9- One for the Archives (The Reel Player)


Loretta stepped forward. "Oh, I guess I'll tell my tale. Would you believe I used to work in radio?"


Loretta sat on a table, listening to her master record the latest installment of a crime drama. Jack Pierce, detective.

"Now who was the killer, the doctor, the maid or the butler?"

Loretta guessed it was the butler. She had listened to countless hours' worth of radio programs.


"I had no preference when it came to recording. Crime dramas, romances, but I've got a hunch that my last recording was an omen."


"Hey, Eddy, can I borrow your tape deck? Mine wore out."

"Why of course," Master replied.

Loretta was handed over to the other guy. He walked over to the recording studio.

House of Horrors. That was the name of the other guy's show.

"Good evening and welcome to the House of Horrors. I am your host, Karl Kliever." Loretta cringed a bit. It was Phil Davis. Karl Kliever was a character he played.

"Tonight, I tell you the tale of science gone mad."


"I don't remember the exact details of the story, but it involved, well, think of what our situation would look like if we were people."


The reels were removed from Loretta and added to the archive.

Master and Phil sat in the break room, enjoying coffee and donuts. Loretta walked to the door and cracked it open.

"That had to be the scariest thing you've ever narrated on air." Master said, downing his coffee in one gulp. "Where'd you get the idea?"

Phil gave a slight laugh. "I don't know. Maybe I had a nightmare."


"As to how I came here, let's just say Mother Nature forced me here."


It stormed heavily hours later. A tree limb broke free and smashed through the roof. Master and Phil, and their work, were unharmed. Loretta wanted to help them save their work, but she couldn't move when they were looking.

The rain was entering the archives through the hole in the roof. Loretta dashed away, trying to find a dry place to hide.


"I found a spot, but I was so good at hiding, they didn't find me for decades."


The year was 1984. Loretta had the ruins of the radio tower to herself. That was until they wanted to tear the old tower down. A gang of men were sent in to salvage whatever can be salvaged. One found Loretta's hiding spot.

"Hey, look," one of them said. He held Loretta aloft. "An old recorder."

"Don't drop it, that thing could be worth a fortune if it still works." Another man said.


"Velma, my dear, it seems that we are alike in so many ways."

The phonograph laughed. "If you told me that when I first came in, things would be a little better."


Loretta sat on the shelf. She tried reminding herself of the audio dramas she archived.

"Good afternoon," a creepy voice said. "Welcome to a real life house of horrors."

"House of Horrors? The radio show?" Loretta piped up. "I used to record that."

The hanging lamp just stared at her, then spoke up. "I was never a fan of radio. Television was more my thing."