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Speaker 1: Hey, this is Sanny and Samantha. I'm welcome to stephone

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Speaker 1: never told you, Protection of iHeart you, and welcome to

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Speaker 1: another edition of Sminty Fiction. Just a reminder, this is

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Speaker 1: a once a month thing we do. Has a bit

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Speaker 1: more soundscaping because Christina is amazing and it's on going.

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Speaker 1: It is part of a trilogy, and we are currently

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Speaker 1: in the second one, which is called Big Things Start Small,

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Speaker 1: but we're just going to call it Terminus too for

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Speaker 1: ease of understanding. Quick content warning, brief discussions of disease

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Speaker 1: into the world stuff. It's a dystopian story. If you

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Speaker 1: haven't a pacast it is. It is eerily like the

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Speaker 1: Last of Us, but it can't it care for the

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Speaker 1: last of us. The lots of stuff about coals. It

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Speaker 1: feels timely right now. Hunger kind of a vague description

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Speaker 1: of a panic attack. It's not too intense, but there

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Speaker 1: is a description of a panic attack, internalized ableism and shame.

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Speaker 1: So yes, this is sort of the second part of

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Speaker 1: the last chapter. Here's your recap. So it is extremely

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Speaker 1: cold outside. Our main characters, Tilda and her son Madison,

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Speaker 1: are being pursued after Madison was vaccinated with the last

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Speaker 1: and only known vaccine to HSD five, which is the

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Speaker 1: disease that has pretty much decimated the whole population in

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Speaker 1: Tilda broadcast to the country how the state, which is

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Speaker 1: sort of the rolling ruling government body, and arm the

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Speaker 1: religious organization affiliated them or behind the disease. They were

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Speaker 1: basically trying to punish people with sin. But yes, Armin

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Speaker 1: characters have fled after a battle broke out after that broadcast.

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Speaker 1: They are low on food. They have taken shelter in

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Speaker 1: an abandoned cabin in the woods. That is knowing it

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Speaker 1: is cold. There's a man with a horse that they

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Speaker 1: don't know what's going on with that guy. But the

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Speaker 1: last chapter ended when they discovered a generator, So let

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Speaker 1: us get in to this month's fiction. Not daring to hope,

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Speaker 1: Tilda shut the door and strode past Madison huddling in

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Speaker 1: the bathroom doorway, and extracted her winter jacket from where

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Speaker 1: it had been strewn on the floor, Jamming her arms

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Speaker 1: in the sleeves and yanking up the zipper. Madison patted

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Speaker 1: closer as she shoved her feet into her boots, hopping

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Speaker 1: and nearly losing her balance. What is it, he asked,

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Speaker 1: do I need to get dressed too. She rammed her

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Speaker 1: fingers into her gloves and pulled her hat over her head. No,

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Speaker 1: just wait here, I'm going to check something outside, He nodded,

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Speaker 1: his acquiescence worriedly. Tilda's boots thunking down the hallway and

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Speaker 1: back outside. The cold was on her just as strongly

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Speaker 1: as if she jumped into a freezing pond, her breath

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Speaker 1: flogging in front of her. Tilda examined the generator, trying

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Speaker 1: to prepare herself for it not working. She'd seen her

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Speaker 1: parents deal with generators before, and she'd observed it in

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Speaker 1: her in Madison's brief time. With the resistance. There should

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Speaker 1: be ah there, it was the cord you pulled to

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Speaker 1: get it started. Hands shaking, she wrapped her fingers around

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Speaker 1: the cord, hoping she had the strength that she needed,

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Speaker 1: hoping that it wouldn't be too loud, reminding herself that

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Speaker 1: it might not have any more fuel. She took a

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Speaker 1: deep breath, dug her feet into the now mostly melted snow,

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Speaker 1: and yanked. She almost stumbled the cord, putting up more

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Speaker 1: resistance than she'd expected. Spreading out her weight and getting

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Speaker 1: a better grip, she tried to get. This time, she

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Speaker 1: managed to pull the cord about midway. The generator wheezed again.

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Speaker 1: She anchored herself unpulled, almost losing her grip in surprise.

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Speaker 1: When she reached the end of the cord's length, the

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Speaker 1: generator grumbled, releasing a taut breath. Tilda yanked the cord

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Speaker 1: and could feel it vibrate beneath her fingers. As the

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Speaker 1: generator roared to life, she fell back and shock, the

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Speaker 1: cord whipping back. Tilda looked around frantically, wondering if anyone

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Speaker 1: was nearby, if someone had been drawn by the noise.

