And They Died From the Noise -- 9-12-21

By: Ranne Leavitt

The sight of the invading forces ships looming overhead made Karen cringe. Sure, she had watched them invade the big cities on all the new and social media outlets, but she was baffled by their appearance over her tiny hamlet.

What had caused them to come to the Township of Crowboaken? Had they already covered all the other cities and towns in the world? Seriously, Karen thought, we are village of 250 people, 40,000cows, (thanks feedlots and dairy farms!) four churches, an equal number of bars, and a one room school house. This should be the last place on earth aliens would come! What does this mean for the world and humankind if they are coming here to, Karen thought out loud.

She tried the police, but the lines must have been jammed with worried callers. All Karen got when she called was the “due to the high volume of callers, your wait may be extensive” thing. Well that caused the retired investigating reporter in her to get out and see what there was to find. She started by going out her front door. The first thing that stood out to Karen was the fact that the aliens had yet to disembark their vessels. All the news reports showed that the ships had opened up and smaller ships had taken the invaders right down into the cities. The reports show the hideous beings overrunning the areas and the humans running for safety. What made Crowboaken so different? Karen couldn’t help it, when an intriguing story crossed her path she had to jump in and solve the mystery. Karen pulled out her cell phone, something she hadn’t done since retiring 6 months ago and called her former colleague, Jack to see what was going on in his small town.

Jack had gotten out of the rat race just months before Karen and had moved to a small ranching/farm community. His choice had been what prompted Karen to do the same. When Jack answered the phone, he sounded the same as always, cool, calm, and collected. Happy to hear Karen on the other end of the line, they exchanged brief pleasantries. He could tell Karen had things on her mind and he knew she was like a dog with a bone, so he quickly got down to the heart of the call.

“It is always nice to hear from you Karen, but I know you didn’t call about the weather. Does this have something to do with the alien invasion?” He asked, already knowing the answer. Why else should she call at this moment.

“Have the aliens made it to your little slice of heaven? We have 6 massive ships hovering over head, but they haven’t done anything since arriving.”

When Jack answered he had a hint of excitement, that old, “I smell a story” tone. “The same thing has happened here as well. The people are all milling about, concerned, and frightened, but the ships are just there, ominously hanging in midair.”

As they talked about the details of their experience with the alien ships thus far, three things became apparent. First, they both missed the thrill of the hunt, second, they both lived in places abundantly more populated with cows than people, and third, the ships just hanging out, causing terror just by being there.

Karen suggested they each pull out their old black books and call their contacts around the world. Then, after an 2 hours, get back in touch and share what they learned. They decided that she would call her small town contacts and Jack would call his big city informants.

When you work in the investigative journalism racket for long enough, you meet people from all walks of life, and today, Karen was going to need them all. She spent the next two hours calling her people, taking notes and putting pieces in place. She was ready to see what Jack had found, to see if it matched what she was hearing.

When exactly two hours had transpired, Karen’s phone rang and Jack was on the other end. He no longer sounded cool and calm, though still collected, he sounded like he had during his war correspondent days. “All my sources are saying their cities are over run with the aliens,. All the ships appear to have disgorged their entire host of forces and the combatants are spilling out of landing crafts ready for a fight, and that the creatures have no desire to communicate, they are just bent on destruction. What have you found?”

Karen took a deep breath and collected her thoughts. She tended to open the spill gates and speak a million words a minute when excited, this time she had to be clear and understandable. “Jack, it is the strangest thing. All my people are reporting that they have ships, big ships looming overhead, but not one has opened up and sent small crafts down. They all say the animals are making quite the noise, especially the cows. Come to think of it, the cows here are so loud, it is causing my head to ache.”

Just then, at the same time, Karen and Jack had a light bulb moment and shouted into the phone, “maybe they don’t like the sound!”

Soon they were discussing ways to see if that was the case, and how they could be stopping the aliens. Karen had done some pretty high level, secret secret stories and happened to have a contact or two, not to be named, of course, that might be able to answer all those questions.

In no time flat, her black ops “friends” were at her front door, tools in hand. They were ready to infiltrate an alien ship. Jack had arrived just moments after the team did. He and Karen were equipped with the means to see and hear the op go down in real time. The tension and excitement were palpable as the “troop” of two headed skyward.

