Δ [1st Cipher] SVOOL WZIPMVHH NB LOW UIRVMW

[improvident]

[Static crackles and pops over the feed.

It is a combination of a radio tuner whining listlessly between stations with decent service, the familiar whirring grumble of the dial-up tone ad infinitum, the hoarse screech of a car trying to start on a lonely highway in the middle of the night, where it has broken down for seemingly no reason at all.

Images flicker: an illustration of Lincoln's assassination, a room draped with red curtains, the Teletubbies, President Nixon, video footage of a piglet slowly decaying into loam. And then- A V O I C E.]

I GӨƬƬΛ ƧΛY. ƬΉΣƧΣ DIGƧ ΛЯΣП'Ƭ ΉΛᄂF-BΛD. I MΣΛП, IƬ'Ƨ ПӨ IПƬΣЯGΛᄂΛᄃƬIᄃ ƬIMΣ PΛLΛᄃΣ ΛПD IƬ'Ƨ ПӨƬ ƬЯЦMP ƬӨЩΣЯ, BЦƬ I GΣƬ ƬΉΣ ΛPPΣΛL.

[On occasion, between the odd frequencies scrambling the frame with black and white noise, a single eye will appear.]

VΛMPIЯΣƧ. ΛПGΣᄂƧ. ᄃΛППIBΛᄂƧ. GӨDƧ. ΛΉΛΉΛΉΛΉΛ ӨΉ BӨY, IƧ ƬΉIƧ GӨППΛ BΣ FЦП. I'ᄂᄂ BΣ ЩΛƬᄃΉIПG YӨЦ, ЩӨПDΣЯᄂΛПD.

I ' ᄂᄂ B Σ Щ Λ Ƭ ᄃ Ή I П G Y Ө Ц.

[The transmission cuts, leaving a fuzzy screen and a garbled message:]

Comments

Voice

[improvident]

I DӨП'Ƭ ПΣΣD MΣMӨЯIΣƧ, BЦƬ I'VΣ ΛᄂЩΛYƧ BΣΣП Λ BIG FΛП ӨF ƬΉΣ PЦPPΣƬЯY ΛЯƬƧ.

[AhahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaahahahaHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA.]

Voice

[singloversing]

Puppetry? What, like...puppet shows? Seriously?

[That seems like a pretty weird thing for a temporal tourist to want, but it seems more like he's judging Bill's taste than whether or not this is a suspicious request.]

[improvident]

[Hey! Who are you to judge? You're the one making mix-tapes of poetry and oboe music, or whatever!]

ӨΉ ƧЦЯΣ. ПӨƬΉIПG BΣƬƬΣЯ ƬΉΛП Λ ЩΣᄂᄂ-MΛDΣ MΛЯIӨПΣƬƬΣ.

[singloversing]

[Even Wirt has to admit there's something...strange, about this offer. He can't really put his finger on what, but there's something off there. Then again, it's just a puppet. Right?

Of course, Wirt is perpetually indecisive. He's clearly thinking about it, but he feels the need to weigh all the possibilities here, or at least all the ones he can think of.]

I'll...I'll keep that in mind.

[Maybe it sounds dismissive, but he really will mull it over.]

[improvident]

[Some people juggle geese.]

YӨЦ DӨ ƬΉΛƬ. I'M GӨППΛ ƧΣΣ IF I ᄃΛП'Ƭ FIПD ƬΉΣ BΛЯ ΛЯӨЦПD ΉΣЯΣ. FIFƬΉ FᄂӨӨЯ, ЯIGΉƬ?

ΉΛΉΛ. ЩΉӨ ΛM I KIDDIПG? YӨЦ'ЯΣ Λ ƬΣΣПΛGΣЯ. ƧΣΣ YӨЦ ΛЯӨЦПD, KID.

[The feed crackles out.]