it goes.
POET:
Dog barks, morning comes / Snake in grass, the shifting sands / Enduring omens
Mountains reach nothing / Bird of prey collapsing slow / Signals in the fields
Beast crawls wild and fierce / One last step and cry from far / Winds howling gladly
Candles sway vivid / One last step, stay very close / All sleep back and forth
Blood spills across fields / Now you go still in my arms / Death takes in red peace
Trees sways in silence / The snake in the grass waits / Symbols after death
Winter shrouds, greedy / Grain of salt, of love long lost / Chasing of fire
JESS:
Well, if that was a poem, well done! You’ve got some real, uh, shall we say- descriptive? talent. Maybe graphic is the better word. If it wasn’t a poem… please get in touch with us here at the station! We’d love to talk to you about it more.
*TRANSITION*
Our first story tonight is something of a doozy, if you don’t mind my saying so listeners- not that we here at the station report on many stories that aren’t doozies- its an interesting pattern we’re sure you’ve noticed. Anyways! We’ve had a call come in from a nearby traveller who was passing through the area earlier today, who said in our message they’re not quite sure how they knew our phone number, they sort of just did, and that they weren’t sure who else to call. Bones, they said. A massive pile of bones, off of one of the dirt roads in our little township.
That’s all we have on the matter so far. If anyone has any information on the bones, or would like to come forward and claim them, please contact us here at the station, and we can connect you with the proper authorities.
In other news, eighteen year old Anika Sanderson, who works at the Tim Hortons and always seems to make coffee better than anyone else, emailed in last night saying she saw something weird near the end of her shift yesterday.
In her email, Anika detailed how she usually works the evening to night shifts, and last night she was emptying the garbage, and saw two, person-shaped-people in suits standing on the service road out back, the one that runs parallel with the end of the parking lot. She says they both paused, like … and stayed stationary for a while. The moon, Anika notes, was bright and illuminate, and cast a sickly pale glow over the asphalt and everything that lay between her and these mystery people. Then, they each raised a hand in near-perfect unison, said her name in greeting, and walked off, heading towards one of the residential blocks.
Anika found this encounter unsettling, as she was sure she had never seen either of these people before, and was even more certain she had never introduced herself to them. She insists they were too far away to see her name tag, and despite the moonlight, it was too dark to identify anything distinct about them.
*TRANSITION*
Feeling ancient and like you’ve been carrying the weight of sadness more years than you’ve been alive? When was the last time you sat in the sun? Listened to the wind in the trees, felt it run its breezy fingers through your hair? Stood in a creek?
Considering its winter, I understand it's probably been a while.
But there are winter equivalents!
You can still stand in the sun- mid morning is the best time! Make sure you’re bundled warm, but catching some of that glorious UV radiation on your porch is still totally an option. Maybe wear sunglasses though, to prevent snow blindness.
You can still listen to the wind, but you probably don’t want to let it touch your face this time of year. Or your hair, if it’s wet. I wouldn’t recommend standing in the creek either- or, well, ON the creek as the ice probably isn’t thick enough yet to support you. But you could run a warm bath, drink some herbal tea, listen to the radio, write some poetry, say a prayer, talk to a loved one- there are many, many ways to find the warmth of life, even in the winter. And it's important you take the time to do so.
*TRANSITION*
Let's take a look at the weather:
The mountains in the distance seem to have moved in a little closer today, Weatherman Todd announced in a statement. The low snow cloud rolling in from the west, it seems, could be in some part a measure to conceal this movement, however unsuccessful it's proving to be, as someone noticed. There should be little to no lasting consequences resulting from this geographical adjustment, but it is something to be aware of.
Weatherman Todd wants everyone to know that he will now be keeping a closer eye on the mountains, to keep track of any possible future movement from here on out, and that if anyone wanted to volunteer to be on mountain watch, he would greatly appreciate the assistance.
*TRANSITION*
In response to the previous report concerning the great mass of skeletal remains and other bones found on one of the backroads: Town Council contacted the station over one of the breaks to reassure us that it is a “dump site” for the department of natural resources to bring roadkill.
Not that any explanation can necessarily make finding a large and obviously deliberately placed pile of animal skeletons in a remote area less unsettling, but I hope that brings some comfort and clarity.
