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THE REPORTER:

 

 Good evening, Witherburn. The winter holidays and finals are coming up quick, so I know it's a busy Friday for all of us. But I promise to make this show worth your while. We have a couple of stories today, like the strange deer Mr. Pickler tried to get processed, and the drama currently going on with Tina Young.

 

Though the highlight of our show today is the interview I got with Mrs. Calloway. After the recording I released, many people in this town have become wary of the police department. But Mrs. Calloway has been ringing the alarm bells for months now. I feel it will be very enlightening to get her perspective, all that and more on Witherburn Afterschool News. 

 

I just want to take a moment at the beginning of this episode to encourage all of our high school listeners to take a deep breath in  and release.  I know that we are all trying our best to study for finals. It can be a lot, especially when it feels like so many other things are going on at the same time.

 

[Theme Music]

 

I just want to take a moment at the beginning of this episode to encourage our highschool listeners to take a deep breath in… and release. I know that we are all trying our best to study for finals.  It can be a lot especially when it feels like so many other things are going on at the same time. It’s okay, you got this, you'll survive. 

 

Now with that little reminder out of the way, let's go on to our first story. Mr. Pickler has brought a strange.. deer to the Wild Game Processing store here in town. The store, run by Mr. Whitely, is used by many hunters in town as a way to get venison, turkey, wild rabbit, and any other types of meat they can get from hunting.

 

Anyway, Mr. Pickler called ahead of time and asked if they could process an 8 point buck he shot. They of course said yes, though when Mr. Pickler brought the buck into the store there was something just.. well, there was just something off about it. Mr. Whitely couldn't put his finger on what, though. As a precautionary measure, they immediately took it out of the store.

 

This decision was made because of something known as Chronic Wasting Disease. Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, is known as a zombie virus. It can have a massive effect on deer and other mammals. It will cause them to act and look strange. Patches of fur come off, their eyes get a hollow and glassy look, and their gums recede. 

 

They will do things that can easily get them killed till, finally, the virus eats away at them. A deer with this virus will oftentimes come right up to people, or wolves, as a way to spread the disease. So when the deer looked off, Mr. Whitely had to assume it was CWD. It's extremely contagious, and now, as a safety precaution, the processing store is closed for the week while they disinfect and make sure it didn't spread to anything else.

 

This situation did remind me of an old Appalachian legend that has somewhat spread across the Americas. So, for this week's monster, we'll be talking about the Not Deer. It's a vaguer myth than most, with stories varying from region to region. Each region also has its own explanations for this phenomenon, so you might have heard a different story about this creature than the one I'm about to tell.

 

Not Deer, at first, seem fine. They look at a glance like regular deer, but that's the thing.  When you really look at them, that's when you start noticing that something's off. They will have things like forward facing predator eyes, or they can just be larger than you would expect, like the size of a moose large. There are also reports of Not Deer running at impossible speeds and running on their hind legs. 

 

My grandfather actually has a story. He was returning from a long day of hunting, he was almost at his car when he noticed something beside it. At first, he thought it was human, but a closer look, it was a deer.  Standing on its back legs and looking into his car. He tried to keep quiet and think of a game plan, but the deer looked right at him and started to walk towards him. One foot at a time. His instincts took over and he fired a shot. The deer scampered off after that, but you know what I think is the scariest part of all that?

 

They aren't afraid of humans. Guns, sure, but humans, they will walk right up to. In fact, some have apparently tried to lead people into the woods, and those that go in don't come out.  I personally believe this is less angry spirits or witches or what-not and more natural selection if you ask me. But what do I know?

 

You might be wondering why I bring this up? And that's because many scientists believe these not deer are actually caused by chronic wasting disease which, in my opinion, is actually more dangerous than some scary forest mumbo jumbo. This disease causes deer to not be afraid and their hind legs can grow skinny and weird along with their face starting to deform.

 

Plus, deer might stand on their hind legs because their brain is already mush, so who knows. This would also explain legends about people dying after getting close. Chronic wasting disease can very easily spread to humans, and it's incurable. Think about that the next time you're walking in the woods.

 

It's actually interesting seeing this older legend have such a reasonable and normal explanation to it. I guess half the fun of folklore is searching for answers. Speaking of folklore, we have a little culture segment this week.  

 

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BIRDIE:

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That's the best segue you got? Going straight from folklore to a culture segment?

