2 - Glow Cloud

Did you know that Nightfall is not just a podcast, it's also books?

That's right.

It's like movies for your ears, but in written word form.

We have four script collections that are fully illustrated with behind-the-scenes intros for every single episode.

And then we have three novels.

The first Welcome to Nightfall novel, in which two women have their lives turned upside down by a mysterious man in a tan jacket.

We reveal the origin of that, the man man in the tan jacket in that one.

Then the New York Times best-selling thriller, It Devours, in which we really try to get to the bottom of a certain smiling god.

Finally, my favorite, The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home.

Part Pirate Adventure, Part Haunted House, all Faceless Old Woman.

Find the three novels and four script books wherever you get books.

Okay,

enjoy this episode of a podcast.

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The desert seems vast, even endless, and yet scientists tell us that somewhere, even now, there is snow.

Welcome to Night Vale.

The Night Vale Tourism Board's Visitable Night Vale campaign has kicked off with posters encouraging folks to take their family on a scenery-filled jaunt through the trails of Radon Canyon.

Their slogan, the view, is literally breathtaking.

Posters will be placed at police stations and frozen yogurt shops in nearby towns, along with promotional giveaways of plastic sheeting and re-breathers.

And now, the news.

Have any of our listeners seen the glowing cloud that has been moving in from the west?

Well, John Peters, you know, the farmer, he saw it over the western ridge this morning.

Said he would have thought it was the setting sun if it wasn't for the time of day.

Apparently, the cloud glows in a variety of colors, perhaps changing from observer to observer, although all report a low whistling when it draws near.

One death has already been attributed to the glow cloud.

But listen, it's probably nothing.

If we had to shut down the town for every mysterious event that at least one death could be attributed to, we'd never have time to do anything, right?

That's what the sheriff's secret police are saying, and I agree.

Although, I would not go so far as to endorse their suggestion to run directly at the cloud, shrieking and waving your arms just to see what it does.

The Apache tracker, and I remind you that this is that white guy who wears the huge and cartoonishly inaccurate Indian headdress,

has announced that he has found some disturbing evidence concerning the recent incident at the Night Vale Post Office, which has been sealed by the city council since the great screaming that was heard from it a few weeks ago.

He said that using ancient Indian magics, he slipped through council security into the post office and observed that all the letters and packages had been thrown about as in a whirlwind.

That there was the heavy stench of scorched flesh.

That the words written in blood on the wall said, said, more to come, and soon.

Can you believe this guy said he used Indian magics?

What an asshole

Here's something odd.

There is a cat hovering in the men's bathroom at the radio station here.

He seems perfectly happy and healthy, but it's floating about four feet off the ground next to the sink.

Doesn't seem to be able to move from its current hover spot.

If you pet him, he purrs, and he'll rub on your body like a normal cat if you get close enough.

Fortunately, because he's right by the sink, it was pretty easy to leave some water and food where he could get it.

And it's nice to have a station pet.

Wish it wasn't trapped in a hovering prison in the men's bathroom, but listen, no pet is perfect.

It becomes perfect when you learn to accept it for what it is.

And now, a message from our sponsors.

I took a walk on the cool sand dunes, brittle grass overgrown, and above me in the night sky, above me I saw

Bitter taste of unripe peaches and a smell I could not place nor could I escape.

I remembered other times that I could not escape.

I remembered other smells.

The moon slunk like a wounded animal.

The world spun like it had lost control.

Concentrate only on breathing and let go of ideas you had about nutrition and alarm clocks.

I took a walk on the cool sand dunes, brittle grass overgrown,

and above me, in the night sky, above me, I saw.

This message was brought to you by Coca-Cola.

The City Council, in cooperation with government agents from a vague yet menacing agency, is asking all citizens to stop by the Night Vale Elementary School Gymnasium tonight at seven for a brief questionnaire about mysterious sights that definitely no one saw and strange thoughts that in no way occurred to anyone, because all of us are normal, and to be otherwise would make us outcasts from our own community.

Remember, if you see something, say nothing, and drink to forget.

The Boy Scouts of Night Vale have announced some slight changes to their hierarchy, which will now be the following.

Cub Scout, Boy Scout, Eagle Scout, Bloodpacked Scout, Weird Scout, Dreadnought Scout, Dark Scout, Fear Scout, and finally, Eternal Scout.

As always, sign up is automatic and random, so please keep an eye out for the scarlet envelope that will let you know your son has been chosen for the process.

This is probably nothing, listeners, but John Peters, you know, the farmer, he reports that the glow cloud is directly over Old Town Night Vale and appears to be raining small creatures upon the earth.

armadillos, lizards, a few crows, that kind of thing.

Fortunately, the animals appear to be dead already, so the Night Vale Animal Control Department has said that it should be a snap to clean those up.

They just have to be tossed on the eternal animal pyre in Mission Grove Park.

So if that's the worst the Glow Cloud has for us, I say go ahead and do your daily errands.

Just bring along a good, strong umbrella capable of handling falling animals up to, say, 10 pounds.

More on the glow cloud as it continues to crawl across our sky.

And hey, here's a tip.