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Speaker 1: She twisted and turned, sharp eyes, darting between trees, but

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Speaker 1: she found nothing. After the initial ruvving sound emitted by

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Speaker 1: the generator, the noise died down to a quiet hum.

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Speaker 1: Tilda eyed it, wondering whether she should turn it off,

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Speaker 1: but the thought of heat, and of food, and of

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Speaker 1: water and possibly even a hot shower made the decision

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Speaker 1: for her. Warily, she heaved herself back to her feet,

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Speaker 1: ears pricked for the slightest sound out of the ordinary.

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Speaker 1: She could see Matame since wide blue eyes peeking through

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Speaker 1: the window. He stepped back, gazed, never leaving her as

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Speaker 1: she pulled the door open and shut behind her. What

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Speaker 1: was that sound? His question was hushed. Her footprints thudded

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Speaker 1: down the hall. She turned when she entered the kitchen,

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Speaker 1: heading straight for the sink. She stared at the faucet, nervous,

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Speaker 1: until a gloved hand reached out of its own volition

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Speaker 1: and flipped it on. There was a splutter, then water

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Speaker 1: shushed out. Tilda's knees went weak. She leaned heavily on

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Speaker 1: the counter with both hands, her eyes closing as the

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Speaker 1: sound of water flowing almost broad her to tears. She

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Speaker 1: turned the water off. She knew it was well water,

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Speaker 1: it had to be, but she didn't want to waste

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Speaker 1: any unnecessarily. She didn't trust her luck enough for that,

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Speaker 1: and living in a state of constant conservation had ingrained

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Speaker 1: the need for smart consumption within her. The panic Tilda

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Speaker 1: had been tamping down surged rapidly to the surface, revealed

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Speaker 1: in contrast to her relief. Her breath came in gulps,

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Speaker 1: her throat tightened. Something was building inside her. She wanted

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Speaker 1: to scream, but she was very aware of Madison watching

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Speaker 1: her intently, his concern palpable. Tilda gave herself an amount

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Speaker 1: of controlled panic of halting breaths and graying vision, sagging

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Speaker 1: knees and forehead pressed in the cold kitchen counter. Then

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Speaker 1: she slowly worked it back in its dark corner, locked

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Speaker 1: it away for another time with one last deep breast.

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Speaker 1: She straightened. Her face was wet. Madison stared at her,

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Speaker 1: fear stark on his own face, Still weak kneed, She

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Speaker 1: walked past him and tried out the light switch. A

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Speaker 1: warm honey light from the four lamp fixtures of the

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Speaker 1: counter brightened the kitchen. Madison shied back, stunned, throwing his

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Speaker 1: arms up to protect his face. He lowered them, eyeing

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Speaker 1: the light suspiciously, disbeleeding how he stuttered. There was a

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Speaker 1: generator outside, Tilda explained hoarsely. It uses fuel to make electricity.

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Speaker 1: She sat heavily in the wind kitchen chair, working off

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Speaker 1: her gloves, her boots, her hat, her jacket, methodic, her

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Speaker 1: mind buzzing with what they could do now that they

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Speaker 1: had power heat. She stood, sliding her discarded clothes under

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Speaker 1: the kitchen table for now, and flipped off the light

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Speaker 1: switch as she passed it. She crossed at the box

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Speaker 1: on the right side of the front door. She knew

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Speaker 1: despite rarely having the occasion to use controlled the temperature.

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Speaker 1: She stared, uncomprehending at the device. The number seventy two

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Speaker 1: was displayed on the panel and on the side was

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Speaker 1: a switch with three positions heat cool off. Her fingers

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Speaker 1: practically thrumming at the thought of it, she clicked the

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Speaker 1: switch and position over heat. Something hum to life. Tilda

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Speaker 1: glanced at the ceiling as though she'd see heat rays

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Speaker 1: emerging from the vents. The number, she guessed was the

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Speaker 1: temperature setting she wanted the room to reach. Using the

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Speaker 1: plastic up arrow, she notched it up to seventy eight.

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Speaker 1: What does this mean, Mason asked, breathlessly. We have power.

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Speaker 1: Tilda took another deep, shaky breath. Yes, she almost couldn't

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Speaker 1: believe it herself. She went back to the kitchen and

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Speaker 1: fumbled under the sink for a pot, the largest one

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Speaker 1: she could find, clanging it against the side of the sink.

