The Broadcaster

The rain had stopped. The city of New Haven lay quiet below, a grid of wet asphalt and streetlights.

It was 3:00 AM. Most of the city was asleep.

But in the Belfry of the abandoned St. Jude’s, the bell did not ring.

Instead, a sound drifted out over the rooftops.

It was a laugh. But it was amplified, booming, resonating with the acoustic perfection of the stone tower. It was a deep, infectious, belly-shaking roar of absolute joy.

Silas stood at the open archway of the tower. He was clapping rhythmically. *Clap. Clap. Clap.* And he was broadcasting.

He was no longer Silas. He was the amplifier. The fossilized jawbone in the basement was the transmitter, and Silas was the speaker.

Down on the street, three blocks away, a man was walking his dog. He was tired, worried about his mortgage, thinking about the bleakness of the coming Monday.

Then, he heard it.

It echoed off the brickwork of the tenement buildings. A booming *HA-HA-HA.*

The man stopped. He looked up at the dark tower looming against the clouds.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He didn't want to smile. He had nothing to smile about.

But the sound... it was undeniable. It tickled the base of his spine.

The man chuckled. The dog looked up, whining.

The man dropped the leash. He doubled over, clutching his knees. "Ha! Oh, wow. Ha!"

The laughter grew louder in the tower.

Lights began to flick on in the apartment building across the street. A window opened on the third floor. A woman stuck her head out to yell at the noise.

"Shut up down there!" she screamed.

Then, she paused. She heard the rhythm. *Clap. Clap. Laugh.*

Her angry scowl dissolved. Her face went slack, then rebuilt itself into a wide, tearing grin. She started to giggle, leaning precariously out of the window.

Up in the Belfry, Silas watched the lights turning on, one by one, spreading outward like a contagion map. He clapped his bleeding hands together, tears of black ichor streaming down his face, bringing the gospel of hysteria to a world that was finally, terrifiedly, ready to get the joke.