"Come on," said Carlos, fiddling with his GPS. He was late, and a scientist should never be late. It was crucial that he get to this odd desert town to meet up with his coworkers. Apparently, the town was a huge phenomenon that defies most of the laws of science... and reality. He banged the GPS on the dash in frustration. The radio fizzled to life.

"A friendly desert community where the sun is hot, the moon is beautiful, and mysterious lights pass overhead while we all pretend to sleep. Welcome to Night Vale."

Carlos listened through the piano music, lulled in by it's beauty and the almost hypnotic voice of the show host.

"Hello listeners," cooed the voice on the radio. "To start things off, I've been asked to read this brief notice: the city council announces the opening of a new dog park at the corner of Earl and Summerset near the Ralph's."

"Oh," Carlos thought aloud. "That seems rather nice-"

"They would like to remind everyone that dogs are not allowed in the dog park. People are not allowed in the dog park. It is possible you will see hooded figures in the dog park. Do not approach them. Do not approach the dog park. The fence is electrified and highly dangerous. Try not to look at the dog park, and especially do not look for any period of time at the hooded figures. The dog park will not harm you." He said this all in a relatively monotonous and dark tone.

"And now the news." said the voice.

The second Carlos heard that, he noticed that he had driven out of the endless desert and into a town. It was a beautiful town, though it contrasted the colors of the desert. It wasn't oranges and reds like you'd expect it to be. Night Vale was a city of blues and purples and blacks. His GPS still wasn't functioning, but somehow he'd have to find a way the lab to meet up with his team.

Parking in an old car lot, Carlos walked a bit further and came to a modest little house. He knocked and a small old woman answered. "Yes?" she said sweetly. Behind her, shadowy, threatening figures loomed.

Carlos couldn't say anything for sheer terror of the figures, so he ran. He didn't stop until he came to the door of the radio station. Maybe someone here can give me directions. A bit cautiously, he stepped in.

It looked like the entrance to any regular office building, except the walls and most of the furniture was purple or black. No one was at the front desk. Out of sheer curiosity, Carlos walked down the hall behind the desk a bit. He encountered no one but came to a door. Dear God. thought Carlos. Please be somewhat normal.

Opening the door, he found a man sitting in a large office chair. The man was surrounded by many old-looking machines and appeared to be talking to himself. "Hello," Carlos said. "I'm new in town and I was wondering-"

"A new man came into town today," said the man, turning in his chair and revealing himself. He had white hair, but tanned skin. Peeking out from under his clothes (he was rather well-dressed actually) you could see glowing and slithering tattoos.

Carlos gasped a little.

"Who is he? What does he want from us?" The man practically slithered around him, staring at him as if studying a piece of art. Carlos became uncomfortable.

"Why his perfect and beautiful haircut? Why his perfect and beautiful coat?"

"Er-I'm a scientist," Carlos managed to spit out. He was a bit confused by this other man.

"He says he is a scientist." The other man was still speaking into the microphone, which he had taken off the desk. He put an arm around Carlos. "Well, we have all been scientists and one point or another in our lives. But why now? Why here?" His eyebrow raised inquisitively. "And just what does he plan to do with all those breakers and humming electrical instruments in that lab he is renting—the one next to Big Rico's Pizza? No one does a slice like Big Rico's." Looking right into Carlos's eyes, he repeated, "No one."

Carlos stood there blinking as the other man slipped a piece of paper into his hand and continued with his broadcast. "Just a reminder to all of the parents out there..."

Carlos unfolded the paper.

The station management is probably after you right now. Run.

XOXO Cecil

Under that was a phone number, presumably Cecil's. Not wanting to know why the station management was to be feared, he ran out of the studio door and ran smack into an intern. "Do you know where Big Rico's is?" Carlos inquired.

""Down the street. Take a the third left and just keep going. You'll see it."

With a quick "Thanks!" for the intern, Carlos sprinted out of the station and over to Big Rico's Pizza.

"-and that's about it," finished one of the scientists. Carlos vaguely recalled his name was Dan.

"That's it?" said Carlos. "This whole town is insane! Do the citizens even know what is going on? They couldn't even understand why scientists were here!"

"Then let's call a town meeting or something," said Maybe-Dan.

"Can we do that?"

"I don't see why not."

Carlos was lost among the crowd of citizens. He was looking for at least some sort of platform to stand up on, to tell and ask the city of Night Vale what was going on. As he pushed through a crowd towards a bench he noticed, the old woman from earlier offered him a corn muffin. "They lack salt a bit, but the angels needed my salt for a mission."

Politely declining, Carlos continued through the crowd. When he finally reached and stood on the bench, the people went silent.

"People of Night Vale," he said in what he hoped was an official-sounding tone. "My name is Carlos, and me and my team of scientists have come to study your town."

No response.

"Your town is actually very interesting. In the world of science, we'd call it a phenomenon. You are probably the most scientifically interesting town in the US."

Yet again the crowd remained silent.

"I have come to figure out just exactly what goes on here," the scientist concluded and stepped down.

This time the crowd let out gasps of fear and started whispering to each other. As Carlos walked back to his lab, he caught bits and peices of it.

"Is he crazy?"

"The secret police won't like this."

"I fear for him."

Instead of going back to the lab though, the other scientists convinced him to check out this house in a development known as "Desert Creek".

"Okay Carlos," said Maybe-Dan. "You might need to prepare yourself mentally. What you're about to see makes absolutely no sense whatsoever."

Carlos let out a breath of air. "I'm ready."

Maybe-Dan led him over to a row of three identical houses. They were all a nice lavender color with white shutters. The doors, however, didn't fit the houses. They were old, oak doors with brass knobs. It didn't work with the modern style of the three homes. Looking at it more closely, Carlos began to think there may be only two. "Does the middle one even exist?"

