The Only Chapter
Hello, everybody.
My name is Octavia. Octavia Melody. And I have something to tell you.
It’s a story. A very strange story….one about me.
More specifically, It’s a story about my choice.
You see, there’s this radio station. It only plays at night, during the very darkest hours before dawn. It’s quite an ordeal if you want to try and stay awake all night…..but it’s worth it if you manage to hear it.
These days, I just leave the radio on all the time, hoping to catch it. My nights are usually sleepless, but it’s totally fine. I’m okay. I’m always okay. And, well, that’s because…..
The station. It helps me.
Some nights, the signal is clear as crystal, and I’ll lie wide awake on my bed, listening closely.
Some nights, I can barely hear it through the veils of static…...and I’ll doze sitting up by the radio, hoping the music will come on.
And some nights...it doesn’t even appear at all.
Those are always the bad nights. And they;re followed by even worse days.
On the occasion when it does happen, it manages to startle me every time. The station’s strange jingle comes out of nowhere, and then it begins playing the most beautiful, haunting songs I’ve ever heard. I don’t recognize a single piece of music, but it completely mesmerizes me. Imagine an island of crystal, floating on a lake of indigo under the moon. No…..imagine a ray of silver sunlight breaking through a sky drowning in thick, black storm clouds.
No, that’s not right either.
None of that is right.
I guess it’s truly indescribable, then….just what this music can do to you.
I’ve heard miraculous stories about this station’s music—people have been healed of dark trauma, people who have considered suicide change their minds when they listen, people are evenbrought together by a hidden “message” within these songs.
And then….there’s the other stories. The stories of those who went crazy.
The music awoke some desire within them, and their sanity dissolved, leaving mere animals behind.
But those stories aren’t important. I mean, how could such speechless, incredible music do that to someone?
Pay no attention to those stories.
My roommate, Vinyl Scratch, is somehow impervious to this station. Every time it’s on, she’ll lie asleep behind me, snoring through the melodies that hold my consciousness captive. I always want to take it to another room so I don’t have to listen to her, but I never dare to….because I fear I’ll lose the signal.
So I have to stick with her, even if she constantly disturbs me.
Before the sun comes up….the station always stops playing. The music disappears. It leaves me.
It leaves me alone, in a positively agonizing silence….wondering if I’ll ever hear it again.
Those of us who have heard the station end up scouring the world for others like us.
We search, we call, we desperately look for answers…..but there are always none.
No one knows where the station is.
What it is.
How it does what it does.
No one knows a single thing.
One night, something strange happens to me.
One of the songs—one of my favorites so far—ended far too early. It wasn’t even halfway done, and it left an uncomfortable prickle under my skin. It didn’t feel right. I wanted to hear more. Why was it ending now?
But then…..a voice starts whispering.
It’s whispering numbers. Longitude and latitude.
They’re coordinates…..coordinates to a place.
A place I’ve never seen.
A place I don’t know.
Why wait?
Without a second thought, I start out, leaving the city far behind me. I don’t usually use Vinyl’s motorbike….but this time I knew I just had to. I don’t have a car, and there was no bus or subway station that would take me to this place.
Don’t ask me how I know that, okay? I just do.
The suburbs turn into small, thriving towns, full of life even at this late hour. The small, thriving towns turn into dead and deserted ones…..ones that will empty forever.
The sun is beginning to rise when the road ends and the desert takes over. But the drifting sand doesn’t stop me, even when the wheels of the motorbike get stuck. I just toss the vehichle aside and keep going.
The sun beats down on me. Sweat soaks my poorly-chosen outfit. The heat burns through the soles of my thin shoes.
Why on earth would I ever stop?
By the time I reach the place, it’s late at night again. It’s a very small building, sitting practically in the middle of nowhere. The front door is unlocked, and I enter.
It’s much bigger on the inside….consisting of only a long hallway. I start down the hallway tentatively, unsure of what I’m looking for.
Doors surround me, but every time I open them, the room is always the same as the one before it. And none of them are what I am looking for.
Once again, don’t ask me how I know that. I just do.
The hallway stretches on for what feels like forever, but I eventually reach the end. The door opens without me even having to touch it, revealing…..the Room.
An extremely old man sits in front of a radio, headphones encircling his scalp. His gnarled fingers twiddle on the dial, even as he turns to look at me.
