All language subtitles for The.Vast.of.Night.WEBRip.Amazon.en-us

[male TV announcer]
You are entering
a realm between

clandestine and forgotten,

a slipstream
caught between channels,

the secret museum of mankind,

the private library
of shadows--

all taking place on a stage
forged from mystery

and found only on a frequency
caught between logic and myth.

You are entering
Paradox Theater.

[fanfare]

[dramatic orchestral music]

Tonight’s episode,
"The Vast of Night."

[man]
You and the family
headed to the game?

No, just me.
Patricia’s with the kids
over in Hobbs.

[man]
Hobbs, huh? Good thing
we’re not playing them.

Boy, ain’t that right.

See you at the game.

[man] I don’t want to light
my next cigarette, Benny. I got
one here that’ll do the trick.

Mrs. McBroom’s
looking for you.
Why?

I’m not sure why.
I was at supper.

Ingrid’s sister was giving you
the top to bottom.

No, she wasn’t.
Oh, yes, she was.
In her car.

With Millie when
I was walking up.
[light flickers]

Great damn dogs,
what was that?
That’s why they were calling.

Make me feel better, Benny.
Make me feel better.
This is not good.

Arlo’s under the stands
figuring it out. Last time
it happened, it was a squirrel

that had bitten through a wire,
but the wire was still
in the mouth of the skeleton.

So is this the lights
or the electric? We can’t roll
if it’s flickering.

I don’t know. I was at supper.
How many times you gonna
tell me you were at supper?

Now-- Sam, what’s barn
buzzard’s buzz, man?

I don’t know.
It’s just blinking in there.
Let’s plug it in.

I haven’t had
anything to test it.
Let’s figure it out.

Come on, plug it in.
Okay.

Be careful.
If it electrocutes you,

you’ll stop growing hair
and never get a date.

Oh, tune out, man.
Go find Mrs. McBroom.

I will, but I don’t like
that tone, Sam. If it’s blinking
when you start recording,

stop recording, or I’ll have
one of them Buell brothers
come beat the water out of you.

Everett. Hey.
Mrs. McBroom is looking for you.

Renny, up in the stands
with his horn.
I know. Benny told me.

-So what does she want?
-I don’t know.
She’s just walking around,

asking everybody,
"Where’s Everett?
Have you seen Everett?

When’s Everett getting here?"
That tells me nothing, Renny.

Go sit down with your horn.
Matter of fact, give it to me.
There’s something wrong with it.

I used to play trombone.
Everett!

Can I bring you
my tape recorder so you can
show me how it works?

I don’t know what you said, Fay.
You sound like a mouse
being eaten by a possum.

Renny, give me your horn.

Can I bring you
my tape recorder
so you can show me how it works?

Yeah, sure, Fay. Renny, now.
Great!

Why?
Drop it down now, Renny.

You can’t hurt it.
What am I gonna do, Renny?

What-- Drop it down now.
Come on. Come on.

Yeah. There. Good boy.
Hey, where are you going?

[Renny]
Everett! Everett!
Bye, Renny. Bye, Renny.

Arlo told me to bring you down.
Why? Where is he?
What for? Down where?

He’s in the locker.
I don’t know what he wants.
They don’t tell me anything.

They don’t listen to me.
He just said,
"Go grab Everett."

I don’t know what’s going on.
I just got here.
I’m not gonna be able to help.

I got H.H. at 7:00, so--
I know that.

[sighs] He just
doesn’t listen to me.

Come tell him
for yourself.

I told them to turn the power
off during the tornado,
but they don’t listen to me.

Last time this happened,
it was a squirrel that
had bitten through the wire.

Squirrel still had
the wire in his mouth.
Yeah, Benny told me.

And we had a rat gnaw
through the scoreboard wire.
Did you know that?

No, I did not know that.
Uh-huh.

And an owl made his home
in the library attic,

so we had all these
critter bones
laying around the crawl space

where we keep the marching band
uniforms. Helen Trank had
a bat skull in her pocket.

-[man] Hold it.
-[Everett] Why are you here?

[man] Whoa! No, no, wait.
I did that. I did that.

[woman] Arlo, get out now!
[Arlo] Hold it.
Hold it, hold it, hold it.

What’s Everett doing here?
You told me
to bring him down here.

No, I didn’t.
Yes, you did.

I did not.
You told me.

I said bring Emmett down here,
not Everett.

Emmett. Emmett.
I asked you specifically

if you wanted
Everett from the radio.

Emmett doesn’t work
at the radio?
Everett works at the radio.

Arlo, if you don’t need me,
I’m gonna get back out.

Did Emmett never work
at the radio?
No, it’s just me.

Emmett works
at Santa Mira Mills.
He’s an electrician.

Now, hold on just a minute.
Emmett worked at the radio.

Wait, wait, wait.
You told me
to bring him down here.

Do you want us to record
over that last game?
And Renny wants his horn back.

I know he does.
That’s why I took it.
Did you get the reel? Because--

[Everett] Every game use
the same reel. It’s in the back
of the recorder. I’ll show you.

Are you gonna give Renny
his horn back?
If he stops being bad news.

I mean, someone’s
got to spank his ass.

Oh, Fay, you meant right now?
Is that okay?

Uh, can you walk?
Yeah.

Just let me
look at this for them.

Found it. So we just use
the same reel as last time?
Same reel each game.

But that’s gonna cause
some cross talk eventually.
Right? I mean, won’t it?

Read the Bible, Sam?
Yes.

There’s your answer.
Answer to what?

Answer to everything.
But that doesn’t--

Yeah, eventually.
But no one’s gonna buy
a tape for every game.

If it’s a problem, I’ll ask
Mr. McKean. Maybe he’ll buy
you some new ones.

But it’s not gonna make
a difference now. If power
goes out, you stop recording.

I’m not buying
another one of those.
You said that.

-What’s the tale, nightingale?
-What’s all the fuss?
Why you got Renny’s horn?

Whoa, what’s this?
I didn’t know you’re in band.
Why aren’t you up there playing?

Oh, I can’t do pep band.
I work the games

so Ruth can watch them,
since Greg made varsity.

Why do you have Renny’s horn?
’Cause he needs to be punished
for being Renny.

Wait, you’re working?
What about, uh,
Rita Cope or Winifred?

Winifred works nights in
San Mirial. Rita Cope quit.
She works at Zeb’s now.

Okay, so clue me in
about this lunch box.
This is the Westinghouse?

Yeah, it’s the one
you told me to get.
Ah, where’d you get it?

Montgomery Ward catalog.
Play something.
What have you recorded?

Well, nothing yet.
I mean, I didn’t wanna
mess anything up.

You haven’t recorded anything?
No, I didn’t wanna
mess something up.

You have a brand-new
tape recorder. You haven’t been
curious to push a button?

I’ve been so curious.
I just didn’t want to--
I’m nervous.

Are there batteries in it?
Yes.

Then press record.
Pull out the mic.

On the side,
are the wheels spinning?

Yes.
All right, then talk.

What do I say?
Try this.

Raise your right hand.
Say, "I’m not now,

nor have I ever been, a member
of the Communist Party."

I’m not now, nor have
I ever been, a member
of the Communist Party.

Around Dodge City
and in the territory out west...

There’s only one way
to handle the spoilers
and the killers,

and that’s with a US marshal
and the smell of gun smoke.

Brought to you by L&M filters.
That was good.
You want to hear it?

Yes.
All right, okay.

[vehicle approaching]
[horn honks]

Hey, coyotes!

[howling]
Yeah.

Those guys know me.
I’m Everett.
I like those guys.

This is Fay Crocker.
It’s not recording nothing.

I know. It’s just, I’ve never
held a microphone before.
I’m practicing.

I did not tell you to practice.
Told you to shut up.
I’m not shutting up.

It’s my recorder. [chuckles]
That was good. That’s how you
got to be when we’re recording.

That was queen of Cayuga.
You 500-Watt Fay.
[laughs]

This is Fay Crocker.

This is Fay Crocker.
I have never, up until now,
held a microphone. [chuckles]

[Fay, recorded] ...one way to
handle the spoilers and the
killers, and that’s...

