before the static

she pressed play and the tape recorded over itself in real time, swallowing the voice as it spoke. the voice did not seem to mind.

she rewound. there was nothing there. she had known, somehow, that there would be nothing there.

the tape kept moving. the room got quieter. by the time she understood what was happening, she had already agreed to it.

in the morning the tape was blank and so was she. it was, depending on who you asked, either a tragedy or a deal honored on both sides.