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Speaker 1: Get some glasses, she instructed Madison, gesturing with her head

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Speaker 1: to the cabinet. As she filled the pot with water

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Speaker 1: and set it on the largest eye, she twisted the

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Speaker 1: knob to hide. Madison filled two glasses with water and

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Speaker 1: til to achieved the packages of pasta and mac and cheese,

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Speaker 1: tearing open the packaging. They didn't have the necessary added

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Speaker 1: ingredients for the mac and cheese, but the packet would

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Speaker 1: have to do. She planned to cook it all, not

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Speaker 1: knowing how long the generator was would last. She found

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Speaker 1: them salts and pepper on one of the cabinets as

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Speaker 1: she waited for water to boil. She hoped the water

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Speaker 1: was safe to drink. She took a big swig out

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Speaker 1: of the glass Madison and placed next to her. It

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Speaker 1: tasted fine, though it wasn't like she had much experience.

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Speaker 1: Tilda asked Madison to get their empty bottles and refill them.

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Speaker 1: Once the water started boiling, she dumped in the dry pasta,

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Speaker 1: reading the directions on the back eight minutes or until soft.

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Speaker 1: She'd just have to gauge. Finished with the bottles, Madison

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Speaker 1: repacked them in Tilda's bag as she got out plates

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Speaker 1: and utensils, her stomach growling at the thought of a

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Speaker 1: warm food. Once the house was a bit warmer, she

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Speaker 1: turned off the heat to conserve energy. She tested the pasta, steam,

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Speaker 1: nearly burning her hand. It was soft under her fork. Carefully,

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Speaker 1: she gripped the handles and drained the remaining water out,

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Speaker 1: losing a few noodles along the way. She ripped open

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Speaker 1: the packet, revealing a bright orange powder. She dumped it

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Speaker 1: over the new hoping that it would taste okay after

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Speaker 1: all these years. She sprinkled on some salt and pepper

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Speaker 1: and gave it a couple of big stirves with the

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Speaker 1: serving spoon that she'd found. Madison watched following her every move,

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Speaker 1: mouth slack, almost salivating. He practically ran to get a

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Speaker 1: plate when Tilda asked at her side, vanished and back

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Speaker 1: within seconds. He held it up to her as she

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Speaker 1: scooped light orange noodles onto the bright yellow plate, taking

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Speaker 1: up about half of the space. She didn't want either

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Speaker 1: of them to get sick from overeating. He took a

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Speaker 1: seat at the table as she helped up herself, hands

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Speaker 1: cupping either side of the plate. As he stared down

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Speaker 1: at the steaming plate of food, she took a seat

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Speaker 1: across from him, picking up a fork, a foreign utensil

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Speaker 1: that felt unwieldy in her hand. They were both almost

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Speaker 1: vibrating with anticipation. Be careful, it's hot, and I don't

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Speaker 1: know how it will taste. Madison nodded, scooping up a

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Speaker 1: heaping fork full. Tilda followed his lead, taking a tiny bite.

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Speaker 1: It was hot, but not overly so, and after weeks

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Speaker 1: of hard, stale food, it tasted amazing, salty and even cheesy.

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Speaker 1: Madison did as told, but she could tell it took

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Speaker 1: a lot of restraint for him not to shovel bite

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Speaker 1: after bite. They had to overhlf the pot left too

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Speaker 1: dinner tonight, she supposed. She doubted they'd be able to

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Speaker 1: make the muffins. They ate in silence, The only sounds

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Speaker 1: the scraping and clinking of fork against plate, the sipping

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Speaker 1: of water and chewing of pasta. Both of their lips

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Speaker 1: were covered in orange sauce. Soon they slowed down, their

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Speaker 1: stomachs unused to this amount of food. Madison swung his

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Speaker 1: feet lazily under the table, finishing before Tilda. She chuckled

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Speaker 1: at the orange around his mouth, knowing she couldn't look

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Speaker 1: any better. Once she was finished, she wiped down both

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Speaker 1: their plates with paper towels, put the lid on the

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Speaker 1: pot of the remaining pasta, and finished the rest of

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Speaker 1: her water. Her belly now uncomfortably full, she tore off

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Speaker 1: two more paper towels, one for each of them, and

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Speaker 1: they wiped their faces. What was that, Madison asked, Macaroni

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Speaker 1: and cheese. Cheese, he repeated, and all cheese flavoring, she corrected.

