D: L&L - Part 45 | Narrator: Newsflash!
[Sound fades in: Crackling static, punctuated by faint droning hums and the eerie wind. The radio broadcaster’s voice quivers with exhaustion and dread.]
Host: “This is… Station YMG… Rylin Teems again… or what’s left of him. I can’t right speak to what happened during our last broadcast, but we’ve barricaded ourselves in the backup studio, and Julip stands by the door ready with… I can’t speak on that at his moment, fellow Ozians. I’m afraid I cannot just yet. Only to say, for those who knew and loved her, Bertie has fallen to the fog.
“The haze… this cursed purple fog… it spreads deeper into Munchkinland by the hour, swallowing farm after farm, village after village. I see it even now… clawing at the edges of the station windows. What lies in and beyond the fog is anyone’s guess. There have been no reports, mind you — none. The casual observer will assume the worse, and dear Ozians, this reporter fears that, as well.
“But we will hold fast at Station YMG — Julip and I, reporting what we find, until the danger passes or our lives…For these days, there is grim news. Grim news. And I struggle to bring it to you, oh Citizens of Oz.”
[Sound fades in and out: A breath, perhaps a sob. A deep throat clearing.]
Host: “Drecker Stunt, our correspondent in Shiz, has just wired us the latest. Dr. NaNa, esteemed professor of arcane biology at Shiz University, was confirmed dead early this morning. Her body was found outside her home, eyes burned red… lungs full of dark purple spore. May Lurline guide her into shadow.
“Dr. NaNa, for those of you who may not have been aware, was an Animal Rights activist — some would say, a radical — taking up a cause so prominent from the before times, when the Wizard ruled the land with trickery and shame. A descendant of a line of educated and outspoken Cheetahs, she has found peace at last. A parting ceremony has not yet been announced, but as she was a favorite amongst the University staff, I’ve no doubt the faculty will turn out to see her pass into the next life.”
[Sounds crackle like crumpled paper.]
“In other news…more like rumors… yes, rumors persist that somewhere amidst this chaos, a house… yes, a house has fallen from the sky. Landed here in Oz. Some say it once crushed a witch. Some say it brought hope. But I see no hope now, only doom.
“We are alone. Alone in this nightmare. May anyone hearing this find shelter. May you find light… before the fog finds you. This is Rylin Teems signing off.”
[The broadcast cuts to static as shuffling sounds approach off-mic.]