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Speaker 1: Hey, this is any and Samantha and welcome to Stephane

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Speaker 1: Never Told You production of iHeart Radio, And it is

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Speaker 1: time for another installment of Smithy Fiction. I knew you'd

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Speaker 1: come through with the jingle of some I Got, I

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Speaker 1: Got it. It's on my variation of s VU A

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Speaker 1: little upbeat. Okay, so that's both kind of appropriate kind

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Speaker 1: of not, because this is not an upbeat story at all.

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Speaker 1: But so this is a once a month segment where

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Speaker 1: we read some fiction. Christina does some magic. Lots of magic, yeah,

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Speaker 1: because she is a budgetition a wizard. But yes, do

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Speaker 1: not worry it is. If it's not your thing, it's

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Speaker 1: only once a month. And if this story in particular

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Speaker 1: is not your thing, that's cool too. Because this is

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Speaker 1: our first continuing story. This is a mold a chapter

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Speaker 1: podcast extravaganza event. This one is a continuation of what

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Speaker 1: we read on our last segment of spind Fiction, which

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Speaker 1: was the prologue of my story that I wrote in

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Speaker 1: two thousand and ten. Um called Terminus are the Depopulation event.

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Speaker 1: The series is called Terminus. This particular one is called

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Speaker 1: the Demoulation Event. Yeah, yes, yes, yes, it is part

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Speaker 1: of three and maybe we'll get to all three. Uh oh,

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Speaker 1: that'll be quite the adventure. And yes, I did write

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Speaker 1: this in two thousand and ten ish and I haven't

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Speaker 1: edited it much since then. Um, so we're going to

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Speaker 1: go through this together. Uh. And as discussed in the

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Speaker 1: last one, this is like a heavy content warning, okay,

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Speaker 1: because it is about a virus. It is a dystopian world.

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Speaker 1: It is about a government trying to control people's bodies,

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Speaker 1: particularly women's bodies, and this chapter in particular deals with

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Speaker 1: issues of hunger and internalized able is um. Um. So

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Speaker 1: it's heavy, and especially given what's going on right now. Um,

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Speaker 1: this is like the worst timing perhaps to release this.

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Speaker 1: So I understand, I understand. I will say this chapter

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Speaker 1: is a quote lighter chapter. There's a lot of quoty

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Speaker 1: fingers right now. There are the heavy quoty fingers. Um.

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Speaker 1: As I said in the prologue one, I've I've described

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Speaker 1: this as like the Last of Us meets the Road

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Speaker 1: meets hand May's Tail. So it's lighter, is you know,

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Speaker 1: perspective relative, But it's lighter, I would say. And you

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Speaker 1: get to hear my barely there attempted to do a

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Speaker 1: child's voice, so that might give you some joy. I

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Speaker 1: don't know's it might be. Also, this one is a

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Speaker 1: bit longer. It's sort of a setting the stage chapter.

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Speaker 1: So I think I think we'll just dive right in.

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Speaker 1: The leaves were falling, bright oranges, vibrant yellows, warm reds, drifting, swirling, crackling,

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Speaker 1: little pair of sailors caught in a cool, fluttering breeze.

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Speaker 1: So many had detached from aging cypresses and battered maples

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Speaker 1: on either side of the road that it gave the

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Speaker 1: impression of a colorful rain. White fluffy clouds dotted a

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Speaker 1: vivid whose sky. The sun shone, radiant, unchanged, unaware of

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Speaker 1: the chaos on the planet its stained. Across from it

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Speaker 1: hung a full moon, the craters on its face clearly visible,

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Speaker 1: the clarity and brightness of its silver light, giving the

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Speaker 1: illusion of two sons mirroring each other. A tiny smile

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Speaker 1: tugged at Tilda's lips as savored the field, the sun

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Speaker 1: warming her cheeks and the breeze fluttering through her hair.

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Speaker 1: It comforted her that simple beauty such as this still existed,

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Speaker 1: that her child wasn't growing up in a wasteland devoid

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Speaker 1: of all that made life something wondrous to behold and experience,

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Speaker 1: as opposed to something to survive. Because of basic instinct,

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Speaker 1: the seasons marched on. There was something humbling about that,

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Speaker 1: both a comfort and a bitter frustration. The slight chill

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Speaker 1: in the air made her heart beat a little faster, wary,

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Speaker 1: like acid in her stomach. This was once her favorite

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Speaker 1: time of year, but since she'd been on the run,

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Speaker 1: she'd grown to fear it. She'd have to find somewhere

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Speaker 1: warm for her and Madison to stay, and if like

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Speaker 1: was with them, warmer clothes and better shoes, she added

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Speaker 1: to herself, with mount to concern. The souls of her

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Speaker 1: current ones were so worn. Every crunching step of gravel

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Speaker 1: called dull spikes of pain to travel up through the

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Speaker 1: calluses lying her feet. Bird a voice chirped in her ear,

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Speaker 1: any hand flinging out to point at the wound creature,

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Speaker 1: she went up, the volume so close in proximity to

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Speaker 1: her ear, but the grimace transformed quickly into a grin.

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Speaker 1: She squinted up at the soaring bird, it's long shadow

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Speaker 1: passing over them as it glided above. I think it's

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Speaker 1: a hawk, hawk, Madison repeated inquisitively, Tilda nodded, and he

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Speaker 1: said his new words several times, testing different inflections, tasting it,

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Speaker 1: feeling it on his tongue. Tilda hoisted him up a

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Speaker 1: bit on her back where he was writing piggyback skinny

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Speaker 1: arms wrapped around her neck. She could feel him leaning

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Speaker 1: to the left, tracking the hawks movement. The wind buffeted

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Speaker 1: leaves rushing past them, whipping it Tilda's hair. Madison huddled

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Speaker 1: against her back, shielding himself. It was mid afternoon. They

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Speaker 1: were heading west on one of the smaller highways and

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Speaker 1: had been for several weeks. The main highways were not

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Speaker 1: an option. The risk of running into enforcers too high.

