Radio Free Gensokyo
Rinnosuke sat behind the counter of his shop one muggy afternoon, studying a crossword puzzle.
"A demigogue? No.. well, maybe."
The door to his shop opened, and he looked up to see Yukari entering, with boxes in tow.
"Hey," she said, and sighed deeply. "What an exhausting day."
Rinnosuke, eyeing the merchandise, stood up a little straighter. "What's all this?"
"Radios and rechargable batteries," she said. "And one transmitter."
Rinnosuke set his pencil down. "Why, there's got to be dozens of boxes. Who's going to buy radios in a place you won't be able to use them?"
"Never mind that," Yukari said, as most of the boxes gently floated down to the middle of the shop floor, the rest remaining floating by her. "You won't be selling them. You'll be giving them away."
"Ha, what? You can't be serious. Why would I-"
"Look, I owe someone a small favor, so I had to pop across the border. Just do as I ask. Go to the village, and tell people you have free radios. Tell them to tune it to 119. Trust me, if it's free and in limited supply, it doesn't matter if it works or not; people will line up to get it. And look at it this way," she said, smiling. "You'll have a shop full of potential customers for this ... other stuff."
Rinnosuke considered. Kind of a long way to go for a few customers, but Yukari seemed to have decided matters before the fact.
"Alright, fine," he said. "But don't put the transmitter near the door. I want the big draw way in the back of the store."
"Oh, that won't be staying here," said Yukari. "I'll be taking care of that."
Rinnosuke nodded, knowing it was no use asking anyway. Yukari only stayed long enough to see that he understood, nodded, and was gone.
The shopkeeper did as he was instructed, and Yukari proved to be right. Dozens of villagers flocked to his store for the free radios and batteries. He also sold a toothbrush.
The villagers all tuned to 119 with anticipation, having no idea what to expect. Most of them had no idea what a radio even did. There were rumors they would produce food, or turn into fairies. What they did know was, it was a break from their daily routine to await whatever was coming.
Elsewhere in Gensokyo, things were also changing. Full charged radios and cell phones began appearing in conspicuous locations, anonymous instructions tied to them with string: the Hakurei and Moriya shrines, the Scarlet Devil Mansion, around the Forest of Magic and the Misty Lake, even as far afield as Eientei and Higan. They did not go unnoticed.
Two days later, as the sun was setting, a voice appeared from the radios.
"Good evening! And thank you for listening to Radio Free Gensokyo. I'm your host, Aya Syameimaru. I'll be taking your calls tonight. Calls from your phones. The little black boxes with the buttons on them. All you do, is you press the uh blue button near the little window? And then ... you press it again, yeah. That's right."
The villagers stopped their evening reveries - turning away from their dinners, their sweeping, their conversations, and turning towards the radios.
Rinnosuke, seated in the back of the shop with a radio in his lap, stared at the speaker in disbelief. The little black boxes with buttons on them ... that was a description he was familiar with - Yukari's phone. How many could she have made? He sighed when he considered her capability for throwing a big clanging wrench in the gears.
"And I mean, we can talk about whatever you want. You don't have even have to say who you are. I'm here to answer your questions, but mostly, I'm here to listen. What's on your mind, Gensokyo? What do you want to get off your chest? Hm?"
The villagers were still looking for the little black boxes with buttons on them, but had not yet found any around them. After a few moments, they gave up looking.
"Is there something you always wished you could say to someone, without them knowing it was you? Or something that's been on your mind that you've been meaning to share? Let's hear it, Gensokyo. Our lines are open."
"We have a caller!," said the tengu. "Hello, caller, this is Radio Free Gensokyo. What do you have to say?"
A few seconds of silence followed. The villagers leaned in a little closer.
"Uh, hello, Aya," said the caller. "Yeah, I have a question about ... food."
"One of my favorite subjects! Ask away, I'm all ears."
"Well, let's say you're a small business owner," said the caller. "You know, just trying to get buy any way you can, just like the rest of us. Sometimes you cut some corners, bend a couple rules, but you know, I'm a decent person, right?"
"Sure. I'm sure you are."
"Right. So, the other night, this customer tells me my ... product isn't actually doing what I claim it's doing. I mean she called me a liar, to my face!"
"You sound pretty upset."
"I am upset! She had no way of knowing that, OK? It's impossible."
