It’d been years since I’d fallen asleep in the fields like this. Birds singing their little hearts out. Cows and horses huffing off in the distance. A cool morning breeze caressing my lips. It was all too homey for me. Now I just need to be hiding away from my parents' judgments. Masha had gotten up much earlier than me. She left her teal heels clean and safe on my stomach. While she went off to pace circles around a huge sprawling dilapidated oak tree. At least she was up. Last night started to flood back.

‘Jesus…’ I whispered out and rubbed leftover sleep from my eyes. What the hell even happened? That radio-thing was eating, consuming her. A booby trap? Hang on, wait. Think Jenny. The radio was leaking gas, visible gas of some kind. Maybe it was some sort of hallucination and we just passed out and were taken here…to safety. Why all that effort, why not just throw our bodies out the window. Would that weaselly hotel manager twerp go to such lengths to keep his precious hotel reputation? No no no. Even being skeptical it just doesn’t make sense. We were there to clear the dang thing up. I gotta get up and have a look around. I’ll keep hold of Masha’s shoes for now. Really don’t wanna risk her getting miffed at me over that right now. My own pumps were already filthy with dirt and grass. More importantly I couldn’t see that dang lumbering city in the distance anywhere. The smell in the air was cleaner than back in the city. Less septic tank kind of thing going, and more the fresh breeze of an early spring morning. There were no tire tracks, no horse tracks, no noticeable footprints either. There’s some paved dirt looking roads over there next to that run down barn. We were definitely out in the middle of nowhere. Dang place looks like it’s been abandoned for the past twenty years. It didn’t look all that different from most farms that end up not making it. Nice family moves out here with the dream of running their own place; and boom the stress of it all smashes their dream. I heard the rustling and crunching of Masha coming over. By her smiling face alone I was relieved. I’ll admit I was happy to see her in a much better state than last night. Even if she was still clinging to that stupid radio. 

‘Shucks hon’ had me kinda worried about you last night.’ I half hollered across the yard. 

She was shaking her head the rest of the way to me.

‘Yoo are kind to worry, but I yam fine now. Thank yoo, really.’ As if trying to reassure me she awkwardly rubbed my arm. I found myself at a loss for words because of it. 

‘Pretty out khere isn’t et?’ She said, standing next to me with her stocking feet soaked. 

‘Yeah. Yeah it is. You get to spend much time in places like this back home ?’ I asked while still holding onto those shoes of her’s 

‘Me? No, life has me always in de city. Work here, work dhere. Yoo seem comfortable khere.’ 

‘Comfortable? Heh, yeah you could say so. Especially with me falling asleep out here after that night, huh?’  a pang of worry tugged across her still smiling face.

‘I mean yeah, I’m used to this kinda place. Grew up on a ranch not too different really.’

‘Oh?’ was all she managed to say back.

‘Sure sure sure. Of course the house was bigger and the fields were being maintained. Neighbors always asking for help with their roaming sheep. Not to mention it looked lived in, less haunted house thing going on.’ 

‘Add in the overbearing parents and bam. Got my upbringing.’ The feeling of talking to a wall was setting in again. My mind raced and wandered. Unsure of what really to say without mentioning the obvious boil in the air.

‘Yoo can mention it.’ She said all of a sudden while looking up at me with those blue eyes. 

‘What the heck happened last night? What was that? I’ve been trying to put it together all friggin’ morning. I mean where in gods name are we? Is your hand alright? Are we alright? Are we dead and this is just my idea of hell or heaven.’ A deep inhale and exhale coursed through me, and Masha just snickered softly at me.

‘Quite a lot pent in huh?’ and as if answering one question she took the shoes from me with both hands looking perfectly smooth and healthy. She turned away and faced the old barn, sighing heavily before she spoke.

‘Were yoo evur told stories of magic as child?’

‘I can remember a few tales of talking animals, old guys flicking fireballs.’ I replied.

‘What ov mored closur dings of reality?’

‘Huh? What do you mean?’ Her accent was going right over my head this time.

