Tuesday 21 March 2023 – SEVENTEEN, Episode Three – Forget

By
William E. Spear

Volume 1, Issue 12

This episode may be found through the link below. Enjoy!

~~

Full Transcript –

SEVENTEEN, PODCAST EPISODE THREE – Forget

ORIGINAL DATE: 21 MARCH 2023

(Tenny’s Theme fades up)

Hello . . . and welcome to the Three Fifty-seven.

(Tenny’s Theme plays)

My name is William Spear and this is SEVENTEEN.

(Tenny’s Theme plays)

In the previous episode, the perfume of the Superintendent recalled a lost feeling inside of Tenny that caused him to yell, “Seventeen,” run out of the auditorium, and leave a stunned Chief of Staff behind.

Now, Episode Three titled FORGET.

(Tenny’s Theme plays then fades out)

Trace Jones, Chief-of-Staff to Superintendent di Stefano, was a jigsaw puzzle minus a few pieces. She looked up from the floor and asked, “What happened?”

Principal Baker pulled her up and said: “Tenny didn’t like being called an “Old-timer.””

Trace protested: “That monster punched me.”

Clarke Evans, a teacher with the group, had a different view: “That “monster” is a sixty-four year-old non-verbal janitor who uses a cane.”

Trace continued: “He struck me for no reason.”

Evans corrected her: “You grabbed his arm.”

“And,” Baker repeated, “You called him an “Old-timer”.”

Trace took a step forward to argue and her legs gave out. Evans caught her before she hit floor again and suggested a visit to the school’s Medical Office.

The Superintendent agreed. Clarke picked up Tenny’s cane and helped the wobbly-legged Trace out of the auditorium.

Jennifer Hargrove – Tenny’s job-coach – saw the events unfold and quietly moved to the rear exit. Principal Baker nodded her approval.

Alone with her boss, Baker spoke about Trace: “Real charming Chief-of-Staff you have.”

The Superintendent responded casually that Trace was just doing her job. Then she added: “You should do yours and find what’s his name?”

Baker assured that Jennifer would find “what’s his name” Tenny and continued, “This must add to the stress of coming to a big school like ours.”

“Not really,” said the Superintendent. “Pretty routine.”

Baker ignored her denial: “Then you’ve got to cut the budget and maintain one of the highest graduation rates in the district.”

The Superintendent looked up: “And you want to know if your job’s on the line.”

Baker pushed back hard: “I want to know why you took this job. And why now?”

“I was finally ready,” the Superintendent said.

The Principal made her move: “Ready to stop running?”

The Superintendent brushed her off, “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

Baker pressed, “You took every job in the east just to avoid this one.”

Di Stefano blocked her, “I was building my skills.”

Finally Baker closed in, “You were building an alibi. But now . . . now . . . there’s nowhere left to hide.”

(Tenny’s Theme fades up)

You’ve just listened to Episode Three of the series SEVENTEEN.

Theme music is through the courtesy of Lemon Music Studio at PixaBay.

The Three Fifty-seven is written and produced by William Spear.

Thank you for listening.

(Tenny’s Theme fades out)

Tuesday 14 March 2023 – SEVENTEEN, Episode Two – Who Said That

By
William E. Spear

Volume 1, Issue 11

This episode may be found through the link below. Enjoy!

~~

Full Transcript –

SEVENTEEN, PODCAST EPISODE TWO – Who Said That?

ORIGINAL DATE: 14 MARCH 2023

Hello . . . and welcome to the Three Fifty-seven.

(Tenny’s Theme fades up)

My name is William Spear and this is SEVENTEEN.

(Tenny’s Theme plays)

In the previous episode, Tenny, the janitor, collapsed after being overwhelmed by an ancient memory. His job coach, Jennifer Hargrove, is helping him to stand up.

And now, Episode Two titled WHO SAID THAT?

(Tenny’s Theme plays then fades out)

Jennifer helped Tenny to stand. Once upright his knees threatened to give out again and he leaned on the wall for support.

She asked him, “What happened?” but Tenny looked across the auditorium.

