The tape that wouldn’t play

Found an old reel-to-reel in the back of the cupboard today—no label, just a frayed edge and a faint smell of burnt rubber. Played it on the old machine I haven’t touched in years. Static for two minutes, then a voice: me, at 2am, saying, 'This one’s for you, whoever’s listening.' The song never came. Just silence after. I sat there with the needle still on the groove, wondering if anyone ever heard it. Or if they did, whether they cared.