SBR 1.36: Well-Wisher

"'Sam receives a troubling letter about pigeons, and things on the forums take an unusual turn...'"

Events of Note

 * Sam is definitely alive
 * Sam reads a letter from someone who believe they are being hunted

Summary
Sam begins the segment by confessing to the listeners that they thought they might have been dead. He got Anna to check his pulse, temperature, blood pressure, and even his blood sugar. Sam then talks briefly about how he misses Oliver, despite what little time they spent together in the grand scheme of things. They say that their thoughts of Oliver whilst awake are pleasant, if not melancholy, but when Sam dreams, they have found that Oliver mixes in with the other horrors, like the White Door and the empty town.

Sam then shares their good news: Regular Caller Beth returned to the forums. In addition to their reappearance on the site, there has also been a new user with the moniker Mystery Caller, which Sam is convinced is the person who phoned a few weeks ago, accusing Sam of ghostifying them.

From half of Sam's social circle to the other, he then goes on to talk about the cats that have amassed in the studio and the house above it. Revel, Cosmo, and Eggroll are, of course, present, but apparently many other cats have been using the cat trees and feeding. Several of them are present in the studio at any time.

Sam reads the augury forecast and then moves onto the letter that he received from someone known only as Nik. Nik explains how their grandfather died of natural causes, leading to them looking after the carrier pigeons that their grandfather had cared for. There were four pigeons, though the favourite of both Nik and their grandpa was Shelley, who was far more friendly and aesthetically beautiful.

One day, when Nik had let the pigeons out, Shelley returned a day or so later with a note attached to her leg. Their grandfather had friends nearby, and the pigeons visiting the old friends was not unnatural. Nik read the note, addressed to their grandpa. It was from someone called William, regarding a mission that he and Nik's grandpa had been part of near the Nile, and that William was feeling like he was being watched. Nik expressed the news of their grandfather's death, and extended an invitation to the memorial service.

In the returning letter, William was far less polite, but the paranoia in the first letter was far more pronounced in the second correspondence, as William feared that someone had been into his house whilst he was out. Nik expresses his concern for the unknown letter writer.

The next letter that Nik received was slightly burnt, and nearly incoherent. William begged Nik to get help, but Nik had nothing but a house number to go by. They kept searching, and soon found a report regarding William's disappearance. When falling asleep that night, Nik found themself gripped with fear.

They checked on the pigeons the next morning, having barely recovered from the terror of the night before, only to find that the coop was wide open and a mess. Nik found Shelley dead on the floor, bloody. Her eyes, that had once been beady and bright, were gone. Not removed, but instead her skull was as if she had never had eyes in the first place. On Shelley's leg was a note saying 'no survivors'. Nik confides that they believe that they're being hunted, and finish the letter by begging for help.

Sam apologises for Nik's loss, and promises to upload the letter to the forums, where other listeners could offer their aid. They thank the listeners for tuning in, and bids them all a good night.

Characters Featured

 * Sam Enfield
 * Anna Enfield (mentioned)
 * Oliver Boleyn (mentioned)
 * Regular Caller Beth (mentioned)
 * Anna's Fiancé (mentioned)
 * Mystery (mentioned)
 * Revel (Cat) (mentioned)
 * Cosmo (Cat) (mentioned)
 * Eggroll (Cat) (mentioned)

Listeners writing in/mentioned:


 * Nik, regarding a several worrying letters from a friend of their deceased grandfather

Augury Forecast
''The sparrows shift to the centre of the bush. Avoid the centre of town on Friday; there won’t be anywhere to park.''

''If your name begins or ends with the letter ‘K’, do not answer the door between five and ten on Saturday evening to callers that were uninvited. You have been warned.''

''The dawn chorus breaks on a raven’s cry; you’re going to drop your book into the bath. Try standing it on it’s end with the pages fanned out.''

If you are torn between two options that seem of equal weight and importance, toss a coin, and remember that one day the earth will burn into nothing, subsumed by the sun that at this moment sustains all life, and in the end what matters is what you want, not what anybody else thinks, because life is fleeting and nothing is infinite.

''The magpie preens on the low wall in the garden. Soon the fates will allow him to fly again.''

Trivia

 * The letter in this episode was written by Ripley, the voice actor for Rhytidia Delphus and one of the Styklers.
 * The main pigeon in the letter sent in by Nik shares a name with the protagonist of Clockwork Bird, another podcast by Hanging Sloth Studios.