As they breached the outer hull, they expected resistance, but all they found was an alien doubled over in agony, holding what must have been his auditory sensors. The spies moved on and in each compartment, more of the same, until they reached the bridge. The scene before them was carnage. The aliens lay strewn across the floor, bleeding from every orifice. The were all dead, and the speakers were filling the bridge with the sound of agitated bovine. They had all died from the noise.

That was it! With the help of their black op friends and some investigating prowess, Karen and Jack had found a way to save the world. The got on the horn and spread the word to the world. Soon, every city, town, village, and hamlet began blasting the sound of angry frightened cattle, and aliens were dropping dead. The world was safe and now had a healthy dose of respect for their bovine friends!

Died from the noise

By: Aaron Leavitt

Parents often would like to keep fingers in ears,

From banging and clanging, from yelling and tears

The teenage rambunctiousness, the pounding of bass

The things that get said by that cherubic face

Though it’s all about love, and family and grace

Sometimes its a lot and the grownups need space

It’s happy, it’s sad, or random, or mad

The noise still goes on for each mom and each dad

We have to be fair though, we each did our part

We each made our share as a kid at our start

We banged and we yelled, we climbed up the walls

We caromed and cavorted, and bounced all the balls

So chaos is part of the day near and far

There’s joy in it, yes, though it fills up the car

Like who’s and small muppets, and cartoons so bright

The noise is enthusiasm and not just a plight

But some days are so crazy, and wild and unchained

Your thoughts rattle loose and unhooked from your brain

The wall hits you full when you walk through the door

The banging and buzzing, and talk of the bore

You start to suspect that deep down you aren’t the same

That all of the static and input’s no game

That deep in the stories of all girls and boys

There’s a Mom that exploded, she died from the noise.

A SPECIAL MEETING

Story Slingers Prompt

"They all died from the noise."

Daren Flynn 9/8/21

An emergency session of the governing body of the Confederated Mole Clans of the Central Columbia Basin had been called for by Governor Molly Mole. A directive had been sent to each clan requesting them to send a delegate to the meeting which would be held one month following the receipt of the notice. That 30 days gave the clans sufficient time to hold a special election to select their representative, and, just as importantly, also gave Governor Molly the month she needed to have her designated tunnelers hollow out a cavern large enough to house the largest ever assemblage in the history of the federation.

No reason for calling for the special session was given in the notice the clans except that is was a matter of life and death. Most of the clans' elected agents had gathered in the newly enlarged meeting gallery early and were murmuring as they speculated as to the purpose of the special meeting, as well as making new acquaintances and renewing old ones. A few of the agents of the outlying clans arrived at the meeting just as Governor Molly Mole took her place at the head of the gathering.

After calling the meeting to order and having each representative identify themselves and name their respective Mole Clan, the Governor welcomed them to this most important meeting. She then commended them the delegates for each clan's efficiency in the work they were doing and the lives they were living. She said they were to be congratulated for teaching their children the value of work and the skills and the dedication, determination and endurance required to perform their labors. The good we do and the life we live has been our lot since the beginning of the world and we, as a species, do not have the ability nor desire to live any other way.

Now we come to the purpose of this special emergency gathering of representatives of the clans. We are being persecuted and vilified by an invasion of a new species. It seems they are engaged in what they call farming. They are planting crops on our land establishing towns and cities where we have maintained our tunnels from time immemorial. They are accusing us of damaging their crops and lawns. They say our tunnels cave in under the weight of their animals and their heavy equipment and are hazardous. They want to eliminate us Moles and, as you all must be aware, they have tried every means at their disposal to do so. We lost a significant number of our citizens to these invaders as we have no viable means of combating their vile assault. My fellow Moles, we have reliable information that these invaders, who call themselves humans, have issued an extermination order which is to be carried out in the next 30 days. Our informant tells us they have a secret weapon which they are certain will cause our species, the Moles, to become extinct.