Isn’t that a charge?
It’s a large charge.

Press record.
Start going again.
Is that how I sound?

Yeah, that’s how you sound.
That’s 100% Cayuga queen.
Press record, roll tape.

What are we gonna record?
Cool it, Clyde. There’s plenty
to say. Follow me. Let’s go.

I’m here with Fay Crocker,
horn player and recording expert
at Cayuga High School.

Now, what would you like
to tell us about yourself, Fay?
Uh--

I don’t know.
Come on, it’s spinning, sister.
Let’s bake biscuits.

Uh, this is Fay-- Wait.

What does that mean?
Well, it means to record,
make records. You--

You need a cigarette.
Everyone smokes
with a microphone.

I don’t wanna smoke right now.
Don’t cramp the cool.
It’s just something to hold.

It’s like a prop.
It’ll make you more confident.
Now, give me your horn.

I’m not allowed to let
anyone carry my horn.
Why?

If it gets dropped,
I have to pay for it.

School owns it.
No sweat. Let’s go.

Uh, bacon, bacon, 940.
What is that?

I heard it in a war movie.
They don’t say "bacon,
bacon, 940" during a war.

Well, maybe we’re thinking
about different wars.
No, no, this is not war radio.

You gotta say
something buzzin’.
[vehicle approaching]

All right, hold it.
Walk over there to the Olivers.
We’ll interview them.

Everett, no! That’s--
That’s a terrible idea.
That’s not fun at all.

You have to answer
questions before
we let you into the game.

Well, hello, Everett.
Wh-- What is this?
What’s going on?

We’re recording interviews.
I have Cayuga winning by eight.

-What are your thoughts
on the game?
-Need a light, Fay?

No, I’m just holding it like
people do with microphones.

Ask him a question.
I can’t.
You’re making me nervous.

It’s just a question.
Ask anyone about anything,
doesn’t matter.

Oh. Did you know that
a squirrel bit through
the wire in the gym?

-I did not know that. Tonight?
-Oh, I knew that.

It wasn’t tonight. It was
when Clem was still teaching.

Now ask her to tell you more.
Tell me more.

It was actually a chipmunk.
[chuckles]

A chipmunk. That was it.
Hold the mic out to her.

-Tell me more.
-I don’t know any more.

[Everett] Ask her what
her feelings are on chipmunks.

[Fay] What’s your feelings
on chipmunks?
Well, they’re cute

so long as they stay
out of people’s cars
and houses and hair. [laughs]

-[Everett] That was good.
Ask her if she wants to hear it.
-You wanna hear your biscuit?

[woman]
What? My biscuit?
Yeah, we made a biscuit.

No-- It’s not called a biscuit.
But you said
we were baking biscuits.

A recording is not a biscuit.
[man] What’s this for?
Is this going on the air?

No, you’re not--
What kind of question is that?
You tune into the radio

to hear a family
talking in their car,
while they’re eating?

No, I guess not.
No, yeah, you don’t.
No one does.

There’s your answer, unfiltered,
brought to you by me.

Honey, you are too funny.
Where’d you get this bit?

It comes with the recorder.
You should try it.
All you got to do

is hold the microphone
up to your mouth.
Hey, Daisy.

You old enough to be
going to basketball games?
Yes.

I don’t know--
I think you gotta be
at least five years old.

I am five years old.
Well, look out now.
Good thing for that.

If you weren’t,
I’d have to take you home
and go to bed early.

Have fun at the game.
I like your haircut, fuzzy duck.

[man] Thanks for including us.
Have a good night.
Bye!

-[Everett] Press record,
start talking about something.
-What do I say?

Give me your horn.
No.

I’m not gonna drop it.

Take the mic out.

Take it out.

Good. Now, what’s your
favorite subject in school?

Aren’t you
some big science girl?

Yes.
All right.
Tell me about science.

Be careful with my horn
or else you’ll have to
deal with Mr. Pike.

Did you know that Robby Ritter
set his horn behind the car
and they backed over it?

That’s good.

[Everett] Did you know that
Robby Ritter set his horn

behind their car
and they backed over it?

Sorry, what’s that?
Hello, Fay.
Hi, Mr. Stemmons.

[chuckles] What’s this?
Is this a school project?

No, Everett’s just
having me ask people questions

and record them
on my tape recorder.
Well, it’s broken.

What?
It’s not turning.
It stopped working.

How? It’s brand-new.
I don’t know what happened.
I’m sorry.

I’m sorry, Mr. Stemmons.
We’ll record you another time.

Thanks for stopping.
We’ll record you another time.

That’s okay.
You guys have a good night.

-[Fay] Can we fix it?
-[Everett] Shh. It’s not broken.

Mr. Stemmons is a nowhere man.
He’s a full-on pale one.

We had to get out
of that conversation.
So it’s not broken?

No. You can’t waste tape, Fay,
not on a tombstone
like Mr. Stemmons.

Double-dealing devil-dog.
That had me so scared.

You know I paid for that
with my own money.

You can always do that
if someone’s a wet rag.

Tell them, "It’s broken.
We’ll have to reschedule."

Then you just never reschedule.
Well, I can’t
do that to someone.

Oh, yeah, you can.
Why not?
’Cause it’s lying.

It’s not lying.
It’s stopping someone from
embarrassing themselves.

Not if you don’t make them
feel embarrassed.
Putting up the numbers means

you got to get
what you want out of people,
not be afraid to cut them off

or tell them to shut up.
I’m not putting up any numbers.

[man] I’m sorry, you two.
I’m gonna need to see
a license for that.

Oh, this ain’t
no shotgun, Pappy Fred.
And you’re lucky it ain’t.

’Cause you’d all be dead.
[laughs]
Fay’s got a new recorder.

Talk to her.
Hey, ask them a question, Fay.

Okay, about what?
Uh--
Well, now I’m nervous again.

[woman] What is this?
It’s a tape recorder.

Ask if they ever heard
"bacon, bacon, 940" before?

[woman]
Bacon? What are you--
Bacon, what?

I heard it in a war movie.
Now, hold the mic
to your mouth.

Have you ever heard
the phrase "bacon, bacon, 940"

in a war movie?
Now to his mouth.

I think you mean
"breaker, breaker."
That’s what it is.

See, I was close.
Whoa, cut the gas, cube.

You were a mile wide.
Do you have
your own show now, Fay?

Yeah, she does.
It’s called
Teenage Rendezvous

and her radio name
is Cayuga Queen.

She takes requests and tells
stories of young love.

That’s a great idea.
I should get my own show.

All right, start studying
for your license.

And learn
how to ask a question.

What license?

A radio license, FCC.

You going to the game?
No.

We gotta work.
Oh, of course.

You do such a good job,
honey.

How’s your mother?
Did Fay tell you
about the Grimaldis?

-About their dog
getting electrocuted?
-No. Ask Fay.

You need to stay out of
Fay’s business, Marjorie.

It’s not Fay’s business.
It’s the Grimaldis’ business.

She knows the whole business.
Just make sure you turn off
that tape machine.

Oh, we’ll do exactly that.
[Marjorie laughs]
She knows the whole business.

-Shut your mouth, Marjie.
-Oh, look out now.

I didn’t say anything, Fred.

I could appear in court,
put my hand on a Bible--

Start walking.
This is marriage problems.

-Come on.
-I didn’t say anything.

In front of God and everyone?
Yeah, I am.

♪ And you rock
Around the world ♪

♪ You rock, rock, rock ♪

Tell me the word
on the Grimaldis.

I don’t talk about
other people’s business.

Then come up with some
other way to fill up
this tape recorder.

[sighs] I can’t.
I just get so nervous

and I don’t know what to say.
Although, I was
enjoying it back there

when we got going,
asking them questions.
It’s just you and me talking.

Tell me the craziest
caller you ever had.
Oh, I know what I can tell you.

Not about a caller, but about
some science I was reading.
Can I tell you about that?

You certainly can,
Fay Cordelia Crocker.
That’s not my middle name.

I know it isn’t. I don’t care.
I mean, I didn’t know,
but I definitely don’t care.

