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HAWKINS, INDIANA — 1984.
JIM BURST INTO THE HOUSE, MAKING A beeline for the kitchen table.
He grabbed a pen and a torn envelope, scribbling something down as everyone gathered around him.
"What happened?" Dustin asked.
Hopper focused. "I think he's talking, just not with words."
Pulling the pen back, Hopper had written dots and lines down on the paper. Theresa knew it was Morse code, translating it in her head rather quickly.
"Here," Tess said aloud before Jim could even write the letters down. He looked up at her and then back down, seeing that she was right.
"You know Morse code?" Hopper questioned, Theresa's eyes darting to the side.
"I– uh, yeah." She was embarrassed to admit, but she had once dedicated an entire week of her summer before eighth grade to learning the code.
Steve smirked. "Nerd," he said quietly in a singsong voice, glancing away.
Jim stood up, handing the pen to Theresa. "Somebody grab a walkie-talkie. You're going to stay here and translate."
She nodded, taking a seat.
Jonathan ran to his room and returned a moment later with his radio and a handful of tapes. Tess and the kids all sat at the table while Hopper, Joyce, Jonathan and Mike returned to the shed.
"Alright, everyone's gonna have to shut up so I can focus," Theresa said, bringing a hand to the side of her head. "I need to be able to hear."
They all nodded, waiting for Jim to begin sending them signals. Steve watched in amazement as Theresa began to scribble dots and lines down, translating them into letters.
She licked her lips, moving back and forth at a rapid pace while everyone watched her.
"Close," she muttered, having the letters written down. "That's the first word."
Tess continued to listen and transcribe until there were no more beeps coming through the walkie-talkie, holding the paper up as everyone got behind her to read it.
"Close gate," they all read out loud, wondering what that meant.
Suddenly, the phone began to ring. Dustin ran over, picking it up and slamming it back down. Theresa's eyes widened, looking to the walkie-talkie.
