We-Write #13: The Host - Lawn Chair Story Submission: First Caller - Artimiss

in #wewrite5 years ago

11-5-2019

We-Write #13: The Host

First Caller - Artimiss

If you did not figure it out, this is an entry into the We-Write contest held by @zeldacroft, and @freewritehouse. The first section is the prompt written by @ntowl. The contest is pretty simple, finish or add to the story.

I like having a picture with my post, and for story type post, here is my Lawn Chair:

001 lawnchair 8-23-19.jpg
Source, myself (@bashadow)

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This Week's Prompt

The Host
by @ntowl

The silver orb gleamed in the light. Resting on a long metal tube extending from a circular base, nothing had ever terrified Jonathan more. He glanced at the clock. Three minutes left. He rolled his chair closer to the desk, grasped the tube in his right hand, and pulled the orb closer. A wave of heat flashed through him and he dabbed his forehead with a towel in his left hand. The roaring in his ears grew louder as he double checked the status on the monitors. A quick high-pitched but not unpleasant beep, beep, beep broke through the noise in his head.

"Two minutes to go Jonny. Ads are rolling now, I'll start your introduction when they end. You'll go live immediately after, just like we rehearsed yesterday," Steven's calm voice came through the headphones Jonathan wore.

He nodded, eyes wide.

"Jonny? You there bud?"

"Yes."

"We must have an audio issue. I can barely hear you. Damn! I knew we should have run a few more tests. Ok, give me a sec-"

"It's ok," Jonathan said louder, and swallowing hard. "I-I just lost my voice there a bit." He dabbed his face and released his death grip on the microphone. It's shiny surface reflected a distorted version of himself stretched around the sphere, broken in spots by the mesh that let his voice travel through.

"Yeah, that's better. Look, I know it's your first live show and your nerves are probably on edge."

You have no idea, Jonathan thought as his heartbeat began pounding in his ears.

"Everyone's nervous their first time. But you're here for a reason, remember that," Steven paused, "Time check, thirty seconds. Take a couple of deep breaths, shake out the nervousness and be ready to go at the end of your intro. We've already got ten calls on hold for you. They warned me you'd be popular! No catching up on my reading during your show. Time check, fifteen seconds. You got this bud, right?"

"Yes. Yes I do," he said sitting up taller in his chair, dabbing his forehead again. "No problem at all..."

"Awesome! Remember I'm here for you behind the scenes, keep an eye on the system chat in the bottom left corner of the screen. Time check, intro rolling..."

The bumper music played in his ear and a man with an unbelievably deep voice told the audience how lucky they were to be listening to the internet radio station KFLY and their newest host. The introduction ended and Jonathan miraculously became Jonny.

"Hey everyone. This is Jonny James on KFLY radio and I'm so glad you could join us for the premier of Everything and Anything. I'd like to jump right in and take some calls rather than bore you with the overly pedantic babbling I tend to do. Sooooo, Caller one. Tell us your name, where you're from, and whatever it is you want to share tonight."

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"Oh my god, oh my god, I can't believe it, I am so so excited...oh my god...oh my god...I can't believe I am the first caller Jonny, can I call we call you JJ?...is that o-kay to do....oh my god ...oh my god...I still can't believe it...I am the first caller. O-kay Artimiss calm down a little, oh sorry, I talk to myself when I get nervous JJ. I am Artimiss by the way. It is so so cool to be the first caller, on the first show. Oh oh yeah, I'm from The Pillars, a small community most people never heard of.

Oh yeah, now why I called, I...I...well I got things to share. Like first off, do you know what time it was for me when you said *"Caller one......", it was 11:11. That was so cool to be the first caller on your debut show on 11-11-2019 and be be live on air with you at 11:11pm. Forty nine minutes away from the twelfth. I know some people are fascinated by numbers, me I just kind of like them. did you know that 11:11 on 11-11-2019 equals a 2?

"No I did not know it was 11:11 when I said that, what is the significance of the number 11 11 to you? I have often heard people talk about 11 11 Artimiss, but no one really explains what it means other than some esoteric relation to the Pillars of Hercules. Can you enlighten our audience on your reverence for the number?"

Oh...oh no Jonny, that is just a sidereal track, that is not important right now. I am a prophet sort of. I see patterns. All patterns have a cusp, a starting point a place of beginning. You are that cusp, your show is the event that set the pattern in motion. I was unsure to begin with, but when you answered at 11:11, I knew it was the beginning.

"I see Atrimiss then you are a prophet of sorts, and what prediction do you have for us? We were planning on having an end of year prediction episode, so let's start our show with our very first prediction, what do you you think Audience? After Artimiss we can talk about his Prediction if you like. So Artimiss what do you see happening"

Well...it's like this JJ, I had a dream of two events that were waiting to happen, to get that first little nudge to set them in motion. Like I said you show was it. remember I said two was an important number, this is a binary event that is going to take place, and it will reverberate around the world. Two events each with their own two events. First a quake in southern California, set away from the major population areas, in the Salton Sea. Secondary to this quake it is going to cause an opening to refill the inland sea. A lot of water. The other event associated with this first quake will be a hot spot, a small lava leak if you will about 60 miles east of the lake.