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Speaker 1: The back roads weren't an option either, The possibility of

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Speaker 1: getting hurts lost or stranded. It even running into those

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Speaker 1: turned violent by loss of hope all too reel. Sticking

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Speaker 1: to the smaller highways, once avoided because of lower speed

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Speaker 1: limits and higher number of stop flights, was the safest option.

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Speaker 1: They very rarely ran into others these days. Sometimes she

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Speaker 1: could convince herself they were the only two people left

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Speaker 1: in the world. Sometimes the silence of it was deafening.

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Speaker 1: In the beginning, there had been several close calls Tilda

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Speaker 1: had had no direction, no idea. Really, she was sixteen

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Speaker 1: when she escaped the state run hospital in Atlanta. How

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Speaker 1: was she a teenager with no experience surviving in the

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Speaker 1: wild and staying under the radar, supposed to care for

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Speaker 1: a baby while in hiding, supposed to keep him quiet

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Speaker 1: when the enforcers were near. At first, she'd been too

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Speaker 1: afraid to take any kind of risk, sneaking into abandoned

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Speaker 1: convenient stores for food and drink, a bath after a fashion,

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Speaker 1: sleeping in ditches and empty cars. But ness, necessity, and

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Speaker 1: worry for her child had driven her into more populated areas.

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Speaker 1: She hadn't made it far from Atlanta Huntsville, Alabama when

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Speaker 1: she had her first encounter with enforcers. Desperate with both

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Speaker 1: the need for advice and a bomb for her aching heart,

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Speaker 1: Tilda resolved to find a way to contact her parents.

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Speaker 1: She knew this to be a risky undertaking. She dismissed

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Speaker 1: it as such for as long as she could, but

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Speaker 1: something like a barely contained panic overpowered her rationality. Only

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Speaker 1: government officials had working cell phones, and most land lines

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Speaker 1: were out of service. But Tilda, while exploring a large

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Speaker 1: abandoned house near the Sentti Center of Hutsville had found

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Speaker 1: a functioning landline. Fingers trembling, she had carefully dialed the

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Speaker 1: number to her parents home, dragging each digit to the

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Speaker 1: forefront of her mind. Bouncing her baby in one arm,

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Speaker 1: she held the handset against her ear, straining to hear

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Speaker 1: the connection being made. Seconds passed and she'd almost given up,

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Speaker 1: but then a click sounded, the static e connection established.

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Speaker 1: Her heart sped up, with each ring galloping. By the

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Speaker 1: time the answering machine sounded, her eyes had stung at

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Speaker 1: her mother's genteel voice, quiet and refined. Slowly, she lowered

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Speaker 1: the phone back to its cradle, a lump in her

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Speaker 1: throat preventing her from forming any sound. A part of

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Speaker 1: her the part that believed everything would be okay, believed

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Speaker 1: her mother would since it had been her daughter, would

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Speaker 1: know what her child had wanted to tell her. All

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Speaker 1: the things left on said bubbled like acid in the

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Speaker 1: back of her brain, keeping her from sleep that night.

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Speaker 1: Despite the small, comfy bed she had chosen, she'd been

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Speaker 1: too intimidated to sleep in the big one. Madison wrapped

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Speaker 1: in a blanket, peaceful in her arms, she kept telling

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Speaker 1: herself to enjoy sleeping in a bed with blankets, but

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Speaker 1: thoughts of who lived in this house, who had once

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Speaker 1: slept in this bed, invaded her mind. Shadows of the

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Speaker 1: past roaming the rooms and halls like ghosts, twisting and

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Speaker 1: turning and leaning back to the conversation with her there

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Speaker 1: that she had never had and would never have on

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Speaker 1: this night, in this house that should have been a luxury,

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Speaker 1: she longed for a blanket and pillows in the backseat

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Speaker 1: of a car. More scared here than on the night

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Speaker 1: she'd spent outside in the ditches, she kept expecting someone

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Speaker 1: to show up, demanding that she leave. When Tilda's eyes

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Speaker 1: finally started to droop, she heard the creak of a

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Speaker 1: door swinging open. The shot of adrenaline that surged through

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Speaker 1: her veins almost sheolted her upright with the baby slumbering

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Speaker 1: in her arms kept her still. Slowly, she disentangled herself

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Speaker 1: from the sheets, shifting the child carefully as she swung

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Speaker 1: her legs over the side. Low voices sounded from the

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Speaker 1: fourrier as she eased the window open, and kinbed out

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Speaker 1: of it, landing on dewy grass like a cat bouncing

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Speaker 1: madisone in one arm, she reached up and slid the

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Speaker 1: frame back in place, shaking hands slipping, she ducked as

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Speaker 1: a beam of light spilled out of the window she

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Speaker 1: had just shut. A whine of fear escaping her lips,

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Speaker 1: Tilda had stumbled away, knees wobbling, bent almost in half

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Speaker 1: in fear of being seen. Glancing back, she saw the

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Speaker 1: sleek black outline of the enforcers vehicle. She flattened herself

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Speaker 1: against the plastic slabs meant to resemble wood of the

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Speaker 1: house caddy corner to the one she'd just vacated, only

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Speaker 1: for her heart to skip a beat when she saw

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Speaker 1: another enforcer car parked in the driveway of this house

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Speaker 1: as well. Madison whimpered quietly in her ear. Her grip

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Speaker 1: had tightened. She edged along the side of the house,

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Speaker 1: crouching as she passed windows. Once clear of that house,

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Speaker 1: she had darted over to the next, and the next.

