Hello, gentle listener, and welcome to Nocturnal Transmissions, the fortnightly podcast that brings you dark tales, both old and new, performed by voice artist Kristen Holland.

Please join me, gentle listener, as we travel back through the dusty corridors of time to that distant primitive epoch, April 2019.

In that month, we featured the story Mirror Mirror by Artie Rayno.

This mind-bending podcast within a podcast, well, within a podcast, elicited quite a response from you,

our discerning listenership. On behalf of the quite brilliant RT and our humble production,

thank you for your kind words.

We are certainly glad that it tickled your fancy.

If only there were another story from this wonderful writer we could share with you.

Oh, hang on a moment.

What's this? Nocturnal translation. we could share with you. Oh, hang on a moment.

What's this?

Nocturnal transmissions is proud to present Artie Raynos

Missing, presumed, dead.

The flash blinds me, and a ring and fills my ears.

I don't think I'm dead, but I'm pretty sure that's what's coming next.

I just pray it's not agonizing, And it's quick. But it doesn't come. I'm still here.

My senses come back slowly. Oh, what was that? It must have been a shell.

I didn't even hear it coming.

I don't feel any pain.

I can't feel anything missing or hurt.

I must have gotten lucky.

I checked myself with my hands to make sure.

...