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Speaker 1: But it still tastes pretty good, right, Madison nodded enthusiastically.

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Speaker 1: She laughed, good. I'm going to go see if the

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Speaker 1: shower works. She returned to the bathroom, moved aside the

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Speaker 1: shower curtain of blue, green and yellow squares, and propped

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Speaker 1: herself on the side of the tub. The knobs were

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Speaker 1: hot and cold resisted at first, but with a creaking,

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Speaker 1: whining sound, she was able to turn them, and water

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Speaker 1: poured from the faucet. Rolling up her sleeve, she tested

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Speaker 1: the temperature. It warmed. After a few seconds, She pulled

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Speaker 1: the knob over the faucet and water showered from the

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Speaker 1: stigot come on. She gestured to Madison, who had been

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Speaker 1: hovering behind her. She helped him out of his sweater

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Speaker 1: and the jacket and long sleeve underneath. He shivered in

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Speaker 1: the cold air. You want to shower by yourself, she asked,

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Speaker 1: wanting him to have a shot at the hot water

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Speaker 1: first in case it gave out. He eyed the water,

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Speaker 1: evaluating and then gave a short nod, All right, don't

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Speaker 1: take too long. She closed the door behind her, still

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Speaker 1: reeling a bit from their luck. After so much struggle,

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00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:22,439
Speaker 1: it felt bizarre, like a dream. Tilda leaned against the

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00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:25,280
Speaker 1: wall outside the bathroom, knowing they had at best eight

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00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:28,560
Speaker 1: hours before the generator ran out of fuel. But that

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00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:32,400
Speaker 1: was enough. They'd be leaving tomorrow. She was anxious enough

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00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:34,640
Speaker 1: the man on his horse would show up. Drawn by

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00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:38,360
Speaker 1: the sound, she let her mind wander until the door

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00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:42,720
Speaker 1: reopened and steam billowed out. Madison had redressed, his wet hair,

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00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:46,240
Speaker 1: sticking up from where he'd tried to dry it. Go

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Speaker 1: lay down a minute, she told him, entering the steamy

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Speaker 1: bathroom and shutting the door behind her. Wasting no time,

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00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:54,880
Speaker 1: she shut herself of her clothes and climbed over the

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00:13:54,920 --> 00:13:57,720
Speaker 1: high edge of the tub. Her form curled against the cold,

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00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:01,720
Speaker 1: relaxing almost immediately when warm water hit her skin, she

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00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:04,199
Speaker 1: breathed a sigh of relief, her muscles losing some of

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00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:07,360
Speaker 1: the attension that plagued them. She ran her fingers through

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00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:09,960
Speaker 1: her recently shorter hair, catching sight of a white bottle

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00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:13,920
Speaker 1: of generic two in one shampoo Bluss conditioner. She squeezed

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00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:17,960
Speaker 1: some out onto her hands. It smelt clean. There wasn't

231
00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:21,400
Speaker 1: a better word Tilda could think to describe it pleasant.

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00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:24,080
Speaker 1: She worked it through her hair and massaged her scalp,

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00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:27,000
Speaker 1: staring at her feet as dirty water swrolled around them,

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00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,760
Speaker 1: leaving behind bruises that could have been mistaken for dirt splotches.

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00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,600
Speaker 1: Washing away crusted blood and bits of leaf, her muscle

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00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:38,880
Speaker 1: throbbed like one big bruise under her skin. She washed

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00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:41,240
Speaker 1: the SuDS from her hair, a sheet of it fanning

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00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:43,680
Speaker 1: in front of her face. She found a bar of

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00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:46,080
Speaker 1: soap and started scrubbing, wishing she'd thought to look for

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00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:49,200
Speaker 1: a washwag before she'd hopped in the shower. Some of

241
00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:52,680
Speaker 1: the dirt had hardened, almost absorbed into her skin. She

242
00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:55,440
Speaker 1: washed at her face and scrubbed at her feet, almost

243
00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:58,320
Speaker 1: losing her balance several times, wondering what it would be

244
00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:01,080
Speaker 1: to die here by following in the shower instead of

245
00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:05,040
Speaker 1: all of those years bent out in the wilderness. She

246
00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:08,600
Speaker 1: covered her eyes, taking several breasthts. She made sure her

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00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:11,520
Speaker 1: hair was free of all shampoo and conditioner, pushing it

