Town, NM

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians. New season now on Disney Plus and Hulu. Learn more at DisneyPlus.com slash What's On. Meet the computer you can talk to. With Copilot on Windows. Working. Creating. And collaborating is as easy as talking. Got writer's block? Share your screen with Copilot Vision to help spark inspiration and use Copilot Voice to have a conversation and brainstorm ideas. Or maybe you need some tech help. With Copilot Vision, Copilot sees what you see.

Let Copilot talk you through step-by-step guidance so you can master new apps, games, and skills faster. Try now at windows.com slash copilot. Welcome, friend. Follow me. We're going somewhere dark, somewhere dangerous. Most people would never dare enter the place we're going. There's no telling what horrors we'll find, what terrors we'll uncover. Don't say I didn't warn you.

We might discover terrible monsters lurking there. Be careful. They could follow you out. Or maybe they're already inside you. Are you afraid? Good. Now you are ready to enter the Warning Woods.

Brother sits in his beige rocking chair beside the stand holding his old tube TV, or as he knows it, his TV. He feels the plush back and armrests engulfing him. All he knows about this feeling is he likes it. He likes it more than the feeling of his father, mother, and younger sister sitting across from him on the matching couch, staring at him. They look at each other. sharing glances, but they stare at him. Brother knows their visit will end, though. He does not know when. His hope is soon.

But it will be over whenever it ends, so he does not concern himself with when that might be. He simply stares back, which makes them look away until they can think of something new to say. How's work? His father asks. Brother locks eyes with him. No other part of him moves. He says, Since you last asked, I've delivered 952 letters and 93 packages.

I haven't confused a single address and have received zero citations. His 15-year-old sister claps. He's recently noticed she paints her nails and face and wonders why. He thinks, looking at her, She probably has a perfectly normal face beneath the makeup, free of injury or nearly any flaw, not even the acne which so often plagues adolescence. He interrupts his father's response to ask his sister,

Why have you chosen a different face today? Is it something to do with your mood? His family recoils, their faces growing deadly serious for a moment before his father bursts out laughing. God, I wish she'd draw her mood on her face. he says, patting her shoulder. Brother watches his sister create a horrible gesture seemingly to imply carving a smile from ear to ear with a sharp instrument. Why such an idea would create itself in someone bewilders Brother.

He focuses on that good feeling in the beige rocker, feeding his limp arms into the cushions. He lets the image of his sister slicing her perfectly normal face escape the window in front of him. He focuses instead. on his mother her eyes are fixed on brother like she needs to see something directly behind his head he bends his neck to let her see she nods with her eyes closed

a gesture which would bother brother without the smile she includes with it. She asks him, Have you been watching your movie? Every night, says brother. The whole thing, asks the father. It's very long, so sometimes I skip to the end. That still works, his mother says. Works, brother asks. His sister asks, when was the last time they changed it? Yesterday.

says brother, smiling because it feels right to. He says, it's the same movie, but altered. Appearing worried for reasons brother doesn't understand, his mother asks, you noticed something different? I would have to compare it. They always take the old tapes when the new ones come, says brother. Oh, come on, says his father. You're watching that thing seven days a week and you don't have every frame memorized?

I don't need to memorize it if I have the tape to watch, brother answers. But surely you must have noticed something different to say it was altered, his mother insists. He says, the feeling is different. It makes something inside my head change, but I don't know how to describe it. He forces a smile to assure them this mysterious change is not something bad. The sensation from the newest tape is good.

His mother looks at his father to see if he has anything to say. His sister blows in a manner that puffs out her lips, allowing only a trickle of air to escape. His father looks from his mother to his own hands to brother. He asks, so, um, got any big plans this week besides work? I need food, so tomorrow I'll shop after work, Brother replies. Unprompted, he offers, there's a new shop opening.

Oh? his mother asks. Yes, brother replies. His sister asks, what kind of shop is it? Brother scrunches his face the way he's seen his family do in their thinking. He blinks many times at his sister to show how much effort he is devoting to her question. Finally, he gives the inevitable answer, I am not sure. What do you think it is?