"That's the thing, Carlos," another scientist, who Carlos knew was named Sam, jogged up behind them. "The middle one seems to exist, which would make sense, as it's between two identical houses, but it, in fact, does not. We ran experiments on all three houses. The results on the one in the middle showed that it does not exist."

"How odd," said Carlos. He began to ponder what might actually be going on.

"I dare you to go knock on the door," said Maybe-Dan.

"Come on, guys." Carlos rolled his eyes. "Let's just keep this professional."

"Fine." Maybe-Dan turned to Definitely-Sam. "I dare you to knock on the door."

"Why don't you?" Sam retorted.

"Because I dared you to."

Carlos walked away from the petty argument. Picking up a notebook, he jotted down a few scientific notes, and then ripped a different page out and wrote a note.

Cecil,

I am writing this to you for non-personal reasons. There's a house at Desert Creek that doesn't exist. It seems like it does, but my team had run several tests on it that proves it doesn't. It seems like it exists, like it's just right there when you look at it. And it's between two other identical houses, so it would make more sense for it to be there than not. But it is definitely not there. Now my team will not focus and merely stands on the side walk as they dare each other to knock on the door."

~Carlos

He folded it and handed it to another scientist nearby. This one was female, which was odd, because he didn't remember hiring any. Maybe she was an intern. "Take this to the radio station. Tell them it's for Cecil." The scientist was happy to oblige and started in the direction of the radio station.

Suddenly, another strolled up to him. "Carlos, we are getting reports from our station on Route 800 that there are high levels of seismic activity in the area."

"That's odd. I don't feel the earth violently quaking. Are the monitors broken?"

"We have been told no."

Carlos sighed and began to write another note to Cecil. A radio broadcast was probably the best way to get the word out. Or maybe you just want to talk to him. a little voice in the back of his head said. He shushed the little voice and folded the note. By then the intern had come back, and he told her he had another note for Cecil. She giggled and said, "You know, if you keep sending me to talk to your boyfriend, they'll offer me an internship there."

"He's not my boyfriend," Carlos automatically replied.

"Right," she said. "And Grizzly Adams didn't have a beard. You should hear the way he talks about you on his show. I wish I had a man that sweet."

"The way he- what?" Carlos was bright red with embarrassment.

"It's adorable. I'll show you what he says when you the replay is on later."

"When-what?" But the intern had already left. Maybe I should go visit Cecil later, just to make sure he got the letters.

He waited about two minutes before making his way towards the radio station.

Walking into the station, Carlos went straight for the studio. As he opened the door, he heard that beautiful voice.

"And now, the weather."

Cecil hit a button and then turned around. "Hello, Carlos," he said brightly. "What's new?"

"Did you get my notes?"

"Yep, and I told everyone out there what was going on. Station Management wasn't exactly happy, judging from the odd noise I've been hearing, but that's no big deal."

"Oh. I didn't mean to get you in trouble," said Carlos.

"No, no. It's fine. I'm always happy to help."

"Well thank you, Cecil."

After a long, awkward silence, Carlos's Iphone buzzed. He opened it. Sam was face-timing him. "Do you mind if I get that, Cecil?"

"No. It's fine. I bet it's important, scientific things."

Carlos clicked answer and it was not Sam's face that greeted him, but the voice of the intern. "HiCarlosit'sDanathesundidn'tsetattherighttimeandI'mkindofscaredbecauseeveryoneis-"

"Calm down, Dana. Speak slowly. What is going on?"

Dana breathed in and out deeply."According to the scientists, the sun set ten minutes too late. Now they're all just- well, look!"

She turned the camera and it showed all of the scientists sitting around a table and looking at a clock. They were all making strange noises.

"What's wrong?" asked Cecil, making Carlos jump. Carlos hadn't noticed, but Cecil was looking over his shoulder the whole time.

"The sun didn't set at the right time. It set ten minutes late."

"How can a sun be late? How can it have a set time in the first place?"

"Because science, Cecil."

"Oh is that Cecil with you?" said Dana. She turned the camera back to face her. "Oh look at you two. What an adorable couple!" Carlos began to protest but she cut him off. "Okay I have to go. See you Carlos! Bye Cecil!"

Carlos put the phone in his pocket and took out another device. "Do you mind if I test the place for materials?"

"Go ahead," said Cecil.

As Carlos turned on the device, Cecil watched him like a hawk, well, not exactly like a hawk. Cecil had this look of adoration and affection in his eyes, but Carlos barely noticed. The device beeped and lit up and spun around. Carlos's eyes widened. No. There can't be that much of that here.

He looked up at Cecil, who had a hopeful smile on his face. "Carlos, would you mind being interviewed for the show?"

"I'd love to Cecil, but I have to go back to the lab. You need to evacuate the building right now. It's dangerous. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Sure. Good-bye, lovely Carlos."

"That new scientist — we now know it's named Carlos — called a town meeting. He has a square jaw, and teeth like a military cemetery. His hair is perfect, and we all hate, and despair, and love that perfect hair in equal Woman Josie brought corn muffins which were decent, but lacked salt. She said the Angels had taken her salt for a Godly mission, and she hadn't yet gotten around to buying told us that we are by far the most scientifically interesting community in the U.S., and he had come to study just what is going on around here. He grinned, and everything about him was perfect, and I fell in love instantly."

"Now do you see why I thought he was your boyfriend?" Dana asked of Carlos.

"That's- that's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said about me," he replied. There was even a tear in his right eye. "But my relationship with Cecil is strictly professional."

Dana put her face in her hand in annoyance. "It doesn't seem that way to Cecil."

Or to me. Carlos thought.