‘I mean. Tales of otherworldly dings, yoo know. Ghosts, demans.’ Her eyes were fixated back on me. Holding out what I was starting to assume with her more precious radio.

‘Take dis for example. It es many dings, yes? Musak player, prison, transporter. It re-’ I held my finger up and stopped her right there. ‘Whoa what? Hon’ that’s a stinkin’ radio.’

‘Surely yoo realize someding more happen den yoo can explain?’ Her mouth turned upright into a condescending smile.

‘Okay. If I’m hearing you right, and I got good hearing for the record. You’re standing there. Trying to tell me that…radio, thing. Is what got us here?’

‘Yes.’ She said flatly. 

I just stared at her blankly. Maybe if she said it different or had a smile going I’d laugh it off as some joke, but she was serious.

‘Is this some kind of bad Russian joke?’ I uttered 

‘What? Dhere is simply no such ding as bad Russian joke. Now back to matters at khand. Dis Sigil as we would call et. Is unpredictable, hard for human minds to comprehend. Work with, manipulate for their benefit. Yoo understand?’

‘Yeah I get’cha.’ I lied right through my dumb smile.

‘Okay, okay. I khad time to study it while you slept like big happy bear.’ 

‘Very funny.’ I replied to a blonde lady already chuckling and shoving her shoes back into me for safekeeping and started to point at one of the dials. It was the fatter of the two knobs, reading “tuner” in bright yellow writing right in the center of its black core.

‘Dis one is what I would call destination frequencer. I remember turning it during last evening’s happenings.’ Her finger tapped the speaker area next.

‘I can only assume the transporting works both ways. De smoke, smells and sounds spewing forth from it are just a shred of evidence to that idea though.’

‘NOW!’ she blurted out excitedly.

‘I can only feel more sure it go both ways because of dis switch.’ The lone black switch she was caressing looked little more than a simple light switch. 

‘See? There is a R for receiving and S for send at least that is my best guess. WIth how little time and limited tests I’ve been able to run’

‘Uhh hon’ I’m still stuck on the fact you think this thing sent us here and you’re going into these…I dunno disillusioned facts.’ Something hit me though

‘Wait did you say you’ve been running tests? Jesus Christ lady what the heck does that entail?’ 

‘Turning it on, fiddling with dial, hearing the different planes, cities pass by like soothing opera. I can show yoo if that will khelp?’ 

‘Okay okay okay. Lets say I buy into this whole deal that this radio is ACTUALLY a big scary portal thing to hell.’

‘Not khell. At least not just khell.’

‘Whatever. Do we really wanna be fiddling with it? We did end up in this situation because of that, didn’t we?’ 

‘Sure, but-but Jennifer. Isn’t et exciting?’ I took a moment to think about what she was saying and the vibrant thrilled look on that dork. The things she were saying did somehow make more sense then that stupid hotel jerk dropping us out here. I had to swallow hard to get this fact down. Such an idea, such an actual thing. It’s the kind of stuff I always dreamed of being real as a teenager. 

‘Alright Masha. I’ll trust you for now. Can we use that to get back?’ 

She shrugged and examined her new toy. ‘Could try, but not sure khow to tell if it’s the right place. Plus I don’t know if it has any residual effects after the re-frequencing. I would feel more bettur if I had proper experiments with it.’

There was something to appreciate about how passionate and excited she was about this thing. I sure could use a little bit of that right now. I just feel the weight of anxiety pulling me down, or maybe that’s my stomach growling for food?

‘First things first there missy. Let's get off this farm and find a town or food around here. I’m starving over here.’ When those words left my mouth. Masha hugged the radio to her chest and kept looking down at her feet then back up at me. 

‘To dink i wore de nice shoes to impress.’

‘Oh don’t worry. I know you impressed a few folk with them. Gotta say, I love the color sugar.’ The compliment just came oozing out of me and Masha flung a soft smile and flushed cheeks my way. 

‘C’mon, there’s a dirt path we can try following there. Hopefully we get lucky.’ I started down the hill and a little bit later heard Masha hurrying behind me. I guess she got busy staring at the scenery.