Wake of Corrosion · Shadow & Static Productions

Letters To Shadows - Part VII (Patreon Preview)

October 16, 2024·16 min·1 clip

A survivor in a bunker scorns the sentimental letters others write, calling their naivete sickening.

The episode opens with a brief promotional note for the companion show Hollow Disciple. The Letters to Shadows segment then begins as a found-object narrative — a letter written by a character named Oscar inside a bunker during an unspecified apocalyptic event. Oscar immediately establishes his cynicism, dismissing the letter-writing exercise as performative sentimental crap while claiming his own letter is purely self-directed. He describes his former life as a cleaner at a retail company, growing increasingly sickened by consumer excess and the volume of needless goods flooding in on delivery lorries. In response, Oscar turns to a local library's history section, reading extensively about world cultures and pre-modern economies to understand how humanity arrived at its current state and whether it could be changed. He admits his confidence in finding an answer begins to wane as his reading pile grows. Then a stranger named Ryan appears, claiming to have been watching Oscar and recognizing his own past self in him. Ryan gives Oscar a book, Life Beyond the Stars by Eli Van Lasserson, describing it as a gift from beyond — something to be read and passed along, never held as a possession. Oscar is initially mystified by Ryan's advice to read at his leisure, but quickly discovers the book is overwhelming: it takes him months to finish and further months to begin processing. His entire worldview shifts and the library's history books, once his refuge, now look like collections of lies and partial truths. On a return visit to the library, Oscar spots a pale, hunched woman at a microfilm reader surrounded by books — a mirror of himself from the past. He approaches her as Ryan once approached him, using the same words and offering the same book. She is immediately captivated, and they remain deep in conversation until library staff close the building around them. As they part, Oscar turns to see her already reading the book in the street. He calls out in alarm, fearing what might happen if she doesn't rest. Before he can act, the air charges with static electricity, the street lights flare blindingly, and Oscar is overwhelmed by a cacophony of screams — some human, some not. When his senses return, the woman has vanished, leaving only a cracked paving slab and suddenly sprouting weeds. In the aftermath Oscar falls into profound despair, grieving both the loss of the woman and the book he gave away. He concludes his letter with a warning: the star shall find you — it cannot be sought.

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