literature

A Radio's Dream

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Literature Text

Radio the Great! He was top of the line! Grade A! Leader of the group! The red radio stood proudly aloft on the chair as Kirby pulled. They had plenty of trouble on their journey, but there was always Radio to dive in and save the day! Or rather, the group. How do you save a day?

This time, it appeared their obstacle was a foreboding forest. Trees loomed in the dark, creating nasty shadows wherever lightning flashed, and indeed it flashed. There didn’t seem to be any sign of rain, though. As Kirby backed away a little, as Slots and the Blanket and the idiot Lamp leaned against the back of the chair, only Radio stepped bravely forward! Radio faced his dial to the forest, unyielding!

“Wuh…where do we go, Radio?” queried the poor, (possibly mentally challenged) lamp, trying to hide behind his cord.

“Yeah, you’re the only one who can lead us,” said Slot-head, whom Radio liked to think of as a second captain. The one who would lead in his place if he ever was unable to. Not like that would ever happen, he was invincible!

With a flourish, Radio stabbed his antennae straight ahead. “Into the forest! That’s the way to the city!” He was certain of it, so certain he didn’t even need to search for a signal or look at moss on trees and what not. He could feel it in his machinery, smell it in his…grill.

With amusement, Radio noted how the others were still rather hesitant.

“Oh wise leader, Radio,” said Kirby, always knowing who was on top around here. “Isn’t there some other way to the city? Around large, dark forests?” Others nodded in agreement.

With another flourish, Radio leaped off the chair and landed right on the boundary between plain and forest. He wielded his antennae and pointed at every one of his crewmembers. “Ridiculous! Go around?! Roosevelt…no, I don’t go around, like a scared little off-the-shelf newbie! Unthinkable! Besides, think of what we’ll find! Danger, adventure, turmoil, more danger!”

The cowardly blanket tried to hide behind himself. Radio couldn’t help but pity the poor sap, unable to fight, unable to beat down a wild grizzly bear with eyes closed, standing on one leg and using only a tiny extension cord. More than once, he had to save the kid. From savages, guns, poachers, aircraft, Germans…the guy was lucky to have him around. “But sir, Radio sir, I could do without…danger and adventure and turmoil and danger…”

“Right, right!” the dull lamp nodded quickly, hiding behind the blanket as well. “In fact, through all the forests we’ve been through so far, this one especially looks especially dangerous, in fact.”

“Sir, you must really fix that speech impediment.”

“Wha? What’re you talking about? Wha?”

Lampy, the orange guy, was most likely senile. Sounded like a broken record, Radio thought. Too bad lamps couldn’t just replace some kind of…ah, whatsits, voice chips.

“Never mind, poor chum. Now listen, the faster we go through that forest, the faster we’ll get to the city, the faster we get to the Master! Now do you all want to waste time going around? Do you want to arrive late, make the Master wait? Do you want him to know we’re all cowards who don’t care about him enough to brave a simple forest? Huh? Well?”

The Radio’s jabs seemed to work, as they always did. The group looked down, rather embarrassed about themselves. “Now, see here! We can turn our backs or we move forward, like soldiers! Bravely marching, hup two, hup two! To victory!”

And as always, the group cheered with him. “To victory!”

Job done, Radio hopped back onto his captain’s spot on the chair. “Forward, skipper!”

“Yes, sir!” Kirby charged ahead, thrusting himself into the creepy forest. Though branches scratched, Radio did not flinch. Though rocks threatened to overturn them, Radio did not budge. His little army may be inexperienced and decidedly unadventurous, but they were learning. He could see it in their eyes.

Even so, they obviously needed him. They didn’t even know basic survival skills! Didn’t know how to make shelter, a fire, nothing!

Radio wasn’t surprised when his acute hearing alerted him to some other presence, though nobody else reacted. He signaled quietly, and Kirby rolled to a quiet halt. He was about to try to wipe the dirt off his wheels, but Radio stopped him in time with a disapproving whack of his antennae. An enemy was about! It wasn’t wise to make a sound! What was it? Another bear? Feral wolves? A pack of feral wolves? Horrible zombie telemarketers?

