We Interrupt This Program... by Kurt Kieser "Just a little higher on that end, sugah," Bunnie said, as she was helping Rotor put up the remaining Halloween decorations. Black and orange streamers, paper skeletons, pumpkins and other holiday ornamentation now adorned all of Knothole, which served to compliment the surrounding forest's golden brown, orange and yellow fall colors very nicely. "There, that's the last of them," Rotor satisfyingly said, descending from his ladder. "Now let's just hope it doesn't rain before tomorrow night." "Oh, I think we'll be pretty safe till then," Bunnie replied, "The weather's been on our side so far." "So, ahh, you need any help with your costume?" Rotor asked. "Nice try sugah," Bunnie evasively replied. "Y'all just have to wait like everyone else 'till tomorrow night to see what I'm coming as. Besides, Sally-girl agreed to help me with it, and she's the only one who knows." "That's true," Sally replied as she approached them along with Sonic. "And you won't get a word out of me." Then, looking around admiring all the decorations, she added, "Wow, you two really outdid yourselves, the village looks great." "I'll say," Sonic concurred, "This will really be one mondo cool Halloween party." "Maybe for you guys," a dispirited Tails was heard saying as he passed by. "You've all probably got really cool costumes/ I'm not having much luck making mine." "Oh, honey," Sally said sympathetically, bending down to face him, "It's okay, Bunnie and I will help you." "Certainly," Bunnie replied. "Just you wait. When we're through with you, you'll have the scariest costume at the party." "And I'll bet that you'll look even better than Sal or Bunnie," Sonic astutely said. "They're only coming as..... ahhh, tell him, Sal." "Give it up, Sonic," Sally replied, "I'm not telling you. Come on, Tails." Sonic just shook his head as the girls left with Tails, then turned to Rotor. "Man, I hate surprises." "Oh I don't know," Rotor differed. "I guess it all depends on how you look at it." Sonic was a bit puzzled as Rotor stood there with a shrewd grin on his face. "You need a hand with that, Rotor?" Sally asked, noticing the wires that Rotor was running along the ground, coming from the speakers he had mounted in some of the trees and leading into his hut. "No thanks," he replied. "This is the last of them anyway. Just need to connect it to the amp and we'll be all set for tonight. You and Bunnie have any luck coming up with a costume for Tails?" "Yes, and he's simply thrilled about it," she said. "He can't wait for everyone to see him in it, especially Sonic." "Really?" he asked inquisitively. "I don't suppose you'd care to drop a hint as to what it might be." Sally just shook her head. "I know, I know, it's a surprise," he mindfully replied, heading into his hut to test the system out. "Well, looks like we'll be in for a lot of surprises tonight then, won't we?" Turning the volume on his stereo up, a rather spooky sounding music filled the village. "Sounds good," Sally commented, her voice then changing to that of a witch. "Good and scary. Just the right atmosphere for this All Hallows Eve, heh heh heh heh heh." Rotor watched with amusement as Sally left, her witch's cackle then fading in the distance. As the sun began to set, everyone in the village soon began showing up to the party, all very imaginatively dressed in costume. Rotor, upon the advice of Sally the previous day, came adorned in the guise of a royal prince. Sonic, meanwhile, sported a black cape, white make-up upon his face and fangs, the makings of a vampire. "Looking good, Rote," Sonic complimented him. "Thanks," he replied a bit uncomfortably. "But I feel kind of funny in this get-up. I don't how I let Sally talk me into this." Sonic was then taken aback upon the sight of Bunnie's outfit.. Nudging Rotor and indicating over to her, he commented, "I think I know what she had in mind." Rotor's jaw dropped when he caught sight of her, for she was lavishly dressed in the attire of a royal princess. "Um, great costume, Bunnie," Rotor nervously said as she came over to him. "It's certainly very becoming of you." "Why thank you, sugah," Bunnie replied. "You look rather charming yourself." Rotor was hesitant until Sonic nudged him with his elbow, whispering to him, "Go on, ask her to dance." "Huh, oh, umm, Bunnie?" Rotor uneasily asked. "Would you care to dance?" "Why I'd be delighted, darlin'," she happily replied. Sonic watched the two as they joined the others in a slow two-step. Sonic was a bit startled when he heard a strange voice come up from behind him. "They make a cute couple, don't they my pretty?" Upon turning around, Sonic was astonished when he saw Sally decked out in a rather appealing witch's ensemble. "Sal, you look....." he was speechless. "Oh, so you like it?" she assumed. "What's not to like?" he reasoned. "Only....." "Only what?" she wondered. "Only I thought witches were supposed to be ugly," he figured. "I'm afraid you're just too beautiful for the part." "Why thank you, Sonic," she blushingly replied, then changing back into her witch's tone. "All the better to entice you