What else you got in there?
Uh, just my mouthpiece
and some hairpins.

Hairpins?
Yeah. My mom says you can
stash hairpins anywhere,

and one day you’ll be
glad you did it.
Geez, that’s weird.

[Fay] I just read about this,
and I think it’s boss.

Don’t make me feel
like a fool for liking it.
I would never.

Come on, let me have it.
Razz my berries.
All right, did you know

that there was actually
an experiment done this year,
in Lincoln, Nebraska,

for a radio-controlled car?
By RCA. Like a full-sized one.

Whoa, lay dead.
Yup. It’s called
"electronic highway control."

And this article says that
there’s a series of circuits

buried in the pavements with
little lights connected to them

so they can communicate to
the car through radio control

and take over steering
and braking. It’s crazy.
Whoa, whoa, wait.

This is an experiment?
They already did this?
Mm-hmm.

In Lincoln, Nebraska, in April.
You press a button
on the dash of the car

that says "electronic drive,"
and the car starts
to drive itself.

That’s incredible.
Yeah, I know.
And get this--

Well, actually, two things.
First of all, it can tell

if there’s a car stopped
up to a mile ahead, and it’ll
slow traffic automatically.

Like all cars at once,
like a school of fish.

And two,
it doesn’t need eyes to work,
so if your vision’s bad

or if it’s raining cats and dogs
outside or if your headlamps
won’t work too well,

then the car still works.
Oh, and a voice
will come over the radio

and give you directions.
So if you’re on the highway

and your exit’s coming up,
or if you need
to switch highways,

a voice will literally interrupt
your radio and tell you
that your exit’s approaching

so you can get back
behind the wheel
and take control again.

I know that was three things,
but when I read this,

I was like, "Wow, really?
Can all this really be true?"

And it is.
It’s 100% true.

Tested in April this year,
Lincoln, Nebraska.

This article’s in this
Science Digest, this issue.

A voice comes through
the radio, tells you
what direction to go?

It’s in this article. Read it.
Does it say
when this is gonna happen?

1974. And by 1990,
all roads will be electronic.

Oh, really?
You don’t believe me, do you?

You’re just pulling my leg.
No, I’m not
pulling your leg.

I love it. I’m interviewing you.
I’m playing a part.

I just remembered
two more stories.
Do we have time to do those two?

Absolutely we do.
Let’s fill it up.
Well, if you like that,

brace your brain for this.
There’s this article
about these tubes--

You tell me all about it.
All right, hold on,

’cause you got to be able
to look past all these ads

and this squirrelly
beginner’s stuff.

Hold on, ’cause
I wanna read it to you
the way it was written,

’cause I want it to have
the same effect on you.

All right, here you go.
So, "Picture a man

in New York City,
in Times Square.

And he walks down a set of
stairs into a subway tunnel,

and he boards a train car.
And he stows his suitcase

in a rack over
his head and sits down.
He starts reading a book.

And about an hour later
he feels the train
coming to a stop.

So he gets up,
gathers his things,
grabs his suitcase,

puts on his hat,
steps out of the train,
heads up some stairs

and comes out
at the Golden Gate Bridge."

What? Whoa.
How is that possible?
I know. Isn’t that crazy?

So the train travels
between 2,000
and 5,000 miles per hour

in these tubes,
all across the country.
That’s how it’s all gonna be.

It’s called
vacuum tube transportation.

All these tubes
crisscross all of the world,

so we’re gonna sit in cars
that run through the tubes

like hot dogs
through a garden hose.
Wait a minute.

It’s gonna be everywhere
by the year 2000.
Wait a minute--

It’s in this article here.
Wait a minute. Hold on.

Does this mean that the whole
other thing won’t happen?

The radio cars and the highway?

No.

I think that’ll be
for shorter distances.

This will replace things
like trains and airplanes.

Oh, is that so?
Yeah, I think so.

Like, even over oceans?
I think.

Hmm.
Actually, I don’t know.
It doesn’t say.

All right, looks like
we got time for one more.

Are you ready with your
third story, Miss Crocker?

Yes. Hold on.

Actually, do I have time
for two more or just one?

No, just one, I’m afraid.
Come on.
All right, well--

I’m gonna end with this one
because my mom doesn’t think
this is ever gonna happen,

and she said they just
say things like this
to sell magazines.

What an intriguing setup, Fay.
Please, go on.

Okay. Well, in the future,

every baby will be assigned
a telephone number at birth
and it’ll be his for life.

And we’ll all have
palm-sized dials, like
a clamshell with no receiver.

Or... well, I guess
we’ll have little speakers
and microphones instead.

And on one side,
you’ll have the dial.
And on the back--

the back will be
a Lilliput screen, so like
a miniature television screen.

And you can keep it
in your pocket, so you can
call your friend in Rome

or New York or anywhere

and see his face on your dial
and have a conversation,
in color.

The screens
will be in color.
Which magazine is that?

Modern Mechanix.
This article’s
a couple years old.

But, oh, it also said
that if you call your friend
and he doesn’t answer,

then you know they’re dead.
[laughs] What? Why would you
know they’re dead?

They always have it with them
so they can always answer.
I don’t believe that.

What? Here, you can see
a picture of it.
That sounds like a space novel.

I know.
I think I agree
with your mom, you know.

She’s a wise keeper.

I believe the train tubes
and the highways,

but the tiny TV telephones,
that’s cuckoo.

All right.
Hey, it’s been fun.

I gotta run. Tune in.
All right? Tune in.

I will. Thank you.
Oh, look out now.

[door opens]

I got my tape recorder.
What’s that?

I got my tape recorder.
That’s right. Is that it?

Yeah, it’s the Westinghouse one.
And me and Everett

just recorded ourselves
all the way over from the gym.

You got the one
he told you about?
Yeah, listen.

[Fay, recorded] ...Rome
or New York or anywhere

and see his face and have
a conversation with him...

How neat, Fay.
He is such a fun boy.

He said when you record,
it’s called "baking biscuits."

-"Baking biscuits"?
-Yeah.

-[laughs] Well, I’ll be.
-Yeah.

Did you get a look
at those Pocasset boys?
Just for a sec.

They were getting off
the bus. They were tall.

Oh, no. Really?
[Fay] Yeah.

They got a bunch
of Indian boys on their team,
about four or five of them.

I think there’s
a couple of families, like four
or five brothers or cousins.

Probably means they’re
gonna beat us like a drum.

And I don’t mean that
because they’re Indians.

When they put on their jerseys,
they looked like grown-ups.
That means we’re gonna lose.

Hey, were the lights
flickering in here at all?
No. Why?

Oh, just ’cause they were
flickering over at the school.
Arlo’s working on it though.

Last time,
when I was still teaching,
it was a squirrel.

Bit through a wire.
All right, I’m off.
[phone ringing]

Oh, the line to San Mirial
has got a permanent signal,

so it’s skunked, so if you
wanna plug that out, it would
let Fran and Judith know.

Okay, bye.
[door closes]

-[ringing stops]
-[switch clicks]

Number, please?
[line clicks]

Number, please?

[switch clicks]
[static hissing]

[music with static
playing over radio]

[Everett on radio]
This is WOTW radio
in Cayuga, New Mexico,

and this is the news
for the hour.
Boeing has introduced

its new line...
[voice distorts]

[voice fades]

[staticky electrical humming
over radio]

[humming continues]

[phone rings]

Number, please?
[Everett over radio]
Officer Sherman declared

the incident was caused by,
and I quote...

Number, please?

[staticky humming over line]

[Everett’s voice fades]

Hello?

[Everett on radio]
...top-secret concept.

[ringing]
[woman]
Name of city, inward.

Hey, Winnie. It’s me.

Can you tell me if you’ve ever
heard this sound before?

[staticky electrical humming
over phone line]

You ever heard that?
[Winnie]
No, but put it back on.

Let me let some of
the other ladies listen.
Okay.

[electrical humming]
[line rings]

Listen, Winnie,
I got another call
coming through,

so I’ll call you back
a little later.

Number, please?
[woman staticky, distorted]
Hello?