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Speaker 1: All the wild conventsd The enforcers were right behind her,

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Speaker 1: closing in, but she had escaped and never tried to

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Speaker 1: call home again. It had been a long night of

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Speaker 1: jumping up every sound, every flash of light, stealing alongside

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Speaker 1: the road, shivering and clutching her bundle to her so

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Speaker 1: angry at herself, bargaining with the gods she no longer

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Speaker 1: believed in her heart thumping painfully in her chest. Pictures

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Speaker 1: had unfolded in her mind's eye of what they'd do

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Speaker 1: to her and to Madison if they were caught, And

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Speaker 1: at the darkest part of the night, hands numb, a

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Speaker 1: small part of her wondered if maybe it would be

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Speaker 1: a good thing. They probably could do a much better

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Speaker 1: job raising a child than she. Certainly they could provide

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Speaker 1: for him better than she could on their run. Healthier food,

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Speaker 1: warmer clothes, a nice place to sleep, stability once he

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Speaker 1: got older. How would she teach him? He'd have no

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Speaker 1: friends save her to talk to. How long could she

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Speaker 1: keep this up? Was she doing what was best for

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Speaker 1: her son? But they've made it out of Huntsville, Her

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Speaker 1: exhausted legs like noodles as the sun rose over the horizon,

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Speaker 1: fiery rested hughes painting the asphalts and leaves. She'd kept

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Speaker 1: walking almost on auto pilot until they had crossed into

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Speaker 1: Tennessee and her legs could carry her no more. How

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Speaker 1: unintelligent and young and naive she'd been. The doubt she

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Speaker 1: had had then still plagued her now, but the decision

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Speaker 1: was made, and she loved Madison too much to imagine

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Speaker 1: life without him selfish or not. The thought of him,

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Speaker 1: his fingers twisting nervously, as was his habit, staring up

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Speaker 1: with his wide eyes at cold enforcers who didn't love him,

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Speaker 1: who would be current with him, not understand his needs

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Speaker 1: like she did. It made her stomach clench painfully. Are

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Speaker 1: hawks nice birds? Madison's question pulled her out of her thoughts.

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Speaker 1: She glanced up, searching the skies. The hawks still soared overhead.

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Speaker 1: They aren't mean birds, Silda answered. The hawk flew over

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Speaker 1: the road in front of them, a vanguard. What do

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Speaker 1: they eat? A small smile twisted at Tilda's lips. M hmm,

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Speaker 1: let's see, she began, mock thoughtfully, snakes, rad Abbitt's baby squirrels.

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Speaker 1: I know there was something else? What was it? Was

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Speaker 1: it mice? Medicine piped up just Tilda new he would

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Speaker 1: could be Tilda said, a playful grin blossoming on her face.

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Speaker 1: It was, Madison, squealed, he eats mice. We better hope

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Speaker 1: he doesn't see you killed advised and the most serious

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Speaker 1: for she could muster or he might decide to have

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00:13:24,559 --> 00:13:29,000
Speaker 1: an afternoon snack. Oh, no medicine, giggled in her ear.

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00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:34,800
Speaker 1: Mouse was Tilda's nickname from Madison. Don't worry, Tilda reassured him.

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Speaker 1: This hawk looks very friendly, don't you think mass and

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00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:42,200
Speaker 1: nodded against her shoulder. Do you think he lives here?

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00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:45,600
Speaker 1: I bet he does. Probably has a little family of

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Speaker 1: his own, but he can fly wherever he wants. To guess,

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Speaker 1: family little baby hawks. Excitement shown in Madison's voice. Tilda,

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00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:58,640
Speaker 1: her agreement worried growing inside her. As the wind picked up.

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00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:02,520
Speaker 1: They needed to find some more to stay soon. Where

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00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:08,520
Speaker 1: are we used to Madison's rapid subject changes, she answered promptly, Oklahoma,

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00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:12,079
Speaker 1: and she figured they had been for almost two weeks.

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00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:16,480
Speaker 1: Oklahoma arrivaled Kansas when it came to sheer, flat, vastness,

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00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:19,360
Speaker 1: beyond the horizon and further than the brain could comprehend.

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00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:22,720
Speaker 1: While Tilda had no destination in mind other than not

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00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,240
Speaker 1: the east coast, she generally headed west, where there weren't

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Speaker 1: as many conception facilities and forcers in government presence in general.

230
00:14:31,160 --> 00:14:33,120
Speaker 1: About a year and a half back, she'd run into

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00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:36,240
Speaker 1: an obstacle in the form of roadblocks, she had altered

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00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:39,600
Speaker 1: course heading north. A vague memory of her parents praising

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00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:42,960
Speaker 1: Canada's handling of the HSV five crisis put the idea

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00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,600
Speaker 1: in her head that maybe she went far north, passing

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00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:47,840
Speaker 1: to what you used to be known as Canada, she

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00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:50,560
Speaker 1: would be safe. It was a long shot. She knew

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00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:55,480
Speaker 1: borders dissolving and all that arms messages broadcasted across the world,

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00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:58,960
Speaker 1: but she didn't have anything else as long as she

239
00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:03,640
Speaker 1: could avoid Chicago, so she had taken a steady northwestern path.

