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Hello disparate here. Night Vale is

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on the road and twenty twenty

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back in the Us with our

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and schedule at Welcome to Night

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show and gets. Them bonus episodes

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add three episodes, directors notes,

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and more. Were taking our

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usual break in January, but

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we'll see you on February

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with the new episode. and

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hey. Thank. You. Lend

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ears give them to me?

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I'm taken. Those ears bud.

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Welcome to Night Vale. Hello

1:27

listeners and we have a great show

1:30

today for oh. Hold.

1:33

On. Sorry I just

1:35

got an urgent call from to be

1:37

Caitlyn. She's been watching the boy we

1:39

found in Grove Park, the one who

1:42

does not remember his name or where

1:44

he came from. Mostly he's been well

1:46

behaved, but lately she's been troubled by

1:48

his behavior and just now she called

1:51

me to tell me that he is

1:53

holding a knife. What do you mean

1:55

he is holding a knife? I asked.

1:57

Like I said, a knife. He is.

2:00

The one she said did he get

2:02

from the night show be went to

2:04

last month. I asked know you can

2:07

get knives from more places than night

2:09

shows she said well is heat threatening

2:11

you with it I asked know she

2:14

said does it look like he

2:16

might hurt himself or others with it

2:18

I asked know she said but he

2:20

is holding a knife to because I

2:23

apologize I said we've been friends a

2:25

long time but I'm not sure what

2:27

you want me to do with

2:29

this. Information I don't know either. She

2:32

said: I don't know what any of

2:34

us should do, but I know that

2:36

he is holding a knife and that

2:38

can't mean anything good for any of

2:41

us. Well.

2:44

On. To the news. Poll.

2:46

Of in and lox me Mahalla, whose

2:48

family used to run the Bhs rental

2:50

annex in the Ralph's back in the

2:52

nineties reach out to say that they

2:54

are now ready to let go of

2:56

their vast collection of Bhs tapes. They.

2:59

Have been holding onto it for all

3:01

these years in memory of their parents,

3:03

but they realize now that memory lives

3:06

in the heart. else advantages time to

3:08

empty out their closets. Plastics.

3:12

All of the takes will be available

3:15

on their lawn today, after which the

3:17

rest will be donated to the town

3:19

dump where the mast garbage eaters hopefully

3:21

will enjoy them during the night frenzies.

3:24

This tape collection is state of

3:26

the art and includes all the

3:28

latest hits such as Teresi Park

3:31

and Honey The Kids Are Morose.

3:33

They're also some really rare finds

3:35

that they're like Night Bill resident

3:37

actor Lee Marvin first performance as

3:40

Dunkley Dogs and in the nearly

3:42

forgotten western The Cows Stan a

3:44

Cow's. Get. On down there

3:46

before the tapes are gone or before

3:48

poll of in and lox me realize

3:50

that this was a foolish idea, that

3:52

they are throwing away the last remnants

3:54

of their parents legacy and start frantically

3:56

pulling the teeth out of your hands,

3:58

shouting, let Go Of. Mommy. Will.

4:01

Keep you updated on how it goes in. Oh.

4:04

Oh okay, sorry. Give.

4:06

Me a second. To. Make A

4:08

Flynn Called back to let me know that

4:10

she has lost sight of the boy. You

4:13

don't know where the boy is

4:15

I asked. A tremor in my

4:18

voice though. she said her voice

4:20

a steady as ever with you

4:22

last saw him, Was he still

4:24

holding a nice I asked oh

4:26

yes. She said he has been

4:28

holding the knife this whole time.

4:30

Are there any clues as to

4:32

where he could have gone? I

4:34

asked he has been riding in

4:36

a journal. She said. I ready

4:39

to see if it would point me

4:41

to his location At all is said

4:43

was who am I over and over

4:45

again He in this radically different handwriting.

4:48

If I didn't know better I would

4:50

say that this is all written by

4:52

different people but I think it is

4:54

just one person trying out different versions

4:56

of the person. Could be a now

4:59

you know know where he is. He's

5:05

holding a knife. I

5:07

said oh yes, She

5:09

said oh yes. More

5:12

soon, I hope very

5:14

shortly. A. Big

5:18

news in the world of

5:20

paper based communication. That night

5:22

failed post office is reopening

5:24

again. Last time it

5:26

reopened, it was full of strange cloaked

5:28

figures and caused a wave of dizziness

5:31

nausea to anyone who dared to approach.

5:33

But that's all been fixed says the

5:35

Night Vale postmaster who refuses to reveal

5:38

their identity and puts all announcements on

5:40

an old metallic I I R C

5:42

under the username Metal. Enjoy your nine.