His eyes are nothing but dead sockets.
His withered face creases into a contented smile, and his body crumbles to dust.
I stand there for a second. I know if I do what I desperately want to, there is no return.
After a second, I take his place, slipping on the headphones.
A chill runs up my spine. They fit me like a glove.
I turn the knob the old man’s fingers were just resting upon, and the music fills my ears. It’s clearer….clearer and more beautiful than ever before.
Joy swells in my heart, and I can’t help but give a smile.
I am home.
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- WhoHoo · 1k words · 38 33 · 1.1k views
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i like it :)
9933747
Thanks!
Haven't read it yet but based on the description I have a pretty good idea what comic it is.
wonderful a perfect 10 out of 10 imma save this to my reading list
9936345
aaaaw, thank you for your kind words! That's very nice of you.
9936347
like honestly its got a top spot in my favorites now and it will stay there
right next to A Winters Rose and Diaries Of A Madman
any hoo imma move on maybe in can find more like this bye
Very nice and enjoyable short story. It piqued my interest at the beginning with its creepy, yet somehow calm atmosphere and held all the way through. Really good job on the flow and pacing! I have seen stories of similar concept before, but well, I could say that about almost every tale.
One small thing that bugged me and constantly drew my attention away were the faulty ellipses—they should contain exactly three dots (...), no more, no less. Just a minor nitpick.
Thank you for this read!
9981250
Wow, thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoy this so much. This was heartwarming to hear!
Yeah, I tend to do this a lot. It's because I always add as many dots as the pause is inside my head.......it's a bad habit.....I should get out of it.....I'm doing it now.......
9981267
You’re welcome! It definitely brightened up my evening
It’s a useful rule to remember. Especially if you ever submit your story for a review or some kind of contest...
I like it, but it would be better if there could be a sequel.
Truly, spontaneous things are the only ones really worth writing. This is impressive. Only a thousand words, but not a single one of them is excessive. Elegant and simple, like all ideas should be expressed.
10069738
Wow, thanks! Glad you enjoyed.
Nice atmospheric piece; reminds me of when I'd watch paranormal videos and listen to radio shows about the supernatural late at night.
10079190
Thanks for the comment! (And the fav!)
Nice, it is sort of a cliffhanger, the place she was at towards the end though, the place where every room is the same, I had an idea about that once. It is a special place, every time you go through another door it is another dimension, an entirely different universe. I might write a small fanfic about it at some point. Anyways, very good story for being short, really makes it feel mysterious. That ending by the way, it’s like the bad ending that isn’t explicitly shown to be the bad ending.
Calm and creepy
10141608
10138713
Thanks!
I don't know what inspired you to write this story, but this was very well written. Keep up the good work.👍
Hey there. This was reviewed here. Deuces.
Fan made ending-
Octavia listens to the beautifully amazing music. But then, it stops, it abruptly ends right in the middle of the song. She realizes what she has done. She stole her friends bike and drove away from her. Why did she do this? She ponders why but ultimately she doesn’t know. She removes the headphones and turns around to the door to leave but there isn’t a door, there isn’t a window, not even a vent. She’s trapped there, without the music. It was for nothing. She puts the headphones back on and waits, for at least a little bit of sound. But nothing will ever come, the song was finished. No one remembers her now, she has faded away as her own song has been complete. (Ok, I know I suck at writing)
10179102
Actually.........that's really cool.
OMG!! I know what this is! I know what you're referring to! I love that comic! The art is phenomenal! Great twist with adding Octavia on it--and I love how your story tracks so closely with the comic. Very good. <3
They're.
But I really came back to this story, because awhile back, I was yearning to reread this story, and I just so happened to have fallen apon it. For the words, the lyrics of this story are just so mesmerizing.
I would love to listen to said station sometime if I were to ever come to Equestria.
10233992
Please send me a link. Thank you!
10179102
10179106
I like it too!
10016781
May I help write a sequel for this story? Sorry for tons of comments, too.
Pardon my language...but this is fucking terrifying.
10452168
Well... I'm pleasantly surprised. I've always wanted to write a horror story, but never thought I could actually write something even remotely scary. XD Thanks for your comment!
10388319
Omigosh I am so sorry for not responding earlier, but I didn't get notified for your comment. :/
Yes, of course you can write a sequel! I would love to see that.
10453946
Okay, then! It could be a work effort sometime!