The Narrowcast: Tree Lighting (Live Feed)
The National Analog Media Archive began a tremendous effort to catalog and preserve all forms of analog media. One such area of media was public access broadcasts. After the meticulous process of collecting and reviewing an incredible amount of hours of footage, the process had been completed and the archives were made available to the public.
However, within the many hours of shows and film projects, there were some oddities that caused concern due to unusual content. These selected airings were vaulted due to content deemed too intense for the public to view.
These are the stories of the strangeness found within the narrowcast.
A black screen burst with color as the feed to the festivities in the town center of Brackerston. Snow covered the ground around the giant Christmas tree that stood tall over the large crowd that mingled about. The camera remained focused on the tree as it began to slowly zoom out and pan down. A woman in a heavy white coat and red scarf came into view. She was holding onto a microphone and she spoke with bubbly enthusiasm
“Hello, Mary Blake here, and welcome all to the winter festival here in downtown Brakerston. It is a busy and joyous occasion here as we get set for the lighting of the tree. Folks from all over Brackerston have come down despite the frigid temperatures to enjoy arts and crafts, live music, delicious food and festive atmosphere that has made Brackerston quite the tourist town during this time of year.” Mary said to the camera.
“We apologize for the technical difficulties from earlier. The cold has really been bringing out the gremlins with our broadcast. Luckily we have just a moment or so before the tree lighting begins, so let's see if we can get a better look.” Mary said and gestured for the camera to follow.
Mary then began to walk into the crowd, looking back with her effervescent smile as she went. Her cheeks had begun to redden from the cold, but she was undaunted in her report.
“The tree is about to be lit, and we are going to try to make our way through the crowd here to get the best look. This year we have a nearly thirty foot giant that has been decorated by the local girl and boy scouts. Several local businesses have also contributed, and the tree is truly a beautiful representation of the town we all love.” Mary squeezed through and around the traffic of humanity as she spoke.
Mary moved quickly, and the camera followed. Through the sea of winter coats and clouds of steam rising from hot cocoas, the camera stayed with Mary as she entered a sort of clearing near the base of the tree.
Mary approached a portly looking gentleman dressed in a very fancy and festive suit.
“Mayor Ross, what a night! What can you say about the festivities tonight?” Mary asked.
“It's been so nice to see how our community comes together and can really make nights like these so special. Now, if you excuse me, I have a tree to light!” Mayor Ross said with a giggle and turned to a nearby podium. Mayor Ross stepped up to a small microphone on the podium and spoke to the crowd. The camera focused on the mayor, blurring for a moment before becoming a clear shot once again.
“Hello everyone, and Merry Christmas to you all! Now I know its cold out there so I won’t drag this on with any long speeches. I just want to say how happy I am to see you all, and hope nothing but the best for you this holiday season. Now, let's light this tree!” The mayor was very emphatic with the last line, and the crowd roared.
“Give me a countdown from three. Ready? Three! Two! One! Merry…” The mayor hit a switch to light the tree, and as he did all the power in the whole square went out. The square had become dark and quiet and the crowd began to murmur and snicker about the failed lighting. Only a soft blue hue from the moon offered any light at all.
The camera, running on a separate battery, continued to roll as a green flash burst from above.
Just as quickly as the lights had gone, the square was illuminated once more as a glimmering green beam of light shot from the tree straight into the air. The ornaments on the tree shimmered in the eerie light, and the crowd began to whisper in awe at the sight. The pine needles within the tree seemed to glow at their tips. The tree had gathered the focus of the entire crowd.
Until the saucer descended.
The green beam was not coming from the tree, but from an enormous silver disc hovering in the sky. It had descended low, now hovering some few hundred feet above the tree. The crowd gasped in horror as lights of green, red, and gold spun around the edges of the saucer.
The camera looked up at the shape in the sky, then back down to Mary who was in a state of shock, she looked back into the camera, trembling.
A glimmering beam of red light shot from the saucer and encased Mayor Ross who screamed violently as he began to be lifted off the ground by some unseen force.
Several more beams of green, red, and gold shot down from the saucer, snatching others from the crowd. The sky became filled with pained and agonized screams. The ground became a wave of humanity trying to flee and escape.
A man pushed by Mary to flee. As he did, a green beam encircled him. He was frozen within, but his arm had extended outside of the beam just before it had locked him in. He wretched and howled as he was lifted off the ground within the beam. The man's arm that was outside of the glistening green beam was not ascending with him. Despite the roaring panic of the swirling madness all around, the camera’s audio could pick up the disgusting sound of the man’s arm being torn asunder. The man continued to rise within the beam, and his bloody appendage fell to the ground.
Mary pushed the cameraman to move as the crowd entered a full state of chaos. A gold beam surrounded Mary as a shrill shriek escaped from her throat.
Her ascent had begun.
The camera turned from her and began to shake as the cameraman attempted his furious retreat.
The screen then became a bright and vivid hue of red as the camera crashed and tumbled onto the ground. The camera lay sideways on the ground as it recorded the legs of the cameraman twitching as they ascended into the red light.
The crowd swarmed over the camera, kicking it about until it came to rest looking back at the tree. The saucer hovered just above its peak. Flashing beams of red, gold, and green burst out in rapid succession, creating a vivid and mesmerizing display of unyielding terror.
The signal to the live feed dropped out, and the broadcast ended.