240
00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:06,200
Speaker 1: It soon began to realize how dangerous the cold would

241
00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:09,680
Speaker 1: become during the winter. The further north she strayed. The

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00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:12,480
Speaker 1: colder months were difficult enough as it was. She got

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00:15:12,520 --> 00:15:15,520
Speaker 1: as far as Missouri before she changed course, heading back south.

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00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,160
Speaker 1: It had been a dream anyway. There was no where

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00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:24,440
Speaker 1: safe for her and her son anymore. Oklahoma Medicine pronounced

246
00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:29,040
Speaker 1: each syllable carefully, waiting for her approval. Yep, Oklahoma, At

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Speaker 1: least that's what the signs say. Are we going to

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Speaker 1: stop soon? Madisone prodded, Then his voice lowered, I'm kind

249
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Speaker 1: of hungry. His admission held a hint of shame. Untilda

250
00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:43,360
Speaker 1: once again felt a cavernous inadequacy that she couldn't provide

251
00:15:43,360 --> 00:15:46,080
Speaker 1: for him, that he would feel his hunger was something

252
00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:50,800
Speaker 1: he should keep hidden. The relationship between them until his view,

253
00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:53,360
Speaker 1: was more of an older sister and younger brother than

254
00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:56,000
Speaker 1: mother and son. She felt too young to be a

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00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:58,480
Speaker 1: mother of a seven year old child. She didn't know

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00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:00,320
Speaker 1: what she was doing, or how to be a mother,

257
00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:02,840
Speaker 1: or even what it really meant. Her own mother was

258
00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:05,400
Speaker 1: a fine example when she did her best to emulate,

259
00:16:05,720 --> 00:16:08,760
Speaker 1: but she didn't have the resources or that quiet confidence

260
00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:12,320
Speaker 1: her mother had. She didn't know what to say like

261
00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:16,160
Speaker 1: her mother did. Tilda felt she was missing something crucial.

262
00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:20,520
Speaker 1: Simply put, she didn't feel like a mother, more like

263
00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,880
Speaker 1: a copy of fake masquerading, and Madison was too young

264
00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:27,960
Speaker 1: to know the difference didn't know any better. As soon

265
00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,480
Speaker 1: as we see a place, Tilda said, the lack of

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00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:33,280
Speaker 1: buildings or any type of civilization await in her stomach,

267
00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,080
Speaker 1: and then, in an attempt to ensure he didn't feel

268
00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:37,520
Speaker 1: like he had to keep his k needs a secret,

269
00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:41,960
Speaker 1: I'm hungry to mouse. There was silence for a moment,

270
00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:44,760
Speaker 1: only when in the rustle of leaves, Tilda knew it

271
00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,960
Speaker 1: wouldn't last long or at least she hoped it wouldn't.

272
00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:52,560
Speaker 1: Madison was a chatty child, something Tilda encouraged. She didn't

273
00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:55,800
Speaker 1: want his speech to be impeded due to lack of practice.

274
00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,160
Speaker 1: Her mother had spoken about developmental learning problems in children

275
00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:01,360
Speaker 1: who weren't exposed to speech and didn't get to practice

276
00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:05,040
Speaker 1: it themselves, so Eager was medisine to learn. It hadn't

277
00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:08,520
Speaker 1: been difficult to teach him to speak. He regularly called

278
00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:10,520
Speaker 1: out the names of things he saw as they walked,

279
00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:13,800
Speaker 1: enthusiastically wanting to put words to what he'd seen only

280
00:17:13,840 --> 00:17:16,040
Speaker 1: in books. On the occasions when they had stopped for

281
00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:18,439
Speaker 1: a few weeks in a town or Tilda made it

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00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:22,000
Speaker 1: a priority to locate textbooks for Madison. She got him

283
00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:24,840
Speaker 1: to read her stories and practices. Writing helped him work

284
00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:29,000
Speaker 1: through math, taught him history. He was extremely intelligent, she thought,

285
00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:33,199
Speaker 1: and though she imagined most parents believed that about her children,

286
00:17:33,359 --> 00:17:36,399
Speaker 1: Madison picked up information and concepts so readily that he

287
00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:39,760
Speaker 1: made it look easy. Interspersed as these sessions were, Tilda

288
00:17:39,800 --> 00:17:42,800
Speaker 1: implemented a system of teaching him ten new words a day,

289
00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:45,840
Speaker 1: going over multiplication tables out loud, getting him to tell

290
00:17:45,840 --> 00:17:48,399
Speaker 1: her a story. Anything she could do to engage him

291
00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:51,520
Speaker 1: and keep him learning. Once he got a handle on

292
00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:54,560
Speaker 1: words and strained together basic phrases, she came up with

293
00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:56,639
Speaker 1: a game, one of many they would come up with

294
00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:59,240
Speaker 1: during their long checks, where he would point out the

295
00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:02,200
Speaker 1: wildlife and play it's around them, naming them are learning

296
00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:04,760
Speaker 1: the name from her. It was a game he loved,

297
00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:08,040
Speaker 1: excitedly calling out words for everything he saw, halting mid

298
00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:11,680
Speaker 1: sentence wanting more information on whatever he had labeled game

299
00:18:11,720 --> 00:18:14,480
Speaker 1: he still played. When Madison kept his silence for a

300
00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:18,679
Speaker 1: long period of time, it usually indicated a problem. You

301
00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:22,200
Speaker 1: can put me down now, Tilda hesitated, a tiny fall

302
00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:27,280
Speaker 1: turner steps. Are you sure? Mm hmm? He nodded, all right.