His mother asks, smiling to show this question is just for fun. He does not need to be accurate, yet she seems anxious to hear his answer. He says, We already have every store we need, so I am not sure. What do you hope it is? his father asks with the same curious smile. Hope? asks brother. His sister asks, if you could pick what kind of store it would be, what would you pick?

Brother winces and closes his eyes tightly. He stands, opening them again as he stretches his arms in a V in front of himself. Oh, really? his mother asks. We just got here. Booms his father. His mother nudges his father, saying, don't pressure him. Brother says, my sister's question created a new sensation in my thoughts that I'd like to explore on my own.

Oh, interesting, says his mother, giving his sister the gesture with the upward thumb brother has seen them use for positive reinforcement. All right, I'll go first, says his sister. She tepidly slides her feet toward her brother. tilting herself forward when she enters his arms. They snap shut around and behind her, forcing out some of her breath. They squeeze her tighter than is comfortable, but not so tightly she needs to break away. It's always this way, hugging brother.

His arms fall away and he thanks her. His mother is next. She, too, approaches him like a mouse sniffing a trap. She's still a few inches away when his arms snap around her, jolting her forward. Her head strikes his chin. and she asks, Are you alright? I am fine, Brother replies. Then, to his mother's elated surprise, he asks, Did I hurt you? No, she says, and briefly intensifies her squeeze.

He releases her and holds his arms out for his father. His father reaches out with his right hand. Brother says, no thank you, still with his arms outstretched. His father prefers shaking his hand over embracing him, but shaking hands does not supply brother with the same feeling. Embracing his family makes more ideas create themselves in his mind. It gives him a feeling like the one from the comfortable chair.

only stronger, albeit more fleeting. His father shrugs and steps between brother's arms. He is snapped up in brother's embrace, then released. As his family puts their shoes on at the door, his mother stops to look at him and says, Don't forget to watch your movie tonight. You seem different today. Maybe the new one is working. You said that before, says brother. How does the movie work?

She steps forward and gives him a hug he's not expecting, not prepared for. It creates a surge of the chair feeling that makes the world flash brighter for a moment. She says, everything has a purpose. It will all make sense eventually. Hopefully soon. Mom, says his sister. Her voice wants their mother to stop talking, to leave. She says, that's enough. His mother looks down and says, I know.

She looks up at him one last time and says, Enjoy your movie. This whole time, Brother stands perfectly straight with his arms at his sides, giving them smiles to show his gratitude for their visit, even though he doesn't feel any.

He just knows it is what he is supposed to do. Before he can watch his movie that night, he must rewind the tape from his previous viewing. The VCR clicks and the rewind button pops back out. The screen turns to static. Brother enjoys its warm sound. This word, enjoy, he found in his dictionary after his family left. It is useful for describing many of the positive feelings he's observed in himself. He enjoys the way the screen makes his hairs prickle when he gets close to press play.

He enjoys the deep blue that appears momentarily before the movie starts. He does not enjoy the movie, though. Like food or water, he needs it, but he does not enjoy it. The blue screen turns black. A synthesizer plays the title onto the screen. Bold capital letters over a background of stars. Your town. A friendly, androgynous voice speaks almost softly enough to qualify as a whisper. This is your planet. The screen pans down to a 3D model of Earth.

then zooms in toward the lower corner of North America before stopping above New Mexico. The state looks like it's made of felt, and a small flag attached to a pin sticks out of it. The flag is labeled Town. This is your town, the voice says. The felt state of New Mexico peels away as the camera zooms in. The image crossfades with a still shot of Towns Main Street, where Brother does all his shopping.

Droning synth music starts to play behind the voice. This is where you live, but you also exist in here. The image crossfades again, this time with a 3D rendering of a pink brain on a black screen. It rotates slowly. The voice continues. Unfortunately, citizen... The piece of your consciousness you currently hold is but a fraction of your entire being. The brain animation dulls, turns gray. But fear not.

we are working tirelessly to bring you back to yourself if you follow the steps we provide if you obey without deviation we can guarantee a much speedier and more fulsome recovery we can make you Your full self, again. The video makes a sharp transition to a 3D animation of featureless gray figures lined up in front of an orange figure, with its arms stretched out in a V-shape.

