0:00

to fly for the mountains was

0:02

a mistake, one that you have

0:04

never escaped. You

0:06

were so full of hope when the ex pedition

0:08

was commissioned. According to the library's

0:11

reports, locals had already begun

0:13

to scale the first slopes set

0:15

up cabins and encapements, clear

0:18

trees from wandering paths, and

0:21

yet what mysteries lurked in

0:23

those indomitable slopes concealed

0:26

in fog clouded heights carried

0:28

across the horizon by mountains

0:31

that travel. You assembled

0:33

your crew and set your instruments

0:35

upon the heights, a difficult

0:38

flight following in the wake. of the

0:40

shuddering peaks. And yet,

0:42

you drew close and your heart left

0:44

as it only does for scientific

0:47

exploration, but suddenly

0:49

the instruments were screaming and

0:51

the mountains were like nothing you could

0:53

have ever imagined, curling

0:55

upwards to encompass the sky,

0:58

and it all came howling to an

1:00

end, but it has never truly

1:02

ended either. And

1:04

you are still caught in their jaws

1:07

whispering into the sparking radio,

1:10

bidding anyone who can hear you.

1:12

Hello? from the halo

1:14

woods. Right

1:44

now, I sit in a rocking chair

1:46

in the corner. The room it occupies

1:48

is partially dead wood and

1:50

partially living. By the vine

1:52

covered window is a dining table

1:55

with a checkered tablecloth and

1:57

two chairs one with an

1:59

old woman in it

1:59

and one with a small drum

2:02

sitting on the cushion. The theme

2:04

of tonight's episode is

2:06

Miles stones.

2:17

Please

2:17

pass the pepper, said

2:19

Zelda, and watched Al with her

2:21

hands folded. It was a

2:23

challenge Al knew and he focused

2:25

intently on the shaker. It was

2:27

in the shape of a lady with a dress and

2:29

interlocked with a similar lady full

2:31

of salt. He reached out his hand

2:33

and thought of how scared he'd been when

2:35

he was hiding in the radio room with Russell

2:38

while the scout post fought and

2:40

how happy he was to have friends

2:42

now. The little bones of his hand

2:44

sparked like a birthday candle,

2:46

and he could feel the pepper shaker.

2:48

enough to push it slowly across the

2:51

table. He looked up to Zelda

2:53

excitedly. I

2:55

did it just like that.

2:59

Good job. Zelda smiled

3:01

and picked up the pepper sprinkled some

3:03

on her spaghetti. Al's

3:05

bowl held a little too, although he wasn't

3:07

hungry for lost him. He was

3:09

never hungry at all. You're

3:12

learning and growing so much,

3:14

Zelda said. I'm proud

3:16

of you. Al burned

3:18

a little brighter in the candle light

3:20

and looked down, long held

3:22

thoughts bubbling to the surface.

3:26

grandma Zelda, he said.

3:29

There was something I wanted

3:31

to ask you about. Oh,

3:34

yes. Said Zelda, and she set

3:36

her fork down, chewed on her spaghetti

3:38

with furled eyebrows. He

3:41

said it was something very serious.

3:44

I think maybe he said.

3:47

Outside the sun was just vanishing

3:49

over the top of the Skoutpost walls

3:51

a little earlier than it had before.

3:55

Someone came to talk to me

3:57

during the big scout post fight?

4:01

Did he have a green crown and talk

4:03

all spooky, said Zelda. That's

4:06

just Jonah, you know? I think

4:08

he's turning into an angel. It

4:11

wasn't Jonah, said Al

4:13

and tried to set his hands on the table.

4:15

they passed through. Did

4:18

he carry lots of things in his pockets

4:20

and complain about everything and

4:22

smell like a wet dog? Said Zelda.

4:25

It's not hector either, Al

4:28

Huffed. He was trying to be

4:30

serious and she wasn't. She

4:32

was always joking around. it

4:35

was someone kind of spooky?

4:38

They were birds. Flamingos,

4:41

I hope. Zelda

4:43

mused and sipped a little of a dark

4:45

cordial. Crowe's,

4:48

Al said, and waved his hands

4:50

through his bowl. or

4:52

Raven's, I can never remember

4:54

the difference, but

4:56

they invited me to go to

4:58

a new school. Which

5:02

school would that be? Zelda

5:04

said and set down her glass. I

5:06

don't know of any others. and they're

5:08

just starting to make friends here.

5:11

Cole's not bullying you again, is he?

5:14

Not anymore seeded l.

5:17

And I liked Russell plenty. He

5:20

looked out for me, but

5:22

the bird's person said there would

5:24

be kids like me. at

5:26

the school, weird

5:28

kids. That's

5:30

where they all go to

5:32

that school. You're

5:35

not weird, Al, you're just

5:37

different. There's lots of different

5:39

kinds of kit. Well,

5:42

I feel weird. Al

5:44

said. She still wasn't listening,

5:47

not really. She wasn't hearing

5:49

him. Even though

5:51

the other kids aren't screaming

5:53

at me anymore? I

5:55

can still feel them looking. I

5:58

still know they're scared. I'm

6:01

the only one like me.

6:05

What's the name of this school,

6:07

Zelda said and rubbed between

6:09

her eyes? They

6:12

left a card, said Al.

6:15

It's in my drum. He

6:18

moved a Zelda reached around the table

6:20

and pulled copper card from the band of

6:22

his drum. She turned a little

6:24

paler when she saw it, and she set it

6:26

down hastily on the table. Letters

6:28

and patterns flitkered across its our

6:30

surface etched through the metal.

6:33

Downing Hill public library, Sent

6:35

the card. Hello, Al.

6:38

Go nor. earth.

6:41

Have you heard of it before?

6:44

Said owl. Yes.