“New ‘super’ come to close the school,” she said. “And finish my chance of going to college.”

Tenny walked away and Jennifer reminded he didn’t need the cane.

The new super was Mills di Stefano. Pulled back hair with silver-rimmed glasses and a thin metal-banded watch. Professional through and through.

Di Stefano was talking with D. B. Baker – the school’s principal. Baker presided over the once-dynamic Gunderson High School now mired in a miserable economy.

She had applied for the Superintendent job but lost.

With them was Trace Jones – the Chief of Staff – of di Stefano. All the gloss of her boss but only a few years removed from college.

A couple of teachers were also present.

Tenny approached the group and Baker introduced him.

He sniffed at Jones but wrinkled his nose. He moved to di Stefano, inhaled, and repeated. His eyes lit up.

He shook his head up and down, dropped his cane, and staggered backwards.

Chief Jones spoke: “Let me help you find a rocking chair, Old-timer.”

She hooked her arm through his and guided him away.

A thousand voices screamed inside of Tenny – “Tenny don’t!” “No. Don’t!” “Don’t let her do that!” “Tenny! No-o-o-o!” He spun around and his movement sent Jones flying into a row of chairs.

Then he pounded his chest, yelled, “Seventeen!”, and ran out of the auditorium.

(Tenny’s Theme fades up)

You’ve just listened to Episode Two of SEVENTEEN.

Theme music is through the courtesy of Lemon Music Studio at PixaBay.

The Three Fifty-seven is written and produced by William Spear.

Thank you for listening.

(Tenny’s Theme fades out)

Tuesday 7 March 2023 – SEVENTEEN, Episode One – Tenny

By
William E. Spear

Volume 1, Issue 10

This episode may be found through the link below. Enjoy!

~~

Full Transcript –

SEVENTEEN, PODCAST EPISODE ONE – Tenny

ORIGINAL DATE: 7 MARCH 2023

(Tenny’s Theme fades up)

Hello . . . and welcome to the Three Fifty-seven.

(Tenny’s Theme plays)

My name is William Spear and this is Episode One of our new series titled SEVENTEEN.

(Tenny’s Theme plays)

Severin Vincent Tennyson is a janitor in central New Jersey, U.S.A. He does not speak. Further, voices and smells provoke feelings from his past.

He is about to have a memory he hasn’t felt in a long time.

And now, SEVENTEEN.

(Tenny’s Theme plays then fades out)

Severin Vincent Tennyson pushed his broom across the Gunderson High School basketball court.

Nicknamed Tenny, he is hunched over the broom cleaning a four-foot-wide path.

When he got to the far end, he turned around, and aimed for his cane.

He never skipped any panels and never swept any more than once. Exactly twenty-one were cleaned each time.

Every now and then he stopped, straightened up, sniffed, and listened for smells or sounds only he could sense. If everything was clear, he would return to his brooming routine.

All around him, the auditorium was filling for a school board meeting. But Tenny continued sweeping the basketball court.

He turned and aimed for his cane but it was gone!

He looked around and couldn’t find it. Then a voice called to him:

“Tenny. Over here!”

This was a real voice but he could not remember who she was. He shrugged his shoulders to ask, “Who are you?”

“It’s me Jennifer,” she reminded him.

“Jennifer” was Jennifer Hargrove his job coach. She was holding his cane, his medicine, and walking to him.

“You know you don’t really need the cane,” she smiled knowing he would use it anyway.

Tenny rubbed his temple and winced. “Bad?” she asked and he shook his head, “Yes.”

She handed him the medicine and water.

A group of people walked into the auditorium. Tenny straightened and looked around.

Jennifer waited for the moment pass – she was used to this. But the moment did not pass.

He sniffed in the direction of the new people. He sniffed again and from the farthest corner of his mind Tenny felt an explosion throughout his body and he dropped to one knee.

(Tenny’s Theme fades up)

You’ve just listened to Episode One of SEVENTEEN.

Tenny’s Theme is through the courtesy of Lemon Music Studio at PixaBay.