The voice says, Be sure to participate in your scheduled family visits as your family will guide you in your journey back to your full self. Physical contact, such as hugging, and holding hands may release certain chemicals in your brain which make it more accommodating to growth in consciousness the image crossfades to another shot of town's main street

In addition to family interactions, be sure to engage with your fellow townspeople. Discuss your families. Discuss your work. Although it may feel like a waste of time, conversation Known to people of full consciousness as small talk, is a great way to connect with your neighbors and community members, which in turn helps you grow one another's consciousness.

The image of Main Street dissolves into another animation with gray and orange figures. Brother thinks they look like they're made of balloons. He's not sure where that word came from because, as far as he knows, he has not seen a balloon. nor does he know their function, but the roundness of the figures makes him think balloon. Also, bubble. Sometimes words like this emerge from the depths of his mind.

He no longer wastes time interrogating their arrivals. The animation shows an orange figure opening a floating door for another orange figure. The outside figure hands an orange box to the inside figure through the door. This is Brother's favorite part. The voice narrates it. When mail comes into town, a fellow townsperson is tasked to deliver it to you.

This mail is yours to do with as you please. It may contain letters from family members or friends, or it may be a package with special food items. Flavorful food items have been shown to release chemicals which align your brain for consciousness growth. After you have read them, you may throw your letters away to reduce clutter. Clutter pollutes the mind.

limiting room for growth. The outside orange figure fades and is replaced by a gray figure holding a gray box, which they hand to the inside figure through the door. The orange figure opens the box, and a rendering of an unlabeled VHS tape rises from it, growing to fill the screen. The voice says, You will periodically receive deliveries from official.

Official deliveries are to be handled with instructions given to you by official. Do not deviate from these instructions, as deviation and disobedience will cause lapses and delays in your growth of consciousness. hereby delaying any chance of return to the world outside of town. Official may provide additional instructions, but here are some basic rules to always follow.

Keep your tape safe. Do not let the cassette get wet, cracked, or otherwise damaged, and keep it away from heat such as from cooking elements. Do not touch the tape inside the cassette. as this may damage it. 2. Watch your tape every night. If you do not think you can remain awake for its entire duration You are minimally required to watch the final 27 minutes. However, we do recommend watching the tape in its entirety.

as it is designed to provide you a fulsome experience and establish you in the correct state for consciousness growth three never leave the boundaries of town indicated by the street lamps Everything beyond the lights is barren desert. There is no fence or wall. You are not a prisoner here. However, you will most certainly perish if you vacate the safety of this community.

While we do not know for certain what becomes of a person's consciousness after death, we know even less about the result of dying while separated from one's consciousness. You are advised to enjoy the safety of your community. and avoid death until you can be reunited with full consciousness. If you become curious for any reason, please request information from your visiting family or friends.

They will be happy to provide you with any answers you seek. To maintain a functioning society in the absence or lack of consciousness, everyone must serve a role.

Brother tunes out as he often does during the rules. His mind becomes a void more empty than the night sky. He becomes a cold asteroid floating through a vacuum of time. He remains this way. until he collides with a burst of light from the TV. The finale begins. The movie ends with 27 minutes of lights, colors, and sounds.

The sounds are like walls around the vacuum of his mind, keeping him contained so he cannot float into the void. Shapes occasionally form in the colors. At one point, blue bleeds into a green screen. Formless at first, but then it becomes town shown from above. Pink static rises from the bottom of the screen to consume it. Some green remains.

coalescing into three figures standing with their arms outstretched in V's. A knock on his door triggers Brother's defense. He shoots from his chair and pauses the tape to listen.

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Brother, a familiar voice hisses outside. Because he knows the voice, knows it belongs to Daughter who runs the fruit stand, Brother opens the door. Daughter pushes into his house and takes the door from him to close it. She turns off his TV. Brother, she says, something happened to me tonight. While I was watching the movie, I... my mind started creating thoughts.

Ideas came and turned those thoughts into information, and brother, I know things now I don't think I'm supposed to know. Not supposed to know? Brother asks. Listen to me, daughter says, grabbing his shoulders. This does not give him a feeling like hugs or even handshakes. It gives him a feeling that he should run. Daughter says, the first thing you need to know is the family who visits you is not your real family.