"Um .. that doesn't really change much."
"Yeah, well, anyway, I just wanted to say: some people are a little too smart for their own good. OK?"
"OK, caller, thanks. Um ... oh! We have another call on the line. Hello, caller, this is Radio Free Gensokyo. What do you have to say?"
The new caller cleared her throat. "Yes, my question is related to the last caller's question."
"OK .."
"Aya, what do you think: don't you think it'd be a little bit convenient that someone you know who can control ... oh, let's say, darkness, sells a food that supposedly cures blindness? Hm?"
"Get over yourself Marisa!," The first caller yelled. "Why don't you come down here and-"
"Oh, wow, forgot to hang up line one! Sorry Gensokyo!" Aya laughed nervously.
A loud click popped over the radio speakers. The villagers looked at each other in bewilderment. Then they turned back to the radio.
"Whoops, looks like I hung up both- wait, another call! Hello, caller, this is Radio Free Gensokyo. What do you have to say?"
"Hey Aya," a small, soft voice said. Crickets, and the occasional croak of a frog could be heard in the background.
"Good evening!"
"How are you?"
"I'm great, caller. What did you want to talk about?"
"My stomach hurts."
"I see. That's ... too bad?"
"Do you want to know why my stomach hurts?"
"Oh, of course. Sorry."
"Well, I was walking by the lake, and I saw the mermaid. She was sitting on a rock, with her back to me."
The villagers sat up a little straighter. "Mermaid?," one of them said, more to himself than anyone else.
"I'm highly interested. Please tell me more," said Aya.
"So I thought it would be funny to surprise her," said the caller. "Just a way of saying hi, you know. So I gave her a Happy Slushy."
"You gave her what?"
"I gave her a Happy Slushy." The caller sniffled. "That's when you form a big pile of slush over someone, and tell them to look up before you drop it on them."
Aya chuckled. "That does sound pretty funny."
"Well she didn't think so. Anyway she got me pretty good, and I'm still hurting from it. What's good for a stomach ache?"
"Hm. You should drink beer. Lots and lots of beer."
"Thanks Aya!," said the caller, and the line went dead.
"No problem! Always happy to help," said Aya. "Oh hey, looks like it's just one more call before the battery dies on this thing. Nitori, I thought you said this could last six hours?"
There was a single clang of metal on stone. "Hey, you want speed or quality?," a voice in the background said.
"Alright, sorry, sheesh," said Aya. "Excuse me Miss Sensitive. Anyway.. Oh right! Caller. Hello, caller, this is Radio Free Gensokyo. What do you have to say?"
"Hello Miss Aya Syameimaru," the caller said. "I am calling to enquire on a matter of grave importance."
"Whoah, sounds pretty serious. OK, caller, what is it?"
"I am experiencing a crisis of faith," the caller said, in hushed tones. "I have very close friends of ... different beliefs. We often fight. I'm honestly not really ... all that keen about fighting. This has caused me to question the conviction of my beliefs, to ask myself: is my faith more important to me than friendship itself? Can I even believe in such a faith that would deny that of me?"
The voice trembled over the last few words, and then was silent. The villagers pulled in closer. Rinnosuke stared at the speaker of his radio, unblinking.
"Caller," Aya said. "You know, you remind me of a parable I once heard in my youth. It seems there was an old man who lived in a hut way on top of a mountain. Every morning, he walked down to the river to pick berries. One day, a fish raised its head from the waters and spoke to the man. The fish said, 'Old man, if you rub those berries on my belly, I will grant you any wish you desire.' The old man, not wanting to sacrifice his berries, rubbed the fish's belly with sand instead. The fish spat poison in the man's eye, killing him instantly. It's actually a pretty sad story."
Silence followed for a few beats.
"I'm ... not sure what-"
"The point is, caller ... life is tough. I think. Like I said, I heard it a long time ago."
"You are by far the worst council I have-"
"Sorry caller! Hang on just a second! Nitori, are you sure there's no power in the other thing?"
"No, Aya! There isn't! I'm trying to eat my lunch here do you-"
Static poured from the radio speakers. The villagers continued looking at the speakers for a few minutes before returning to their evening routines, leaving the radios on.
Rinnosuke switched his radio off, and set it down on the counter next to him. He stood, reached under the counter, and put another toothbrush in the display.