The Three Fifty-seven is written and produced by William Spear.

Thank you for listening.

(Tenny’s Theme fades out)

Tuesday 28 February 2023 – DEAD AIR

By
William E. Spear

Volume 1, Issue 9

This episode may be found through the link below. Enjoy!

~~

Full Transcript –

DEAD AIR, PODCAST EPISODE TWO

ORIGINAL DATE: 28 FEBRUARY 2023

Hello . . . and welcome to The Three Fifty-seven.

[The Theme for Dead Air plays]

My name is William Spear and this is Episode Two of DEAD AIR.

[The Theme for Dead Air plays]

The Voice of Aissu announced plans to redress crimes against Eniark from more than one hundred years ago. Families torn apart during the Dark Times would be reunited. However, Eniark would cease to exist as a separate country.

And now . . . DEAD AIR.

[Fade up Air Raid Siren]

The air raid warnings cried throughout the country. Men and women who were old when Ninety-oners reigned cranked the machines that sang with the others:

“Vailykona, Kainzilaz, and Sylotria! Hear our prayers!
“Raise your voices so the new Ninety-oners may hear.
“Help them experience the songs of you ancestors
“And learn from our past struggles.”

[Continue Air Raid Siren]

The Voice of Aissu interrupted the chorus and revelled: “Yes, yes! We, too, remember your pain! Our Special Ambassadors have entered Eniark to end your suffering. Make glorious noises to embrace them and end your struggles.”

[Fade out Air Raid Siren and fade up Church Bell]

Another verse rose across the country and more Eniarkians joined:

“O! Belov’d Tlnno Dkkahessu!
“Great leader from our troubled past. The fam’ly needs
“Your help to avoid another Dark Time.
“Stand with us to preserve our heritage.”

[Continue Church Bell and fade up Air Raid Siren]

The Voice raged: “Eniark, your country is a lie. Aissu the Greater is your only heritage. The Special Ambassadors will reach your capital in two days.”

The Anthem rose with its Chorus:

“Body and soul we give to sing our country’s songs,
“And have a voice which is separate from all Others.”

The Voice lifted its anger: “You do not have a separate voice. You have always been ours and we are reasserting our ownership! Special Ambassadors will enter every home in less than three weeks. There . . . is . . . no . . . other . . . way.”

[Continue Church Bell and fade out Air Raid Siren]

Every voice in Eniark rose as one:

“We recall the words of Tlnno Dkkahessu: “Weep
“For our oppressors . . . then destroy them!”

[Continue Church Bell to end]

You have just listened to Episode Two of DEAD AIR.

[The Theme for Dead Air plays to end]

Theme music is through the courtesy of Yevhenii Kovalenko. Sound effects are by SoundReality. Both are at PixaBay.

The Three Fifty-seven is written and produced by William Spear.

Thank you for listening.

[Fade out Church Bell and theme for DEAD AIR]

Tuesday 21 February 2023 – DEAD AIR

By
William E. Spear

Volume 1, Issue 8

The Voice of the Power station continued: “To understand these presently strained circumstances and future corrections we must turn to history. For more than a thousand years Eniarkians and Aissuvians were one people.”

“Throughout time we had a common historical and spiritual space. Our shared ancestry grew from Old Aissu. A single language created economic ties that spanned a millennium.”

“However, in the midst of Dark Times from a century ago were those who divided us and pitted one group against one another. During that time, when our modern country began to emerge, our own leaders severed land from Aissu and created Eniark. They did this horrible thing without asking the millions of people living there what they thought.”

As the Voice of Power spewed, Eniarkians chanted WEEP, their national anthem:

“Eniark! Oh, Eniark! Long may your music ever play!
“Where Brothers and Sisters sing your songs and then
“The discord of our enemies will be silenced
“And we shall rule our much-loved country once more.”

Before the chorus was spoken, the Power continued: “Citizens of Aissu and Friends around the world. The harsh treatment of Eniark is important for us. I am speaking to explain what happened as well as future steps.”

“Eniark has always been an inalienable part of our own history, culture, and spiritual space. They are comrades, colleagues, friends, and people. We are a single people bound by blood and by family ties. Because of these facts, Eniark was never meant as a separate country.”

Eniarkians gathered in hamlets and villages around the country. They convened emergency meetings in towns and cities. Everyone everywhere denounced the aggressor.

The Power went on: “The scars of misguided Aissuvian leaders were allowed to lay open for more than seven decades. Today, we are taking action to address their past crimes and reunify families long torn apart.”

Another verse of the National Anthem was begun but cut short by a sound most had never heard and others prayed would not come again. It started low and escalated to a high-pitched wail that reached every corner of the country.

It was the sound of air raid sirens.

The End.

WES

Tuesday 14 February 2023 – DEAD AIR

By
William E. Spear

Volume 1, Issue 7

This episode may be found through the link below. Enjoy!

~~

Full Transcript –

DEAD AIR, PODCAST EPISODE ONE

ORIGINAL DATE: 14 FEBRUARY 2023

Hello . . . and welcome to The Three Fifty-seven.

[The Dead Air Theme plays]

My name is William Spear and this is Podcast Episode One of DEAD AIR.

[The Dead Air Theme plays]

Rose FM’s liberation program has been performed annually on Eniark’s Independence Day. But this year, the broadcast has been interrupted.

And now, DEAD AIR.

[The Dead Air Theme plays]

The flat-toned Announcer repeated its declaration: “Welcome to Power FM. The power of the East.”

The millions of listeners in Eniark stopped their dinners, their parenting, their arguing, or whatever their lives were at that moment.

The Announcer continued: “Some of you will remember us from the past. That diminishes our present greatness and we no longer accept such limits.”

[Interior Music]

Millions listened in disbelief. Eniark separated itself in ninety-one. Forged its own way as a sovereign entity and built relationships around the world based on its own humanity.

The Announcer resumed its demeanor: “You have been told you are a separate nation. That is a lie! The great Tlnno Dkkahessu – who is rightfully worshipped and adored – never intended to split us.”

All Eniarkians leaned toward their radios.

Once more the Announcer spoke: “From this moment forward you will be known as the Lesser Aissu and we . . . we who share with you a heritage and border . . . we who seek to reunite us . . . we who are the descendants of Tlnno Dkkahessu . . . we shall be called Aissu the Greater!

[Interior Music]

You have just listened to Episode One of DEAD AIR.

Theme music is through the courtesy of Yevhenii Kovalenko. Interior music is by Alexi Action. Both are at PixaBay.

The Three Fifty-seven is written and produced by William Spear.

Thank you for listening.

[The Dead Air Theme plays]

The End.

Tuesday 7 February 2023 – DEAD AIR

By
William E. Spear

Volume 1, Issue 6

Rose FM was broadcasting an evening of live music. The show started with A PRAYER FOR YOU, THE NIGHT IS SHARP, and THE DAWN by The MyLen Piano Quartet.

Next was a series of Steffie T. symphonies. The first was titled EMIGRATION ELEGY. The audience in the station roared its approval and applauded thunderously. The cheering got louder when the orchestra launched into YOUR ABSENCE.

Rose FM was the national radio station of Eniark. Every home had a radio and most listened only to the channel. During the day was aired news, business, weather, and the requirements to be an informed Eniarkian. But at night, music to fill the soul ruled the airwaves.

YOUR ABSENCE finished and the ceremonial concluding piece, WEEP, began. Within a few notes, listeners heard the following:

“This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. Rose FM has developed this system to keep you informed in the event of an emergency.”

It was a regularly scheduled recorded alert and many listeners laughed. There hadn’t been an emergency in Eniark for 27 years. Others called the station to vent anger over interrupting the national anthem. Still others waited silently.

The alert continued:

“If this had been an actual emergency . . .”

There was a silence. Then tapping on a microphone was heard followed by a cough and clearing of a throat. With no emotion or inflection, an Announcer spoke:

“Welcome to Power FM.”

The End.

WES