Sand blew across the flat planes, coating the few plants that were still living in dust. The sun was beaming, rays shining down onto the town. The Almighty Glow Cloud was hovering over Night Vale, as ever, and gently releasing small animals. Those aforementioned small animals then proceeded to scramble into various cracks and holes in the ground.
The humans and human-like creatures of Night Vale preferred to stay indoors on a day such as this. One particular human defied this generalization, and was instead loping through the streets and across the town. The sleeves of his white-button down shirt were rolled and cuffed at the elbow, revealing strange and obscure tattoos, and his deep purple tie thumped against his chest with every step he took.
This man soon arrived at his destination, a triangular building and tall radio tower, still panting, and pushed open the doors. He sighed happily and stepped inside, walking over to the large black desk in the corner and situating himself amongst the papers and files. He cleared his throat, pulled on a plush pair of headphones and plugged the cord into his computer. He straightened up, palms flat on the table. He inhaled and exhaled one last time, and then began.
"Hello, listeners." His voice was deep and echoed throughout the space. "This is your faithful radio host and journalist, Cecil Gershwin Palmer. I am starting off by informing you all that the our mayor, Miss Pamela Winchell, is continuing her successful reign over Night Vale. Some have seen her making a great effort to interact with the citizens of the town, even the sky and clouds!" He then added on, in a whisper, "Clouds aren't real, don't believe a word she says." He coughed, covering up the end of the sentence. "Oh! Speaking of clouds, the Glow Cloud is still president of the school board, and is doing quite well. Those who insulted it were executed on sight. We were instructed not to mention the calamity." Cecil's calm and monotone voice was interrupted by a loud thud, and then the sounds of men yelling. There were a few muffled thumps, a loud yelp, and then the sound of footsteps leaving. The door squeaked open and slammed shut.
"Apologies, listeners." He continued, his voice hoarse. "Like I said, we were instructed not to mention it. This is the one time the Night Vale Police Department decided to remember their rules." He groaned into the microphone, and dragged a hand over his flushed face. "I'm sorry, listeners. I just realized I forgot to feed Khoshekh, and I am definitely not having the best day. I will cut this one short and try to talk to you all again tomorrow. Good night, Night Vale. Good night."
Cecil pulled his headphones off his head, and carefully placed them down on the desk. He sighed and stood, ambling over to the men's bathroom. He gently opened the door, careful not to scare Khoshekh. He kneeled down on the tiled floor, and scooped some kibble out of the huge bag of cat food. He walked over to the sinks, and poured the kibble into the bowl. It was then that he noticed. There was no familiar purring. No happy chirping. No hovering lump of purple fur.
Khoshekh was gone.
YOU ARE READING
Here's Something Odd
FanfictionThere is a cat hovering in the men's bathroom at the radio station here. He seems perfectly happy and healthy, but it's floating about four feet off the ground next to the sink.