Take your kids out and use the cloud's constantly mutating hue to teach him or her the names of colors.

It's fun and it shows them the real-life applications of learning.

Alert.

The Sheriff's Secret Police are searching for a a fugitive named Hiram McDaniels, who escaped custody last night following a 9 p.m.

arrest.

McDaniels is described as a five-headed dragon, approximately 18 feet tall, with mostly green eyes and weighing about 3,600 pounds.

He is suspected of insurance fraud.

McDaniels was pulled over for speeding last night, and the secret police became suspicious when he allegedly gave the officers a fake driver's license for a 5'8 man named Frank Chen.

After discerning that Frank Chen was actually a five-headed dragon from somewhere other than our little world, the secret police searched McDaniel's vehicle.

Representatives from local civil rights organizations have protested that officers had no legal grounds to search the vehicle.

But, They ceded the point when reminded by secret police officials that our backwards court system will uphold any old authoritarian rule made up on the fly by unsupervised gun-carrying thugs of a shadow government.

The secret police say McDaniels escaped custody by breathing fire from his purple head and he was last seen flying and shrieking over Red Mesa.

Secret police are asking for tips leading to the arrest of Hiram McDaniels.

They remind you that if seen, he should not be approached, as he is literally a five-headed dragon.

Contact the Sheriff's Secret Police if you have any information.

Ask for Officer Ben.

Helpful tipsters will earn one stamp on their alert citizen card.

Collect five stamps, and you get stop sign immunity for one year.

And now, a look at the community calendar.

Saturday, the public library will be unknowable.

Citizens will forget the existence of the library from 6 a.m.

Saturday morning until 11 p.m.

that night.

The library will be under a sort of renovation.

It is not important what kind of renovation.

Sunday is Dot Day.

Remember, red dots on what you love, blue dots on what you don't.

Mixing those up can cause permanent consequences.

Monday, Louis Blasco is offering bluegrass lessons in the back of Louis's music shop.

Of course, the shop burned down years ago and Louis skipped town immediately after with his insurance money, but he sent word that you should bring your instrument to the crumbled ashy shell of where his shop once was and pretend that he is there in the darkness teaching you.

The price is $50 per lesson, payable in advance.

Tuesday afternoon, join the Night Vale PTA for a bake sale to support citizens for a blood space war.

Proceeds will go to support neutron bomb development and deployment to our outer solar system allies.

Wednesday has been cancelled due to a scheduling error.

And on Thursday is a free concert.

And that's all it says here.

New call in from John Peters, you know, the farmer.

Seems the glow cloud has doubled in size, enveloping all of Night Vale in its weird light and humming song.

Little League administration has announced that they will be going ahead with the game, although there will be an awning built over the field due to the increase in size of the animal corpses being dropped.

I've had multiple reports that a a lion, like the kind you would see on the sun-baked plains of Africa or a pea-stained enclosure at a local zoo, fell on top of the white sand ice cream shop.

The shop is offering a free dipped cone to anyone who can figure out how to get the thing off.

The sheriff's secret police have apparently taken to shouting questions at the glow cloud, trying to ascertain what exactly it wants.

So So far, the Glow Cloud has not answered.

The Glow Cloud does not need to converse with us.

It does not feel as we tiny humans feel.

It has no need for thoughts or feelings of love.

The Glow Cloud simply is:

All hail, the mighty Glow Cloud.

All

hail.

and now

slaves of the cloud the weather

and the rain wait waiting for the bus in the rain

Waiting for the bus in the rain and the rain wait waiting for the bus in the rain

Wait for the bus in the rain

Waiting for the bus in the rain and the rain wait waiting for the bus in the rain

Waiting for the bus in the rain in the rain Wait, waiting for the bus in the rain

Waiting for the bus, where is the bus?

The bus is late Waiting for the bus in the rain In the rain When the bus come where the bus at Got my bus pass Bus is much better than a train Than a train take road pictures while I'm waiting at the bus stop Bus not here while the bus so late I'm waiting for the bus in the rain Wishing I was on the bus when the bus drive around your state Oh could it come the bus?

Oh shit, it's a different bus Not the right bus Not the bus I need Now I'm waiting for the bus in the rain and another stop bus, they got a real high speed

Waiting for the bus, took a picture of another bus Waiting for the bus in the rain I've been waiting for the bus since the sun came up But the sun ain't out no more cause it's grey Waiting for the bus, there's a gray one, blue one, a red one All of them turned away I've been waiting for the bus, gotta catch a bus Gotta watch news, got a regiment and plan for the day Bus

in the rain

Waiting for the bus

Now there's other people waiting at the bus stop Hey, where's your bus pass, boy?

When you're waiting for the bus in the rain Have your bus pass ready, all the people on the bus get annoyed I'm waiting for the bus like I do every day On my way home, waiting for the bus in the rain At least on the days when it's raining and I'm waiting for the bus Cause the other days ain't the same

Waiting for the bus in the rain

Waiting for the bus in the rain

Waiting for the bus so hard sometimes when the bus come late to the stop Waiting for the bus in the rain Man, I prefer sunshine Should be waiting for the bus with a mop

That's a joke Do you get it?