[dogs barking,
electrical humming]

Hello?
[line clicks]

Hello?
Listen, ma’am, can--
can you disconnect

and then try again?
It’s all...

We’re calling--
It’s a strange,

large object holding
over my land off of a--
[line clicks]

...like a tornado--
[distorted chatter]

...swirling faster.
Please, send the police...

Ma’am,
is this an emergency?

...because there’s something
in the canyon.

Can you tell me
where you are?
We’re going in the cellar.

[dogs barking,
electrical humming]

[staticky electrical humming]

[switch clicks]
[quiet electrical humming]

[switch clicks]
[staticky electrical humming]

[switch clicks]
[quiet electrical humming]

[switch clicks]
[humming stops]

[line ringing]

[line ringing]

[line clicks]
[woman over line] Hello?

Hey, Josie, listen.
It’s Fay.

Is Officer Pruitt
or Boker around?

He’s not here
and Mr. Pruitt left with him.

Well, they didn’t answer
at the station.
No one’s at the station?

They were here, but a trucker
just reported something.

What?
He didn’t say.
It whipped the wind up

and made him spill
his truck, so avocados
are all over the road.

Is Officer Abbott around?
Off duty?

Isn’t Judy cheerleading?
Yes, but I haven’t
seen him.

Can you try and find him?
He probably left with
Mr. Boker and Mr. Pruitt.

What’s going on?
I don’t know.
Probably nothing.

[line ringing]
Listen, Josie, I got
another call coming in.

Can you let me know
if you hear anything?
Okay. Bye.

Name of city, inward.
[Winnie]
Fay, where’d you go?

Winnie, we got
a call coming through,

and the same sound
came from her line,

but I-- I couldn’t get
her name or anything.

She didn’t sound hurt.
What should I do?
[line clicks]

Winnie?

Winnie?

Winnie?

[ringing]

[woman over line] Hello?
Ethel, hi.

Are you listening
to the radio right now?

No, I was watching TV.
[baby crying over line]

Can you turn
your radio on and tell me
if you hear any kind of sound?

Like what?
Like...

something that just came in
through the board

a couple minutes ago,
and I wanted to--

It went away.
I just wanted to see if it--

Just call Everett.
I don’t wanna
disturb him on the air.

Don’t be shy with him.
He doesn’t care if you call--

[line clicks]

Ethel?

Ethel?

[switch clicks]

[switch clicks]
[staticky electrical humming]

[humming stops]

[switch clicks]
[ringing]

[woman] Hello?
Grace, hi.

Can you run over
and check on Ethel and Maddy?

I tried the Van Ortons,
but they’re at the game.

I’m afraid everyone’s
at the game right now.

Who is this, now?
It’s Fay.

Oh. My lands.
When I can’t see a face,
my perception gets pickled.

Can you go check
on Ethel and Maddy?

I suppose so.
Is everything okay?

I’m in the kitchen
with my hands in
a ball of cookie dough.

I think so.
It’s just-- I called Ethel
and the line got cut.

We’re having a lot of
connection issues.
Well, let’s see.

Can I get my hands washed off
and my cookie sheet in the oven?

Or do you need me to go now?
I can go now, but I might
dirty up the doorknobs.

You can wash your hands.
Whenever you get the chance.

I’m sure it’s fine.
Where’s your mother?

She’s working nights.
Oh, I remember her
telling me that.

Sorry for calling you so late.
I tried Gertie Van Orton,
but they’re at the game.

Everyone’s at the game
right now.
It’s not a bother.

Let me get this finished up,
and I’ll go check

and I’ll call you back.
It’s Ethel babysitting?

Yes.
All right.
Give me a few minutes.

All right. Thank you.
Bye-bye.
Mm-hmm. Bye-bye.

[switch clicks]
[song on radio ends]

[Everett over radio]
Oh, and there it goes.
Spinning away.

Jimmy Rain and Crocs
with their crankin’ song
"Hoppin’ and Cookin’."

You’re listening to Everett
"the Maverick" Sloan,

and the show, as you know,
is Highway Hits,

brought to you
by Santa Mira Mills
and Cloverbloom Honey,

with a co-sponsorship from
our business of the week,
the Udder Stand,

providing the whole valley
with the coldest confections
and the sweetest slurgs.

We know it’s a busy night
out there for everyone

with the first game
of the season and
a valley rivalry at that.

But just remember,
during basketball season,

the Udder Stand closes
for the games and reopens
after for one hour

for those who need
a little late night snack

before you start
driving your tanks home

and piling up some Z’s.
That’s the word from the bird.

It’s a silent night in here
when the Statesmen are playing.

But for the five of you
out there listening,

jump on the horn,
give us your dedications,

and let everyone know
you’re out there.

We hope you stick around and
follow us till the sign off.

WOTW time now,
12 minutes past the hour.

Look out now.
62 degrees outside.

Stick with our station
and get lost in our sounds,

coming at you now
starting with Gabe Gunton

singing "Screamin’ Scooch"
here on Highway Hits.

[song playing]

[switch clicks]

[line ringing]

[Everett]
This is WOTW, Everett
"The Maverick" Sloan.

Everett, it’s Fay. I’m sorry.
Please don’t be mad at me.

I thought you were a caller.
I’m sorry.
I knew you’d think that.

Please don’t be mad.
Is it about
the tape recorder?

No, a sound came
through the board

and interrupted
your radio show.

I don’t know. It’s never
come through over here.

Interrupted my show?
Yeah, through the radio.

What’d it sound like?
I don’t know. I can
connect you through.

Did it sound Mexican?
No, it didn’t
sound Mexican.

We cross signals
with this station in Mexico...

It sounded like something
that could be unsafe.

We had this lady--
Whoa, why? How?

Nothing sounded different here.
How long ago was it?

Right at the beginning
of the news.

Are you mad at me?
No, but I don’t know
what you want me to do.

It was probably your radio.
Can you listen to the sound?

Is it the same sound you
heard interrupt my show?
Yeah, mostly.

They came through
on top of each other.
All right. Connect it.

All right.

[staticky electrical humming]

[humming stops]
I’ve never heard that
before.

Yeah, me neither.
And then this lady called.

She said there was something
going on out of town

and she was going down to her
cellar and then that sound
came through on her line.

Then I called Ethel
’cause she’s babysitting Maddy,
and her line got cut.

And when did you say
my show got cut into?

Right at the beginning
of the news.

I didn’t hear it,
but it’s a closed circuit,

so if it went out
from the station,
it’ll be recorded on playback.

So you stay on the line while
I rewind it and play it back,

and I’ll let you know
if I hear anything.

Okay.
[tape rewinds]

[Everett, recorded]
This is WOTW radio
in Cayuga, New Mexico,

and this is the news
for the hour.

Boeing has introduced
its new line of...

[switch clicks]
[tape rewinds]

[electrical humming]
That was it.

What?
That was it.

It came through
just like that.
I’ll be.

What? Why? Is it bad?
That’s a good question.

If it’s foreign or code,
the Air Force
will be coming to town.

Really?
Oh, yeah.

Will we get in trouble?
We haven’t done anything.

Yeah, that’s true.

Okay, yeah, yeah,
that’s true.

Send me that signal again
and I’ll put it on the air.

If anyone’s listening,
maybe they’ll know something.

And you sure
we won’t get in trouble?

I don’t care.
This is good radio.

Okay, I’m doing it.
Here, I’m sending the signal.

Don’t call me for ten minutes,
unless someone calls in.

I don’t want false alarms.
Watch your clock. Ten minutes.

I understand.
I’ll wait for the calls.
Here you go.

[Everett over radio]
There it was, just like
I said it would be.

That was Gabe Gunton,
followed by "Crazy Waves"
from The Golden Glows.

It’s 7:18 here at WOTW.

Listen up, we got
a quick query for anyone
that wants to take a crack.

We’ve got a sound that
seems to be sort of bouncing
around the valley tonight.

And we’d like
to know your thoughts.
We’re standing by the phones

and we’d love to know
if there’s an old expert

or youth ham operator
we don’t know about that’s
tangling up our antenna.