To his dismay and surprise, the others jumped off of the vessel to poke around, as if trying to find whatever it was Radio had sensed. He signaled frantically to stop. What are you doing, he signaled quite furiously. You idiots! Morons! Get back!

And then he saw it, a creature so foul it seemed to be pure darkness. There was a slight hint of gleaming yellow eyes and sharp teeth, and it whipped away in the cover of the trees, too fast for it to be anything on Earth. But Radio could follow it, could track its movements. And he saw that it was headed directly for Blanky, still unaware of the danger. In fact, the young lad was walking straight into the creature’s maws!

“Halt! Blanky, come back! Get away!” shouted Radio. Or rather, he tried to. But nothing came out, not even a muffled sound. He suddenly couldn’t speak, only jump around franticly as the others looked confusedly towards him, and oh no, the blanket didn’t take the hint and the creature’s jaws closed on him, panicked cries silenced with a loud snap.

That got the attention of the others. The remaining three zipped back to their wonderful leader and huddled around the swivel chair.

“What do we do!” wailed Toaster, almost pleadingly looking up at Radio.

“Leader, help us out here!” said Kirby.

Lampy turned on his lights, trying to look for the dark creature, but it seemed only Radio could see it. Only he could see it creeping around them, and only he could see that the next target was the dear old lamp.

Still unable to say anything, Radio jumped, hopped, tried to make as much noise as he could, which was much harder without a voice. The three turned expectantly, as if waiting for orders, but then the dark creature sailed by, whisking up Lampy as it jumped across their clearing. The lamp’s yell was audibly cut off with a gulp.

Kirby seemed to get very angry now, while Toaster hopped back up to the chair for safety.

“Awright, where is this guy?! Spit them up, right now! Let us pass!”

No, Kirby, Radio tried to yell. He left Toaster on the chair and jumped to the vacuum, who was unable to see the shadow thing behind him. Radio had jumped too late. Though the creature didn’t seem big enough to spirit the large vacuum away, it did. There was a loud ‘Aaaaagh,’ and a loud munch, and the dusty bag was spat out at Radio’s feet.

The red radio was no fool. He wasn’t going to just stare blankly. There was one more friend to protect! He swiftly leapt onto the swivel chair again and stood protectively in front of Toaster. The back of the chair was behind, and so protecting them. And Radio could still see it rustling sinisterly in the forest. It was just running around them, circling quickly as if trying to make them dizzy, but Radio was steadfast. With or without a voice, he could still protect someone.

A rather large kitchen knife then sliced itself through his body. Radio slid off the sharp implement and fell to the ground, legs twitching. It had hit in the middle of his back and went through his dial. His parts were scattered on the forest floor.

Toaster jumped down, knife in hand, scowling at him.

“What’re you doing? Why are you leading? What have you done? You didn’t say anything! Why don’t you say something!? Say something!” And Toaster too was snatched away. This time there was no sound. It only made it worse.

Radio pushed himself up, wobbling. It was a serious wound. And he only had the chair now, no allies to help and heal him. There was light, suddenly, and all the trees melted away, toppled over and sank into the ground. There were suddenly large soldier boots surrounding him, marching off to some unseen point with purpose. They kicked him along as he tried to get out of their path. They were soundless too, unfeeling, uncaring, just going out to die. Radio could see the destination now, through the forest of countless boots – they were all walking into a stone crypt. A man was holding the door open, waiting for everybody to come in so he could lock it up.

No, thought Radio. No, no, no, no! I’m not a soldier! I’m not one of you! I’m not ready to die for anything! He became more frantic than ever to escape. He jumped over filthy boots and dodged kicks, until finally someone knocked him down again, where more parts spilled out of his gash. He looked up and saw the light was being blocked out by a boot.

There was a loud crunch.
Woohoo, Radio's dream, my second favorite. Because I had a legitimate reason to make the other characters out of character. It's kinda funny, but he's the kind of radio to dream that, right?

I was actually uncertain what his nightmare would be like at all at the end, and so I made up that whole soldier thing while I typed the beginning, which actually turned out alright, I think.

SERIOUSLY, I'M NO SADIST.
© 2009 - 2024 Sei-sama
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jjj9t20's avatar
Wait, did Toaster stab him or did it come from some other source?