with my dear, heh heh heh heh heh." Sonic couldn't help but laugh, then, he slowly began to embrace her in his arms, and tenderly kissed her. "Mmm, better watch those fangs, Dracula," she sensually replied. "Um, excuse me, Aunt Sally?" a ghostly figure asked her. "Tails?" Sonic wondered. "Is that you?" The figure nodded. "Sal, is this the outfit you and Bunnie made up for him?" he disappointingly asked. "Oh no, certainly not," she replied. "This is just a teaser. Sonic, I give you..... Sonic." She then proceeded to pull the sheet off of Tails, revealing an exact likeness of Sonic. "Whoa, cool outfit, little bro," Sonic enthusiastically replied. "Definitely, way past cool." "He wanted to come as his hero," Sally remarked, "But we didn't have enough red material to make him up like Knuckles, so he had to settle on you." "Very funny Sal," Sonic sarcastically replied. "Well, I'm very flattered, Tails, I appreciate..... hey, what happened to the music?" Sonic asked, as the music abruptly ended and Rotor came over to them. "I'm afraid the CD player decided to go on the fritz," Rotor said. "Oh no, that'll put a real damper on the party," Sally lamented. "Not to worry," Rotor replied, "I'm going to try and use the shortwave and tune in a radio station from another part of Mobius. The Mobotropolis stations may have all ceased when Robotnik took over, but there are still others. I'll be right back." Rotor went to his hut, and within a few minutes, a tango was heard coming from the loudspeakers and an announcer then came on. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. From the Meridian Room in the Park Plaza in Casa Vega, we bring you the music of Ramon Raquello and his orchestra. With a touch of the Spanish, Ramon Raquello leads off with 'La Cumparsita.'" The music begins to play for a few minutes, but is then interrupted by the announcer. "Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt our program of dance music to bring you a special bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News. At twenty minutes before eight, central time, Professor Farrell of the Mount Jennings Observatory in Downunda, reports observing several explosions of incandescent gas occurring at regular intervals on the planet Rumar. The spectroscope indicates the gas to be hydrogen and moving towards Mobius with enormous velocity. Professor Pierson of the observatory at Greenhill confirms Farrell's observation, and describes the phenomenon as 'like a jet of blue flame shot from a gun'. We now return you to the music of Ramon Raquello." As the music resumed, Sally turned to Sonic, a bit concerned. "Huh, what do you make of that Sonic?" "That? Explosions on a planet millions of miles from here doesn't affect us, Sal," he reasoned. "Now come on, let's go bob for chili dogs." "Ahh, you mean apples don't you?" she corrected him. "Hey, you've got your version, I've got mine," he replied, as Sally just rolled her eyes. A few minutes later, another announcement was heard. "Ladies and gentleman, here is the latest bulletin from the Intercontinental Radio News. Professor Morse of McGill University reports observing a total of three explosions on the planet Rumar between the hours of 7:45 PM and 9:20 PM eastern standard time. This confirms earlier reports received from Mobian observatories. Now, comes a special announcement from Sandopolis. It is reported that at 8:50 PM, a huge flaming object believed to be a meteorite, fell on a farm in the neighborhood of Grovers Mill, twenty- two miles from Sandopolis. The flash in the sky was visible within a radius of several hundred miles, and the noise of the impact was heard as far north as the Floating Island. We have dispatched a special mobile unit to the scene, and will have our commentator, Carl Phillips, give you a word description as soon as he can reach there." A different style of music was heard than before as Rotor then returned from his hut. Twenty minutes had passed when Sally and Bunnie came over to Rotor and Sonic who were busy eating. "That's strange, I thought for sure we would have heard something more about that meteor by now," Sally remarked. "Oh that, I turned that off awhile ago, didn't think that anybody would want to be bored with news tonight," Rotor said. "You what?" Sally cried. "Sure, I finished fixing the CD player right after that last newscast," Rotor replied. "Well change it back, I want hear what's happening," Sally said quite concerned. "Hey, take it easy, Sal," Sonic replied, "It's just a meteor, some big old rock that fell on a farm thousands of miles from here. No biggie." "Maybe not, but I'd still like to hear it," she said. "Fine, I'll go change it," Sonic replied a bit exasperated. "I'll go with you Sonic," Rotor said. "A moment later, an excited commentator's voice was heard coming from the speaker which then captivated everyone in the village who heard it. "Just a minute! Something's happening! Ladies and gentlemen, this is terrific! The end of the meteor, or whatever it is, is beginning to flake off! The top is beginning to rotate like a screw! This thing must be hollow!" Several voices could be heard