5:45

That's all been fixed they said and

5:47

now you can said physical letters through

5:49

the mail if you're a sicko who

5:52

is into that sort of said or

5:54

if you are role. player pretending

5:56

as the antiquated era of make

5:58

the navy would Whatever you decide

6:01

to do," the postmaster continued, "...good

6:03

luck out there," then logged off

6:05

and deleted their account. Patrons

6:07

at the newly refurbished post office say that

6:09

it seems to look a lot like the

6:12

old one, which is fine with them. I

6:15

don't need much from the post office, said Larry Leroy,

6:17

who had come in from the edge of town to

6:19

see what all the fuss was about. He

6:22

continued, "...as long as I can

6:24

come in whenever I'm hungry and buy some

6:26

stamps to snack on, I'm happy

6:28

with it." Lakshmi

6:32

Mahala called in to let me know that

6:34

she has spotted the boy. He

6:36

passed their VHS giveaway and stopped to look

6:39

at some of the titles. She's

6:41

looking at him. Right now. He

6:44

is holding a knife. He

6:46

grabs a tape. Seemingly at random,

6:48

it is Beverly Hills Cop. That

6:50

movie about a cop who discovers

6:52

that the police as an institution

6:54

are essentially just another form of

6:56

organized crime, acting as a violent

6:58

parasite on city budgets, and so

7:00

retires to instead get into a

7:02

non-corrupt, people-friendly business like running a

7:04

movie studio. Is

7:07

this one good? The boy asks.

7:10

He is holding a knife. I

7:12

like it, Lakshmi says. That's

7:15

not the same as it being good, is it?

7:18

The boy says. I

7:20

suppose not, Lakshmi says, but, she

7:22

continues, if you remove human subjectivity

7:24

from the equation, then no movie

7:27

is good or bad. The quality

7:29

of a movie only exists when

7:31

a person experiences it. Until

7:34

then, the movie is nothing at all. That's

7:37

true, the boy says. Hey,

7:41

can you tell me how to get to Carlos

7:43

Robles' lab? Sure,

7:46

Lakshmi says, and points down the street

7:48

to the strip mall where my dear

7:50

husband and Nightbales preeminent scientist does his

7:52

important work. The boy

7:55

thanks her and walks in the direction of the

7:57

lab. He is holding a knife. I.

8:00

Have warned Car loosened Hope Wiki lox

8:02

everything down. It's a six. I can't

8:05

stand to think what could happen to

8:07

him with this boy. I do not

8:09

trust this boy. More.

8:11

Soon on the boy. I.

8:14

Am sure. Exciting

8:16

developments in the local restaurant

8:18

scene as Chinos Italian Dining

8:20

Experience and Grill and Bar

8:22

unveiled plans to add a

8:24

second bar in the back

8:27

as an event space, renaming

8:29

themselves Chinos Italian Dining Experience

8:31

and Grill and Bar and

8:33

far. We believe

8:35

in good honest food and good

8:37

return for our of pieces Investors

8:39

said head chef Daniel Daniel. If

8:41

we don't bump up return on

8:44

investment for these vultures they are.

8:46

Going to absolutely devour us just

8:48

like you'll be devouring our new

8:50

chicken picard. A special signals concluded.

8:53

Glancing at the windows nervously local

8:55

diners expressed in Susie as him

8:57

about this new developments. Same things

9:00

like wow cool and I like

9:02

Italian food. okay and if this

9:04

doesn't work out for them all

9:07

towards the place it's worth more

9:09

to me as ashes. So excitement

9:11

in the community for seems I've

9:13

seen those. Also understands that today's.

9:16

Dining is all about appealing to

9:18

social media influence by serving flashy

9:20

looking this is that Do not.

9:22

He's good, but make people stop

9:24

mid scroll to wonder why anyone

9:26

would think of cooking that. Toward

9:28

this end they are introducing the

9:30

see constructed Palomar He which is

9:32

a life squid served your table

9:34

with a knife and a deep

9:36

fryer and the tossed rizzo down

9:39

which is hurled at you overhand

9:41

from the kitchen door. and whatever

9:43

you catch his whatever you guess

9:45

I feel. It's never been much

9:47

of a commentary destination, but it

9:49

sure sounds like that's changing. Carless.

9:53

Called the boy is at his

9:55

lab is holding a knife. Cordless.