303
00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:29,880
Speaker 1: She knelt down and let him slide off her back,

304
00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:33,040
Speaker 1: then turned to straighten his worn navy blue coat. He

305
00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:35,480
Speaker 1: held out his hand as she stood. Untilda grasped it,

306
00:18:35,800 --> 00:18:38,399
Speaker 1: the tiniest grimace of flashing across her features at the

307
00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:42,680
Speaker 1: coolness of his skin. Together they started forward. Tilda could

308
00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:44,439
Speaker 1: just make out a sign up ahead and tried not

309
00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:47,240
Speaker 1: to get too hopeful. Her back throbbed a bit and

310
00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:50,359
Speaker 1: her feet ate, but there was nothing for it either.

311
00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:54,000
Speaker 1: They'd find a place before nightfall or not. She wanted

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00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:55,960
Speaker 1: a place that could stay for a while, find some

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00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:59,640
Speaker 1: new clothes, better food, and new books for Madison. How

314
00:18:59,680 --> 00:19:03,280
Speaker 1: come the leaves change colors? Tilda watched the leaves swirl

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00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:05,760
Speaker 1: in front of them, furring her brow as she dredged

316
00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:09,159
Speaker 1: the depths of her brain for the answer. You remember

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00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:13,280
Speaker 1: what we learned about plants turning sunlight into chlorophyll. At

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00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:17,160
Speaker 1: Madison's affirmative nod, Tilda continued, hoping she was recalling correctly.

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00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:20,000
Speaker 1: The days get shorter in the fall, so there's less

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00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:24,399
Speaker 1: light to make chlorophyll for the trees. Madison listened to

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00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:28,639
Speaker 1: her explanation, face open and hazel eyes wide, Tilda swallowed.

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00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:33,000
Speaker 1: Chlorophyll is what makes the leaves green. The less they get,

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00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:34,959
Speaker 1: the more the other colors and the leaves show up.

324
00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:42,200
Speaker 1: So those colors were there all along to some extent.

325
00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:46,800
Speaker 1: I think there's another chemical process that enhances it, makes

326
00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:51,280
Speaker 1: it stronger, she added, at Madison's confused look the other colors.

327
00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:53,400
Speaker 1: We'll have to look it up next time we see

328
00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:56,359
Speaker 1: a school or a library. The leaves always come back.

329
00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:59,480
Speaker 1: How come trees don't die in the winter, They sort

330
00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:01,399
Speaker 1: up some water and food during the summer, and they

331
00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:03,480
Speaker 1: don't need as much because they don't have any leaves.

332
00:20:04,400 --> 00:20:08,400
Speaker 1: How commonly stay the same color on some trees you're

333
00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:11,320
Speaker 1: thinking of evergreens, they have needles instead of leaves. The

334
00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:13,880
Speaker 1: needles fob, but they grow right back and they stay green,

335
00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:18,600
Speaker 1: Hi told, a smile down at him. That's just how

336
00:20:18,640 --> 00:20:21,399
Speaker 1: they are. I think they adapted to low nutrition levels

337
00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:24,800
Speaker 1: or or something like that. Madison looked away for a moment,

338
00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:28,080
Speaker 1: nibbling his lip. He returned his gaze to her face, solemn.

339
00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:34,520
Speaker 1: How long did that take for them to adapt? A

340
00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:40,399
Speaker 1: long time? Told her? Responded how long Madison persisted jiggling

341
00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:43,960
Speaker 1: her hand with his own. I don't know, millions of years.

342
00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:47,480
Speaker 1: Maybe she inwardly cursed her old school. And it's woefully

343
00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:52,800
Speaker 1: inadequate in retrospect coverage on plants. Oh, Madison murmured, a

344
00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:56,920
Speaker 1: frown marring his face. What is it? Tilda scratched at

345
00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:59,320
Speaker 1: one of the sores on her face. The wind was

346
00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:01,800
Speaker 1: dragging them out out, giving her skin a stretched feeling.

347
00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:05,800
Speaker 1: Madison pulled his hand away, wringing his fingers together. She

348
00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:09,000
Speaker 1: reached out and grasped them, stilling his movement a sure

349
00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:13,000
Speaker 1: signal of his anxiety. I was just thinking, maybe we'll

350
00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:17,119
Speaker 1: adapt to low levels of new nutrition. The word was

351
00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,160
Speaker 1: pulled out, and she nodded at his correct pronunciation, repeating

352
00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:22,120
Speaker 1: it back to him to help cement the word into

353
00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:25,560
Speaker 1: that ever growing dictionary inside his brain, so we wouldn't

354
00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:28,399
Speaker 1: need to eat as much. She felt a pang in

355
00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:30,600
Speaker 1: her heart at the question. In the innocent way he

356
00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:35,800
Speaker 1: asked it, not in our lifetime. Mouse. She rifled through

357
00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:38,040
Speaker 1: the carrier bag at her hip, fishing out a package

358
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:42,200
Speaker 1: of granola. Their supplies were dwindling. Ripping the package open

359
00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,560
Speaker 1: with her teeth, she handed it to Madison, who half

360
00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:48,720
Speaker 1: heartedly protested before accepting this small snack, Munching on it quietly.

