Not Your Normal Newscast

"Alright you lot, over here. We need to get your microphones on, we're on air in five minutes," producer Mike Randall called to his news crew.

Two young men and one woman stepped in from another room and ran over to the producer calling. Technical crews walked over, placing microphone packs on their backs and the microphone obscurely on their shirts.

Randall passed out a few papers to each of the reporters. "Here are your scripts for tonight. A couple of weird stories they are. But anyway, do your best, its still news, after all."

The crew set back on the set, while the reporters walked over towards their table and sat down.

"Ready? And we're on in three... two... one... LIVE!"

"Good evening, Great Britain! It's Sunday, November first. On behalf of myself, Margaret, and my partners Ted and Jim, welcome to the eight o'clock news." Margaret began reading off the beginning of the newscast. That's how it was always done. Ted and Jim rounded the end up.

Ted looked up and saw that the red light of the camera wasn't on. They must be showing film right now. That gave him the chance to check out what these "weird stories" Randall had mentioned were about. Ted flipped through the pages until he found what was probably the cause of that comment.

Interesting. Very interesting...

"And now to you, Ted..."

"Thank you, Margaret. And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." Ted grinned. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be anymore showers of owls tonight, Jim?"

"Well, Ted, I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today..." Ted listened intently. "Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - it's not until next week folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."

Jim continued on with the rest of the report.

"On behalf of Margaret, Ted and myself, have a great evening and thanks for watching!"

"And cut! Excellent, good job you lot. Have a good night!" Randall called.

Ted took off his microphone pack and put it on the table, still sitting. Little did the other anchors at News Channel 8 know that Ted had a pretty good suspicion what those mysterious owls were up to. And he was pretty sure that those shooting stars had nothing to do with an early bonfire night celebration.

"'Night, you all. I've got to get home... bit of a family meeting emergency," Ted cried walking off set and towards the door.

Dear Lord, I need to get home quickly and talk with Andromeda...