9:58

is looking at him right now The

10:01

boy asks Carlos to show him any experiments

10:03

that have to do with the other desert

10:05

world. Carlos takes him

10:07

to the window they have opened that

10:09

allows them to observe, at times, some

10:11

part of that parallel universe where once

10:14

Carlos was trapped. So

10:16

far they have seen no movement,

10:18

but they do not have comprehensive

10:20

coverage, only tiny glimpses of dunes

10:23

and ruins and a distant lighthouse

10:25

barely visible through the sand-whipped air.

10:28

The boy stares intently into that

10:30

other world as though trying to

10:33

discern a message in its senselessness.

10:36

Then Carlos shows him the samples they

10:38

have managed to bring back from that

10:40

other world using probes and other highly

10:43

advanced techniques like holding his breath and

10:45

reaching through the portal to grab some.

10:48

The boy runs the sand through his hand.

10:51

It's so beautiful, he says. The

10:54

secret of science, says Carlos. Isn't that

10:56

so much of it is beautiful? Thank

10:59

you for showing me, the boy says. He

11:02

is holding a knife. You're

11:04

quite welcome, says Carlos. I want you to

11:06

feel like you can always drop in if you

11:08

need to. Um, that

11:11

won't be necessary anymore,

11:14

the boy says, and leaves.

11:17

Thankfully, Carlos is quite safe, but he lost

11:19

sight of the boy, and so we have

11:21

no idea where the boy is now. Be

11:24

on the lookout for a boy, wherever boys

11:26

might be. Sullivan

11:29

Mahala called saying that they have finally

11:31

gotten rid of the last of their

11:33

parents' VHS collection when Lee Marvin himself

11:36

came by to pick up the rare

11:38

tape featuring his first film appearance, The

11:40

Cows, Stan, The Cows. Lee

11:43

told them that the studio never gave him a

11:45

copy of that film, and that he had been

11:47

unsuccessful in finding a copy ever since. He

11:50

asked if they wanted to hear some funny behind

11:52

the scenes stories from the set, and they said

11:54

yes, and he said, too bad. It

11:56

was a miserable week, and we were all glad

11:59

to see it behind us. and then

12:01

marched glumly off. That's

12:03

that classic Lee Marvin charm we've all come to

12:05

know and love. I asked

12:07

Sullivan if he feels better now that the tapes are

12:09

gone. Yes, he told me,

12:11

I feel lighter. His

12:13

voice sounded lighter, too. He

12:16

no longer sounded weighed down

12:18

by legacy, but instead buttressed

12:20

by fond memory. I

12:22

think your parents would be proud of you, I told them.

12:25

Thank you, he said. I think they would, too.

12:28

Oh, he added, I saw the boy.

12:31

I asked him where, fairly urgently, and he

12:33

said, he is heading right for you. He

12:36

is holding a knife. Well,

12:41

the boy is a virgin station. He

12:43

is holding a knife. I am

12:45

looking at him right now. He has a

12:48

determined face and a long stride. He

12:50

no longer looks so young. Visible

12:53

in the last bit of baby fat on

12:55

his cheeks is the man he will someday

12:57

become, and it is a man who is the boy

12:59

they're going to be. The sight of

13:01

him makes me sweat on my hands

13:03

and my cheeks and my scalp. He

13:06

is so calm and determined, and he

13:08

is coming right for me. He

13:11

is holding a knife. There

13:13

is nowhere I could run that the boy

13:15

could not follow, and would not follow, and

13:17

will not follow. I have

13:20

little time to prepare. Already I hear

13:22

his small but powerful hand wrapping on

13:24

the station door. While

13:26

I go to open that door, and

13:28

hopefully to return afterward, I have

13:30

a quick glance at this weekend's weather.

13:56

Thank you for watching! He.

15:03

He. He

15:06

knew. around

18:00

won't hurt you," the boy says, or at

18:02

least I don't want to and I haven't

18:04

yet, but past performance is

18:06

not a predictor of future results. He

18:09

holds the knife in his right hand,

18:12

he holds a smile on his face,

18:14

he holds still for now. I

18:17

only want to tell my side of

18:19

the story, the boy says, without apology

18:21

or interruption. Everyone wants

18:23

something from me. I only

18:25

want to want something for myself.

