The Radio That Knew Tomorrow

Stellan worked the night shift at a small radio station. He played music from ten at night to six. Only a few people listened. He liked it that way.

The station had an old computer in the corner. It made a list of song requests. Listeners sent the requests by phone and by mail. Every night Stellan printed the list.

One Tuesday the printer made a strange sound. A long paper came out. Stellan read it and frowned. The date at the top was Wednesday.

"That is wrong," he said. "Today is Tuesday."

Under the date were five song requests. Some names were new to him. One said, "For Mrs. Lind, who cannot sleep." Another said, "For the bus driver on Route Nine."

Stellan put the paper on his desk. He played his usual songs. He drank his coffee. He looked at the paper again and again.

At two in the morning the phone rang.

"Hello, station," said Stellan.

"Hello," said an old voice. "I am Mrs. Lind. I cannot sleep. Can you play a quiet song for me?"

Stellan held the paper in his hand. The first line said, "For Mrs. Lind, who cannot sleep." His mouth opened.

"Yes," he said slowly. "I have a song for you."

He played the first request on the list. It was a soft song with a piano. Mrs. Lind said thank you and hung up.

Stellan sat very still. Then he looked at the second request. "For the bus driver on Route Nine."

At four the phone rang again. A man said, "Hi. I drive the early bus. Do you have a happy song for me?"

"I do," said Stellan. He played a fast, bright song with drums. The man laughed on the phone.

Now Stellan was sure. The old computer knew the requests before the people called. It was a gift, or maybe a joke.

He read the last request. It said, "For the night man, from the radio."

Stellan did not understand. He played the song anyway. It was a slow song about a light at night. He listened to the whole song. Nobody called. The room was quiet. Outside, the first bird began to sing.

At six o'clock the morning man came in. His name was Gabe. He put a bag of bread on the desk.

"You look tired," Gabe said. "Any news?"

Stellan pointed to the long paper. "The computer made a list for tomorrow. Every song was right."

Gabe read the paper. He laughed. "Old machines do strange things. Maybe it just guessed."

"Maybe," Stellan said. But he did not think so.

The next night he came to work early. The printer sat quiet. At midnight the machine made a small sound. A new paper came out.

Stellan picked it up. The date said Thursday. There were three requests. The first one said, "For the night man, with thanks."

He smiled. He pressed the button on the microphone.

"Good evening," he said. "This is your night man. Here is a song for you."