I don’t know how smart you were back in fifth grade, but I was a pretty big fool for such a young kid. I learned how easy it is to be duped.

In fifth grade I attended private school in Manhattan. The former mansion had four stories and a basement. All its rooms were built around an inner courtyard. My classroom that period was down a flight, below street level. It had large picture windows looking out onto the base of the courtyard. I was a lab room. I was in Science class.

Well I was supposed to be.

For one reason or another I didn’t make it to class on time. I recall having to use the bathroom first. When I got back, everyone was gathered around a radio on the slate countertop, listening intently. I took a seat and listened too.

It was a live news broadcast from out in Jersey. It got pretty intense pretty quick I recall. Almost too fast for my fertile young brain to process. At one point I remember panicking pretty bad, it was all so real. I truly expected aliens to be landing in that courtyard any minute. I was freaking out.

Before long I learned I’d missed the teacher’s little intro as to what she was playing for us. I was also not in on how she put a cassette player in the radio’s shell to sell the effect. I took it all as real. And I learned some very important things.

• Orson Welles had my respect
• Believe half of what you hear
• And next time get to class on time