Don't trust them, brother. Oh, I wish I knew your real name. Real name? Asks brother. My name isn't really daughter, says daughter. Ever notice how many daughters there are around town? How many sons? You're called brother because you can be. Not everyone here has siblings. They named you brother so there wouldn't be quite so many sons. Call me Beth now. I saw my family today.

Brother says, meaning he saw them so they must be real. Brother, listen, says Beth. Those people are not related to you. I can't explain everything. It's taken me all last night and today to figure it out. My eyes have been opened to so many things. I'm leaving. I'm going to get help for you and everyone else. Brother says. Rule three says you should never. There lies, brother. Beth interrupts.

The rules, they're all made up to keep you like this. She gestures to his person. Brother touches his chest. Is there something wrong with me? Beth pulls her lower lip in past her teeth. Goodbye, brother. I'll send help, but you won't see me again. Goodbye, says brother. He does not request or offer a hug. He does not open the door for her. He watches her leave.

He is surprised to see there are others outside his door, waiting. He gravitates toward this group outside his door, letting it shut behind him. They all follow Beth to the edge of town, marked by the bubble. There's that word again. of the final streetlamp's glow. Beth turns and waves to them, then walks into the darkness beyond the light. It strikes, Brother, that, at night, the desert looks as black and infinite as the sky.

He looks up into the stars. The stars make him feel something the opposite of how the darkness feels to look at. He is not afraid of the stars. He and the others wait for something to happen after Beth disappears. No one has seen a person leave town before. No one who remembers. No one speaks. No one moves. Not even to compensate tiring muscles and tendons as the minutes pass.

A scream out in the desert breaks their trance. Some townspeople flee back to their domiciles. Others find nearby objects to hide behind. Only three, brother, cousin, and grandfather, keep watching. at the edge of the glow. Someone help me! They hear Beth cry, her voice carrying over the flat sand. Cousin says, We're advised not to leave the safety of town. There are dangers in the desert, Brother concurs. We could die, says Grandfather. They all three turn away and return to their homes.

Brother finds trouble falling asleep. This problem has never plagued him before. He wonders what happened to Beth, why she screamed. This is new, wondering. As he prepares for work the following morning, Brother is still wondering about Beth. He's not used to thinking of someone when they are not in front of or near him. He also feels restless, like he cannot focus without knowing what happened out there in the desert.

in the dark. A knock at his door disrupts these errant thoughts. He answers it. Good morning, brother, says official. Official only comes when it is time for an updated tape. but she brought a new tape only two days prior. Brother wonders, again astounding himself, why she would bring a new tape so soon. But he is also glad.

Official's presence is an opportunity to put his unceasing questions to rest. Good morning, he replies. Then, what happened to Daughter, who now goes by Beth? Official makes a face he does not understand. It is angry, but contains a smile. She says, Daughter did not follow the rules on the tape, and she suffered the consequences.

A rattlesnake out in the desert bit her ankle. We found her dead from its venom earlier this morning. Do you know what a rattlesnake is, brother? Yes, he replies, although he is not sure how he knows. This knowledge comes from a mysterious corner of his mind. He thinks he might have seen snakes among the morphing shapes at the end of the movie. Official says, well, let that be a reminder to you then. Don't go outside of town.

You don't want to die like daughter, trust me. Rattlesnake venom is a terrible way to go. Are there good ways to go? Brother asks. Official looks surprised. She says, I think that's enough questions, brother. Here, I have an updated tape for you. We found some errors in the last one. Apologies. She holds up a plastic-wrapped cassette. Brother reaches for it.

She pulls it away. You know the drill. You get the new tape for the old one. Ah, yes, brother says. Then, mimicking official says, apologies. He goes inside and ejects his tape. wondering if it matters he didn't rewind it. He finds this wondering habit annoying, but he cannot prevent it. He returns to the door and swaps tapes with official. May I ask one more question? He asks.

realizing he just has. Official sighs and says, go ahead, as she places his old tape in a courier bag not unlike his own. Brother says, last night, daughter told me my family is not real. That's not a question, brother, says official. Brother thinks, then asks, Is my family real? Official nods. Yes, they're real. Don't you hug them when they visit you?