For the caller who can
help us out and tell us

what the sound is, we’ve got
a free piece of Elvis’s carpet,

pulled directly from
his floor in Memphis.

Lines are open.
Please call
with any information.

[staticky electrical humming
over radio]

[crickets chirping]

[staticky electrical humming]

[electrical humming fades]

[crowd cheering]

[cheering continues]

[cheerleaders chanting]

[Benny announcing, faint]

[Benny] Passing off
with a little handoff.

Another little handoff.

And a third one.

And looks like--
Oh, there it is.

He’s gonna get the ball
and take it down the court.

And he’s gonna go
and he’s gonna pass the ball.

Another pass. And looks like
he’s gonna go for the shot.

No. He’s gonna hand it off.
Okay.

Got to--
There’s the shot.
And two more points.

I think he can make it
from anywhere.

[Benny continues]
Passing off.

There it is.
[crowd cheering]

[staticky electrical humming]

[ringing]

-[Fay] We got a caller.
-Put him through.

-He’s from out of town.
He might know something.
-Then put him through. Please.

Sir, we are connecting you now.

Hello, sir.
This is Everett Sloan.
Can you hear me?

[man over phone]
Hello, yes. How are you?

I’m good.
Can I get your name?
Yes, my name is Billy.

Billy. Okay.
Thank you, Billy.

And I need to tell you first
we don’t allow any swear words

or inappropriate stories
on the air
or I could lose my job.

I don’t have a delay and I wanna
put you right onto the air,

but I need you to promise me
that we’re safe in doing so.

Of course. I understand.

I don’t swear or talk
like that anyway in my life.

Okay, I’m breaking the rules
to do this, so please, you know,

be honest and ask
if something needs to be
discussed off the air

and I’ll go to a break
or put on a record, all right?

Okay. I can do that.

We are going
on the air here shortly,

in three...

two...

one.

[Everett]
We’re back. Sorry to cut
that last song short,

but we do have a caller here
who may know something.

Now, Billy, would you mind
telling us all what you know?

[Billy]
Yes, I have a story
that might be helpful.

I don’t know, it may not be,
but I’ll go ahead.

[Everett]
All right, Billy.
Well, we’re listening.

[Billy]
Well, so I was,
uh, in the military,

and there were always jobs

and work we didn’t know
anything about.

[Everett] What do you mean?
[Billy] I mean
we would get assigned

to places without
knowing where we were,

to do things
none of us understood,

which is normal
in the military.

And one night, I was
woken up by my superior.

He had me get into uniform
and report for duty.

Then a carrier plane landed
and they loaded me up by myself.

We made, uh,
several more stops,
picking up other guys.

Then we, uh, flew
for at least two hours.

And when we landed,
they loaded us up into a bus,

but this one had all
of the windows painted black

so there was no telling
where we were going.

Then when we arrived,
it was, uh, still
desert scrubs and flatlands.

But, uh, there were
tents and tunnels

and underground labs
or test bunkers or something.

And I pretty quickly
got briefed

by some officer
I’d never seen,

and he told us everything
we were seeing was classified

and if we ever spoke about it,

it would endanger America
and they would know.

And we were all sent
to this rocky,
kind of sandy alcove,

and they had us
start digging a square hole

with their
digging machines and such.

And we built walls out of blocks
and a concrete floor and such.

And we built windows
that connected

to a viewing room
and ventilation.

And they had us sleep
in this room filled with cots,

war supplies, all underground.

Then one morning, we woke up
and reported to duty,

and there was something
enormous in that hole,

covered in a tarp.

Wh-- What do you mean?

[Billy]
Uh, it was bigger
than an airplane,

but no one
was allowed to see it.

And there were guards
surrounding it all day.

Well, what’d it look like?

Mostly smooth,
but it looked
broken or damaged,

’cause there were
some rough patches.

You think it was American?

There was no way to know.
Uh--

You don’t ask
anything like that.

We want to know just like
anybody wants to know
about somethin’.

But you trust your superiors
and you follow orders.

[inhales]
But this one...
worried me.

And why is that?

Probably ’cause
it was so secretive.

So what happened next?

Well, we built the ceiling
over this thing, carefully.

And then when they
were done with us,

they got us all
boarded on a plane.

And when the propellers
had started spinning

and we were about to take off,

and the radio started
playing this sound.

What sound?

The same sound
you just played tonight.

You sure it was the same?

Oh, I couldn’t forget it.

And when we finally took off
and I looked out the window,

you could see guys were
starting to cover the airstrip

with dirt, like
we never been there.

And then the sound disappeared
and we got further away.

And when I got back, then I
started getting really sick.

And in the next few weeks,
I developed

some kind
of lung condition.

So now I didn’t breathe so good.

And I think whatever--
that area of the desert

caused it or something.

Maybe radiation.

’Cause I was
always healthy.

Then I got time
at the military hospital.

And then a couple years later,
I saw one of the guys

who had been on that detail
with me in the desert.

And I asked him
if he’d got sick afterwards,

and he said he had.

And then he told me that
that was the second time

he’d been picked up
for something up like that.

And he told me about a night

when he’d been
commissioned in Nevada

and he was taken
to the Colorado River

where there was a river barge

carrying something
twice its size down the river.

And when they got
several hours down the river,

there was a makeshift station,

and they unloaded the cargo
onto two Army trucks.

And when they got done
loading it up,

the same sound we heard
out in the desert

also went through
all of the radios there
on the ground and on the barge.

And then he said
the two Army trucks
drove off into the night

and the sound
faded with them.

So did he know what it was?

No.

But since our
detail in the desert,
he’d asked around

and he’d heard
about another guy
that knew about the noises.

So we met up with him
off-base,

but he only knew pieces.

Everybody only knows pieces
in the military.

Nobody knows
the whole thing.

And that’s
part of the plan.

Which is why
they pieced together teams
from all over the country

and only brought us in
for one task at a time.

So no one would
know everything.

[Everett] Wait, I’m sorry.
You’re gonna have to be clearer.

Is this sound
a military sound?

[Billy]
That’s what we asked
this guy at Walker.

[Everett]
And what did he say?

[Billy] He said
it wasn’t military.

It wasn’t military
from any country.

It was coming from
thousands of feet higher
than anything could fly.

[Everett]
How did he know that?

[Billy] ’Cause he was
a radar operator.

[Everett]
So are these signals frequent?
[Billy] No.

[Everett]
Can I ask-- I’m assuming
this was before Sputnik.

[Billy] This was
years before Sputnik.

And signals like yours

have been caught
going back and forth.

[Everett]
What do you mean?
[Billy] Like communication.

Like one says something here
in this part of the sky

and another
says something back.

Sometimes
they were recorded
at Sputnik heights

and sometimes
just a few hundred feet
off the ground.

[Everett] Where?
[Billy] Lots of places.
All over.

[Everett]
What do you mean all over?
[line clicks]

Billy?

Billy, I--
think we lost you. Billy?

Well, for the five of you
out there listening,
it looks like we lost Billy.

Let me work on getting him
back on the air.
I’m back in a moment.

Fay, what happened?
I don’t know. He got cut.
That’s what’s been happening--

-We gotta get him back.
-I can’t.

-Why not?
-I have no idea where he lives.

Then call the board by Holloman.

We can’t. He probably
gave a fake name or--

-You can’t dial back
out the line?
-It doesn’t work like that.

-Look him up in the phone book.
-Under Billy near Holloman?

Uh-- I know. I know.

Damn it.
[ringing]

Hold on, we got a call,
we got a call!

Name of city, inward.
[male operator]
Alamogordo operator.

Connecting.

Cayuga, number please.
Yes, this is Billy.

I’ll connect you!
Here he is, Everett.

Billy. What’s going on?
We need your real number.

I’m sorry,
but I can’t do that.

Okay, then I can’t
put you back on the air.

I would like to, but there’s
a breach of ethics here,

’cause I have no way of knowing
if what you’re saying is true.

I know. I understand.

I don’t mean
to put you in a place

that would get you
into problems.

Billy, I have to ask--

Why are you
telling us all this?

Is this gonna get us
in trouble?

