Plot

Local Radio-ham, Arthur Moore, tunes in to an urgent distress call from the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. From his little shed, in his lonesome village, he couldn't be further from saving The Titanic.

We open to Artie and his best friend, Jacob, as young boys playing with a tin-can telephone - cutting edge technology in 1902. They experiment with longer and longer pieces of string, forcing them to walk further and further apart. Eventually, without either of them noticing, Jacob arrives at the top of a deep ravine - he falls to his death. 10 years later, Artie wraps up a long day's work at Gelligroes Mill, where his Father, William, encourages him to join the family for tea - Artie chooses to stay at the Mill, where all his homemade wireless equipment resides. He stays up long into the night, listening for ships off the coast. He tunes into a conversation between RMS Moldavia and the nearby Alexandra Docks, all communicated via Morse Code, which Artie scribbles down into his notebook, translating their messages on the fly. The line goes quiet, and Artie is prepared to head home, when suddenly more Morse Code arrives - 'C.Q.D, S.O.S.' - a distress call - '41.44N, 50.24W' - from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. A distance never-before recorded, but Artie couldn't be further from their assistance. 'This is Titanic', the Morse Code reveals, as it begins to fuzz and fade away. Artie picks up his equipment and runs out into the night, in an attempt to keep in contact with the doomed ship - but the line cuts out, dead. Artie stares out across the landscape, towards the black ocean.—Ben F. Roberts