coming from the background, being picked up by the commentator's microphone. "Keep back! Keep back I tell you! It's red hot, they'll burn to a cinder! Maybe there's men in it trying to escape! Keep those idiots back!" There was a brief pause. "She's off! The top's loose! Look out there! Stand back!" The commentator then continued, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed. Wait a minute! Someone's crawling out of the hollow top. Someone or, something. I can see peering out of that hole two luminous disks. Are they eyes? It might be a face. It might be....." There were shouts of awe from the crowd at the scene. "Good heavens, something's wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake. Now it's another one, and another. They look like tentacles to me. There, I can see the thing's body. It's large as a bear and it glisten's like wet leather. But that face. It, it's indescribable. I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it. The eyes are black and gleam like a serpent. The mouth is V-shaped with saliva dripping from it's rimless lips that seem to quiver and pulsate. The monster, or whatever it is, can hardly move. It seems weighed down by, possibly gravity or something. The thing's raising up, the crowd falls back. They've seen enough. This is the most extraordinary experience. I can't find the words. I'm pulling this microphone with me as I talk. I'll have to stop the description until I've taken a new position. Hold on, will you please, I'll be back in a minute." An announcer breaks in and recaps the story thus far to the audience, as a frightened Tails turns to Sally and Bunnie. "Is Mobius being invaded, Aunt Sally?" "Of course not, sweetie," Sally calmly said, then hugging him. "Ah'm sure they're friendly creatures, sugah, nothing to worry about," Bunnie rationalized, but seemed rather concerned as she looked to Sally. The commentator then resumed his broadcast. "Ladies and gentlemen, here I am, back of a stone wall that adjoins this farm. From here I get a sweep of the whole scene. I'll give you every detail as long as I can talk, as long as I can see. More police have arrived. They're drawing up a cordon in front of the pit, about thirty of them. No need to push the crowd back now, they're willing to keep their distance. The captain is conferring with someone. I can't quite see who, oh yes, I believe it's Professor Pierson. Yes, it is. Now they've parted. The professor moves around one side, studying the object, while the captain and two policemen advance with something in their hands. I can see it now. It's a white handkerchief tied to a pole, a flag of truce, if those creatures know what that means, what anything means. Wait! Something's happening!" A hissing sound followed by a humming that increases in intensity is heard. "A humped shape is rising out of the pit. I can make out a small beam of light against a mirror. What's that? There's a jet of flame springing from that mirror, and it leaps right at the advancing men! It strikes them head on! Good Lord, they're turning into flame!" Screams and unearthly shrieks are heard, followed by an explosion. "Now the whole field's caught fire! The woods, the barns, it's spreading everywhere. It's coming right this way! About twenty yards to my right....." The crash of a microphone is heard, then, dead silence. A few seconds later, an announcer comes on. "Ladies and gentlemen, due to circumstances beyond our control, we are unable to continue the broadcast from Grovers Mill. Evidently there's some difficulty with our field transmission. However, we will return to that point at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime....." A worried Bunnie turned to Sally. "Oh Sally, this is terrible, we've got to do something." "I know, but we still can't be sure what we're dealing with here," Sally replied. "Well I'm sure," Sonic was heard saying, as he returned. "If you ask me, this sounds like the work of Robuttnik. Martians... give me a break." "Sonic, just because....." Sally stopped so that she could hear the next news bulletin. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have just been handed a message that came in from Grovers Mill by telephone. Just a moment. At least forty people, including six state troopers, lie dead in a field east of Grovers Mill, their bodies burned and distorted beyond all possible recognition. We continue now with our piano interlude." Piano music then begins to fade in, as Sally then continued. "Sonic, does that sound like the work of Robotnik to you? He's more interested in roboticizing people, not burning them to death." "She's right, Sonic," Rotor said, reemerging from his hut. "This doesn't fit the pattern as far as Robotnik's usual scheme of things goes." "Maybe not," Sonic conceded, "But I'm still not ready to believe that there are little green men out there." Sally took Nicole out from her ankle holster and began making queries of it. "Nicole, what data exists concerning the planet Rumar?" "Accessing, Sally," the hand-held computer replied. "Rumar, sometimes referred to as the 'Red Planet' because the rocks, soil and sky have a red or