I suppose I’m telling you
’cause I’m sick.

And I’m old.

And no one listens to us.

And I want people to know
what we did for them.

Why do you think
no one listens to you?

I think part of it’s
’cause I’m black.

I’m sorry
if that’s a problem.
No, I don’t think it is.

[Everett] I thought
that might be the case.

We’ve just never had
a black caller before.

[Billy] I’m sorry,
I should have
probably told you that.

But everyone
on these details
were black.

Or Mexican.
All of us doing sweat work.

You think they
did that on purpose?

I know they did.
Why?

[Billy] ’Cause who’s
gonna listen to us?

But there’s
a part of all this
that you can check into

so that you know
I’m not making this up.

Okay, I think we need that,
’cause, you can see why,

at this point,
all we have is your word.

There’s one gentleman
I’ll tell you about
in a minute.

I’m sorry to interrupt, Billy,
but I’m still recording this

even though we’re not
on the air, all right?

Uh, yes, please do.
Okay. Go ahead, Billy.

And so this guy we talked to
at Walker Base,

the radar operator
who we met off-site,

after he retired,
he didn’t stop
with the signals.

In fact, he started
waiting for them

and was trying to record
one of them on his own,

using radio and war surplus
equipment he repaired.

And did he ever get anything?

[Billy] Yeah, he did.

Finally.
It took a long time,

but one night
he finally got one.

And recorded it.

And then he made copies

and mailed them
to a bunch of us...

guys who had been, uh, around
some of these hidden details.

What did he think
these signals were?

Well, that’s where
you have to make the jump.

Because he told us
it’s something talking

and then disappearing,

something very high
that we can’t see.

And he made copies?
Yes.

And he sent them to us.

Different guys on these details
here in the area.

And when I finally got my tape
and got to a player,
and I played it back...

it made my hair
stand up on end.

Why?

’Cause they were
the same sounds

I’d heard
out in the desert.

Do you still have
that tape?
No.

I didn’t want to be caught
with it, so I burned it.

But one of the other guys,
another Air Force gentleman

who had been on one of
these security details

and heard these noises, too,
and he lives in Cayuga,

so he got sent a tape
just like mine.

That’s what I thought
you were playing.
Wait.

There’s one in Cayuga?
With who?

Raymond Buck,
an ex-Air Force gentleman.

So he was mailed a tape with
one of these signals on it?

But Raymond Buck died.

Oh, no.
Did you say
he passed away?

Yes.

I thought that
may have happened.

I’m sorry, Billy.

Well, I didn’t
know him well, you know.

Do you know where
his tape would be?

No. Maybe if he had kids?

No, Mrs. Buck gave all
his tapes to the library.

There’s not a tape recorder
in the library, Fay.

[Fay] There is.
It’s in the basement.
They haven’t had a chance

to look at all the tapes,
so they haven’t put it out.

No, the library’s closed and
no one will be at the board.

Everyone’s at the game.
No one’s gonna call.

I know how to get into
the library.

Billy, what do
you think it’ll do
if we can find it and play it?

I don’t know.

But if you’re gonna do it,
you better do it...

’cause something’s
up there now.

And they don’t stay
for long.

Okay, Fay, run.

[Fay laughs]

[drawer opens]

Get in!

-Did you steal a car?
-Did you get them? No.

Yes. Come on, get in.
Did you get them?

I stole a bicycle!
Answer me.

-Uh, yes, I got them.
-All right.

Whose car is this?
Mr. McKean’s.

Does Mr. McKean know?
Of course not.

Are you gonna give Billy
a piece of Elvis’s carpet?

What?
You said you’d give
the caller who helped us

a piece of Elvis’s carpet.

Oh.

Yeah, no, that’s
not really Elvis’s carpet.

It was, but we gave it
all away a while back.

So now Jack Sage
and Red Gant have both scraps,

and we give away carpet
from Jess Pervis’s house.

Everett, that’s lying.

People really think
that’s Elvis’s carpet.

Shut up, Fay.

Billy? It’s Fay,
the Cayuga operator.

We got a lot of tapes here.

Do you remember
which one it was?

[Billy]
It’s been a long time,

but I think it was clear.

They’re all clear, Billy.

[line clicks]

Billy?

The line cut.
What?

Billy?

I can’t reconnect him without
going back to the board.

Yeah, don’t go. Just hand me
those one at a time.

And get out of my chair.

So you don’t believe
Mr. Billy?

I don’t know.

But if there’s something
in the sky, I want to know.

[man on tape]
Baxter is a four-year--

No.

Next one.

How you know what
you’re looking for?
I don’t.

Could he have
recorded over it?
Uh, yeah.

Yeah, absolutely.
Unfortunately.

[woman on tape]
So I did and--

What is that recorder?
This is the Maggie PT-6.

Maggie?
Yeah, for Magnecord.

It’s like the broadcast brother
to your recorder.

It’s how we play
the games and ads.

People really listen
to the games the next day,

even though they
know what happened?
Yeah, they do.

They don’t care they know.
They just wanna hear
their kid’s name on the radio.

[on tape]
♪ Silent night ♪

♪ Holy night-- ♪
That’s not it.

Is any of this gonna
get you in trouble?

Well, if it does,
I don’t care.

This is good radio.

And it’ll get me
a better job somewhere else.

Where would you wanna go?
I don’t know.

[on tape]
At that point...
Probably West Coast.

That’s where everything’s
happening in radio.

I wanna get out, too.

Not till Maddy’s older,
of course, but sometime.

To where? To do what?
Want to go to college?

Eh, probably just to work on
a bigger switchboard somewhere.

Right now, I could work
in a hospital or a hotel

or a school
on their switchboard.

But if I wanna work
on a bigger board,

I’d have to transfer
to a bigger city

and get hired on
by the phone company.

No college?
Can’t afford college, Everett.

There’s loans.
You could look into that.

I’d love that.

[staticky electrical
humming on tape]

Golly Moses.

[whispers]
Oh, Everett.

That’s it.

And it’s clearer.
What are you gonna do?

[humming continues]

Folks, we got another sound
we do need your help with.

Listen up and let us know.

And, Billy,
if this is the sound,
give us a call.

All right.
Here it is, cats.

[switch clicks]

[humming continues]

[humming grows louder]

[humming stops]

[Everett whispers]
Oh, my gosh.
[Fay] Everett?

[Everett] Oh, my gosh.

[Fay] Are you
playing a trick on me?

[Everett] I’m not.

Hold still.
What’s going on?

Calm down. There’s
a flashlight somewhere.

What’s going on, Everett?
Hey, Fay, calm down!

Silver flashlight.

I knew it was something.
I knew it. I knew it.

-[Everett] Fuck.
-What’d you do?

[Everett]
I didn’t do anything!
I don’t know!

There’s lights out here.

We-- Damn it. We just
experienced a blackout
after playing that...

-[Fay] What are you doing?
-I’m recording for later
in case we got news.

-Why do you change
your voice like that?
-Like what?

When you’re on the radio,
you always change your voice!
Why do you do that?

’Cause that’s
how radio sounds!

Look, I don’t need
your judgment right now.

[whispers] Oh, no.
Ah, what?

-The switchboard!
-Fay, wait!

[engine starts]

Goddamn, Fay!
Get in!

Oh, I shouldn’t have
been gone that long.

Why you always running?
We drove here.

We don’t have a car.
I never ride in cars.
I walk everywhere.

All right, no sweat.

So you still don’t think
something’s going on?

I think if anything’s
happening, it’s that

we’re being spied on
or we’re about to
be invaded.

By who?
Soviets.

You really think so?
100%, absolutely.

And this is exactly
where they’d come in, too,
southern border.

[dogs barking in distance]

[phone ringing]

Number please.
Sorry for the wait.

[phone continues ringing]

Number please.
I’ll connect you.

Uh, I’m not sure.

No, you’re the first one to--

Yes, we’ll let them know.
Thank you.

Number please. Yes, we’re
notifying highway patrol.

Uh, we’ll relay
any news to you.

-Thank you. Thank you.
-[phone continues ringing]

Number please.
Sorry for the wait.