Yes, so they must be real. That's what I thought, says Brother. All right, then. I have a lot more of these to exchange before everyone goes to work, so I'm going to keep moving. Official turns away, but pauses. With an eyebrow raised, she turns back to brother and asks, Did daughter tell you anything else about your family? She did not, replies brother. With a nod, official says, Have a nice day. Brother says,

Thank you, and closes the door. Hey, what's up, y'all? Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair. My favorite thing about the holidays? Decking out my whole house. It's not a competition, but if it was, well, I'd win the season with Wayfair. Outdoor inflatable Santa? Got it on Wayfair. Trees, lights, and ornaments? Wayfair. Hosting must-haves?

like dining sets, beds, sheets, and towels, Wayfair. For everything in your style delivered with fast and free shipping, visit Wayfair.com or the Wayfair app to win the season. But again, it's not a competition. Wayfair, every style, every home. Right now on the Infamous America podcast. The disappearances started with a mother and daughter. They were followed by two sisters from Texas, and then three children from the same family. And in between, according to the lore,

There were dozens more. During a sensational murder trial, the legend of H.H. Holmes grew from sleazy conman to one of America's most notorious and prolific killers. But how much was true? The story of H.H. Holmes is happening now on the Infamous America podcast. He walks to the post office where official, not the same person, but one with the same title and role, hands him a mailbag bulging with items to be delivered across town.

As he does every day except Sundays which are reserved for solitude and consciousness growth, he begins his route. He starts on Main Street, where the post office is located. He delivers to the meat shop and the bakery. the closed fruit stand and the vegetable store he delivers to a brand new store run by sun which sells condiments flavorful toppings for the aforementioned categories of food

Brother has discovered he desires food more often since beginning the use of condiments. They have also turned eating into something more than a biological chore. Husband opens his door when Brother stops to slip his mail through the slot below his window. Brother greets husband, and husband waves a parcel at him. Husband says, Please get this to official without delay. She's requested it as soon as possible.

The urgency in husband's voice sparks a desire in brother to run. He steps back and asks, what is it? He doesn't think he's supposed to ask this question, but he must ask it, or he must flee. These are the choices his body gives him. Husband says, It's our old tape. Child didn't know better and hid it as a game. We didn't know it was lost until official asked for it today. Child had forgotten where he hid it.

Official gave us our new tape but told us she would be back tomorrow to search our home if we do not return our old tape today. Wife is very angry. The tape has been found so we should not cause official to waste time searching for it. says brother. He takes the parcel from husband's hands and places it in his bag. He says, I will post it to official when I return for my next batch of mail. It will be delivered to her before tomorrow morning. Husband hugs him and says,

Thank you. Wife and child will be so relieved. Relieved? Brother asks. They stare at each other, equally confused for their respective reasons. Thank you, husband finally says. Now please excuse me. This situation has made me late for work. Back at the post office, his mailbag empty except for husband's parcel, brother has yet another new experience.

He wishes his recent consciousness growth was centered around something that brought him more good feelings. Instead, he feels something he most relates to illness. A twisting in his stomach, paired with a tightening in his throat and chest like he's choking. This painful growth in consciousness occurs when he hesitates to place husband's old tape in the outgoing bin. Once he notices himself pausing, he interrogates his thoughts.

and finds he wants to watch this old version of the tape again. He wants to watch the new tape also, to compare them. He wants to know why they need new tapes so soon. He wonders... Again, this compulsion assails him. What differences he can find between them.

He also realizes during this interrogation that he questions whether it might be possible the delivery of the new tapes coincides with daughters with Beth's absconding. He commits an irreversible act by sliding the parcel back into his mailbag and delivering it to his own home when his route takes him by it. If, somehow, someone catches him with it,

Perhaps official will track him down when she arrives at husband's home to search it tomorrow. He will lose his job, and perhaps more. He is not sure what punishment someone as disobedient as him deserves, and he therefore should expect. He returns home after work and retrieves the stolen package from the floor by his mail slot. He knows his time is limited, but opens husband's parcel slowly to preserve its wrapping so he can attempt to return it to the post office in the morning.

