THE MOMENT
If it wasn't a coincidence, someone had a sense of humor. Late-night Larry sat in the director's office at 7:00 p.m. in the evening. He was asked to come in early for some administrative tasks, and once he was there, he learned he was about to be introduced to the station's new owner. A few days earlier one of his callers went into depth about a conspiracy Larry had never heard about, and it stuck with him because his station was supposed to be involved somehow. It was likely someone involved in the process trying to give him a heads-up in their own way. At least, that was the only conclusion he came to when the secretary told him he was waiting for the new owners. That conclusion was reinforced as soon as someone entered the room and spoke his name.
"Hi, Larry, thanks for stopping in early," a woman entered the room and she was already sitting behind her desk by the time Larry thought to stand. She had austere features, dark hair, and the same voice the caller used when she warned him about the station being bought. "My name is Celestrix and I'll be your boss going forward," she said.
"You called in the other night,.. right?" he asked. She nodded.
"It was something of a setup," she said. "I didn't think you'd believe me until this moment, but it was important to establish some credibility to smooth out this transition for all parties involved. Now that we've reached this point, I can tell you why I'm really here."
"I'm listening," Larry nodded and sat up straighter.
"To sum it up quickly, my company, Solarion Incorporated, has purchased this station. It's in quite a unique market. It's got great potential, but it's not being used to its utmost and still flying mostly under the radar. Now, none of us hasn't the first clue on how to run a radio station, but your decades of experience fit the bill quite nicely. As of today, I am your boss in the sense that you will report to me. However, I am promoting you to station manager so that everyone else in this building reports to you. The world is about to change in a big way and it's important we have people broadcasting the right messages."
"Can I say 'no thank you' and still keep my current position?" Larry asked. Sure, he'd had over three decades at that station; but, that was because he loved his job. And then, there was the mention of world-changing events. He'd all but forgotten the details of her call; his biggest association with it was the fact that his station was bought. But, she'd also laid out some more shocking changes on the horizon. And, if those were true, he was sure his callers were about to get a lot more wild. He didn't want to miss that at all.
"Of course," Celestrix smiled with a nod. "Honestly, that is the outcome we were hoping for. From a corporate standpoint, we couldn't afford to overlook your tenure. But, from an administrative perspective, your current job is easily the one you're most suited for. Your show had a hand in shaping this station and it was the main reason we sought to acquire it. You had no way of knowing yet, but a lot of your callers are either Fae themselves or the tales they report to you are the result of interacting with the Fae. We expect quite a spike in activity once the Veil is finally broken."
That was the big claim she'd made when she called. It wasn't as important to him as his station getting bought; but, she also said the veil would be broken within a couple of weeks. Fairies, vampires, werewolves, and dragons all existed and they were going to be revealed.
"So,.. all that you said... it's all really real?" he asked. He felt like his job situation was sorted out and now he was only left with questions about their previous conversation. It was one thing to think she had insider knowledge about his station's business. But, it was quite another to accept her claims that fairies were real. He'd developed a sixth-sense for tall tales over the years. He enjoyed them enough, and he never begrudged anyone that called him up with one; but, after hearing so much bull, he'd learned to pick it out naturally.
"Oh yes," Celestrix nodded with a smile. He had her sitting directly in front of him, and not a single thing felt untrue. Then again, it helped convince Larry further when golden stars began to glow in her eyes and black scales formed on her face just long enough to make a point. "As my employee, you should know that I'm a dragon."