pink hue, is approximately 4219 miles in diameter. It's atmosphere is composed primarily of carbon dioxide and has surface temperatures ranging from -220 degrees to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Average temperature is around -81 degrees Fahrenheit. Transverse stripes on planet are believed to be canals by those who imagine Rumar to be inhabited. Scientifically, they are the result of atmospheric conditions peculiar to the planet." "About how far away is Rumar from Mobius?" Sally asked. "Approximately forty million miles," Nicole replied. "There, you see, Sal," Sonic contended, "Nothing to worry about. Millions of miles from here, the air's no good and it's too cold. What more do you want?" "Sonic, just because we may not be able to survive in those conditions," Sally argued, "Doesn't mean a different type of species can't. Rotor, you can back me up on this, isn't it true that..... Now where did he go?" "He said he was going back to his hut to monitor some of the other transmissions that might be coming in," Bunnie replied, as the music began to fade out again and an announcer broke in. "Ladies and gentlemen, further details of the catastrophe at Grovers Mill are coming in. The strange creatures after unleashing their deadly assault, crawled back into their pit and made no attempt to prevent the efforts of the firemen to recover the bodies and extinguish the fire, which now menace the entire countryside. Just a moment, I've been handed a bulletin. Martian cylinders are falling all over the planet. We have confirmed reports of them landing in Emerald Hill, Angel Island, the Mobian Jungle, Greenhill, the Kingdom of Mercia, Robotropolis....." "Now do you believe Sonic?" Sally cried. "They're even landing in Robotnik's own backyard, and ours as well. How can he possibly be behind it? We need to do something, and fast." Sonic now had a more concerned look about him, as Tails came over and held onto him, looking up at him with a terrified expression. "Sonic, I'm scared. You won't let them take over Mobius, will you, Sonic?" "Course not, little bro," Sonic reassured him. "Just wait till they get a load of me, and they'll wish they'd never have left their planet. Come on, let's go see if Rotor has found out anything more. Sal, you and Bunnie try to calm everyone else down." As Sally addressed everyone, assuring them that they were safe where they were, another news bulletin came over the airwaves. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have a grave announcement to make. Incredible as it may seem, both the observations of science and the evidence of our eyes leads to the inescapable assumption that those strange beings who landed in the Sandopolis farmlands tonight, are the vanguard of an invading army from the planet Rumar. The battle which took place tonight at Grovers Mill has ended in one of the most startling defeats ever suffered by an army in modern times. Seven thousand men armed with rifles and machine guns pitted against a single fighting machine of the invaders from Rumar. One hundred and twenty known survivors, the rest strewn over the battle area from Grovers Mill to Plainsboro, crushed and trampled to death under the metal feet of the monster, or burned to cinders by its heat ray. Communication lines are down, railroad tracks are torn, and highways....." "Oh, Sally-girl, this really looks hopeless," Bunnie said quite disturbed. "And we thought Robotnik was trouble; this is ten times worse." "Now don't you go falling apart on me too, Bunnie," Sally said. "I need you to keep it together and help me with the others. Panicking won't help. We need to think calmly and rationally." "Okay, you're right, Sally-girl," Bunnie replied now more relaxed. "What do we do first?" "Well, first of all, this all seems to have happened in a rather short period of time, within less than an hour," Sally realized. "That last report said that thousands of men had died around Grovers Mill, yet only five minutes earlier the number was around forty. Do you remember where they said the broadcast was originating from?" "I think he said it was in Casa Vega," Bunnie recalled, "Which is in the Casino Night Zone." "That's right," Sally replied. "And they dispatched one of their correspondents to Sandopolis to report on the incident. Yet he got there in less than half an hour, and we know the trip takes nearly three time as long as that. Something's not right." Sally then pulled out Nicole again. "Nicole, can you get a fix on the origin of this transmission?" "Scanning airwaves Sally," Nicole replied. "Very strong signal, emanating from within one hundred feet of here." Bunnie and Sally looked at each other in shock. "I smell a rat," Sally said a bit angered. "Make that two rats," Bunnie added, as the two then made their way over to Rotor's hut. Peeking in through a window, they saw Sonic and Rotor sitting behind a microphone as another newscast went out. "We take you now to the battery of the 22nd Field Artillery, located in the Watchung Mountains, where we've run special wires to give you direct reports in the zone of the advancing enemy." Sonic and Rotor