Tessa the Banshee has covered intrusion alerts for Harmon Plaza since 1881, give or take a building. Rosalind Ahn has managed the facility for six years. They talked over tea. Tessa’s was poured; Rosalind’s was drunk.
Tessa, how loud are you?
Tessa: It depends. I have four settings: a murmur, a note, a call, and the full one. I have used the full one twice since 1881, and one of them was a misunderstanding.
Rosalind, what is it like to be alerted by a banshee?
Rosalind: Polite. My phone rings once, at the right moment, and the message says what is wrong and where. She once warned us about a leaking pipe at two in the morning in the tone of a very good colleague. We saved the carpet.
How do you decide when to wail?
Tessa: I wail when, and only when, a real problem occurs. A banshee who cries wolf gets ignored.
Favorite moment?
Tessa: A man was working at the delivery door with a crowbar. I gave him one note. A single, clear note. He dropped the crowbar, apologized to the door, and ran off down the loading dock. I have never been so well understood.
Anything else?
Rosalind: I bring lemon cake on Fridays. She can’t eat it, but she says she likes the smell.
Tessa: It is the best part of my week.