361
00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:52,480
Speaker 1: The sun lowered slowly as evening drew closer. They would

362
00:21:52,480 --> 00:21:54,760
Speaker 1: need to find somewhere soon the night would be too

363
00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:58,200
Speaker 1: cold to keep moving. When Madison finished his granola, tilted

364
00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:00,399
Speaker 1: treated him the plastic wrapper for a while, a bottle

365
00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,040
Speaker 1: that was cool things to the temperature. He slipped at

366
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:05,760
Speaker 1: it slowly before handing it back to her. He learned

367
00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:09,200
Speaker 1: the importance of conservation at an early age. Why don't

368
00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:12,000
Speaker 1: you tell me a story? Told a prodded, retaking his

369
00:22:12,080 --> 00:22:14,920
Speaker 1: tiny hand in hers. Madison pursed his lips and thought

370
00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:18,760
Speaker 1: Ralph furrowed before he bliged, spinning a tale of tree spears,

371
00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:21,640
Speaker 1: the forbidden love between the sun god and the moon Goddess,

372
00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:26,080
Speaker 1: and heroic cock befriending a bunny rabbit. The imaginative story

373
00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:28,679
Speaker 1: drew a half from Tilda more than once and passed

374
00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:31,679
Speaker 1: the time pleasantly enough, but she couldn't rid herself of

375
00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:34,320
Speaker 1: the worry constant these days that they wouldn't find a

376
00:22:34,359 --> 00:22:38,640
Speaker 1: place to stay the night. The chill nipped at them,

377
00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:41,480
Speaker 1: leaching through thin clothes that had seen too much use.

378
00:22:42,119 --> 00:22:44,760
Speaker 1: Madison's feet began to drag, and he stumbled over more

379
00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:48,119
Speaker 1: and more words. Without prompt she lifted the light child

380
00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:50,200
Speaker 1: into her arms, where he pulled up her jacket and

381
00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:52,520
Speaker 1: stuggled inside it, his head popping out of her collar

382
00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:55,679
Speaker 1: so her coat was stretched around him. I'm a joey,

383
00:22:55,760 --> 00:22:58,040
Speaker 1: he used to cheerfully shout when he was younger, after

384
00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:00,560
Speaker 1: Tilda taught him the word, telling him he resembled a

385
00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:03,200
Speaker 1: baby kangaroo. When he snuggled inside her jacket like this,

386
00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:06,320
Speaker 1: she could see a fenced in area coming up on

387
00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:08,840
Speaker 1: the right as the sun sunk lower behind the horizon,

388
00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,359
Speaker 1: cool pinks and oranges casting soft light around them. It

389
00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:15,119
Speaker 1: didn't look promising, but what choice did they have. They

390
00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:18,639
Speaker 1: were both exhausted and cold, and the light was fading quickly.

391
00:23:19,840 --> 00:23:22,399
Speaker 1: Dusky twilight had taken over. By the time they reached

392
00:23:22,480 --> 00:23:27,119
Speaker 1: the fence. It was a junkyard, dusty abandoned cars and

393
00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:31,080
Speaker 1: scott metal later throughout a smooth lot of dirt. A

394
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:35,040
Speaker 1: rusted flock held the chain linked doors closed. Tilda rattle

395
00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:37,880
Speaker 1: the chains, testing them the gap between the two sections

396
00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:40,040
Speaker 1: of the fences wide enough for them to shimmy through.

397
00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,240
Speaker 1: She lowered Madison to the ground, strangely cold, without the

398
00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:45,840
Speaker 1: warmth of his body next to hers. Holding the doors

399
00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:48,240
Speaker 1: apart as why she could, she urged Madison to pass

400
00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:51,520
Speaker 1: through them. Careful, she told him as he wriggled between

401
00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:53,760
Speaker 1: the two bars. The last thing they needed was for

402
00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:56,320
Speaker 1: him to get an infection. Maybe not the last thing,

403
00:23:56,920 --> 00:24:00,760
Speaker 1: but it would be a devastating, potentially fatal below for them.

404
00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:03,760
Speaker 1: Tilta pushed her way in, after the gates clinging shut

405
00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:07,399
Speaker 1: behind her. The fit had been relatively easy, lack of

406
00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:10,919
Speaker 1: food had left them both skinny. Instinctively, she held her

407
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:14,639
Speaker 1: hand out and Madison immediately took it. Procursory glance around

408
00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:17,560
Speaker 1: showed a small shack to their left. Pulling the boy

409
00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:20,440
Speaker 1: behind her, she cautiously approached the building, the door hanging

410
00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:23,520
Speaker 1: off its hinges and swinging creakily in the wind, thumping

411
00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:27,399
Speaker 1: against the wood. A fluorescent light glowed dimly from inside,

412
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:31,320
Speaker 1: but that didn't necessarily mean someone was in there. There

413
00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:33,480
Speaker 1: were bulbs that could emanate light for hundreds of years

414
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:37,400
Speaker 1: without power of installed properly. All they needed was sunlight,

415
00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:40,560
Speaker 1: sort of like the leaves. She pressed up against the

416
00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:44,240
Speaker 1: side of the building next to the door. Madison followed her, silent,

417
00:24:44,320 --> 00:24:48,280
Speaker 1: almost comically stealthy, giving his hand a comforting squeeze. She

418
00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:52,280
Speaker 1: pulled free from him, leaning forward, slowly, holding her breath

419
00:24:52,400 --> 00:24:56,800
Speaker 1: to get a look inside. Her first glance revealed nobody

420
00:24:56,840 --> 00:25:01,320
Speaker 1: around them. The cicadas crusted and fell, a harmoni cacophony.