18:28

He cocks his head to one side, he

18:31

glances to the other side. His

18:33

hands are remarkably steady. Please

18:36

don't make this difficult. Please

18:38

don't make me make this difficult, the

18:40

boy says. I wouldn't want this to

18:42

be difficult for anyone. It

18:45

will be. It will be so difficult

18:47

for so many people, but I don't want

18:49

that. He sits down

18:51

across from me. He sweeps his

18:53

hand across the table in a gesture only

18:55

understood by him. His

18:58

breath smells of wild raspberries

19:00

and black licorice. I

19:02

am speaking now to the radio

19:04

audience of Night Vale, the boy

19:07

says, to all listeners listening to

19:09

everyone, I suppose, to all of

19:11

you. He

19:13

leans into the microphone. He

19:16

holds the cord in his left hand,

19:18

his lips are dry, his eyes are

19:20

wet. I want you

19:23

to know, the boy says, and

19:25

then stops. He

19:27

isn't sure what he wants us to know. He

19:29

thinks about it. I want

19:31

you to know more, the

19:34

boy says. I want you to

19:36

know more about me, the boy says, because

19:39

I want to know more about me, and

19:41

I have come to believe that the only way to know

19:43

more about me is if we all

19:46

learn together. My

19:48

back is to the wall of the studio.

19:50

The boy is between me and the exit.

19:53

He studies me with calm eyes and

19:56

a quivering mouth. He is

19:58

holding a knife. Please

20:00

don't be afraid," the boy says. You have

20:02

every reason to be afraid, but I would

20:04

prefer it if you weren't. It

20:07

just will make it much easier if

20:09

you weren't afraid. Finally,

20:13

I reach for my only weapon, my

20:15

voice. It has been hiding

20:17

in my fear, but I draw it now. I

20:21

know who you are. He

20:24

looks excited, childlike again, like a

20:26

boy offered a toy. You

20:29

do? Yes, I say.

20:31

It was only just now studying you

20:33

that I realized it. I

20:36

cannot say that I understand it, but I

20:38

have become comfortable with not understanding what I

20:40

know to be true. One can't

20:42

live a lifetime in Night Vale without

20:45

reaching that peace. What

20:47

is my name? The boy says.

20:51

You know your name, I say. Yes,

20:53

the boy says, but I don't

20:55

know what it means. Like

20:58

I said, you'll have to

21:01

become comfortable not knowing what anything

21:03

means, I say. Now

21:05

say your name. And

21:08

the boy says, my name

21:10

is Kevin. He is holding

21:12

a knife. He takes

21:14

the knife and sets it against the

21:16

microphone cord, and with one smooth and

21:18

easy motion, he cuts the cord. Welcome

21:40

to Night Vale is a production of Night

21:42

Vale Presents. It is written by Joseph Fink

21:44

and Jeffrey Craner and produced by Disparition. The

21:48

voice of Night Vale is Cecil

21:50

Baldwin. The voice of the boy

21:52

is Kevin R. Free. Original music

21:54

by Disparition. All of it can

21:56

be found at Disparition.BamCamp.com. This episode's

21:59

weather was... Lagoon by

22:01

HelloTutTut. Find out more

22:03

at HelloTutTut.BamCamp.com. Comments, questions,

22:05

email us at info

22:07

at welcometonightvail.com or follow

22:09

us on Twitter if

22:11

you're still there at

22:13

Night Vale Radio and on Instagram at

22:15

Night Vale Official. We now have a

22:18

TikTok at Night Vale Official as well

22:20

for ticks and tucks. Most

22:22

importantly, check out welcometonightvail.com where we have

22:24

a twice monthly mailing list that is

22:26

the best way to keep up to

22:28

date directly from us to you. You

22:31

can learn about things like our new

22:33

live show, The Attic, which tours the

22:35

western United States in January and

22:37

Europe in March. Today's

22:39

proverb, before you judge someone, walk

22:41

a mile. It doesn't actually

22:43

matter who shoes you're in, the walk just clears

22:45

your head so you can feel nice and calm

22:47

while you judge them, harshly. Hi,

22:59

I'm Jeffrey Craner and I wanted to tell

23:01

you about one of my other podcasts, Random

23:04

Number Generator Horror Podcast Number 9. So the

23:06

thing is, my friend Cecil Baldwin, the voice

23:08

of Night Vale loves horror movies and he's

23:10

helping make the genre more approachable for me

23:13

and hopefully for you too, one film at

23:15

a time in a random order. Are you

23:17

squeamish about horror movies? Look, I get it

23:19

and no worries. Just listen in and we'll

23:22

tell you everything that happens. But do you

23:24

love horror movies? Well that's great too. Watch

23:26

along with us each week. We've got nearly

23:28

200 episodes covering everything from

23:31

The Shining to Leprechaun 4 in

23:33

space. I'm serious, we go in

23:35

a random order. So check out

23:37

Random Horror 9, wherever you get

23:39

podcasts.