The Crates are mysterious wooden crates being transported out of Night Vale to further Their interests, for reasons that are currently unclear. They are warm to the touch, and pulse with some kind of life. Some of them tick, some do not[1]. The crates appear to contain small houses taken from the tiny underground civilization under the pin retrieval area of lane 5 in Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex[2], but their theft apparently began more than a century ago, according to Lucia Tereschenko[3].
These crates are first introduced in episode 13, where You move them about for your job. They then turn up again in episode 27, where the Sheriff's Secret Police in collaboration with A Vague, Yet Menacing, Government Agency announced that trucks full of these crates do not exist. Finally, they turn up in episode 45, where it is revealed that the crates contain houses from The Underground City.
People involved with the conspiracy tend to experience visions of a distant dark planet, lit by no sun. Each vision, the planet seems closer and closer, until, when the planer seems almost reachable, the beholder tries to reach his hand and touch it, and then he dies[1][2].
The Conspiracy
Origin of The Crates
The crates are taken from the Underground City, a civilization of exceptionally tiny people located under the pin retrieval area of lane five in Desert Flower Bowling Alley and Arcade Fun Complex, that was discovered by the owner of the place- Teddy Williams. The crates conatin small buildings that were apparently stolen from the city, and probably some of the city's residents as well, for You saw lights and movements through the tiny windows. It is not clear why some of the crates tick, but the ticking could merely be the sound of the people inside[1].
The Theft of the Crates
It is not clear who is conducting the thefts of the crates, or what do They which to achieve by the shipping them out of Night Vale, but the theft and shipment of the crates furthers the interests of a seemingly dangerous and mysterious organization. The crates are being stored in various warehouses in the sand wastes, where they are moved between trucks and finally being shipped away[2]. You once had a job moving the crates between trucks, until one day, You decided to steal one[1].
The theft and transferring of the crates is supervised by Them- a man who is not short, and a man who is not tall, who function as the enforcers for the secret organization that conducts these thefts. It is not known whether they are always the same people, as when the man who is not short ceased to exist, he was immediately replaced by a new man who was also not short. They are subordinate to a woman, whose position and involvement in the conspiracy are not clear, but who explained Them clearly how is the operation being conducted, and apparently ordered the killing of the man who was not short[2]. Also involved in the conspiracy are the Sheriff's Secret Police and a Vague, Yet Menacing, Government Agency, that announced that the trucks full of crates are nothing, and the people of Night Vale should not worry about them[4].
Resistance
The people of the Underground City, despite seeing the people of the "upper world" as mighty, almost omnipotent abominations, resist the thefts of the small houses, and this may be the true cause for their anger towards the world above them. They demanded the thefts to stop
Mentions
- Episode 13 A Story About You.: First mention of the crates. You have a job transferring crates from one truck to another, but You decide to steal one, and discover it contains a beautiful miniature house.
- Episode 27 First Date: The Sheriff's Secret Police and a Vague, Yet Menacing, Government Agency announce that the trucks full of crates are nothing, and the people of Night Vale should not worry about them.
- Episode 45 A Story About Them: Their supervisor explains: "We take buildings from the miniature city we discovered under the bowling alley, we put them in crates, we ship the crates out to various warehouses in the desert, and, as a result, our interests are furthered."
- Episode 84 Past Time: Lucia Tereschenko reveals that the shipment of crates out of Night Vale has been going on since at least 1843.
- Episode 91 The 12:37: The deer-faced woman describes the taking of small houses out of town to further their interests, and the silent men are seen with them
- Episode 97 Josefina: the word "crates" appears on one of the roaches comprising a Night Vale Transit Authority's press release concerning reopening of the subway.
Related subplots
See also
- The Underground City
- You (character)
- Them (The man who is not tall and the man who is not short)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Episode 13, A Story About You.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Episode 45, A Story About Them
- ↑ Episode 84, Past Times
- ↑ Episode 27, First Date