6:47

Zelda said, legs shaking,

6:49

and fell back into her chair a little,

6:51

stared at the card. My

6:54

husband, Deck. He

6:56

worked there for years. Was

7:00

he a teacher? Said Al.

7:03

He told me he was a librarian,

7:06

but god knows, Zelda

7:08

said and reached out suddenly put a

7:10

cloth napkin over the card as if it

7:12

was watching her. It

7:14

ruined him, Al,

7:16

she said and looked up at him. That

7:19

place makes monsters out of

7:21

people. and I am absolutely

7:23

not going to allow that to happen to

7:25

you. Al looked

7:28

down at a bowl of spaghetti he could never

7:30

eat.

7:31

I already am a

7:34

monster, he said. Maybe

7:37

it's where I belong. Zelda

7:41

reached out and picks up the napkin and

7:43

cart together, folded it away in

7:45

the pocket of her dress. It's

7:47

not happening, Zelda said.

7:50

No card, no library. You'll

7:52

go to school here at the scout post

7:54

and you'll like it. I don't

7:56

want to talk about this again.

7:59

I

7:59

asked you to really think about it,

8:02

Al said, looking up His hands

8:04

were firm on the table edge, sparked

8:06

like static electricity and burned

8:08

the wood a little. I

8:10

don't need too, Zelda snapped.

8:12

I know my answer. It's

8:14

no. Al threw

8:16

his arms up angrily and realized

8:18

that in the heat of the moment, they were

8:21

solid. Sent his bowl of spaghetti

8:23

rolling across the table, knocked the

8:25

pepper shaker off entirely. The

8:27

lady in the black dress fell down to

8:29

the floor and cracked into pieces,

8:31

laid in a little pile of pepper.

8:34

Zelda looked back to him and he stared

8:36

for a moment eyes wide and

8:38

went invisible. Al,

8:41

you come back here young man,

8:43

She said, but he fled through the

8:45

route and twined wall of their cabin

8:48

hovered outside in the air for a

8:50

moment. She was looking for

8:52

him Maybe it shouldn't have

8:54

mattered so much. But it did

8:56

in the moment. There were other

8:58

kids like him there had

9:00

to be. and wanting to be with

9:02

them was a different kind of hunger.

9:04

He drifted away from the

9:06

window, moved for a room higher

9:08

up in the scout post, almost at the reach

9:10

of his tether. The straps that

9:12

wound around his ankle pulled

9:14

tight as he reached it. But night

9:16

was falling and the dim light

9:18

were on in his sanctuary. The

9:21

room was new, but the radio

9:23

was not. And neither was Russell

9:25

sitting in front of it like a fascinated

9:27

crow. High

9:30

Al said Russell, although his only

9:32

friend did not look up from the dials.

9:34

Al held up near the door

9:36

and would have blinked if he had eyelids.

9:38

He was invisible still.

9:42

How did you know I was here?

9:45

We've hung out a lot now. Russell said

9:47

and looked back over his shoulder. It

9:49

kind of gets heavier when

9:51

you're around. like it's

9:53

about to rain. I get goosebumps.

9:56

See? Yeah.

9:59

Al said and Hubbard didn't closer.

10:01

He came to rest in the dim light of

10:03

the radio dials beside Russell.

10:06

What are you listening

10:08

to? Not sure

10:11

yet. Russell said and fidgeted with

10:13

a dial. I keep hearing

10:15

something, but I can't quite get

10:17

it. he glanced up to

10:19

Al, looked him up and down. You

10:21

okay? She

10:24

said no, Al huffed and put his

10:26

arms over his knees.

10:29

oh Russell

10:30

said, Well,

10:32

I'm sorry for you because I know

10:34

you really wanted to go, but

10:37

I'm also a little glad

10:39

because I like having you at the

10:41

scout post. Al nodded

10:43

a little.

10:45

I like it more

10:47

now that I have a friend. Yeah,

10:52

Russell said and went to punch him in the

10:54

shoulder. They hand clipped through his

10:56

body. Russell leaned in conspiratorily

10:58

as you're afraid the radio might hear.

11:02

Besides that little

11:04

card gives you the directions. Right?

11:06

We could always go see the place at least.

11:09

Al lit up in

11:11

spirit and in brightness. Really?

11:15

Don't see why not? Russell

11:17

shrugged. If it would make you feel

11:19

better, I'll begin to

11:21

say something then, but the

11:23

radio spoke first. Distinct

11:25

words even if scrambled with

11:27

static. Scout posts

11:29

come in, I repeat scout

11:31

posts come in. This is Cindy

11:33

Lockhart and tomorrow. The

11:36

signal disappeared into garbled

11:38

noise again. This is the

11:40

Scott Post. Well, Scott

11:42

Post two said Russell clicking on

11:44

his microphone. Please repeat

11:47

your message. Al knew the next voice

11:49

on the radio as a girl who had once

11:51

hauled his drum out of a burning

11:53

house, had introduced him to a

11:55

whole new life. Time

11:57

to wash the sheets and toss the

11:59

salads.

11:59

Said, write it. Because we're

12:02

coming home and we've

12:04

brought company.

12:19

If

12:19

asked to which sites in the Hallowards are

12:21

worth seeing on a brief visit. I

12:23

would remind you that rarely is a

12:25

visit to these words brief.

12:27

and that everything is worth seeing.

12:30

In every pine cone, every

12:32

sliver of tree bark, every

12:34

black needle I find poetry

12:36

and splendor and the artistry of

12:38

a great master, but

12:41

I am more easily fascinated than

12:43

most. I would direct you

12:45

to stunning natural wonders,

12:48

pines that listen, trees

12:50

that and mountains that

12:52

travel across the horizon

12:54

like thunder clouds rolling

12:56

across the forest. In the

12:58

Northmost woods, there are colors that

13:00

no one has yet seen. Colors

13:03

pulled from the ancient days of

13:05

space and remembered only by dead

13:07

civilizations reborn in the

13:09

leaves and shimmering mists.

13:11

They may be beyond human

13:13

sight, but know that they are beautiful

13:15

nonetheless. and the beings that

13:17

wander in those distant reaches

13:19

remind me of our early

13:21

days and the heavens I used

13:23

to watch. There are

13:25

artificial landmarks here too,

13:27

brought in one form or another by the

13:29

people who have come to call it

13:31

home. The Spirit Sky Observatory

13:34

reflects all the cosmos and

13:36

shelters the ascended scientists

13:38

with their unfathomable instrument.

13:40

The museum of broken promises rolls

13:43

through the forest like a steam train

13:45

on a mission and carries with

13:47

it the least remembered tokens of

13:49

a bygone age. The

13:51

Downing Hill public library

13:53

with its great stone lions keeps

13:55

watch over a forest that crowds

13:57

it more every year. And

14:00

until recently, the resting

14:02

place hotel would have been the best

14:04

lodging for you to stay in while you

14:06

visited all these sites. but

14:08

it is no more, blickered out

14:10

of existence like a dying

14:12

light. We go now to

14:14

one who still mourns it.

14:25

The

14:34

countess dwelled in shadow

14:36

and she was shadow,

14:38

suspended in a pitch black

14:40

space between two halves of a

14:42

shattered church tower. It was a

14:44

poor substitute for room 104

14:46

But then again, the world was a

14:48

poor substitute for one with barb

14:50

in it. The tangled stone reminded her

14:52

of her earliest days, nestled

14:54

in the scaffolding of Austrian castles

14:57

and the cathedral raptors of

14:59

Germany. gymies in

15:01

Prague. And as she had

15:03

then, she seized and wallowed

15:05

in a whirlwind of night within the

15:07

belle free and waited for the

15:09

wind to carry a scent.

15:11

And it did from miles

15:13

away. The blood of Star

15:15

Wars was like a rich mead.

15:17

liquid honey. And immediately, the

15:20

countess was out of the fallen church and

15:22

into the dusk air, a

15:24

storm of bats. of

15:26

daggers, of streaking arrows

15:28

of darkness. She was one with

15:30

a starless sky, and the

15:32

flight was as the human as her

15:34

still and she crossed the miles in a

15:36

matter of moments, the distant

15:38

sound of blood in some

15:40

drenched vein's louder with each

15:42

breath. I am torn a thunder

15:44

and blood dry, a

15:46

husk again, feed that.

15:48

I will make you the same.

15:50

She peeled out of the night like an avenging

15:53

angel, spread wide the

15:55

void wings from her waist, and

15:57

dove like a bird of prey

15:59

with shadowed talent fingers outstretched.

16:01

The Star Wolf had

16:03

landed upon the sprawling moors

16:05

and barbs damaged vertible,

16:07

one he would never have allowed

16:10

anyone to drive. The demon and

16:12

the metal behemoth and the hallowed

16:14

goal were just stepping out and

16:16

the wolf was small. Human.

16:18

Jewelry, glittering, and the twilight

16:21

sun, vulnerable. This

16:23

might be over quickly. The

16:26

counter swept her up in an instant

16:28

dug her claws into the Wolf Woman's

16:30

shoulder, and as Ureczi began

16:32

to thrash dragged her across

16:34

thirty feet of rocky lakeshore, and

16:36

then was pulled down to earth as the

16:38

wolf grew too heavy to a lift.

16:40

She rolled with a Star Wolf against

16:42

the jagged rocks of the moormayer, but

16:44

she was already as close as she

16:46

needed to be. She dug her

16:49

talons deep and held her fans

16:51

inches from the Great Wolf's neck

16:53

ready with a bite to feast on

16:55

starlight, pump numbing shadow

16:57

into her veins. forever

16:59

still those thrashing limbs that

17:01

were gripping around her,

17:03

but not crushing her, the

17:05

countess noted. a breath away from a

17:07

deadly bite, holding

17:10

her. The pressure

17:12

the darkness of her fur reminded her

17:14

of her first heart. cramped

17:16

little nests, roosts behind

17:18

hay bales and farm houses. I

17:22

asks you not to kill

17:24

him. The countess breathed and dug

17:27

in her claws a little more,

17:29

felt them purchased through the Star Wolf's

17:32

hide. I am

17:34

sorry, said the wolf, a

17:36

rumble against the countess' entire

17:39

body. Sorry, The

17:41

countess said and slammed the fist of

17:43

knives against the Star Wars neck, dragged

17:46

it down to open up little

17:48

scratches of gold in her skin.

17:50

You're sorry. He was

17:52

my only friend

17:54

for centuries, and I

17:57

could smell his blood

17:59

on your

17:59

breath. He wanted nothing

18:02

to do with your word, your

18:05

hateful beast.

18:06

The countess trembled and

18:08

the wolf exhaled but did not

18:10

strike back despite the scratches.

18:14

I have left that war behind

18:17

too, said Euretzi. This

18:20

was not why You're

18:23

at

18:23

sea. Are

18:25

you alright? The one called Moore

18:27

shouted from across the bank.

18:30

Yes.

18:31

Are you getting eaten? It's

18:33

hard to tell called poly.

18:36

I am alright,

18:38

the wolf returned. give

18:41

us a moment. Why

18:43

did you kill

18:45

him then? The counter said

18:48

watching the veins pulse beneath the surface

18:50

of fur in Euretzi's neck.

18:52

This could be over so quickly.

18:55

He gave me

18:57

his heart. Yurazi growled

18:59

with infuriating calm

19:01

so that I might wake,

19:03

if he had not,

19:07

I would sleep beneath the

19:09

shores of New York City,

19:11

and my friends would be

19:14

dead. He did not. The

19:16

count is said and watched the Wolf Wayne

19:18

Sesser clause shifted. Bob

19:22

didn't care about you.

19:24

He didn't care about

19:27

anyone.

19:27

You dare to look me in

19:29

the eye and lie. The wolf

19:32

said

19:32

nothing, and the countess blinked

19:34

away tears of black blood,

19:36

withdrew her town balance from

19:38

Euretzi's skin. He

19:42

was like me, the

19:44

counter said, fighting the wolves arms

19:46

off with her wings. A

19:49

survivor. But if he

19:51

did give a dam about anyone

19:53

besides himself, it

19:55

would have been me. I

19:57

was as close to family as

19:59

he ever

19:59

had. He

20:00

would have throw all this away

20:03

for some strangers he met

20:05

this spring for a

20:07

demon murdering animal like

20:09

you. That wasn't who

20:12

he was. Do you know how ludicrous you

20:14

sound? He

20:15

had a heart. Erezi

20:18

said at length. ill

20:21

used perhaps,

20:23

but not all gone,

20:27

not all rotten, I do not

20:29

know why he's offered to

20:31

do this.

20:33

All I know is

20:35

that I am grateful to him for it,

20:39

and I am sorry for

20:41

you. for

20:43

I suspect neither of us are

20:45

a stranger to losing families.

20:50

the counter sobbed then, a noise

20:52

which surprised her. And she buried

20:54

her head against Euretzi's neck

20:56

far away from the world

20:58

and tucked her great wings against the

21:01

wolf and lay there for a long

21:03

moment. It was strange how you

21:05

could feel like you were suffocating even

21:07

when you didn't need to breathe.

21:10

Ureczi did not move her, placed a

21:12

tentative pause on the countess's

21:14

back until the heavings had

21:16

passed. She did not feel like

21:18

a countess. She was a peasant

21:20

girl again, stoned and

21:22

bleeding out, staring up at

21:24

a starless sky dead and

21:27

empty and cold. Why

21:30

have you returned?

21:33

The counter said quietly. If

21:36

it is to inform us about

21:38

Barb's death, you didn't

21:41

need to. We

21:43

knew the moment the resting place

21:45

disappeared. Everyone's

21:48

scattered.

21:51

To apologize, said

21:53

Yuretzi, a tremble like

21:55

an earthquake, And

21:57

if you will refrain

21:59

from trying to kill me,

22:03

we intend to honor his

22:05

legacy. What

22:08

the counter said and pushed up with

22:10

her wings looked down at the great

22:12

Wolf woman. How so?

22:14

If you two are

22:16

quite finished, Polly said from the

22:18

distance leaning on the garish umbrella.

22:21

Let's get to business. Shall we?

22:23

He lifted his umbrella. And

22:25

as it opened, sparks of flame

22:28

of here that the ends twirl as the

22:30

arms did. And then with the great

22:32

leap of fire, a storm

22:34

of light sended

22:36

on the march bursts of reds

22:38

and pinks and greens lighting up the

22:40

twilight sky

22:42

for miles. No.

22:47

I'll be fine. Seriously,

22:49

I've been doing this for

22:51

longer than you've been alive.

22:54

let me work.

22:56

My

22:58

dear happy

23:01

dreaming family Whom I adore

23:03

as I always have, hello.

23:05

I'm Lady Ethel Mallory.

23:08

You know me. But

23:10

let's have a real conversation

23:12

here for a moment.

23:15

What's my last address not

23:17

enough? Because even though my voice

23:19

is on every channel all

23:21

the time, you would think none

23:23

of you listened. My office is

23:26

getting bombarded with

23:28

messages, and these nasty movements

23:30

are cropping up left and right no

23:32

doubt secretly funded by

23:34

Melanie Flores. Melanie

23:38

Darling. I know you're jealous, but

23:40

this is getting out of

23:42

hand. Who do you think you

23:44

are? You've worked your

23:46

whole life to become an under

23:48

study in a department I

23:50

practically founded. Do you

23:52

think the botularies corporation

23:54

was going anywhere in the twenty

23:57

tens? With a product no one

23:59

could even

23:59

Scribe. Oswald certainly

24:02

wasn't gonna be selling at the tech

24:04

conventions. When he came to

24:06

me, I agreed because

24:08

I sensed opportunity. And

24:10

I took what I knew and

24:12

I made this company

24:15

great. Now all I ask for

24:17

is a little bit of my

24:19

reward. I took a

24:22

nation of bickering idiots and

24:24

I made them our customers.

24:26

did whatever I had to do.

24:28

The stupid talk shows have

24:30

the sponsorships and the product placement

24:33

and the advertorials, and it

24:36

finally paid off because

24:38

we own the world.

24:40

All I asked for now

24:42

It's a little control over

24:45

what I've built, and you

24:47

think you could stand in

24:49

my way, Mel. You

24:51

couldn't keep the maids from

24:53

escaping a secure dreaming

24:56

box. You can barely write a

24:58

decent press release you think you have

25:00

what it takes to be a

25:02

marketer, to control

25:04

power and brand and

25:06

message for a company the

25:08

size of a nation. It's so

25:10

much more than ad campaigns

25:13

and copywriting. you

25:15

need to be able to make hard decisions,

25:18

terrible decisions. The

25:20

balance must always be

25:22

in place there must be

25:24

conflict to capitalize on.

25:26

And if you need to disable

25:28

a dreaming box for a few minutes

25:30

to stoke the fires, then

25:32

you pull the plug

25:45

We return now to

25:48

the

25:49

countess The resting

25:52

place hotel was once a little

25:54

large and gambling with flickering bulbs

25:57

and neon lights on the outskirts of

25:59

Las Vegas. It had likely

26:01

belonged to a soul as stained as

26:03

the bathroom tiles but the

26:05

countess was not there for that.

26:07

She arrived when its dead shell had

26:09

become home to an old friend.

26:11

The morning was and

26:13

Barbados, now without eyes, but with the

26:15

same old smile, was ready to

26:17

think about the future. That was

26:19

what the resting place had always represented

26:22

for making the best of

26:24

a bad situation. And

26:26

when things tanked in the prying

26:28

eyes of the botular corporations

26:30

started following the misfits they accumulated.

26:33

He abandoned the shell entirely. And

26:35

in a whirlwind of stolen fire,

26:38

opened a location all his

26:40

own in an area not yet known

26:42

as the Hala Woods. In

26:45

short, the counters had been part of the

26:47

resting place and community in one way

26:49

or another for an eye on a hundred

26:51

years and nothing could

26:53

replace it in her heart anymore than

26:55

they could replace Barbados. Even

26:59

so, she thought, he would have

27:01

liked the Grand Crossroads Hotel.

27:03

It was a much

27:05

larger building with a dusty red stirier of

27:07

art deco pillars and palatial stones.

27:10

It would have been more at home in the Alps

27:12

than the sweeping meijers, and

27:14

its dark were like empty nesting holes

27:16

for bats and sparrows. It

27:19

was no less a work of art on

27:21

the inside, with painted ceilings

27:23

and baroque chandeliers vaulting

27:25

over hulls of marble tile and

27:27

ornate carpets. Staircases

27:29

swept from my aside of the lobby

27:32

into the rooms above and beyond,

27:34

demons and their grand entrances

27:36

the count is thought. Always

27:38

desperate for extravagance. And yet, she

27:40

could not be grudge Polly as she stood in

27:42

the corner of the Foyer hall, which

27:45

was strong with lights and carnival

27:47

flags. A dead seagull crude from the

27:49

top of the chandelier, and beneath

27:51

it was a gathered sea of

27:53

old guests and friends. The

27:55

quilt and dimes in a neat

27:58

best, warlords and fish

28:00

folk, ghouls and gourd walkers.

28:02

Poly stepped onto the lobby desk,

28:04

a martini glass in hand.

28:07

Ladies and gentlemen, wizards

28:09

and trolls, he said, and

28:11

the assembly grew quiet. Even the

28:13

Duke box in the hotel bar slowed

28:15

to a low poles. This

28:18

party is for the devil Barbados,

28:20

who is a terrible landlord

28:22

and absent hotel manager.

28:24

he served you bad drinks. He

28:27

cheated you at cards. He trapped

28:29

you in decades long

28:31

bargains. But despite all

28:33

of this, he fostered a community. Everyone

28:35

needs somewhere to fall when they're cast

28:37

out of heaven. And although

28:39

the floor is were always sticky and

28:41

there was never meant for mojitos, he

28:44

provided it for all of you.

28:47

So the party is for

28:49

him and the hotel is for us

28:51

for we who have no other home.

28:53

I

28:53

hope you will find its halls welcoming

28:56

you.

28:57

you There in the back,

29:00

Zorgerlich, please put that

29:02

man down. Thank

29:04

you. All this to say,

29:06

However, you find yourself here. Welcome

29:08

to the Grand Crossroads,

29:10

and please don't ruin my carpets.

29:13

There was a cheer from the crowd

29:15

and a host of glasses raised,

29:18

including the countess' own

29:20

cup. Poly hopped down from the counter

29:22

and disappeared in a flume of

29:24

fire to another cheer from the

29:27

crowd. The counter's side. Things

29:29

changed so fast. over centuries,

29:32

too fast for her liking.

29:34

She found Polly standing by

29:36

her elbow watching the party. I don't

29:38

believe the carpets will last the night he

29:41

muttered. You're

29:43

burning a lot of fire to make this

29:45

place, the counter said looked

29:47

at him. And no matter

29:49

how much you've hoarded, it

29:51

won't last forever. You

29:54

should be careful. I

29:57

am, Polly said,

29:59

and tapped his umbrella on

30:01

the floor The metal arms stretched and straightened

30:02

and the Isle of New York graphics

30:05

flickered into a more dignified black.

30:08

But I've talked with dimes and taken stock.

30:10

We have it with left of

30:12

Barb's Trove and what I pulled from

30:14

the veins of Rick Rounds.

30:16

and a fair bit I nicked from hyphen's cane

30:19

collection. I think I

30:21

can afford it a little while at

30:23

least. It is beautiful.

30:25

The countess said and looked over

30:27

the crowd. Euretsi wore a

30:29

black suit to enter thick hair back

30:31

over her shoulder and danced in

30:33

the style the countess had never seen

30:36

before. Morte lumbered through the

30:38

crowd, a hotel cap resting on

30:40

top of his class dome. You're

30:42

not going to join

30:44

them? The countess said and

30:46

sipped her glass, melted stay in her lips.

30:48

I haven't the sense of

30:51

rhythm, polyside, and

30:53

nodded to her. Want

30:55

to join me on the roof? The

30:58

countess was familiar with the

31:00

view, the more mire stretching off in

31:02

each direction, a maze of

31:04

winding lakes and black trees.

31:06

The high border of the forest had

31:08

crept closer on the horizon though,

31:10

and the stars were blinking awake

31:12

between the clouds. I hope

31:14

the new room is your liking. Polly said and

31:17

pulled a cigarette from the air,

31:19

breathed on it to light the end. It's

31:22

luxurious, set the countess, and pulled her

31:24

wings tighter around her

31:26

shoulders, a shelter from the

31:28

breeze. It's funny how many of the

31:30

little details are the same.

31:33

Well, good. I

31:35

suppose. Polly said It

31:37

inhaled embers, breathed out smoke. Although

31:40

I'm not sure how similar to

31:42

him, I want to be.

31:45

Oh, he was retched, set the

31:47

countess, and set her glass down on the

31:49

stone parapet, and extended a

31:51

glove to poly.

31:52

but

31:53

we were retched together

31:55

and that made the future bearable.

31:57

Have one of those

32:00

to spare? I don't know

32:02

quite what the future looks like.

32:04

Polly said, flicking another into

32:06

existence already lit. She

32:08

fitted into a long cigarette holder,

32:10

and raised it to her lips. The flavor was

32:12

dark, reminded her of the smoke filled

32:14

card rooms of her gambling days.

32:17

But you and dimes

32:19

and the quilt and the rest,

32:22

you're welcome here. And

32:24

if you don't know where you want to

32:26

go, your welcome to stay

32:28

as long as you like.

32:31

Thank you. She said,

32:33

it inhaled set the

32:35

end of her cigarette to glow. Here's one for

32:37

you, Barb, she thought.

32:39

I'll stay not

32:42

forever. but for now.

32:45

Eventually that forest

32:47

out there, it's

32:49

going to consume everything.

32:52

It'll crawl across this landscape until it

32:54

reaches the botular's corporation,

32:56

and it will take time,

32:58

but eventually it will win.

33:01

This world isn't forever.

33:06

It's for now, Polly

33:08

said and smiled horns

33:11

flickering. I'll enjoy it

33:13

as long as it lasts. The

33:16

countess nodded and took a

33:18

long drag. and breathed out smoke

33:20

into the misty landscape beyond,

33:22

as long as it lasts.

33:28

It

33:33

is common

33:38

advice to move on. Surely, you

33:40

should have moved on by now. Do

33:43

what it takes to move on.

33:45

Move on. Move on.

33:48

In theory, certainly,

33:50

life is ever evolving,

33:52

ever changing. To keep

33:55

pace with it, to be open to the

33:57

future and all it will

33:59

bring, we must change too.

34:01

I understand the logic.

34:04

but I do not feel it. I do

34:06

not know how. I have

34:08

done everything I feel that you can

34:12

do. I have wallowed in my grief, hidden in

34:14

shadows and shut myself off

34:16

from the universe, hoping that

34:18

the silence would heal me.

34:21

that if I closed my eyes to the stars,

34:24

no one would see me

34:26

weep. Looking back, I do not

34:28

think this

34:30

helped me. but in embracing my past, all that

34:32

I have been through and all

34:33

that I have lost, I do not

34:35

find peace either.

34:38

I

34:39

find rage and anguish and bitter

34:42

regret. I remember what it was like to

34:44

be destroyed The

34:47

recollection sickens me, poisons my spirit for

34:49

I once lived in a cosmos

34:51

with him in

34:54

it. and now I do not never again.

34:56

There is only dread

34:59

and destruction over the

35:01

hysterical precipice of remembering

35:04

that. And I have

35:06

tried most recently as

35:08

my friend ziz exists suggested

35:11

to be quiet.

35:12

the be quite to

35:14

contain my grief politely

35:16

and shuffle on as though nothing

35:18

ever happened. But this

35:22

is exhausting. to carry a hidden weight,

35:24

unspoken, and so terribly

35:26

heavy. I do not

35:27

know what to

35:30

do, dreamer. I

35:32

am beginning to suspect there is no beautiful way

35:34

to leave behind the things I

35:38

have lost. that it is only

35:40

a broken twisting path

35:42

that grows a little

35:44

smoother, a little less harrowing with

35:46

each mile that passes

35:48

beneath me. but I am

35:50

still so far, so very far from

35:53

the end.

35:54

And I still mourn. and

35:57

i still more And May

35:59

until the stars poured out entirely,

36:01

and the universe joins

36:03

him in nothingness. be

36:07

morning. We go now to

36:09

one eye load.

36:24

Lady Ethel Malory sat in the

36:27

darkness of her chamber and examined

36:29

her hand. The

36:31

room was lifeless but that was not

36:33

an obstacle for her anymore.

36:36

It was strange to think that her fingers were

36:38

once small and tan with

36:40

nails you could paint

36:42

and manicure. Do the years make us all grow tasks she

36:44

wondered? Or is it just me

36:46

cracking at the joints and stretching

36:48

out of shape.

36:50

She flexed her hard shelled

36:52

digits, sited their spots and

36:54

jagged ends, and reached for her

36:57

glass Oswald beckoned and she had

36:59

to find a way to interpret the

37:01

recent nightmares, put the frightening present

37:03

into terms that were comforting and

37:06

sensible and hopeful for the

37:08

future quarter and quite

37:10

possibly negotiate for the

37:12

power she'd sought

37:14

for decades. The light of the prime dream embraced her as

37:16

she fell asleep, and she began

37:18

towards the great boardroom at the top of

37:20

the botularies

37:22

building. But something shifted, a mode of external

37:24

control. Because when the

37:26

dream stabilized, she did not sit

37:28

to the Stone conference table, but

37:31

at the kitchen counter in her childhood

37:34

home. The smells of a new

37:36

Mexico trailer park overtook her

37:38

and she glanced around It was no sign

37:40

of her mother or sisters.

37:42

Only a tired looking man in a pin

37:44

striped suit, leaning on the

37:46

counter beside

37:48

her. It's interesting, you know, said Oswald.

37:50

My humble origins are all

37:52

over the news. They preserved the

37:55

BotCo family farm actually, made

37:57

a tourist trap out of it. But you

37:59

kept yours on the down

38:02

low. This wasn't the

38:04

venue I was expecting for

38:06

such a significant

38:08

conversation, the lady smiled

38:10

and looked down to make sure

38:12

that her appearance reflected beautiful lady,

38:15

Ethel, powerful business leader and not the child

38:18

who had clung to this shipwreck of

38:20

a home. Well, I

38:22

thought a change of scenery would

38:24

suit us. Oswald said and stood up straight, began

38:26

pacing the kitchen. I

38:28

think it's healthy to revisit our

38:30

origins once

38:32

a while. Reflect on how much we've been given.

38:35

And we've been given a

38:37

fair share of troubles this week,

38:39

Lady Ethel began. Troubles,

38:42

Oswald said, and

38:43

picked up a family

38:46

photo. Spoken like a true

38:48

marketing measure, We have not

38:50

been given troubles lady, Ethel

38:52

Mallory. We have created

38:54

catastrophes, public embarrassments

38:57

to the decades long damage to our brand

39:00

reputation. We are dealing

39:02

with far more

39:04

than troubles. Would

39:06

you permit me to

39:08

explain she began? The

39:10

Valerie and Riot business doesn't bother me.

39:12

It's at Oswald. Even though they've

39:14

slipped away from this company

39:16

two, three times, they

39:18

were going free in the end. But the

39:20

breaches in security are shaking

39:23

my confidence. What do you

39:25

mean going free in the end?

39:27

Said Lady Ethel, and she stood

39:29

as well, leaned on

39:31

the kitchen island. The method you gave me

39:33

was incomplete, used Oswald, and set

39:36

her family photo down with

39:38

a frown. It's

39:40

unlikely you knew that, although not impossible.

39:42

But I've managed to get what I

39:44

need to make it work, and that

39:46

information came at a price. the

39:50

maidstones get out of jail

39:52

free. You realize they

39:54

are important, Smiled Lady

39:56

Ethel, and tapped her nails on

39:58

the countertop. Two generations

40:00

of rival browsers who are

40:02

not happy with your exit policy have

40:05

made those two into

40:08

icons. They look to them like peasants look to popes.

40:10

If they don't return to the prime

40:12

dream, it's going to tell everyone that

40:15

you can get free and

40:17

every sixteen to forty five year old is going to

40:20

wonder how it's done,

40:22

which is something you'd enjoy,

40:24

I expect. said Oswald,

40:26

and closed a drawer in a hall cabinet,

40:28

looked up to her in the Sun Street

40:31

hall. This

40:32

has all been a game to you, One

40:34

for the botular's corporation, one for the stone maids,

40:36

nurturing a crisis. You're

40:38

right to do it most I

40:42

doubt I've continued to keep you close if you didn't seem like the key

40:44

to solving our mounting public relations

40:46

problem. You're just frightened

40:49

now because the puns are

40:51

out of your control again, and you may not be

40:53

able to reign in the firestorm you've

40:55

created in my customer base.

40:58

Lady Ethel looked out the window, chewed on her

41:00

lip, tried to stop the surge of anger

41:02

rising in her from finding its way

41:04

out. If you'd

41:06

approved me for higher

41:08

management, She said,

41:10

none of this would have been necessary.

41:12

We are in desperate need

41:14

of policy change if we're going

41:16

to keep our customer population intact.

41:19

New people are not finding us

41:21

like they used to, Oswald, for

41:23

all the advertising.

41:26

Returns are diminishing, and some people are

41:28

having children in our dreaming boxes,

41:30

but not enough. Why would they

41:32

when they can dream families that

41:35

don't actually asks them for anything.

41:38

Our dreaming population is

41:40

declining year

41:42

over year. If we removed the consent portion of our

41:44

advertising outside, we could

41:46

save the people who won't admit

41:48

they need to

41:50

be saved but you won't

41:52

accept that. You're too

41:54

busy with your pet projects to

41:56

confront the truth. Did

41:58

you just call my son a pet project?

42:01

Oswald said, with a rise smile

42:03

beneath his mustache. He moved to circle

42:05

the kitchen island again

42:07

like a shark. is not,

42:10

is the key. Operation Winston

42:12

is about getting a stable human

42:15

soul to dream. If they can dream, they can enter the

42:17

prime dream. And if we can pull that off, it

42:20

changes the game for

42:22

everyone forever. you

42:24

talking about Oswald? She said,

42:26

gave up on tracking him as

42:28

he moved. Your chasing ghost when

42:31

we have a company to run.

42:34

It's the survival of

42:36

our species, Lady Ethel said

42:38

Oswald and put his palms on

42:41

the counter stared at her with an excitement she had not seen

42:43

in him in years. No

42:46

one dies. Lifetime value

42:48

of an existing customer becomes potentially

42:52

infinite. You would kill

42:54

our customers, Lady Athol

42:57

said slowly. Keep

42:59

them plugged in, Do

43:01

you understand how unhinged you

43:04

sound? This is why I

43:06

worry about your ability to

43:08

lead this

43:10

company. It's a lurid concept at first, but let it grow on him,

43:12

said Oswald. Do you remember when

43:14

I first showed you what the prime dream

43:18

was? what we were capable of.

43:20

We're on the verge of reinventing this company again, and

43:22

I'm asking you to trust me one

43:26

step further. What

43:28

would that be? Said Lady Ethel and rubbed

43:30

her temples. It was too quiet here.

43:32

It was never this quiet

43:34

when she was growing up.

43:37

The Atlas Biggs rocket is

43:39

a success. Oswald said, and

43:41

our

43:41

dreaming tech conclusively

43:43

works in orbit. the barrier

43:45

to interstellar travel has always

43:48

been time, resources,

43:50

keeping people alive long enough to

43:52

reach new worlds to colonize. but

43:54

ghosts don't eat, they don't age, and

43:57

they don't die twice,

43:59

anyways.

43:59

what

43:59

And they could comfortably be part

44:02

of the Prime Dream for

44:04

the centuries it would take to reach

44:06

a new world. One that isn't

44:08

infected, a new Garden

44:10

of Eden. That's what my pet project is about,

44:14

apple. You are really going to go through

44:16

with this

44:18

She said searching for any irony in his face.

44:20

This isn't why we

44:23

started this company. It

44:25

was about extracting value. saving

44:29

customers a happier end.

44:32

I started this company. I

44:36

hired you, said Oswald,

44:38

and frowned.

44:40

Were

44:40

you thinking of a happier end when

44:42

you and Anderson got together and woke

44:45

up box Aries? Yes.

44:48

Actually, said lady Ethel

44:50

and breathed. Despite all

44:52

she'd heard, now was the

44:54

portion she'd rehearsed, and it was time

44:56

to perform. It was

44:59

necessary. The Stone Maids

45:01

hadn't done anything egregious yet and

45:03

I needed them to be seen as

45:05

a real threat. So I woke

45:07

them up the briefly briefly.

45:10

but I didn't know Oswald what had happened to

45:12

them. They were supposed to go back

45:14

to sleep half an hour later like

45:17

nothing ever happened. a

45:20

publicity stunt. I didn't

45:22

know that they had

45:24

changed. And yes, we couldn't send them

45:26

back in ready to share the we our

45:28

customers, that Blackwater is

45:30

dripping through every dreaming box

45:32

in America growing

45:35

rampant in our dreaming gardens. It was

45:37

a mistake. Did you

45:40

ever stop and think of

45:42

asking me before starting a civil

45:44

war in my company, said

45:46

to Oswald with none of his

45:48

usual humor.

45:49

The war was already

45:52

there. She said firmly,

45:54

like a wildfire about to grow.

45:57

So I

45:57

took control, told

45:59

it where to burn,

46:02

was a version of myself

46:04

capable enough of the Stone Maids

46:06

would have someone to rally

46:08

against. Do I want more

46:10

control in this company? I think

46:12

it's necessary.

46:14

But ultimately, Oswald, if you look at what I have

46:16

done despite the methods, it

46:18

was always in service to

46:20

this company and delivering on

46:23

its full potential after

46:25

everything said

46:28

Oswald. At the

46:28

center of your web of

46:31

lies, That's what you expect me

46:33

to believe. Yes,

46:35

yeah she

46:36

said. It's the truth

46:40

Melanie and Anderson and

46:42

Vela and the rest can't dream

46:44

of the devotion I have for

46:46

this company.

46:48

for you. And you want

46:50

to lead the botularies corporation's terrestrial

46:54

operations. He

46:56

said, a corner of his mouth twisting into a tired smile,

46:59

while I manage our

47:01

space line and operation

47:04

Winston. Lady

47:06

Evelyn nodded, a flutter of her old

47:08

excitement, a light sheet felt once you

47:10

first put on a dress, nestling beneath

47:13

her rib cage. Yes? Yes,

47:16

Oswald, more than anything.

47:19

Oswald, Grind, and

47:21

clapped his hands together.

47:24

Lady, Ethel Mallory. You have served my company

47:27

well over the last many years

47:29

we've worked together. Thank

47:31

you for that. It's

47:34

been an educational ride with you, but

47:37

you are also carniving

47:40

and duplicitous and your

47:42

time of usefulness to me is long

47:45

gone. Effective immediately,

47:47

you are fired. from

47:51

the

47:53

botular's corporation.

48:03

milestones. I

48:05

find it easy to forget how far I

48:08

have come, especially in

48:10

this form where I exist as a

48:12

being of energy and dream and thought

48:15

It is easy to get lost

48:17

in the narratives I behold and

48:19

to lose myself entirely for

48:21

a time. Perhaps I

48:24

prefer that. Perhaps I spend too much time in the

48:26

nothingness of audience.

48:29

And yet, when

48:32

I retrospect, I have

48:34

come so far. I

48:36

have played in the stellar

48:38

nurseries in the Orchard at the center of

48:40

the universe. I clung

48:42

to worlds in the making and ran

48:44

in fields of young stars.

48:46

I sat by the gates and

48:48

watched for the danger in the heavens

48:50

spoke loudly toward it away. I have laid

48:52

in meadows and valleys of the

48:54

cosmos yet unseen by your

48:58

telescopes. I have been

49:00

whole. I

49:01

have been broken. I

49:03

have loved deeply

49:05

and lost deeply I am always on

49:07

making myself and I am always piecing myself

49:10

back together and finding

49:12

in the

49:14

process the strange aeons of memory that make me

49:16

who I am.

49:18

Until the words disappear

49:20

from the mile markers of

49:24

the past, and the paths I have wondered are forgotten.

49:26

I am your loyal host,

49:28

Nicky Nick, waiting momentously

49:30

for your return to

49:34

thought

49:36

how it

49:40

would. Hello

49:42

from the Alludes

49:43

is written and produced by William

49:45

a woman. Hello. That's me. If

49:48

you enjoyed this show, please

49:50

don't forget follow it and

49:52

share it with a friend. The bonus story

49:54

that goes with this episode is called

49:56

longtrip and is available on the shows

49:58

patreon at patreon dot com

50:00

slash hallowoods Because we operate without ads or sponsors, our

50:02

supporters are all that keeps the show

50:04

going. Plus, supporters get weekly bonus

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50:09

exclusive merch, and even more. Merchandise and episode

50:11

transcripts are available at hello from the

50:13

hallow woods dot com. You can even find

50:15

us on social media

50:17

at woods. Music is used under license from

50:20

artless dot com. Our opening theme

50:22

is Forest

50:22

Overtur by Escal Raj, and

50:24

the closing theme is farewell. by

50:27

Malba Sitzman and Matan Ephrod.

50:30

Until next time dreamers, be sure to

50:32

celebrate each mile that passes. Your

50:34

friends make plane on the road trip, but you don't negativity

50:38

anyways.