then alternated between one another as they imitated an army officer and a gunner. "Range thirty-two meters. Thirty-two meters. Projection, thirty-nine degrees. Thirty-nine degrees. Fire!" A sound effect of a heavy gun firing was then heard. "A hit, sir! We got the tripod on one of them. They've stopped. The others are trying to repair it. Quick, get the range! Shift thirty meters." Bunnie and Sally then entered and saw Tails sitting to one side as he took delight in watching the deception. Rotor noticed them and tried to warn Sonic, whose head was buried in the script which he continued to read. "A black smoke sir, moving this way. Lying close to the ground, it's moving fast." "You'd better move fast, Sonic Hedgehog, if you know what's good for you," an angry Sally remarked, "And start explaining..... fast." Sonic quickly looked up and saw the girls with their arms folded, each tapping their foot, demanding an explanation. "Uh, great gag, huh, Sal?" was all Sonic could think to say, while Rotor quickly flipped to the last page of the script and announced to the listening audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Rotor, out of character to assure you that this broadcast has no further significance than as the holiday offering it was intended to be. Me and Sonic's own radio version of dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying boo! Starting now, we couldn't soap all your windows or steal all your garden gates by tonight, so we did the next best thing. We annihilated the world before your very ears and utterly destroyed the sanctity of Knothole Village. You will be relieved, I hope, to learn that we didn't mean it, and that both institutions are still open for business. So goodbye everybody, and remember please, for the next day or so, the terrible lesson you learned tonight. That grinning, glowing, globular invader of your living room is an inhabitant of the pumpkin patch, and if your doorbell rings and nobody's there, that was no Martian..... it's Halloween." Rotor then turned the microphone off and put on a CD of dance music. Sally then looked to him, rather disappointed. "Honestly Rotor, I expected something like this from Sonic, but not from you." As he was about to try and provide an explanation for her, Rotor noticed a crowd beginning to gather outside his hut, ready to strangle the two for the hoax they just pulled. It was only then that he realized that he may have taken the joke too far. Sonic then too looked out at the angry crowd. "Whoa, they don't look too happy," Sonic commented. "Can't they take a joke?" "A joke?" Sally snapped back. "Sonic, you two scared the wits out of everybody in the village." "Wait, Sally," Rotor jumped in, "Don't be too hard on him. The whole thing was my idea. You see, well, maybe I should do my explaining in front of everybody." Rotor went over to the door along with Sonic, but was stopped by Sally before they could open it. "Wait, I better go with you," she said. "You've got a pretty angry group of people out there." She then escorted them out as they headed to the center of the village, followed by the others. Rotor then proceeded to explain. "I realize that you all must be very upset with me and Sonic right now, but I assure you that we never intended for it to go this far. It was only supposed to be a harmless holiday prank, but I guess we never fully conceived the power of the medium with which we used. After the so-called initial invasion, I really thought that everyone would have soon realized that the whole thing was just a put-on. Instead, you all took it quite seriously, and all logic and reason were just thrown aside. For after awhile, if you stop and think about it, the whole thing just didn't make sense logically. You've got an alien cylinder landing in some farmland, a news commentator who travels a couple hundred miles to give an eyewitness account of the story, the Martians coming out of the cylinder and killing thousands of people, whole entire armies being defeated, and all within a half-hour time frame. I guess maybe it was because we presented it in the form of news bulletins that even the absurd became credible. In a way, I guess we all learned a valuable lesson here tonight, that is, not to panic and to think about what's actually occurring around us, and of course, not to let our imaginations get the best of us. Radio, as you've witnessed, is a very powerful medium, and is an invaluable tool for disseminating information. Used improperly, it can also be utilized to spread misinformation, better known as propaganda. Enemies in past wars have always used propaganda to spread terror and fear among people. Although Robotnik hasn't yet resorted to it, maybe because he thinks we're too smart to fall for it, at least now, I would hope, we're more prepared for it. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be lecturing you, you're the ones who should be lecturing me for pulling such a bone-headed prank. I guess there was really only one message that we had hoped to get across to everyone tonight through this little charade." "And what was that?" Sally asked. "Merely..... Happy Halloween," Rotor replied with a weak grin and a raised eyebrow. Sally then taking a deep breath and sighing heavily finally conceded as she turned to him and smiled. "Happy Halloween." The crowd was now much more at ease and realized that they were somewhat to blame as well for taking the entire thing so seriously. "Nice save, Rote," Sonic congratulated him. "I thought they were going to burn us at the stake. So, no hard feelings, Sal?" Sonic asked, turning to Sally. "Of course not. I do have a sense of humor too you know, Sonic. In fact..... Bunnie, if you please." "It'd be my pleasure, Sally-girl," Bunnie replied with an underhanded grin on her face, as she grabbed Sonic and Rotor with her robotic arm. "Hey, what's the big idea?" Sonic shouted. "Right this way, Bunnie," Sally craftily said, as she directed her toward the ring pool. Everyone else immediately followed. "You brought up some excellent points, Rotor," Sally stated, "Maybe even done us a service by showing us how vulnerable we were to a panic reaction during times of war. Still, you didn't think that we were going to let you guys off that easily now did you? Bunnie, show our two Martian invaders how we deal with practical jokers." Extending her robotic arm out, Bunnie dangled the two over the center of the ring pool. "Sal, you wouldn't," Sonic challenged her. "That water is......" A loud splash was heard as Bunnie dropped the two into the chilly water. "Frrr..... freezing." Sonic concluded, as he and Rotor now had their arms folded in front of them as they came to the surface, and stood there shivering. Everyone watching now felt vindicated, laughing as the two came out of the pool, dripping wet. "Tha.... that was co... co... cold, Sal, real co... co... cold," Sonic said trembling from the frigid waters. "Yes, I kn... kn... know," Sally mockingly replied. "I wouldn't belabor the point with her, Sonic," Rotor suggested, just as Sonic was about to rebuke her actions. "Let's just ch... ch... change out of these wet costumes." The party resumed soon thereafter, as everyone was quick to put the panic broadcast behind them. As Sonic and Rotor, now dried off but sans costumes, were ready to rejoin the others, they heard a clattering sound as they passed in front of Antoine's hut. "Antoine, you in here? Everything all right?" Rotor called out, as they began to enter. Following the metallic clanging sound over to Antoine's bed, Sonic lifted up the bed skirt and found him hiding under it, shaking in his costume, which was that of a knight in armor. "Are zey here?" he asked in terror. "Don't let zem take me, I'm too young and handsome to die!" "Antoine, there aren't any aliens," Rotor replied. "Me and Sonic made the whole thing up, it was a hoax." "A hoax? What is zee hoax?" he asked in confusion. "A put on, a scam..... it wasn't real, Ant," Sonic tried to explain. "Not real?" Antoine asked coming out from under the bed rather relieved. "Of course, I am knowing zis. I was just ahh, trying to find zee helmet to zis costume. And I found it, see?" he said, raising the visor on his helmet. "Right," Sonic said skeptically, reaching over and slamming it shut, as he and Rotor then left. "Sonic? Rotor? Where is everybody going?" Antoine was left to wonder, as he stumbled blindly around his room trying to raise his visor. The two soon joined back up with the others, who were now gathered around a small campfire telling ghost stories. "The skeleton lady fell to ground and shattered to a million pieces," Bunnie described to them in a rather eerie tone. Then, speaking more slowly and quietly, as she came up behind Tails, she added, "Now, ah said that this happened not too long ago and not too far away. It is said that there is a little bit of magic in each piece of the skeleton lady's bone, and that one day they will join together and come in search of....... MEAT!" "AAAHHHHHH!" Tails screamed, as Bunnie grabbed him from behind. "Hahahahaha, oh I'm sorry, sugah, ah just couldn't help myself," Bunnie apologetically said, now hugging him as she tried to alleviate his fears. "Oh, ah, I wasn't scared..... much," he replied a bit more at ease. "Noooo, of course not," she said. "Come on, it's time you were in bed now anyway. I'll read you a normal, not so scary bedtime story. How about the one about the headless horseman?" "Bunnieeeeeee," Sally sternly remarked. "Just kidding, Sally-girl," Bunnie jokingly replied, then headed off with Tails toward his hut. Everyone else began to retire for the evening as well. "Think I'll turn in too," Sonic said turning to Sally. "Night Sa..... Sa..... AAAAHHHCHOOOO!" "Gesundheit," she replied. "Sounds like you're coming down with a cold." "Oh fine. Of course you wouldn't know anything about how I might have caught it?" Sonic sarcastically asked, but figured, "But I suppose it was worth it, just knowing that I was able to scare the wits out of you." "Scare? I was the only one who kept my wits about myself," Sally maintained. "Oh yeah?" he said, as he then began to mock her. "'They're even landing in Robotnik's own backyard and ours as well. Oh Sonic, we need to do something, and fast.' Come