All right, thank you.
Goodbye.

Thank you. Goodbye.

People are saying
there’s something in the sky.

It’s 7:45.
Write that down.

Can’t you just record it?
Yeah.

Folks, it is 7:45 p.m.
and we may have something--

-Did you see it?
-Did it cross over? What?

There’s something in the sky.
We followed it from Culp Canyon.

I’m Bertsie. This is Gerrie.

I’m going by Gerald now.
Please call me Gerald.

I forgot. I’m sorry.
I’m Everett. This is Fay.

The power cut off at the radio--

You work at the radio station?

I do Highway Hits.

-Were you listening?
-We drove 80 mph.

It was something in the sky.
He does the old stuff.
I do the hits.

No, we don’t listen to--
I don’t like new stuff,
but Gerrie does.

-[phone ringing]
-Oh.

Number please.

Yes, Everett’s here. Would you
like to speak with him here?

Okay, I’ll connect you.

Everett, come to board one!
There’s a lady calling in
for the station!

[object clatters on desk]

[whispers]
Here.

Hello. This is Everett
"the Maverick" Sloan, WOTW.

[woman over phone]
I can tell you what’s going on.

What do you mean?
I can tell you more

about what that fellow
told you on the radio

and give you more
for your radio show.

Okay, go ahead.
No.

I would prefer you
to come to my house.

I would like to tell you here.

There’s something
in the sky, ma’am.

I know.

That’s what I want
to talk to you about.

I can tell you a lot more
than you know right now

if you come here.

I think what I can tell you
would be very important tonight.

All right,
what’s your address?
1616 Sycamore.

Sixteen-si-- All right.
You’ll need to get a key

from the flowerpot
on the front porch.

I leave it there for the boy
that brings me groceries.

I won’t be able
to come the door.

I can’t walk much anymore.
But I’ll be here.

All right, I’ll be there
in one or two minutes.

Uh, what’s your name?
Mabel Blanche.

Okay, Mrs. Blanche,
we’ll see you shortly. Bye-bye.

She said she can tell us
what’s going on. Come on.

I told her we’d be
there in a minute.
Who?

This old lady caller said
she can tell us
what’s going on.

[Gerrie] You know her?
What’s she gonna tell you?
No, I don’t.

She said come immediately.
To tell you what?

-How do you know
she’s not crazy?
-I don’t. She could be.

But she sounded fine.
It’s one minute,
down Ayers, on Sycamore.

-We’re gonna stay here.
-Will you find us
if you see anything?

Yes. Will you find us
if you learn anything?
Yes, I will.

Her line’s there.
You can turn the key--

I don’t know a frog’s ribbit
about those things.

Okay, never mind.

-[sighs]
-[engine starts, revs]

What in the world, Fay?
I don’t know.
She never calls in at night.

She’s a shut-in.
This could be news.

You really think so?
I really do.

Should I have brought
my tape recorder?
No, this one’s better.

Mine not good enough?
It’s--

No, it’s fine, but it’s
not broadcast quality.

It’s good,
but it’s more like a toy.

I don’t mean that in a way
to get your feelings hurt.

You won’t hurt my feelings.
Good.

’Cause I hurt
girls’ feelings a lot.

Don’t be a jerk all the time,
probably won’t hurt--

You are on the stick
with me tonight!

Wait up.
No, you hurry up.

[whispers]
Okay.

[door opens]
[bells jingle]

[Blanche] I’m back here.

[Blanche speaks
foreign language]

[foreign language]

[foreign language]

Who is she?
[Everett]
Uh, this is Fay.

I’m Everett.
She’s the switchboard operator.

She’s my friend.
Is that okay?

Yes, that’s fine.

You can sit down.

[Blanche]
You’re the one on the phone?
[Fay] Yes.

[Blanche]
How old are you, sweetie?

Sixteen.
[Blanche]
Who are your parents?

Oh, well, I don’t have
a dad, but, uh,
my mom is Yodi Crocker.

Can I ask
what you were saying
while we were walking in?

That was very alarming.

I know it was.

I’m sorry.

I will explain myself.

I’m not some witch,
I promise.

Do you mind if we tell people
what you tell us on the radio?

[Blanche]
That’s why I’m telling you.

And can we record you,
in case this is a news story?

Of course.

I hope we will be
a news story.

I’ve been waiting
my whole life for this.

Okay, thank you.

Uh, also, uh,
we wanna hear everything
you have to tell us,

but we have a very short
amount of time.

So if we have to--
[Blanche]
I understand.

Then let me get right to it.

I listen to your broadcast,
every night.

I think you’re very good,
and I hope you can
get far away from here.

[Everett]
Thank you.

I will tell you
what is happening,

but I will have
one request for you
when I have finished.

[Everett] Okay.
I’ll do whatever I can.

The gentleman
that called in--

I believe his stories,

because I have
a companion story to his.

It started
before his stories.

They’ve come here before.

And now that these things
are happening more often,

we have a better idea
of what might be out there.

Ever since I was a little girl,
they’ve liked this place.

They always have.

[Everett] Who?

The people in the sky.

So you truly believe that?

I don’t have to
truly believe it.
It’s just the truth.

-And can you tell me why?
-Yes, I can.

Have you ever heard
about the Boles Acres Raid?

[Everett] No.

Well,
when I was still little,

they finished
the Alamogordo-El Paso
rail line.

And one day, a passenger train
coasted to a stop outside town.

When the deputies got there,
it was completely empty.

Everyone assumed
the Apaches took them,

so they called it
the Boles Acres Raid.

But a few days later...

a beat-up young lady
came into town

who had jumped
off that train.

Out in the brush-- She’d been
hiding out there somewhere.

She was dehydrated
and wouldn’t talk.

My friend Charlotte’s family
took her in.

They fed her,
gave her a bed,
Charlotte’s bed actually,

and they telegraphed someone
in El Paso to come get her

so they could get
some answers.

Charlotte’s dad was
the Methodist minister.

Batsell Breff.
He started the church here.

My-- My parents died
when I was little,

so I lived
many weeks of the year

with Charlotte’s family.

When my brothers
and sisters were working

or had too many mouths
to feed.

But that night...

that woman from the train
started muttering

something in her sleep,
in Charlotte’s room.

It wasn’t English
or Spanish or Indian.

So we opened the door
a crack to listen.

We’d never heard it before,
but I remembered it.

And then,
before the next day,
she disappeared,

crawled out the window
and stole a horse,
believe it or not.

So if you ever hear
about the old horse witch,

that’s where
the story came from.

My older sister raised me.

But mostly I lived alone.

I made dresses and tablecloths
and what have you.

I was still young
when I met Claude Maynard.

He was part of the crew
putting telephone lines in.

We fell in love,

and I conceived
my son with him
without being married.

I actually didn’t know that
was how you made a baby,
believe it or not.

He said he’d come back
when he finished work
in White Sands,

and I believed him,

but he never did.

When my baby was born,
I named him Hollis.

A few people were
kind to me, but...

mostly I was
on my own with him.

This wasn’t a neighborhood
or a town like it is today.

It was scattered houses
around the buildings
on Ayers.

I was a lonely mother,
but I did my best.

And later on, I heard Claude
had died stringing up lights

in a cave in Texas
for a tourist operation.

Of course,
that broke my heart.

But to get back to when
Hollis was still a baby.

One night,
after I’d nursed him,
he was asleep in my arms,

and he started making
the sounds of an infant.

And then
they became clearer.

More vocal.

And then he spoke
his first words.

And the same words
I heard come from that
confused woman at Charlotte’s

started coming from
the mouth of my ten-month-old
in his sleep.

I tried to tell
a few people.

I went to a doctor
in another town.

He said it was baby noises
and I shouldn’t
tell anyone else.

Hollis always
behaved differently.

He fixated on objects.

He wouldn’t hear you.

And in his sleep,
occasionally I would hear him...

say those words.

So I wrote them down.

Word for word.

I asked him about it,
but... he didn’t know.

He didn’t know.

And one night, when he was
about four years old...

it got really windy outside.

And there was a sound,
like a really large windmill.