Sending the tapes so late will not help husband, wife, and child, but it will help brother unless somehow official has already caught on to his infringement. He holds both cassettes in his hands, inspecting them for any visible differences. He opens the doors on their tops to examine the tapes. The same. He thinks he should watch the new tape first, but then remembers that is what official wants him to do. She instructed him to watch the new tape tonight.

For some reason, brother doesn't want to do what official asks. He is unfamiliar with wanting or not wanting to do anything. But much like how he wanted to flee from husband earlier, he now wishes to act against the will of official. It feels like life or death. Like daughter Beth standing at the edge of that darkness, choosing to charge forward, headfirst. Brother inserts the cassette and watches the static change to a flickering blue.

Tall, green letters in the upper left corner say play as the tape begins. A black screen appears. The title fades into view. Bold capital letters over a background of stars. Your town. An androgynous, friendly voice speaks almost softly enough to call a whisper. This is your planet. The screen pans down to a 3D model of Earth.

then zooms in toward the lower corner of North America before stopping above New Mexico. The state looks like it's made of felt, and a small flag attached to a pin sticks out of it. The flag is labeled Town. So far, Brother cannot find any errors which would require a corrected tape to be delivered. Every word that appears is spelled properly, every syllable correctly enunciated by the narrator who lists off the rules which have been included in every tape,

have never changed. They sound identical to every previous version he can remember. Brother knows he has already seen this tape, but remembers being distracted during the latter half of the narrative portion of the previous night.

He crawls to the VCR and fast-forwards through Rule 5, pressing play at the most grim portion of the tape, the story of how town and the townspeople came to be the way they are. This part of the tape... is how he knows he is unusual it begins with a 3d rendering of an asteroid spinning through space the blank audio track crackles and hisses in the background there's no music narration

or sound effects, so the tape's microscopic flaws are amplified. Brother nearly jumps, as he always does, as a new voice, a serious man's voice, bursts into the soundscape. An asteroid, like the one you see here, entered Earth's atmosphere on July 12, 2022. Animated flames appear around the asteroid's nose. The screen goes white.

Another rendering, this time of the desert with mountains on the horizon, fades in. A glowing orb falls from the top of the screen, crashing into the mountains. A boom so low, Brother is unsure if he hears it or just feels it. accompanies a bright flash of pink the pale color fills the screen it is here to stay the aerial rendering of town from earlier in the tape fades in colored neon orange

but the pink layer remains superimposed on top. The narrator says, Mysterious radiation brought to Earth by the asteroid blew into a small town in New Mexico, going unnoticed for weeks on end.

This whole time, the residents of the town were breathing in this radiation, totally unaware of its compounding effects on their minds and bodies. While scientists still work tirelessly to understand the exact mechanics of the ailment, our best explanation is the element of their minds we colloquially refer to as consciousness a soul if you are of religious persuasion has been erased or somehow separated from them at a minimum

it has been greatly reduced. The pronounced crackling ceases as the screen zooms into town. It morphs into a video of Main Street in the morning while everyone is out working and shopping. Lots of people are walking around. The ambient synthesizer returns. The original narrator says, You are one of the townspeople exposed to the radiation before it was contained. We tell you not to frighten you. Don't worry.

will take care of you. Your families will take care of you. Your friends will take care of you. Your fellow townspeople will take care of you. The audio pauses as the video dissolves into a blue screen with a single orange figure portrayed with its balloon-like arms half-raised at its sides. The figure slowly begins to turn as the voice continues.

You need to know about the radiation to understand why you must follow the rules, must never leave town, and must always listen to official. Anyone with that name is here to keep you safe.

Trust them, always. As the screen again begins to dissolve, Brother hears a knock at his door. He panics. The contraband tape is in his VCR. playing on his TV where anyone at the door will see it if he opens it. The tape always looks so similar, though, he thinks. So similar I can't even tell the difference. He presses pause.

freezing the screen with the orange figure half-dissolved and answers the door. He is surprised to see most of his family standing on his patio. His sister is absent, but even if she was with his parents, their visit would seem strange. He'd never been visited by his family so late before. His mother and father barge past him into his home. His father immediately points to the TV and says, This isn't the tape official brought you today, brother.

You're in violation of Rule 4, brother, his mother says. She paraphrases the rule from the tape. If you become curious, request information from your family. They will be happy to provide any answers you seek. How did you get this? his father demands before brother has a chance to address either of them. Unfamiliar with lying and too caught to deceive them anyway, brother says, I delivered it to myself. It belongs to husband. It was meant for official.

Oh great, have you broken all the rules? asks his mother. I may have, brother admits. Then his face lights up. He nearly shouts, I haven't left the boundaries of town. as if this missing infraction might spare him punishment for all the others. Is this the new tape, then? Asks his father, picking up the new cassette. Yes, brother replies. He feels that need to flee.

He's beginning to wonder if wondering and fear are the latest additions to his growing consciousness and wishes he could prune them. He's done so much wondering and fearing over the past two days, he doesn't want to do either ever again. His mother nods to his father, who tells brother to take a seat in front of the TV. His mother leans out his open door and calls, We're ready. His father stands directly beside brother.

positioned such that Brother assumes he will prevent him from leaving the couch if he tries to stand. His mother ejects the old tape and inspects the new one before inserting it in the VCR. Her other hand is already poised with one finger hovering over stop. The moment the VCR accepts the tape, she presses this button, putting static on the TV. Brother's younger sister enters the house in this pale light, but she's wearing a gray suit that makes her look his age.

She looks 22 rather than 15 due to her clothes and, he notices, her hairstyle and lack of makeup. Official walks in behind her, carrying a large gray sack that appears to be filled with children's sporting balls. Is it ready to play? Asks official. It's ready, his mother confirms. Here, says official, before reaching into the sack and removing not a ball, but a helmet she tosses to father. She tosses another to his mother.

before handing a third to his sister. Everyone puts their helmets on except Brother, who has not received one. The black helmets cover their entire heads with reflective visors over their eyes. Is there one for me? Asks Brother. You don't need one, official says as she removes the last helmet in the sack and slides it over her head. Why don't I need one, asks brother. He raises his voice and demands, tell me why I don't need one.

It feels wrong in a way that somehow also feels like a hug. His father and mother stand to one side of him. Official nods to his sister to press play. Once she does, she steps to brother's other side. Official takes the position beside her. So they stand as the screen erupts with sporadic colors that seem to screech as loudly as the actual sounds screaming from the speakers. Brother screams too. This tape...

is not like the others. This tape is tearing his mind apart rather than helping his consciousness grow. He tries to stand, to run, but his father and sister's hands shove him back down. He tries squeezing his eyes shut, but the sounds create so much pressure in his head he has to open them just to relieve it. The flashing colors sporadically go black and silent at random intervals, during which Brother blacks out as well. He feels more helpless.

each time he is jolted awake by the next sensory barrage. All up and down his street and on every residential street in town, The windows flash with the same colors and rattle with the same sounds. Those townspeople who started their tapes early now sit catatonic on their couches, awaiting the next biological urge that will spur them into motion.

When Brother's tape is done, his family and official remove their helmets. He sits wide-eyed but unmoving between them. One by one, they all, with the exception of official, hug him. He does not hug them back. His consciousness must begin regrowth before he recognizes the chemical response to physical touch as something to embrace.

Well, we won't have any more runaways anytime soon, the man says, lightly pushing Brother's unresponsive head. He probably would have been the next. Without a doubt, concurs the woman known as official. She looks to each of the others. Then says, head back and turn in. Get as much rest as you can. This means we're starting over tomorrow. Three years down the drain, says the woman brother knew his sister. Not for nothing, official corrects.

We're learning. Mistakes like this are part of the process. We'll take the lessons from this round into the next and, if necessary, the next. Patience. We're playing the long game.

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the Warning Woods. Thank you for listening. If you love those, wait, what, moments? you'll love something you should know. I'm Mike Carruthers, and on my podcast, we explore the fascinating ideas hiding in plain sight, like how elevators change the entire world. how gravity affects your health more than you think, or how to instantly become a better conversationalist. Each episode is fast, fun, and full of insight you'll want to share.

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