Sunday, July 19, 2009

Radio waves will continue into space long after we're gone

The faint sounds of a transistor radio could be heard wafting through the empty building. The tinny sounds seeming out of place somehow, almost too boisterous for the silent surroundings. It was a lively swing tune, full of brassy horns and trumpets. A single male voice crooned along, extolling the magnificence of being in love during the spring.
His voice echoed in the empty halls, bouncing around the rooms, devoid of people but not furniture. The old couches and chairs and tables and desks all sat, as they had without occupants for many years, the dust in thick layers on them, and in dancing motes in the sun light that made it in through the dirty windows. The song faded. It was ending. It was soon replaced by another piece, this one much the same, although slower, and with a female singer. She was sultry, smoky, and was probably on the piano as she sang.
He could see her in his mind. She was beautiful. He turned the handle of the faucet and soon the sound of running water echoed in the emptiness as well. He didn't know why he tried to warm it up. There'd not been warm water in this building for years. He splashed his face, the water trickling down his scruffy beard and back into the sink. As he dried his face with the threadbare towel, the song started to change again, but the radio went silent. The whole building went silent. The whole world went silent.

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