However, the turncoat who told us of the plot against us, also informed us that the secret weapon is an instrument that issues very loud, high frequency sound which our hearing system cannot tolerate. Lucky for us, though, is the fact that our benefactor has supplied us with a means to defend ourselves from the onslaught on our ears. He has secretly supplied us with safe and effective ear plugs. At the close of this meeting, you will eat be given enough of these ear plugs for every member of your clan. Distribute them. Require their use by all clan members and assure them that they are safe and effective.

The Emergency Session of the Governing Body of the Confederated Mole Clans of the Central Columbia Basin was adjourned and all representatives returned to their respective clans were they carried out their assignments. 100% compliance was achieved, but on the day of the attack, they all dies from the noise.

Died From an Overdose of Noise

Sept 7, 2021

Myrna Flynn

The Police entered the house at 2021 Maple Street, responding to 911 calls complaining of noise so loud that it was heard by everyone who lived within a 4 block radius of the address.

When the officers opened the door, everything in it looked in order, nothing out of place. The only thing was the noise that was so loud, that they backed out and went to their squad cars for their noise blocking ear phones.

Returning, they found everyone in the house dead. Their mouths were open. Their ears were covered with pillows. All were curled up in fetal positions.

The policeman in charge, went to his car radio and called for the coroner and 2 ambulances to come to hold the victims. The coroner confirmed that they had all succumbed to high volume decibels. The police were feeling effects and needed to find the device that was emitting the lethal sounds. They had to discover it fast before they were also victims and to protect the nearest neighbors from dying also.

The whole house was wired for electronic music. There were at least 2 speakers on every wall. It was amazing that the speakers were not blown out by the extreme throbs. The device was finally found in the basement and was shut down. The ambulances were leaving and quiet reigned again.

By: Colleen Holmquist

It was just a blip on the radar—a drop in an ocean. No one noticed.

At first.

Hours, days and weeks passed. Waves in concentric circles spread outward—growing if imperceptibly larger and stronger.

How strange, as a child I heard—even felt “sonic booms.” They’re gone now. The “Hidden Figures” at NASA discovered how to mitigate them.

But now, what was moving across the ocean and through the air?

The water waves gained momentum and leapt beyond the bounds previously placed by nature. The air waves driven by unexplained pressure phenomena bent to an angle sufficient to intersect with the water waves. The resulting cacophony catapulted through the atmosphere at a frequency outside of ordinary hearing range.

So there was no “noise” as we usually understand but the result was fatal, nonetheless. An entire civilization(?) world population decimated in one fell swoop.

And They Died From The Noise

By: Carrie Keiser

The shaking and the clanging brought her out of a deep sleep, yet it seemed like she had only just closed her eyes. Her mind was a little foggy and as she stood, Mabel looked around to get her bearings. They were still in the safety of their home within the old farm house. Mabel had been the one to make the move from the overgrown corn field into the abandoned farm house. It seemed to her the right thing to do, finding a better, warmer place to raise her babies. The labyrinth behind the walls was perfect until now.

Mabel roused her little brood and got them headed along the wall, she figured down would be much safer than up and out. She was curious as to what was happening though, and sent them on ahead of her so she could take a quick peek.

Mabel turned around and looked through the tiny door into the great room, nothing there to cause the ruckus. She skittered across the floor and climbed the old curtains to look out the window, such large machines were out there and they were attacking her home!

Mabel launched off the windowsill and raced back to her babies. What to do? She wasn’t sure how to get them out and where to take them. Really what did the giant two-leggers care about a family of mice? Don’t they only want to trap and kill her kind? Oh, why had she thought it would be better inside this old dwelling? Mabel hurried along the passageway after her littles. The noise and the shuttering of the structure was increasing greatly. She worried about them, they were her babies and she wanted them to be all they could be. As she rounded the corner, they were all huddled together in a scared shivering ball. Mabel did her best to comfort them and urge them to move forward towards what she believed to be refuge. The sound hit a deafening crescendo and everything went dark.

A young girl was picking through the rubble of an old farmhouse when she gently lifted a board protecting a small family of mice. She carefully picked up the board and laid it inside a box. The girl had a soft spot in her heart for all creatures big and small. She went out the the forest that bordered the overgrown corn field and dug a tiny grave for the family. After filling in the hole, she made a small marker that read: And They Died From The Noise.