"Whoa, that's some pretty tough doom and gloom talk there Artimiss. You haven't been smoking something strange now have you?"

No. this is what I saw, that was the first event and it's two sub events. The second event, the main event, off shore, San Francisco, a quake that will make the Alaska Quake of 64 look like a non-event. I am talking about a 9.6 quake. The secondary events, a tsunami of devastating proportions spreading through out the Pacific ocean. Then shortly after the quake the Geysers, Mt Kinocti erupts with the same force as Mt Saint Helens did.

"Now that is some serious serious doom and gloom, I don't suppose you can tell us when these events are going to happen can you Artimiss?"

Yes, the first event the first quake will happen at 12:12 just under an hour from now. There is nothing that will stop it. There is nothing that can be done for those in that area of devastation. It is a dark event, most people will be in bed. Any of your listeners should get out of that area if they are there, it is unlikely they will be able to avoid it much, but head for the hills if you can. Believe it or not Mammoth is a safe zone from both events. The second event will occur 36 hours later, it will be during day light, I think afterwards people will wish it had happened in the dark also.. Leave for the Sierra Mountains, if your in Hawaii, get to the big island and at least half way up Mauna-Loa.

"Well that does sound bad, less than an hour you say. Well thank you Artimiss, we will just have to wait and see. And there you have it people our first caller, and oh-boy what a call.

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This was a prompt that I just could not pass on. I was a fan of and I guess still am a fan of Art Bell. I loved his shows from Dr Doom, Mel's Hole, and Gordon Michael Scallion and his map. even Richard C. Hoagland who never answered anything. There was always some thing interesting or someone interesting on his shows, and Art really knew how to ask the questions, to pull the info out of his guest.

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I love everything about this take on Art Bell, especially this reaction:
we will just have to wait and see - priceless!
My dad listened for years to Art Bell and took him seriously - and Mom's famous last line is "Oh well. What can we do. Just wait and see."

Radio Host Art Bell's Vault Now Online

Before conspiracy theories ran amok on the Internet, there was AM and talk radio host Art Bell.

And the clock thing. My little sister. OMG, you will never know how much I can relate to this story.
I am a prophet sort of. I see patterns. All patterns have a cusp, a starting point a place of beginning. You are that cusp, your show is the event that set the pattern in motion. I was unsure to begin with, but when you answered at 11:11, I knew it was the beginning.

SIMON: I mean, someone - it would not be uncommon for someone to say, hi, Art, I'm just back from Mars and thought I'd tell you about it.

PAUL: Yeah, or Mars - not necessarily geographic, either. This could be different dimensions, different time periods. I believe there was at least one time travel. I would assume more.

He was the King of late night radio. At times I would feel like my mom or dad, or those old pictures of folks gathered around the radio to list to the next episode of Tom Nix, or even better, The Shadow...waiting for the beginning or ending line of..."only the Shadow knows for sure". I no longer listen to late night radio, but you never know when another host will come along.

you bring back a lot of good memories!

It's a shame you have to sign up and be a member to hear the shows. I did see they have Mel's Hole available already, that was a great show.

did you know that 11:11 on 11-11-2019 equals a 2?

Ohhh man! I know a guy who's a math savant who thinks like this!!!
(Of course I didn't know those dates would add up to two!)

Hello Hello!

The way you write is engaging for the public, especially for me, I am a lover of coherence and feelings expressed in a deep and sensible way :)

Greetings from Venezuela

Thank you, I used to listen to Art Bell a lot at night. I just could not pass on this prompt.

How nice it was to read you. The 11:11 reference was many years old that I didn't hear it. With your story I traveled to social gatherings with friends in the past. I loved your direct narrative and creating atmospheres. a cordial greeting @shadowmask

Thank you for reading and the kind words.

Hi shadowmask,

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Great continuation of the prompt. Thanks for writing with us!

Thanks, it was a fun thing to do. Took me back to the late 80's early 90's, so much late night listening fun.

Such a fun read!! 👏🏽👏🏽

Thank you, it was a very enjoyable one to try and write.

An interesting read and apparently, (from what I see in the comments), it's based on a show that you enjoyed listening to, very much!

Yes, Art Bell was a great radio host/interviewer. He had an over night show called Coast to Coast, also a pretty big world wide audience, he was heard in a lot of different countries.

I've heard his name before, always in a good way, but I never heard him on the air. In the early 90s I used to go online by modem and get into conversations on Prodigy, which was a bulletin board type site we'd connect to. There was no internet available to the public then and I'd spend time discussing mostly veteran stuff on there some evenings. I've never been much of a talk radio listener though.

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