on, admit it, Sal. We really had you there for a minute." "Well, maybe for one brief moment," she confessed. "But at least I....." She was cut off momentarily as he sneezed again. "AAAHHCHOOOO!" "...got you back, but good," she concluded. "Maybe that'll teach you to..... HEY!" Snatching her up off her feet in protest, Sonic carried her over to the edge of the ring pool. "Sonic Hedgehog, don't you dare! I only did that to get even with you. If you drop me, so help me I'll..... What are you doing?" she wondered, as he plucked the witch's hat from her head and flung it out into the ring pool where it landed flat on it's brim. Watching it float out there for a moment, Sonic then turned to face her again, looking her deeply in the eyes as he continued to hold her in his arms. Slowly moving his head closer to hers, Sally began to place her arms around his neck as the two then passionately engaged in a long and tender kiss. He slowly and gently put her down as they let up from their embrace. "I'll certainly give you this," she sensually said, "You sure do know how to sweep a girl off her feet, literally. I..... Ahh, ahh, AHHHCHOOO!" "Now, we're even," he satisfyingly said as he began to run off. "Dooohhh! I'll get you for this, Sonic Hedgehog," she vengefully said, inflecting into her witch's tone, as she playfully chased after him, "And your little dog too." THE END Author's Note: The radio broadcast presented here were excerpts from the original 'War of the Worlds' broadcast from October 30, 1938. Back then, a young Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre players decided to do a radio version of the classic H.G. Wells sci-fi novel 'The War of the Worlds' about an invading army from the planet Mars. Howard Koch adapted the story to radio, but did it in the form of news bulletins, per Orson Welles request. Even though it was announced at the beginning, middle and end of the broadcast that it was just a radio play, listeners were terrified and believed what they were hearing was the real thing. People fled their homes, communications systems were clogged as calls flooded the switchboards at police stations and news organizations while others were frantically trying to call loved ones. Miraculously, no one was killed, although one suicide attempt was reported by a man who found his wife with a bottle of poison in her hand screaming, "I'd rather die this way than like that!" One of reasons for the mass hysteria was that a lot of people tuned into the broadcast about ten minutes into the show, missing the initial announcement that it was just a radio play. Most people at the time were tuned into one of the most highly rated and listened to shows of the day, 'The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show'. People changed over during a commercial, and some when Bergen introduced a singer. What they then heard was the start of the invasion. The fact that it was presented in the form of news bulletins and eyewitness accounts didn't help matters. At one point, the so-called Secretary of the Interior came on to urge everyone to remain calm. Thing is, he sounded a lot like the then current President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt. By the time the next announcement came on reminding everyone that they were listening to a dramatization, most people were too busy to listen and were beginning to flee their homes, particularly those in the New Jersey area where the invasion originated. When the truth became known to the public, they were furious and demanded that the government protect them, demonstrating that they were incapable of relying on their own judgment. A twist of the dial would have established for anybody that the national catastrophe was not being noted on any other radio station. Also, the time element was obviously unsound. Listeners were told that 'within two hours three million people have moved out of New York', an obvious impossibility. A second of logic would have dispelled any terror. Also, people at the time were a bit on edge over the recent war scare in Europe and Asia, a period in which radio frequently interrupted regularly scheduled programs to report developments in those areas. Hitler managed to scare all of Europe to its knees a month before, but at least he had an army and an air force to back up his shrieking words. But Orson Welles scared thousands into demoralization with nothing at all. The episode drove home how little prepared the nation was to cope with an abrupt emergency. Therefore, Welles and his little theatre troupe had actually done the country a service by showing how vulnerable we were to a panic reaction in the event of war. Orson Welles became an instant celebrity who soon thereafter transported his Mercury players to Hollywood where he would go on to make what is considered by most film historians, myself included, to be one of the best films of all time, 'Citizen Kane'. Incidentally, Howard Koch, who had written the radio script, would also go on to Hollywood and become a screenwriter. His best known work has endured over the years as a classic. The name of the film: 'Casablanca'.