"The desert seems vast, endless, and yet scientists tell us somewhere, even now, there is snow."
"Welcome to Night Vale."
I told him that. thought Carlos, sitting next to the radio in his lab. He had gotten into the habit of listening to Cecil's show every day. It was the best way to learn about odd events occurring in the community. The scientists were still investigating the house that doesn't exist, but Carlos had other science things to do.
After talking about the new Radon Canyon tourism posters, Cecil said, "And now, the news."
"Have any of our listeners seen the glowing cloud that has been moving in from the west? Well, John Peters- you know, the farmer? He saw it over the western ridge this morning. Said he would have thought it was the setting sun if it wasn't for the time of day."
A glowing cloud? What could that be? Carlos had studied many clouds in his time, but he had never heard of one that glows.
"Apparently the cloud glows in a variety of colors, perhaps changing from observer to observer, although all report a low whistling when it draws near."
Carlos took out a notepad and began writing this down.
"One death has already been attributed to the Glow Cloud. But listen, it's probably nothing. If we had to shut down the town for every mysterious event that at least one death could be attributed to, we'd never have time to do anything, right? That's what the Sheriff's Secret Police are saying, and I agree. Although, I would not go so far as to endorse their suggestion to run directly at the cloud, shrieking and waving your arms, just to see what it does."
Okay so the cloud can kill. Is it some sort of poisonous gas? Are there projectiles coming out of it? Should I run at it shrieking and waving my arms? All of these questions and more were running through his head. "Dana!" he called.
"Yes, Carlos?" She popped around the corner. Dana was now Carlos's favorite intern. She didn't mind running errands or to the radio station. She showed up every morning to the lab or site right on time, bright-eyed and bushy-haired. She was a good little intern and a decent scientist-in-the-making.
"Have you heard of this glow cloud?"
"As a matter of fact, I was just talking to John Peters- you know, the farmer? He said it was over by Mission Grove Park. Are we going to go see it?"
"No, Dana, we are going to examine it." Carlos plopped some testing equipment into Dana's arms. "We need to run tests and see what this thing is."
"We know what it is. It's a cloud." Night Vale citizens weren't very keen on questioning things. It must have been so nice to not question everything, as is the job of a scientist.
"You see Dana, that is where you are wrong. If death is attributed and it is glowing, it is definitely no ordinary cloud." He held the door open for her to load the equipment into the trunk. "And we are going to find out what it is."
So the pair drove out to Mission Grove and when they arrived, John Peters- you know, the farmer? was already standing in the middle of the park.
Carlos got out of the car and was greeted by a gust of wind that knocked him over. His long, black hair flew in his face. Someday I am just going to cut this all off. He stood up and brushed off his lab coat. Looking up, Carlos saw it.
The glow cloud.
It was a massive thing. The cloud was purple. No red. No blue. No pink. All of the colors were dizzying. Sure enough, Carlos heard the noise, the low whistling that accompanied the cloud. The light from the cloud was bright, and looking at it too long was like looking at the sun.
Helping Dana with the testing machines, he walked over to John Peters- you know, the farmer? and began to set up.
John barely acknowledged Dana and Carlos. He just kept looking at the cloud, but then he said, "Huh, would you look at that."
Carlos did. The glow cloud was now raining small animals. There were lizards and crows and rodents coming out of this giant cloud.
John Peters took out his phone. Carlos could hear a feint snarling noise coming from the other end of the line. "Hey is this station management?" More snarling. "Well can you tell Cecil that John Peters is looking at the glow cloud, which is directly above Old Town Night Vale, and it is now currently raining small mammals?" Snarl. "What kind of animals? I don't know. Crows, lizards, armadillos, that kind of thing!"
Dana was also on her phone, talking to Animal Control. "How soon can you get here? Are you on your way?" The intern was now yelling over the wind.
Carlos, meanwhile, was getting extremely informative readings. It appeared the cloud was, at the very least, a living thing. It was also currently moving towards them.
"Take cover!" screamed Dana.
Carlos, John, and Dana quickly went to huddle under some of the few trees in Mission Grove Park. Dead animals surrounded them, and suddenly, everything went black.
"ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY GLOW CLOUD."
"WE ARE BUT PATHETIC HUMANS. WE MUST HAIL THE GLOW CLOUD."
"THE GLOW CLOUD IS SUPREME."
"ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY GLOW CLOUD."
Carlos, John, and Dana came to. "What just happened?" Dana asked Carlos.
"Well- I think- I think the glow cloud just passed over us." He looked at the pile of dead small mammals outside of the trees. "Yes it was definitely the glow cloud."
"So it has some weird mind control abilities?" said John Peters.
Carlos merely looked up in horror as the glow cloud was floating away.
Floating towards the Night Vale Community Radio Station.
Cecil.
Carlos made a break for it. He ran after the cloud. Dana caught up to him, grabbing his lab coat. "It's fine," she said. "Cecil is indoors. He'll be okay."
Instead of calming down, Carlos ran to the car. He put the keys in the ignition and turned on the radio.
"The Glow Cloud does not need to converse with us. It does not feel as we tiny humans feel. It has no need for thoughts or feelings of love." Cecil's voice was terrifyingly monotonous.
"The Glow Cloud simply is."
"All hail the mighty Glow Cloud!"
"All hail!"
Oh no. Carlos thought.
"And now, slaves of the Cloud, the weather."
As the music began to play, Carlos couldn't help but laugh. Cecil always insisted on playing a music track instead of the actuall weather. "It's hot and dry- what else is new?" he would say. The glow cloud could control him, at least temporarily, but Cecil was fine.
And so Carlos and Dana drove back to the lab. That was enough for them that day.