 

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THE REPORTER:

 

Hey you try to do this every week, and see if your transitions are winners. Sorry about that, listeners. Some people don't know proper recording etiquette.  A little birdie has informed me that kids will sometimes listen to this show, which I don't suggest, but you do you, if their parents or older siblings are playing it.

 

So I figured, since Hanukkah starts today, I would have a little segment explaining all the winter holidays. So listen up, kids, It's time to learn about different cultures with  The Reporter. Now, most of us know about Christmas, which is probably the most celebrated winter holiday in America. This holiday is a Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the Christian Savior.

 

One of the major traditions of this holiday is gift giving, which is supposed to celebrate the greatest gift from God, which is eternal life through Christ.  What many don't know about are the other holidays like Hanukkah, which this is the first night of, so happy Hanukkah! This holiday spans over 8 days, in honor of the 8 days that the temple candle stayed lit.

 

Hanukkah's celebration revolves around the lighting of a menorah, which is a candle that has 9 parts, even though there are only 8 nights. This is because the 9th candle, or the shamash, Am I saying that right?  Okay, good. The shamash is used to light the other candles. Many families also celebrate with food like latkes or sufganiyot.

 

Though it's become a very commercial holiday, it's important to note that Hanukkah is not a major Jewish holiday. In fact, holidays that are often ignored but are major holidays are events like Passover, Yom Kippur, and Rosh Hashanah. I bring this up because many people believe that Hanukkah is just Jewish Christmas, therefore it must be a super important holiday.

 

But it's not just Jewish Christmas, and it's very rude to assume so. If you assume things like that, it can lead to harmful misunderstandings, like Jewish people getting time off for Hanukkah, but not Rosh Hashanah, which encourages one to gather with their family. So remember to tell those who celebrate Happy Hanukkah.But also remember to tell them to have a happy Passover. Which is happening in April, by the way. 

 

Our next holiday is Kwanzaa. Which is actually a completely secular holiday. Which means a holiday that is not attached to any religion. Around 6 million people celebrate this holiday, Isn't that cool? It was made as a way for African Americans to get closer to their heritage and African culture.

 

The classic Kwanzaa symbol is the Kanara, which looks a little like a menorah with seven candles, but the holiday isn't connected to Hanukkah at all. Each candle represents a different value. There is unity, self determination, collective work, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith in the community.

 

At the end of the seven days, there is a big feast which is filled with traditional African dishes like chicken and peanut stew and corn fritters. Some other Kwanzaa celebrations include decorating the house and gift giving. 

 

Now, our last holiday is Chinese New Year or the Lunar New Year. This is a celebration based on the Chinese lunar calendar, which is different from the 365 day calendar that we use.So that means this holiday falls on different days each year, and this coming year it falls on February  10th. Each year has a different animal, and next year is the year of the dragon. Ooh, so cool! Some ways people celebrate this holiday are by doing things like decorating, or wearing a lot of red, since it's said to bring good luck.

 

They also have big meals with friends and family, where they get to eat some of their favorite foods. Kids will often get red envelopes with money in them, and people will also give these red envelopes as gifts to friends and family as well. Then during the celebration, they also set off fireworks, just like our new year!

 

I guess people just really like fireworks no matter where they're from. These are just a few of the different holidays that people celebrate, and remember that just because people celebrate different things doesn't make them bad or weird. It means they have different experiences than you, and that's a good thing. It means that there's more things to celebrate and more people to celebrate with.

 

Did you like that, listeners?  I'm basically a bona fide teacher now. Moving on to our last story of the day, Tina Young has fallen from popularity this week.  Kids, you should probably leave now. Though she claims to be all #body positive, she ended up calling one of her friends fat after an argument.

 

She said, and I quote, “Like I would ever listen to some fat bitch!” 

 

Which is obviously uncalled for. I mean, why even use that word in general? It's just not a good look. So she's essentially been left in the dust. No one is coming to her yoga classes, no one is drinking those smoothies, thank god, and no one even seems to be talking to her.

 

Seriously, she ended up quitting the tennis team so she can't even talk to her teammates. It's kind of sad to see her all alone at the lunch table. Sure, she said some uncalled for things, and sure, I don't exactly like her, but maybe this is overkill. I mean maybe I'm too nice, but I feel like we shouldn't totally shun people who said something mean in the middle of an argument, It's giving Scarlet Letter.

 

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BIRDIE:

 

You were the only one that read that.  

 

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THE REPORTER:

 

I am being told I was the only one that read that, So I guess it makes sense that no one learned a lesson from that book.  Anyway, my take on the whole situation is we should go easier on Tina, okay? Maybe don't start drinking her smoothies again, though, Please. 

 

That's all the stories I have for today. So now on to Mrs. Calloway's interview, I want to warn listeners that we will be talking about the missing person cases in this interview. Though I encourage you to listen to what Mrs. Calloway said because it's important, I understand if you can't handle it though.For those that are staying, here's the interview. 

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[Interview recording plays]

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THE REPORTER:

 

 Hello, Mrs. Calloway. I'm so glad you could join us.

 

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MRS. CALLOWAY:

 

 It is absolutely no trouble, sweetheart. 

 

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THE REPORTER:

 

I don't want to waste your time, so let's jump right into it. You have been very vocal about your distrust of the Witherburn authorities. While more and more people are coming forward with their own stories, I wanted to ask what made you first question the Witherburn Police Department?

 

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MRS. CALLOWAY:

 

I had a bad feeling about them the moment that I filed the police report. They just weren't taking anything I said seriously. There was no urgency, But, Obviously, the way that they were acting wasn't the first thing on my mind. I didn't care how they treated me as long as they found April.  It wasn't until two weeks later when they were telling me that she ran away that I knew something was wrong.  My little girl wouldn't run away, she is happy here. 

 

THE REPORTER:

 

Yet, when you originally started speaking up, the town didn't seem to stand behind you. How did that make you feel, and why did you keep pushing through?

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MRS. CALLOWAY:

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I felt crazy, people were talking about me like I was being overdramatic for wanting my daughter back. After a while, it does start to get to your head. I mean, they threw eggs at my house, and now people are watching me from the woods. But I just kept thinking about the children that might go missing, and how if I didn't advocate for my child, then no one else would. 

 

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THE REPORTER:

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Watching you from the woods, could you expand on that? 

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MRS. CALLOWAY:

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There are people who have seemingly camped outside of my house. Um, I hear them sometimes in the woods. They try to, you know, mess with me. Um, it has died down a bit since the police recording. Uh, But I can still see them moving in the trees on some nights. 

 

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THE REPORTER:

 

 Wow…  That's terrible.  On to the next question, I wanted to bring up the other parents.Some of these parents had told you earlier on to just let the police do their jobs. But now many are backing you up. What happened? 

 

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MRS. CALLOWAY:

 

Well, they heard your tape. Me and Jonathan's parents have been very vocal about our displeasure. The walls have been cracking for a while now. After weeks and months of our children not coming home people were starting to wonder. But your tape ended up being the straw that broke the camel's back. The police were silent afterwards, in the span of about five hours, every parent had asked for an update, and they couldn't give a single one. It's pretty hard to stand behind them after that 

 

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THE REPORTER:

 

 Wow, and Miss Calloway. Do you mind me asking, how on earth are you holding up through this?

 

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MRS. CALLOWAY:

 

I'm not. I don't think people understand what it's like to know that your daughter is out there, and that the police are doing nothing. I mean, last they told me, April was supposedly in some Colorado hotel, but That was almost a month ago now. What's even worse is that I have to, on some level, believe them. I pray to God every day that they are right because if I don't trust them, then I am choosing to believe that nobody knows where my daughter is, that nobody knows if my daughter is still alive, and I have to believe that she is still out there. 

 

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THE REPORTER:

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I'm so sorry.  Okay, one last question. The Clark’s are clearly conspiring with the Mayor and the Witherburn police, is there anything you wanted to say about that?

 

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MRS. CALLOWAY:

 

 I think that the Clarks have something to do with all of this. Um, or they are making the police department cover something. I think they are doing something dangerous on that plot of land that they're developing, they're mining, or logging, or something. And our children are the ones getting hurt. 

 

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THE REPORTER:

 

That makes sense.  

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MRS. CALLOWAY:

 

I just hope that the Clarks will use their influence for good. Maybe help the families of the missing.

 

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THE REPORTER:

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 I agree wholeheartedly.  But I'm afraid we're out of time, thank you for joining us. 

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MRS. CALLOWAY:

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Thank you for having me.  

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[Interview recording ends]

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THE REPORTER:

 

That was the Mrs. Calloway interview and the end of our show. I hope her words gave you something to think about. We have to come together as a town because it's now or never. Don't forget to tune in next week and thank you for listening to Witherburn Afterschool News. 

I'm the Reporter, signing off.