The Creepy Broadcast [Cryptails #1 Contest]
In Seneca, South Carolina, an unnamed viewer is
channel surfing. He stops on a broadcast of one of his old teachers reading a poem on public television.As he watches, the teacher’s poem is interrupted by cartoons, which features a typical, family on a typical day. It is drawn in an overly detailed but choppy style of the sort fashionable in America in the early ’90s. As the family makes small talk, a broadcast comes on the radio about how mutations are occurring, flesh is melting, and monsters are emerging from the sea. The family ignores this, despite the fact a green light is coming in through the windows and their skin is becoming jaundiced. They go about their day, absorbing more and more of the green glow, which is making them more and more like mutant blobs. The cartoon ends with white text that reads “Report to the nearest shelter immediately. Remaining at private residences is strictly prohibited.” The date of November 17, 2017 is stated in the cartoon, giving the experience a sense of being prophetic. The author of this story is unknown, and the tale itself seems to have emerged sometime around 2011. As bizarre as the cartoon and its predictions are, real life has shown it’s not as far-fetched as you might initially believe. After all, the American Broadcasting Channel, certainly a much bigger target than any public television channel, was once hacked by a man in a Max Headroom mask. The man left behind a much more cryptic message than the one featured in this story.
Source : http://listverse.com/2014/05/23/10-creepy-internet-stories-that-are-disturbingly-believable/
Spooky stuff
I cant sleep when i think about these weird broadcasts
Hi, Atin. Welcome to Cryptails! Your submission has been officially entered into the contest.
The premise of your entry is tremendously powerful. The mere idea of an apocalyptic broadcast being ignored by an entire family as they succumb to the very evils that they were warned about is almost surreal and inherently fascinating, but I believe your story would have greatly benefited from a longer, perhaps more nuanced description of events. Additionally, the syntax of your prose could use some adjustments. I highly recommend using software such as Grammarly (or any other grammar checker) to avoid common mistakes and typos. Finally, while I think that the anecdote about the American Broadcasting Channel was relevant and further developed the mythos upon which you were working, the way you included it into the narrative was somewhat detrimental to the cohesion of your story. I would recommend putting such pieces of information in a separate section to allow the fiction to be experienced in a more direct and immersive manner.
That said, it was a really interesting piece to read!
Good luck in the contest!
All best,
Jean