421
00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:04,480
Speaker 1: The air had stilled, only a soft breeze, occasionally picking

422
00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:08,199
Speaker 1: up and just as quickly fading away. Tilda stepped inside, alert,

423
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:11,040
Speaker 1: brown eyes darting all around her, checking for any threats

424
00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:14,600
Speaker 1: are signs as someone still resided here. Madison peeked around

425
00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:16,360
Speaker 1: the door frame a sliver of his face, the only

426
00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:19,639
Speaker 1: visible part of him. Glass crunched underneath her feet and

427
00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:24,639
Speaker 1: startling her. She drew in a quick breath, freezing the

428
00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:28,320
Speaker 1: window above her had shattered. Willing herself to calm down,

429
00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:31,800
Speaker 1: she began to take inventory of their surroundings, gesturing for

430
00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:36,879
Speaker 1: Madison to follow her inside. He came in, reluctantly, judging

431
00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,879
Speaker 1: every step with a careful calculation. The wood creaked under

432
00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:43,719
Speaker 1: his feet anyway, and he directed guilty eyes to Tilda,

433
00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:46,320
Speaker 1: who gave him a wan smile and held out her hand.

434
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,280
Speaker 1: He rushed forward and grasped it in both of his

435
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:53,560
Speaker 1: plashing himself to her side. A wooden table with only

436
00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:56,320
Speaker 1: three legs stood in the corner, propped up against the wall.

437
00:25:56,840 --> 00:26:00,280
Speaker 1: Opposite it was a metal bed frame sans mattress, stood

438
00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:04,359
Speaker 1: springs poking out no longer attached. Closest to her was

439
00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:07,480
Speaker 1: a shelf of mildewed books, a stack of moldy cards,

440
00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:12,320
Speaker 1: and odd office supplies pencils, paper clips, staples, pins. Across

441
00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:14,280
Speaker 1: from that was a mini fridge, and on the right

442
00:26:14,359 --> 00:26:17,040
Speaker 1: wall it was a small bathroom. Tilda strode over to

443
00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,919
Speaker 1: the fridge, doubting there'd be anything useful inside, but not

444
00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:23,560
Speaker 1: check would be foolish. The door resisted, a bit red rust,

445
00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:26,200
Speaker 1: melting it shut for years, but Tilda jerked it open.

446
00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:30,640
Speaker 1: There was nothing inside but a busted can of soda.

447
00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,879
Speaker 1: Sighing heavily, Tilda shut the door as best she could,

448
00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,719
Speaker 1: and then went to investigate the bathroom, not expecting anything

449
00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:39,960
Speaker 1: useful from it either. She approached the sink, twisting the

450
00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,480
Speaker 1: cold knob. Dirty waters fluttered out, hissing, and then became

451
00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:47,080
Speaker 1: a steady drip. Tilda huffed again, shutting the water off.

452
00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:50,840
Speaker 1: Out of habit, come on, she led madisone out into

453
00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:54,080
Speaker 1: the junkyard, Apprehension growing at the darkness set in. The

454
00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:57,320
Speaker 1: cars looked like dormant monsters, creatures that could jump to

455
00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:01,119
Speaker 1: life and attack at any moment. Amaze of monsters, she thought,

456
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:03,159
Speaker 1: as she started to weave her way through the rusty

457
00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:06,320
Speaker 1: metal husk. Best to seek some cover within the junkyard,

458
00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:09,800
Speaker 1: she decided, just in case. When she found one that

459
00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:12,119
Speaker 1: appeared to be in good condition, at least as far

460
00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:14,200
Speaker 1: as she could tell in the darkness, she tugged the

461
00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:17,880
Speaker 1: back door open with a metallic croak, motioning Madison inside.

462
00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:22,159
Speaker 1: His face was somber, resigned, She climbed in after him,

463
00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:24,959
Speaker 1: shutting the door. The leather seats were cold, but they

464
00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:27,879
Speaker 1: weren't lumpy like most cars they camped in were. The

465
00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:30,679
Speaker 1: windows were still intact, rest had yet to eat through

466
00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:33,760
Speaker 1: the roof or walls. The exterior was black, and it

467
00:27:33,840 --> 00:27:36,240
Speaker 1: was surrounded by lines of other cars, so it blended in.

468
00:27:37,359 --> 00:27:40,760
Speaker 1: At least that was the idea. You want something else

469
00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:44,400
Speaker 1: to eat? Madison hesitated, but Shooka said no, even though

470
00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:48,239
Speaker 1: they both knew the answer was yes, we'll find something tomorrow, right.

471
00:27:49,359 --> 00:27:54,199
Speaker 1: She hated herself in that moment. Useless, useless, useless. The

472
00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:57,760
Speaker 1: word ran in circles around her head, unrelenting and unforgiving

473
00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:02,080
Speaker 1: mass and nodded against her should, her eyes drooping. Trusting her,

474
00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:05,159
Speaker 1: believing she knew what she was doing, she rubbed his

475
00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:07,280
Speaker 1: arms to warm them, pulling her head up to cover

476
00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:09,920
Speaker 1: his ears and provide some extra warmth, doing the same

477
00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:13,360
Speaker 1: with her own. They had sped their warm clothes after

478
00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:16,160
Speaker 1: last winter as the temperatures rose, and in Madison's case,

479
00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:18,840
Speaker 1: he had outgrown them. She had expected to pick some

480
00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:21,399
Speaker 1: more up, but towns have been scarce these past few months.

481
00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:24,119
Speaker 1: They had left one last month where they had stayed

482
00:28:24,160 --> 00:28:27,880
Speaker 1: for three weeks to celebrate Madison's seventh birthday. Abruptly, when

483
00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:30,200
Speaker 1: the sound system had blared to life with an announcement

484
00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:34,480
Speaker 1: from arms leader, the voice of Aaron Delane, although it

485
00:28:34,520 --> 00:28:37,000
Speaker 1: was widely accepted his wife Dorla used him as a

486
00:28:37,080 --> 00:28:40,560
Speaker 1: voice box, had put Tilda so on edge she demanded

487
00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:44,400
Speaker 1: to get out of Enid immediately, her urgency frightening Madisine.

