A Momentary Lapse Of Reason

The Drawbridge

Summary: Natalia spends time with Cecil, Carlos and Perez are detained by the dog park and the lizards grow too big for the ceiling.

"I do not think that this is wise, Dr Valdez."

"But it's one of the most scientifically intriguing areas in Night Vale."

"It has an enormous electrified fence around it and is emitting a static hum. It is a crime to even think about the place."

"So that should stop us from investigating it?" Carlos sounded hurt.

Perez sighed. "No. But we must proceed with caution. If even the residents of this town find it to be dangerous when they find a five-headed dragon a minor inconvenience, we must be extra careful."

Carlos nodded. That was certainly true. He'd been shaken up for a good few hours after he'd met the notorious Hiram McDaniels. He had been hiding from Secret Police near the lab and Carlos had seen him.

Not many things frightened Carlos. Spiders were one. Now he knew about their existence, spiderwolves too. It would also seem that being in the presence of a five headed dragon with no protection had been added to that list.

"What's the radiation level?"

"It is nearing 3500 Rodens."

That wasn't good. Carlos and Perez were stood around 20 feet from the entrance of the dog park and, if the laws of physics worked properly in Night Vale, they should be frying right now. They had placed instruments in the nearby bushes in order to obtain a wider scanning field.

All of a sudden, there was a soul-tearing sound blasted at them both from above the electrified fence.

"Ahh!" Perez screamed, clutching his ears. Carlos fell to the ground doing the same as the piercing noise continued.

Carlos' head was a blur. It was filled with the noise and he felt dizzy.

He blinked hard several times, swaying as an ominous voice asked in a sweet, sickly tone to bring his gold watch to the dog park and throw it in. That's preposterous, Carlos thought at the back of his mind. I don't own a gold watch.

Hm. The voice then said. Do you have any toddlers?

No! Carlos said back mentally before he became aware of Perez who was shouting to Carlos to run. It sounded faraway to Carlos, and altogether silly. Run? Why would he run?

His question was answered swiftly and he was brought back to reality by a firm hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see a member of the Secret Police with 'Officer Joey' written on.

"Carlos-the-scientist, you are charged with breaching the law 34654-A: citizens are not allowed to study, look at or think about the dog park. I am detaining you and your scientist friend. You are, by Night Vale law, required to be re-educated."

~

"Oh, Cecil, it looks perfect!"

"Thank you, Ms Johnson."

Natalia's face was the picture of joy as she examined her new feline tattoo in the mirror. The cat's body swirled around her hip and was a beautiful colour.

"Who taught you to draw like this Cecil?"

"I don't know. I just have always loved drawing, I guess. I picked it up properly around the time the City Council abolished writing utensils. I was allowed to continue using them longer than most citizens as I was working towards my Soul Art badge at my scout pack."

"Soul Art?"

"Oh, yes. It wasn't a popular badge because soul-extracting for actual artwork can be pretty dangerous. But if you get it right, a small extraction from a soul can make the best paint. My best friend Earl offered me a little of his for my final piece. It was the best sea-green shade in the scout pack."