A Momentary Lapse Of Reason

The Traveler

Her blue eyes had just had a glint of mischievousness. Carlos quickly hypothesised that wasn't a good thing.

~

"See. A mountain." Jeffries said proudly, puffing up his chest as the radio team gawped in disbelief.

"But mountains are a myth, a fairy story. It's what parents tell their kids about at night if they want them to grow up to become geologists." One of the radio station crew complained from the back of the group.

"This is an illusion!" Another voice declared. A low murmur of agreement echoed around the radio station team.

"It is not an illusion." Natalia said calmly. "Look. Touch it. Mountains are real." All three of her eyes looked at the team earnestly. "Feel it. It's existing."

Cecil stepped forth from the crowd. "Miss Johnson, I fear you must be mistaken. It is flat all the way round. This...apparition...it cannot be real."

Natalia's eye on her hand rolled.

Jeffries stepped around her. "Please, Mr Palme'. Just touch it, you'll see. Plus, Carlos said how nice it'd be ta have ya all see science and nature at work!"

Cecil shifted. Jeffries felt slightly smug; he knew that would work, even if only on Cecil. He knew that Cecil was self proclaimed "very into science".

The radio station host gingerly reached out his hand and touched the large ragged slope of rock in front of him, before exhaling in a whistle.

"It's real..." He whispered in wonder.

The other members from the radio station hesitantly approached the rock face too with the same reaction.

"Well." Cecil huffed. "There is regrettably, one mountain. There is every possibility that you fabricated this to fulfil your crazed fantasies of mountains."

Jeffries just sighed.

~

"It is only the truth seeker who wonders, why is the glass there? Why is there water all over the floor? Why is it covering every other surface of the house? Who or what is doing this to us? Welcome to Night Vale...."

Carlos smiled slightly as he heard Cecil's voice on the radio. Ellie had brought the two of them hot chocolate and they had just finished watching a documentary on the Hadron Collider. There had been a brief notice that had flashed up on the screen just before the program started, obviously from the City Council, stating that everything they were about to see was a lie, but it had been interesting enough.

"How are you feeling, boss?"

"Brilliant, Dr Green. I feel so refreshed. And I have so many experiments to finish, so-"

"Carlos..." Ellie sighed.

"This town. This place. It's so scientifically interesting. It is the most amazing and terrifying place that I have ever been in my life. A place where the laws of physics don't apply and science doesn't make sense. It contradicts every single belief I ever had and it continues to keep me occupied...."

Carlos smiled gently.

"This town has doubled my passion for the wonder that is science! And that is the most excellent eventuality."

As Carlos turned back to his tinkering with his dangermeter, Ellie's previously quizzical face had softened.

Night Vale made Carlos happy. It was plain to anyone who knew him.
Despite the crazy City Council, the police, the danger it posed and the stalker radio hosts, it was the most scientifically amazing place in the entire world. Perhaps any world.

"...now for corrections. In a previous report, we at Night Vale Community Radio were talking about the commonly-held belief that there is such a thing as mountains. We scoffed at this belief, and bellowed repeatedly, 'It is flat all the way round. It is FLAT all. The. Way. Round.'"

"Oh, listen, Carlos! They're talking about the others." Ellie said happily.

"...took us for a drive out to a mountain. We looked at the mountain, and even touched it, and it was definitely real. Therefore we are forced to admit there is indeed at least one mountain in this world..."

Jeffries laughed from the doorway as he wiped his loafers on the doormat. Natalia followed suit.

"Hey, you two."

From the radio, Cecil's voice continued.

"I'm still not completely sold on there being more than one mountain. It's possible that the mountain apologists built a single mountain in order to prove their skewed world view."

"Oh we had tha' all afternoon. Cecil wouldn't 'ave it tha' there were moun'ains." Jeffries muttered resentfully.

"Oh don't mind Cecil." Natalia grinned. "He's just not sold yet."

~

After the team had caught themselves up on the events of the day and had begun to cook dinner, the phone rang. She lazily answered it.

"Hello?.....oh. Carlos, it's for you."

Carlos rose from his seat, placing his dangermeter on the table and taking the phone from Natalia.

"This is Carlos." He listened for a long time. "I should think so. I have heard a lot about it after all.....the fifteenth? I think I can do that. It is for science, yes?.....oh good. Goodbye."

"Secret Police?"

"No, the Council again. They want me to go to Desert Bluffs on the fifteenth. They want me to investigate the 'stupid Desert Bluffs science'."

"What do they mean by that?"

"From what I gathered, it works to the same improbability as Night Vale, but with a few differences. I wanted to investigate it anyway, so now would be an excellent opportunity to expand my scientific knowledge! Who wants to come?"

"I will." Natalia said. "Besides, someone senior has to be here to interview Rachelle that day."

"We'll do that." Ellie offered. "Brent and I can stay here, and you two go to Desert Bluffs."

"Sorted, then. In the mean time, we have more scientific mysteries to unravel!"

The rest had done Carlos good. The curious twinkle in his eye had returned, and all the team could tell that the next few weeks would be ones of great discovery.