488
00:28:44,880 --> 00:28:47,600
Speaker 1: He'd grown to fear the broadcast, and she couldn't be

489
00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:49,600
Speaker 1: sure if this was due to the content or as

490
00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:53,160
Speaker 1: a consequence of her own reactions. Either way, better to

491
00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:57,360
Speaker 1: be afraid. Those announcements never voted well. But they've left

492
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,400
Speaker 1: in such a hurry they'd forgotten their backpacks. There had

493
00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:02,680
Speaker 1: been much in them anyway, but more than what they

494
00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:06,200
Speaker 1: had Now. We'll get some warmer clothes too, She said,

495
00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:11,920
Speaker 1: What a fraud she was. He yawned his ascent. She

496
00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,280
Speaker 1: wrapped her arms around him, laying them down on the

497
00:29:14,280 --> 00:29:17,280
Speaker 1: cold black leather seats. He curled up in the fetal

498
00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:20,560
Speaker 1: position against her, shivering a bit. Tilda rested her head

499
00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:24,720
Speaker 1: atop his massy brown hair. She thought he'd fall asleep immediately,

500
00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:28,080
Speaker 1: but a sleepy voice murmured can you tell me a story.

501
00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:31,840
Speaker 1: Her own eyes heavy, she breathed, what would she like

502
00:29:31,920 --> 00:29:37,880
Speaker 1: to hear? Robin hood? Tilda smiled tiredly, unsurprised it was

503
00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:40,920
Speaker 1: one of his favorites, although she doubted he'd last long.

504
00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:43,880
Speaker 1: Sure enough, his breathing evened out around the time of

505
00:29:43,880 --> 00:30:08,360
Speaker 1: the archery tournament she followed not long after. And that

506
00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:12,360
Speaker 1: brings us to the ends of this chapter, one of

507
00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:15,880
Speaker 1: our multi chaptered event. I hope you stuck with it.

508
00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:19,840
Speaker 1: I hope you enjoyed it. I was. I was reading

509
00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:22,080
Speaker 1: over this and when I read it, it did bring

510
00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:23,920
Speaker 1: back a lot of memories and that I have. I've

511
00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:26,960
Speaker 1: always wondered why this story came to mind for me. Um.

512
00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:29,200
Speaker 1: This chapter was big about like feeling like a failure

513
00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:33,360
Speaker 1: as a mother, which again I wrote this in I

514
00:30:33,360 --> 00:30:35,520
Speaker 1: didn't have kids. I don't have kids, so I think

515
00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:37,440
Speaker 1: that's interesting. But I was thinking about this because I've

516
00:30:37,480 --> 00:30:40,760
Speaker 1: always sort of wondered why I chose a baby boy

517
00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:44,200
Speaker 1: instead of a baby girl in the story. And as

518
00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:46,800
Speaker 1: I've been like reading it and thinking about it and

519
00:30:46,920 --> 00:30:51,440
Speaker 1: like doing this podcast and digging into trauma Moore Um,

520
00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:53,640
Speaker 1: and especially this chapter where there's a lot of elements

521
00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:57,120
Speaker 1: of her of the main character Tilda, feeling like older

522
00:30:57,200 --> 00:31:00,760
Speaker 1: sisters compared to his mother. I think it's because I

523
00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:02,680
Speaker 1: was so protective of my little brother and I had

524
00:31:02,720 --> 00:31:05,840
Speaker 1: to take care of him for for quite a while,

525
00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:09,000
Speaker 1: so it makes sense. But that has been something that's

526
00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:10,960
Speaker 1: always been on my mind and even thought like once

527
00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:12,240
Speaker 1: I started the show, it was like I should go

528
00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:16,360
Speaker 1: back and make it like a mother daughter team. Um

529
00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:20,400
Speaker 1: I just never did. But uh, that's something I've always

530
00:31:20,400 --> 00:31:25,160
Speaker 1: thought about. But yeah, yeah, I'm excited and nervous for

531
00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:29,760
Speaker 1: you all to go through this um with with us

532
00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:34,840
Speaker 1: because it's gonna get more intense. But I hope you

533
00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:38,560
Speaker 1: enjoy it. If you enjoy it um and we'll be

534
00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:44,200
Speaker 1: back next month with chapter two. Thank you, Thank you,

535
00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:49,760
Speaker 1: thanks for the support, and if you would like to

536
00:31:49,800 --> 00:31:52,200
Speaker 1: contact us. If there's any fiction that's in the public

537
00:31:52,200 --> 00:31:54,880
Speaker 1: domain you would like us to read, that would be great.

538
00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:57,080
Speaker 1: You can email us the stuff that your mom Stuff

539
00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:58,400
Speaker 1: at I hurt me a dot com. You can find

540
00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:00,320
Speaker 1: us on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast or Intagram and

541
00:32:00,400 --> 00:32:03,360
Speaker 1: stuff I Never told you. Thanks. It's always super special.

542
00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:07,120
Speaker 1: Thanks to the amazing Christina Thank you, who is our

543
00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:09,320
Speaker 1: super producer in case you didn't know, and thanks to

544
00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:11,480
Speaker 1: you for listening stuff Wander told you the protection of

545
00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:13,520
Speaker 1: iHeart Radio. For more podcast on my Heart Radio because

546
00:32:13,520 --> 00:32:15,280
Speaker 1: if your high radio app, Apple podcast or ever, you

547
00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:16,480
Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows