[Listen]

 

[Radio Static]

 

THE REPORTER:

 

Good afternoon, Witherburn! Sorry for my abrupt delay last week. As y'all know, I try to keep things professional, but I hope you can understand the extenuating circumstances. Though, as I talked to Chloe's family, I realized that everyone is trying their best to find her and there are even a few leads on the case, which puts my mind a bit at ease. 

 

I do want to use my platform to spread the word though, so if you see a 15 year old indigenous girl who is about 5'4 with straight brown hair and a birth mark that looks like a seashell on her left elbow, then please, report it to the police. You can make a difference. 

 

I'm sorry. I swear that's enough about that. I'm sure many people in Witherburn are tired of this sort of talk.  Let's see, our top stories today are about a certain radio program from Magnolia, another message from the Witherburn Vandal, and why Tina Young is quitting the tennis team. All that and more coming up on Witherburn Afterschool News.

 

[Theme Music]

 

To start us off, let's talk about that rip off radio program at Magnolia! I mean, they're calling themselves “Magnolia After the Bell”.  Magnolia After the Bell? You might as well just say you're copying my show. This one is school sponsored though, which  I wish I was school sponsored. Ugh, that would make things so much easier. 

 

Though, their show mostly seems to be football games and discussions on whether or not seniors should be able to paint their parking spots. So, nothing of true substance. I guess that's a benefit of not being school sponsored. I get to say whatever I want. I don't have to listen to “the man”.  Maybe I should be kinder, though, since they could be considered my colleagues in radio reporting. But my kindness will depend on how many of my stories they steal. 

 

Here's a story I bet they haven't even heard yet. The Witherburn Vandal has struck again, this time inside the school. This begs the question of how they even managed to do that without getting caught. They would have to have keys or something. Unless they were just being really slick about it?  Anyway, the messages have mostly been on bathroom walls saying things like “Beware the things in the night”, and “they are coming to get you!” One message even reads, “GSVB ZIV SVIV” Which, yay! More cryptic code! I mean, why hide what you're trying to say behind a jumble of letters? If you're graffitiing a message, then you want people to read it! Right? Along with the bathroom, some lockers have also been vandalized, seemingly warning people not to leave their houses after 7 o'clock. Some people are taking this as a threat, and some are taking it as a warning, but everyone is unnerved by it. 

 

One rumor is that this is an empty threat, and someone is trying to get out of a test, which is a very dramatic thing to do and not even that effective since class has continued. Police are investigating, but those words are starting to get emptier and emptier the more I say them. They actually have some suspects, like Alice Doyle, who, might I say, they have no actual evidence for, except she was outside the school after it was vandalized. Another suspect is Dyce, which is simply because he hangs out in the art room, and he has access to supplies like spray paint, but the art teacher watches those supplies like a hawk, and even counts them after class, so good luck trying to steal from her. If you ask me, they are missing a very obvious suspect, and say it with me, Hunter Clark.

 

That's right, he has made threats on multiple people's lives and has had so many screaming matches, I've lost count. Do we really think something like this is out of character for him? I don't. Whoever it is has managed to cause quite a stir, but who knows? Maybe that's the point. This could be an act of rebellion.

 

I mean, isn't that what graffiti is supposed to be? It started as the physical representation that property isn't worth nearly as much as human life. With all these people going missing, who's to say that the vandal isn't trying to convey that exact same message? Or it's just Hunter thinking he can get away with anything. Again. The world may never know! 

 

But the world needs to know this news. The Spanish Moss diner holiday menu is back. Your favorites like the peppermint shake, pumpkin pie, the glazed ham sandwich, and their amazing stuffing are back until Christmas. Trust me, you will want to swing by in the diner for those town favorites.

 

I mean, I love my grandma's stuffing, don't get me wrong, but There is something different about Miss Paige’s.  I don't know what her secret ingredient is, but it's good. 

 

Our next story is about Tina Young, a notable influencer at Witherburn High School and overall the kind of person I expect to be selling weight shakes on Instagram in the next few years.

 

She apparently is thinking about quitting the tennis team because of a wrist injury she got at her last tournament. Nothing broken or fractured or anything like that. Her teammates are saying it's most likely a sprain, but Tina is worried about the repeated stress on her wrist. Which, listeners, is a fair concern!

 

If Birdie didn't tell me, she was mostly just worried about getting too “beefy”.  Look. I don't want to judge people on how they live their life, it's just that Tina seems to only care about how people think she's living her life. She spouts all this health mumbo jumbo, but it just feels like she doesn't actually care about health, just the aesthetic of being skinny.

 

That mindset?  It's just not healthy. I hear in my classes about how Tina Young has the most desirable body and how everyone is trying to look like her, but we should be striving to look like ourselves.  Health isn't about the number on the scale, but how you feel. Are you more energized?  Feel less pain? Notice you're getting sick less? These are the true signs of a healthy body!  I know, Tina says this stuff all the time, but it seems hollow when she follows it up with these ideas that you have to do yoga and drink those gross green smoothies, oh my god. Maybe I just don't get it,  but I just feel like her way of going about these things is a little toxic. Which is a long way of saying, I hope she doesn't quit the tennis team. I think if she likes the sport then she should keep playing it, whether she gains muscle or not.  

 

I would like to see After The Bell report that story. I'm sure Magnolia wouldn't approve of the school radio program talking like that. Which is why, my loyal listeners, you should get all your news from me. I will tell it to you straight while I'm sure those Magnolia reporters would add a whole bunch of fluff. Probably have a whole bunch of nonsense stories like, Which mascot costume is the best? Like, anyone cares about that.  Not me, no. I always get straight to the point and never ramble. I'm a professional like that. 

 

[Rustling Papers]

 

Shit… what’s our next segment

 

Um,  while I search for that, listeners, let's move on to the Monster of the Week, brought to you by Mrs. Calloway. As many of y'all know, Mrs. Calloway has been putting up posters for her missing daughter well into the night. You can't really miss them, because they're all over town. Though, what some people don't know is that she has been going on one woman search and rescue missions into the woods.

 

She has done about five of these so far, but it was yesterday's search that made her run into the police station telling this story right here.  

 

MRS. CALLOWAY:

 

You have to believe me! I saw a girl in those woods!  

 

POLICE OFFICER:

 

Please calm down. 

 

MRS. CALLOWAY:

 

It was starting to get dark and I walked into this field. I saw this girl who was thin and pale. She was so pale. She had this this white dress on and she had this long black hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in days. She was so far away from me but I could hear her calling out for help. I-I tried to get closer but she turned around and let out this awful scream. It was, it was inhuman and I ran back to my car. I was so scared. You have to go and help her. 

 

POLICE OFFICER:

 

Mrs. Calloway, you're in shock. Why don’t you get some rest.

 

THE REPORTER:

 

I'm going to end that audio there, listeners. The police searched the fields and found nothing out of the ordinary. There was no girl, and they think Mrs. Calloway was just tired from the stress. Which is why I theorize that she imagined a monster from many of the older town folks childhood Huggin’ Molly, a legend that began in Alabama in the 1960s as a way for parents to get their children home by dinnertime. 

 

The creature was described as a woman who wore all white, was skin and bones, and had matted black hair. She apparently lost all her children while in the woods. And every time she sees a child, she hugs them, in order to deal with her grief. Except her hugs come at a terrifying price. You see, this woman will scream in your ears when she catches you, with some children even reporting that their eardrums would begin to bleed. 

 

But Huggin’ Molly wouldn't take you or anything like that, she would just scare you half to death and then be on her way. Which I think adds a little to her horror.  The idea that if she found you once, she could find you again. Mrs. Calloway was probably imagining this creature because their stories seem very similar. Stress can cause things like that to happen. But whatever the reason, I hope Mrs. Calloway gets better and gets the much needed rest she deserves.  

 

Oh! Here's our next story. The roads are already starting to get icy. I swear, it's getting earlier and earlier now. It's especially bad on that old bridge. You know, the one that goes over the creek and towards the mountain. 

 

Yeah, apparently it's super bad. Someone already got into a crash.  I'll give you one guess on who it was. The Carlsons. It was the Carlsons. No one got hurt in the crash. Thank God. But their car is totaled. I mean, they did literally fly into the creek, so I'm not that surprised about the car. The Carlsons say they were just going down the mountain too fast and couldn't brake on the bridge. While others are saying their 13 year old son was driving. I wouldn't even be that surprised. Those Carlsons are always doing stuff like this. They're good people, just strange, but who isn't a bit strange in this town?  

 

Oh, I'm excited about this next segment. It's an exclusive. Let me tell you a story about Ulysses and Penelope. These two didn't meet each other until after both their partners had died. They found each other sitting in the corner at a Christmas party about 30 years ago, and have been inseparable ever since. They were seen by many as a love to strive for, with some saying they wanted a relationship like that when they got older.

 

They kept getting asked, “When will y'all get married?” And they simply answered they would when the time was right. They said that for 30 years, both living on the opposite sides of town and driving to see each other almost every day, until Ulysses died.  It was peaceful and in his sleep, and Penelope said that he died fulfilled and happy.

 

It wasn't until people realized that Penelope got the inheritance instead of his closest living family member that they started asking questions. People asked if he changed his will, and Penelope said no. Then people asked how she got the money, the house, and she responded,  well, we got married about 25 years ago.

 

Now, this sent people for a loop. They didn't even live in the same house! When asked to elaborate, Penelope said that she and Ulysses had just experienced a lot of loss. A loss where you can't always pick up the pieces.  They were each other's rocks but they weren't each other's replacements. Their first partners were the ones they had imagined starting a family with, and  they just didn't think they could do that with anyone else. 

 

But they loved each other. They knew if they got married, there would be certain expectations, like moving in together, trying for a kid.  So they decided to just hide their marriage. They went alone to the courthouse a couple of towns over and have been married ever since. Now, to many people, this is a story of scandal, but I view this as a story of love, the kind that doesn't care what people say.

 

True love, in my opinion, isn't about fitting into society. It's about breaking it, and not caring where the rubble lands.  Penelope doesn't care what people think of her. She had a wonderful life, even if she never had kids or if she never lived with her husband. Love is something that speaks for itself. I think Ulysses and Penelope prove that. 

 

That's all I have for you tonight, listeners. I know, it ended on a very sappy note, but hopefully my words give you something to think about this week. Don't forget to tune in to the station next Friday, and not those After the Bell losers! I'm the reporter signing off.