Hey, where are you going?

Let's show you wait

Hey, it's Jeffrey Kraner with a word from our sponsor.

You're on a desert island, but not a deserted island.

Someone else is there.

Something else is there.

In the water, surrounding you, lurks a mythical beast with two large eyes and many long arms.

You're just now hearing of this beast, but you're not afraid because you don't plan to swim.

Though that water looks nice, you're good at talking yourself into things, and soon you are in the sea, frolicking and splashing.

You even squeal, thinking you're all alone.

But you forgot what I just said.

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You high-five the beast as it sets you back down on the island, along with the bottles of kraken rum.

It winks and tells you kraken rum is ideal for Halloween cocktails and disappears back into the dark, briny depths.

Visit the official sponsor of Welcome to Night Vale, Kraken Rum.com to release the Kraken this Halloween.

Copyright 2025, Kraken Rum Company Krakenrum.com.

Like the deepest sea, the Kraken should be treated with great respect and responsibility.

You chose to hit play on this podcast today.

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Sorry, listeners.

Not sure what happened in that earlier section of the broadcast, as in, I actually don't remember what happened.

Tried to play back the tapes, but they're all blank and smell faintly of vanilla.

The glow cloud, meanwhile, has moved on.

It is now just a glowing spot in the distance, humming east to destinations unknown.

We may never fully understand or understand at all what it was and why it dumped a lot of dead animals on our community.

But,

and I'm going to get a little personal here, that's the essence of of life, isn't it?

Sometimes you go through things that seem huge at the time, like a mysterious glowing cloud devouring your entire community.

While they're happening, they feel like the only thing that matters, and you can hardly imagine that there's a world out there that might have anything else going on.

And then the glow cloud moves on, and you move on, and the event is behind you.

And you may find, as time passes, that you remember it less and less,

or absolutely not at all in my case.

And you are left with nothing but a powerful wonder at the fleeting nature of even the most important things in life, and the faint but pretty smell of vanilla.

Dear listeners, here is a list of things.

Emotions you don't understand upon viewing a sunset.

Lost pets found.

Lost pets unfound.

A secret lost pet city on the moon.

Trees that see.

Restaurants that hear.

A void that thinks.

A face half-seen just before falling asleep.

Trembling hands reaching for desperately needed items.

Sandwiches.

Silence when there should be noise.

Noise when there should be silence.

Nothing when you want something.

Something when you thought there was nothing.

Clear plastic binder sheets.

Scented dryer sheets.

Rain coming down in sheets.

Night.

Rest.

Sleep.

End.

Good night, listeners.

Good night.

Welcome to Night Vale is a production of Night Vale Vale Presents.

It is written by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Kraner and produced by Joseph Fink.

The voice of Night Vale is Cecil Baldwin.

Original music by Disparition.

All of it can be found at disparition.info or at disparition.bandcamp.com.

This episode's weather was The Bus is Late by Satellite High.

Find out more at satellitehigh.com.

Comments, questions, email us at info at welcometonightvale.com or follow us on Twitter at nightvale radio.

Check out welcometonightvale.com for more information on this show as well as all sorts of cool nightvale stuff you can own.

And while you're there, consider clicking the donate link.

That'd be amazing.

Today's proverb: men are from Mars, women are from Venus, Earth is a hallucination, podcasts are dreams.

Olivia loves a challenge.

It's why she lifts heavy weights

and likes complicated recipes.

But for booking her trip to Paris, Olivia chose the easy way with Expedia.

She bundled her flight with a hotel to save more.

Of course, she still climbed all 674 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

You were made to take the easy route.

We were made to easily package your trip.

Expedia, made to travel.

Flight-inclusive packages are at all protected.

I'm Amy Nicholson, the film critic for the LA Times.

And I'm Paul Scheer, an actor, writer, and director.

You might know me from the League Veep or my non-eligible for Academy Award role in Twisters.

We love movies, and we come at them from different perspectives.

Yeah, like Amy thinks that, you know, Joe Pesci was miscast in Goodfellas, and I don't.

He's too old.

Let's not forget that Paul thinks that Dune 2 is overrated.

It is.

Anyway, despite this, we come together to host Unspooled, a podcast where we talk about good movies, critical hits, fan favorites, must-sees, and in case you missed them.

We're talking Parasite the Home Alone, From Greece to the Dark Knight.

We've done deep dives on popcorn flicks, we've talked about why Independence Day deserves a second look, and we've talked about horror movies, some that you've never even heard of, like Kanja and Hess.

So, if you love movies like we do, come along on our cinematic adventure.

Listen to Unspooled wherever you get your podcasts.

And don't forget to hit the follow button.

Are you squeamish about horror movies, but kind of want to know what happens?

Or are you a horror lover who likes thoughtful conversation about your favorite genre?

Join me, Jeffrey Kraner, and my friend from Welcome to Nightville, Cecil Baldwin, for our weekly podcast, Random Number Generator Horror Podcast Number 9, where we watch and discuss horror movies in a random order.

Find, here's the short version, Random Horror 9 wherever you get your podcasts.

Boo.