The Supernatural Radio Network

The Supernatural Radio Network.
By Stephen A Abell - Monday 22nd February 2021

Number of Words - 299

Does anybody listen to the radio any more? I don't. Who needs bland and annoying DJ's pushing corporate playlists, when you have Spotify?. I'd forgotten the wind-up radio I'd bought years before; until I cleared out the spare room.

Would the dynamo sustain a sufficient charge? After two minutes of winding, I pushed the on button; Tchaikovsky flowed into the room. I'd bought the gadget so it could dispatch me into dreamland. After two hours, the dynamo would lose its charge sending the room into quiet.

Dialling through the waves, I passed the usual diatribe. Reaching the end of the frequency range, the wheel kept turning. Strange, it usually resisted movement. Broke, I thought as I kept thumbing.

"I've got a story to tell you, and promise it's real."

The sudden booming voice, rich in ominousness, shocked me into dropping the radio.

The rubber casing prevented any damage. I wish it hadn't.

The rich overtones of the stranger had uttered my name and were in the process of describing my finding the radio. Stunned, I couldn't move.

"Frozen with fear," he continued, "he heard the front door unlatch and gradually open." Damn, he wasn't wrong!

"His heart raced as the slow dragging echoed up from the downstairs hallway. Reaching the stairs, the interloper proceeded upwards with muffled dead thuds. Oh, God, he thought."

Oh, God.

"On the thirteenth thud, it reached the landing. He turned to look at the door. It was now only a few steps away. The dragging began again."

"Holding his breath, he watched in trepidation as the door banged in its frame."

"The door flew open."

The heart attack was quick. Before blacking out, he recognised his wife dragging a large box. The Christmas decorations from her mums.

Danse Macabre played on the radio.

For the "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"   by Arakun the twisted raccoon