Tom worked the late shift at a small coastal radio station. Every night at midnight, he read the shipping forecast, played one last song, and shut the place down. The town was quiet after dark, and the sea air crept through the cracks in the walls.

One Tuesday night, a red light flickered on the studio desk. It meant an incoming call. That was strange. The phone lines were switched off after ten.

Tom answered. There was only breathing. Slow, wet, and close to the microphone.

“Hello?” he said.

A voice replied, low and calm. “You should not still be here.”

Tom laughed nervously and hung up. He blamed tiredness and continued the broadcast. When he opened the next record, the same red light appeared again. This time, the voice spoke without waiting.

“We are listening,” it said. “And we remember you.”

Tom felt cold. He checked the caller display. It showed his own extension number.

The studio clock ticked loudly as he spoke into the microphone, trying to sound professional. “This is Radio Northbay. If this is a joke, it is not funny.”

The voice answered through his headphones, not the phone. “You promised you would stay,” it said. “You promised on the night of the storm.”

Tom remembered. Ten years earlier, a fishing boat had gone down. He had stayed on air through the night, taking calls from families, promising updates that never came. He had left before dawn, unable to face them again.

The lights dimmed. The song on the turntable slowed and warped. Outside, waves crashed harder, closer, as if the sea itself was leaning in.

“You can finish it now,” the voice said. “Tell them the truth.”

Tom understood. He took a breath and spoke clearly into the microphone. He told the listeners what he knew, what he had hidden, and how the crew had never stood a chance. His voice shook, but he did not stop.

When he finished, the studio fell silent. The red light went out. The sea grew calm.

The next morning, the station manager found the studio empty. The final broadcast had been recorded, but there was no sign of Tom. Only his headphones lay on the desk, still warm, as if someone had just taken them off.

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Vocabulary Notes

Flickered
Meaning: Shone or appeared briefly and unsteadily, often turning on and off.
Example: “A red light flickered on the studio desk.”
Similar words: flashed, blinked, glimmered, wavered

Extension (number)
Meaning: An internal phone number used within a building or organisation.
Example: “It showed his own extension number.”
Similar words: internal line, direct line, office number

Warped
Meaning: Changed in shape or sound in an unnatural or disturbing way.
Example: “The song on the turntable slowed and warped.”
Similar words: distorted, twisted, altered, bent

Crew
Meaning: A group of people who work together, especially on a ship.
Example: “He told the listeners what he knew … how the crew had never stood a chance.”
Similar words: team, staff, sailors, workers

Never stood a chance
Meaning: Had no possibility of success or survival.
Example: “The crew had never stood a chance.”
Similar words: had no hope, was doomed, was impossible to save

Story written by ChatGPT.

Image created by ChatGPT.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

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