*TRANSITION*
Charlotte Mulroy reached out to the station to publicly say thank you to everyone who has been reaching out to her family with support. She said all the dinners, playdates with her children, and offers to run errands have been an incredible blessing at this time, and she would like to give a special thanks to The Faceless, who kindly came into her home to finish remodeling the bathroom, which had been put on hold by her husband’s illness. She has also compiled a list of other families in town currently in a similar situation to her own- if you are feeling generous and community-minded and are interested in ways you can support them too, Charlotte said in her message she passed the information onto Father David at the Anglican church, and you can contact them there to get in touch with the people in need.
MARTHA: Hey, Jess, you’ve got a call on line one that’s been waiting for about 10 minutes. Not sure why. Wanna take it?
JESS: Sure, Martha. You don’t mind if we take this, do you listeners? Could be fun.
MARTHA: You’re through.
JESS: Hey there, mystery caller. You're on air.
ELLIOT: Hello? Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me? My name is Elliot.
JESS: Wait- Elliot Housley?
ELLIOT: Hello?
JESS: Martha- are you getting this?
MARTHA: Yeah- yeah, I am. I’ll start recording.
ELLIOT: Is anyone there? I don’t know if you can hear me-
JESS: There’s a lot of interference, but you’re coming through okay- are you hearing me? Where are you?
ELLIOT: Hello? I think I heard someone. I can’t hear you anymore. But I am here. I don’t know if you can hear me but I am here… but I don’t know where ‘here’ is. It’s flat. Not flat like, physically, but somehow flatter, emptier. Flat like- like there’s nothing but horizon. Flat like a heart monitor when there is no heartbeat.
JESS: Martha, call Mountie John.
MARTHA: On it.
JESS: Elliot, if you can hear me, please keep talking.
ELLIOT: It’s… cold. The sun here is eclipsed, always eclipsed, with tentacles of light writhing along the edges of the black iris. The mountains- I’ve always liked being able to see the mountains in the distance- they’ve become jagged hunks of crystal, shattering what light can make it here into an infinity of coloured pieces. Sometimes, the wind sounds like a snoring cosmic beast- peaceful, ancient, but horribly unfathomable in size… I think… I think this is death. I do not know what else it would be. I didn’t think it would feel like this- I don’t want this. I don’t-
JESS: Elliot? Elliot, stay with us. Where are you exactly? I don’t understand.
ELLIOT: Mom? Dad? Can you hear me?
JESS: Martha- did you get through to John?
MARTHA: I’m trying. The phone’s are acting up.
ELLIOT: I’m scared. I’m really scared. And I’m cold. It’s freezing here, like it’s only ever been winter. Like that winter when we got that snowstorm in October. I went outside and I played with my father in the snow until our noses went pink and we couldn’t feel our ears or our toes. We went inside and mom had made us hot chocolate with cinnamon and we knew warmth again. My toes are cold. I can’t feel my ears. But dad isn't here. Geez- my head hurts- gah—- Mom, I just wanna come home. I’m tired and I want to come home.
JESS: Elliot, hang on- if you can hear me- just hold on.
MARTHA: I can’t get through.
JESS: We’re going to try and find you. How are you calling us?
ELLIOT: I have to go now. I don’t know why- I just do. Something- something in me just knows. It’s time. I want to stay but I can’t. I don’t know who’s out there- but this- this is goodbye.
JESS: Elliot- ?
(Jess hangs up the phone).
Listeners, while Martha and I try to sort some of this new information out, we’re gonna go to a break. Here’s a word from today’s sponsor.
SPONSOR:
A list of words (that may or may not be a coded message for a select few)
Debonair / jittery / sincere / stove / downtown / brother / redundant / mitten / purpose / impartial / eyes / sedate/ letters / warn / bushes / hallowed / puncture / ablaze
*TRANSITION*
Listeners, our show tonight is coming to a close, but… we received some tragic news over the break. A body has been found in the river. In the report we just received, it is said Officer’s Van Rimm and Glendin responded to a call reporting bloodied snow and a deer carcass dumped in the water, presumably by hunters passing through, a quarter of a kilometer from the building. You know which one. When they got there, however, they soon realized it was… something else. All we know so far is… it is human. And it has antlers.
Authorities have not confirmed any other details at this time, and an investigation has been started. Any information is to be reported to the local force, or to Town Council, who will pass on the message if they deem it appropriate.
There’s no way, at this moment, to confirm or deny whether the body is that of either missing boy, Superintendent Sanford said in his statement to us. As the investigation is brand new and ongoing, the amount of information that can be released is limited for the time being.
Hold your loved ones close tonight, folks.
We’re holding you close, in our hearts.
Thanks for tuning in.