At exactly 7:45 pm, Martin Wells was eating a microwave lasagne in the control room of local radio station FM107. He was alone, which was normal. The night shift always belonged to him, the emergency phone, and a red button labelled ON AIR that everyone pretended not to fear.
Martin was forty eight, slightly round, and deeply proud of never panicking. That was why the station manager trusted him with the emergency broadcast system, even though nothing had happened for twenty years.
That night, the phone rang.
Martin sighed, wiped his fork on a napkin, and answered. “FM107, emergency desk.”
All he heard was breathing. Slow, careful breathing, as if the caller was thinking about it.
“Hello?” Martin said.
A voice replied, calm and cheerful. “Good evening. I would like to report a serious situation.”
Martin reached for his clipboard. “Go on.”
“There is a man in the station,” the voice said. “He is about to do something dramatic.”
Martin looked around the empty room. “Sir, I am the only person here.”
“Ah,” the voice said. “Then it has already begun.”
The line went dead.
Martin stared at the phone. He laughed once, because that was easier than worrying. Then every screen in front of him flickered. The music stopped. The red ON AIR light switched itself on.
A message appeared on the main monitor. LIVE AUDIO IN TEN SECONDS.
“That is not funny,” Martin said, standing up.
His own voice suddenly echoed back through the speakers, slightly delayed. He froze.
“Good evening, listeners,” the voice from the phone said, now booming through the studio. “Tonight, you will enjoy something special.”
Martin waved his arms at the empty room. “You cannot do this. This is a local station.”
“Oh, I know,” the voice replied. “That is why it is perfect.”
The countdown hit zero. A cheerful jingle played, then silence.
Martin leaned into the microphone. “This is a technical problem. Please stay calm.”
Laughter burst through the speakers. Not recorded laughter. Real laughter. Warm, delighted, and very close.
“You see,” the voice said, “people listen more when they think something is wrong.”
Martin felt his calm slipping. He pulled cables, pressed buttons, and yanked the power switch. Nothing stopped the broadcast.
“Who are you?” Martin demanded.
“A disappointed former listener,” the voice replied. “Your station cancelled my favourite programme. Midnight Gardening.”
Martin blinked. “That show had no listeners.”
“I was the listener,” the voice said. “And I waited a long time for this.”
The laughter returned, louder now. Martin suddenly noticed something odd. The laughter followed his movements. When he stepped left, it shifted left. When he stopped, it stopped.
“You are in here,” Martin said quietly.
“Correct,” the voice replied. “And so are the police.”
Martin frowned. “What?”
Outside, sirens wailed. The voice chuckled. “I rerouted the emergency system. You reported yourself as an intruder five minutes ago.”
There was a crash as the door burst open. Officers rushed in, then stopped. They saw Martin, sweating, holding a microphone, with laughter still echoing from the speakers.
The voice sighed. “This is where I leave you.”
The broadcast cut. Silence returned. The red light went dark.
Martin spent the night explaining himself. The police eventually discovered the truth. The caller was a bored sound engineer testing an illegal signal booster from his van across the street.
A week later, Martin returned to his night shift.
At 7:45 pm, the phone rang.
Martin did not answer.
Vocabulary Notes
“Flickered”
Meaning: To turn on and off very quickly, or to change brightness rapidly, usually because of a fault or instability.
Example: “Then every screen in front of him flickered.”
Explanation: This verb is often used for lights, screens, or images and usually suggests something is wrong or unstable, which helps create tension.
Similar words: flashed, blinked, shimmered, glitched
“Booming”
Meaning: Very loud and strong, filling the space and hard to ignore.
Example: “The voice from the phone said, now booming through the studio.”
Explanation: Booming is commonly used to describe voices or sounds coming through speakers or large spaces.
Similar words: echoing, thunderous, loud, powerful
“Rerouted”
Meaning: Sent or directed in a different way from the usual path.
Example: “I rerouted the emergency system.”
Explanation: This word is often used in technical or transport contexts and suggests control or interference.
Similar words: redirected, diverted, switched, redirected
“Intruder”
Meaning: A person who enters a place without permission.
Example: “You reported yourself as an intruder five minutes ago.”
Explanation: Intruder is often used in crime, security, or thriller stories to suggest danger or suspicion.
Similar words: trespasser, invader, prowler, outsider
“Burst”
Meaning: To break open suddenly and with force.
Example: “There was a crash as the door burst open.”
Explanation: Burst is frequently used to describe sudden, dramatic movement or action.
Similar words: explode, smash, break open, tear open
Story written by ChatGPT 5.2.
Image created by ChatGPT 5.2.
CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.
Reading Short Stories/Content for English Learners 
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