And Hollis set his gaze
on the window.

And he wouldn’t respond.

So I... read
the muttering to him.

And his eyes closed
and he looked up
at the ceiling

and he didn’t move.

And then his lips
moved with mine.

And a few moments
after I stopped...

he opened his eyes
and went back to playing.

I tried it again
a few days later,
but nothing.

So I figured

there must be something
out there on those nights,

telling him something
that no one can hear.

Radio was pretty new,
and that’s what
I thought it was.

Or something
from the occult.

And then when he was nine,

I got the feeling
that something
was out there again.

And that night,
in the middle of the night,

he walked out the front door
of this house and vanished.

How?

He was taken up
from this Earth.

There were no other houses.
It was very dry.

I followed his footprints
out the front door...

out to about 150 feet...

and they stopped
there in the dirt.

And he wasn’t there.

They took my son...

and no one
has ever believed me.

Was there an investigation?
Of course.

[scoffs]
But the whole thing turned
to an investigation of me.

People were convinced that
my son had ruined my life...

so I killed him.

So did you recognize the sound
we played on the radio tonight?

No.

But I believe I know
what is going on.

Can you tell me what that is?

I believe they’re
up there tonight.

Right now.

And I think
there are some reasons
to support that idea.

Like what?

I think they stay away
from big cities.

I think they wait
for people to get together
in one place, like tonight,

and when everyone
gets out of that game,

they’re going to be gone.

I think
they like people alone.

Mmm. And I think
they talk to people

with some kind of
advanced radio,
in their sleep.

Right, like you think
they did with your son?

I didn’t just think this up.

I think,
at the lowest level,
they send people on errands.

They play
with people’s minds.

They sway people
to do things

and think certain ways
so that we stay in conflict,

focused on ourself.

So that we’re always

cleaning house or losing weight
or dressing up for other people.

I think they get inside
our heads and make us do
destructive things,

like drink and overeat.

I’ve seen good people go bad
and smart people go mad.

I think,
at the highest level,
they do things

that cause nations
to go to war.

Things that make no sense.

And I think no one knows
they’re being affected.

We all work out other reasons
to justify our actions.

But free will isn’t possible
with them up there.

I’ve had an entire life
to think about this.

Years alone.

And that’s what I think.

Well, I’m sorry about everything
that’s happened in your life

to lead you to these ideas.

Thank you.

Like I said in the beginning,
we don’t want to offend you,

-but we do have to
kind of get going.
-I know.

But I did have
a request for you.

Of course.

I want you
to take me with you.

-Take you with us?
-Yes. Right now.

I’m sorry.
Uh, where do you
want us to take you?

To the ship.

I want to see my son.

I know he’s here tonight.

Up there.

And I want you to take me
to the ship.

Fay, let’s go.

-Now.
-Wait.

Take this.

Say this when you
encounter people tonight.

[door opens]
[bells jingle]

We’ve got to find a camera
or something. My friend
Gretchen’s dad has one.

Fay, I don’t think there’s
really anything up there,
not like she’s talking about.

Everett.
What? What?

I forgot about
Ethel and Maddy.

Wait. Fay, what?

-[car door opens]
-[engine starts]

Ethel? Ethel?

Maddy.
Come here, come here.

It’s okay. Sissy’s got you.

Come on, let’s go.

It’s gonna be okay.
Come on.

We’re okay. Let’s go.

Gretchen? Gretchen, I’m gonna
need your dad’s camera.

What’s going on?
Is everything okay?
Here, take her. I don’t know.

Were you listening
to the radio at all?

-Who’s at the switchboard?
-No one. I left.

Why are you out of breath?
Something’s going on.

It might be an emergency.
I need the camera.

You’re gonna get me
in trouble.

Have you heard from Ethel?
She’s not home.

She was babysitting
Maddy, and I called--

I don’t know.
I haven’t seen her.

I called
and the line got cut.

[Everett]
Fay! Damn it!

Who’s that?
It’s Everett.

Everett, the radio boy?
Yes. Stop smiling.

What’s he doing here?
He’s helping me.

Stop smiling.
[Everett]
Goddamn, Fay!

What are you doing inside?
I’m in my nightgown.

I’m not looking, Gretchen,
and I don’t care

what you look like
in your nightgown.

-Okay, let’s go.
-You can’t bring her.

You can’t take the camera.
Go ask my dad at the game.

There’s no time.
This is an emergency.

What is?
What’s going on?

There’s something in the sky.
Stay in the house.

We don’t know that.
You can’t go
telling people that.

You’re gonna start a panic.
Everybody’s at the game,

and she sure can’t call anybody,
so stop telling me what to do

and go find
the couple from Culp Canyon.
All right. No sweat.

Why do you have your sister?
Ethel’s not there. She was
supposed to be babysitting.

Well, where is she?
I don’t know.

[sighs]
Is that camera gonna work?

Yes, I can make it work.
I’ve used it before.

Think the radio’s still down?
Oh, there’s no telling.

-[car door closes]
-[Maddy coos]

Ethel!
[Ethel]
Fay, do you have Maddy?

Yes! Where were you?
Gabe came by--

God, you’re with Gabe?
What were you thinking?

We were on his roof.
There’s something in the sky.
Have you seen it?

-No. What’d you see?
-Get in! It’s outside of town!

-Come on, come on, come on!
-Fay, come on!

[Gerald]
Come on, come on! Get in!

-Stay inside the house!
-[Everett] Fay, come on!

Ethel said Gabe came over
and they got on the roof

and saw something in the sky!
Who saw what?

Get in.
Did you get the camera?

Who saw what?
My cousin Ethel--

she was babysitting,
so they got up on the roof.

-They saw something in the sky.
-Where? What did it look like?

She said it was round.

Hiding in the clouds.

What did you find out
from the old woman?

[Everett]
She said they’re up there.

The people in the sky.

Yeah, they have advanced radio
and communication.

And they take people up.

[Bertsie] For real?
That’s what she said?

Exactly.

Matter of fact,
she read us this--

Uh, hold on.
[recorder clicking]

[Blanche, recorded]
...I’d nursed him,
he was asleep in my arms--

-[recorder clicking]
-[tape rewinding]

[recorder clicks]

...when I was little,

-so I lived...
-[recorder clicking]

I’m back here.

[Blanche speaking
foreign language]

[staticky electrical humming
begins faintly]

[foreign language]

[quiet whoosh]

-[foreign language]
-[humming continues]

[foreign language continues]

Everett, stop the tape.
Stop the tape!

Okay, okay. Gerald?

-Gerald? Hey.
-[Maddy crying]

-Everett, take the wheel!
I’ve got Maddy!
-[horn honking]

-Gerald, wake up, man! Gerald!
-[truck horn blaring]

-Gerald!
-Gerald!

-[Fay and Everett shouting]
-[humming continues]

-[Everett] Gerald!
-[Maddy crying]

[shouting]
[Fay] I want out! Okay?

-[Fay] Slow down!
-[Bertsie] Hold on!

[Fay] No!
Let me out now, please!

[Maddy crying]

[humming fades]

I’m so sorry.
Let me out of here!

I want to go home!
[Everett]
Come on. Please go!

-[Everett] Please leave us be!
-[Gerald] I’m so sorry.

Come back here
so we can take you home!

-There are rattlesnakes!
-Please go! Please!

[panting]

[Maddy coos]

I’m right here, Fay.
I’m right here.

[Fay sobs]

[dogs howling,
yipping in distance]
It’s fine.

What is it?

It’s burnt.

Trees are burnt, too.

[staticky electrical humming
begins faintly]

Oh, my gosh.

[humming continues faintly]

[whispers] Oh, no.

They’re here.

They’re really here.

[humming fades]

Do you think
they’re in the forest?

I don’t know.

[Fay whispering]
Everett, please don’t.

[staticky electrical humming
begins faintly]

Everett.

Please. Don’t.

[humming fades]

[Maddy crying]

[wind whistling softly]

[wind intensifying]

[wind fades]

[door opens]

[crowd murmuring]

[wind whistling softly]

[metal creaking in distance]

[wind whistling softly]