248
00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:14,400
Speaker 1: out of her face before switching off the water, almost

249
00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:18,080
Speaker 1: immediately feeling cold in the absence of its warmth. Her

250
00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:21,280
Speaker 1: body shook like a leaf, and she climbed out gangly

251
00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:24,400
Speaker 1: in all limbs. She shuddered when the soles of her

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00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:28,280
Speaker 1: feet touched the cool tile of the floor. Tilda grabbed

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00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:30,120
Speaker 1: a towel from a rack attached to the wall and

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00:15:30,120 --> 00:15:33,040
Speaker 1: scrubbed herself, eager to dry off the cool droplets clinging

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00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,800
Speaker 1: to her skin. She caught sight of her body in

256
00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:39,200
Speaker 1: the mirror and froze bones showing through a myriad of

257
00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:44,560
Speaker 1: scars and bruises and perfections. She wrapped the towel around her, subconsciously,

258
00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:49,520
Speaker 1: averting her eyes. Shame welled up within her. Quickly, she

259
00:15:49,640 --> 00:15:51,920
Speaker 1: ran the towel over the rest of her body, running

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00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:55,360
Speaker 1: it roughly through her hair, wringing the ends. She remembered

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00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:57,640
Speaker 1: something her mother had done, twisting her hair and the

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00:15:57,680 --> 00:16:00,000
Speaker 1: towel and sitting it atop her head like some odd

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00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:03,120
Speaker 1: head peace. Tilda tried it a couple of times, but

264
00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,480
Speaker 1: it kept sagging and falling. She ran the towel over

265
00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:09,520
Speaker 1: her skin once more for the remaining dampness, and dressed

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00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:13,120
Speaker 1: with alacrity, practically jumping into her pants and throwing on

267
00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:15,800
Speaker 1: her sweater, Wanting to stop the steady spread of cold

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00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:19,280
Speaker 1: to her limbs and bones, her nose cold, in her

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00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:22,440
Speaker 1: hair like a helmet of ice. She rubbed her arms

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00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:27,040
Speaker 1: to generate some warmth, but it did little to nothing. Sighing,

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00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:31,040
Speaker 1: she gave her sad appearance one last glance, turning away heavily.

272
00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:35,400
Speaker 1: When she swung the bathroom door open, steam swirled and billowed.

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00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:39,960
Speaker 1: She'd never imagined they'd luck out and get showers and

274
00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:45,440
Speaker 1: warm food. Heat. They hadn't found this, they probably would

275
00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:48,560
Speaker 1: have frozen to death in the woods, undiscovered for years,

276
00:16:49,080 --> 00:16:53,000
Speaker 1: no one the wiser, no one to warm them all.

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00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:56,960
Speaker 1: Under her sloppy guidance, Tilda took a seat next to

278
00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:00,000
Speaker 1: Madison on the couch. He was slipping through the magazine

279
00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:03,760
Speaker 1: Tilda had previously perused. He looked at her, his face

280
00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:10,600
Speaker 1: twisted in confusion. What's a beach body? Tilda chortled, I

281
00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:15,840
Speaker 1: don't know. People used to want to be thin. Yeah,

282
00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:19,960
Speaker 1: I guess so. The look of shock on Madison's face

283
00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:26,720
Speaker 1: was almost comical. Why it was considered beautiful, and that's

284
00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:32,200
Speaker 1: how clothes were designed to fit. I think beautiful Madison

285
00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:35,040
Speaker 1: her rump thunder his breath, clearly thinking that was one

286
00:17:35,080 --> 00:17:38,720
Speaker 1: of the silliest things he'd heard. I know, it's weird,

287
00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:46,600
Speaker 1: Tilda agreed. So they starved themselves to look good, Madison demanded, incredulous,

288
00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:53,720
Speaker 1: Tilda shook her head. I don't know. Maybe it didn't

289
00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,800
Speaker 1: make much sense to her either, But then she thought

290
00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:58,560
Speaker 1: of how insecure she felt at the sight of her

291
00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:00,960
Speaker 1: own body, and she couldn't say you wouldn't do anything

292
00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,879
Speaker 1: to alleviate that. She could relate to the need to

293
00:18:03,920 --> 00:18:07,120
Speaker 1: not feel your skin crawling with disgust when you caught

294
00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,399
Speaker 1: sight of yourself in the mirror. Apparently that was something

295
00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:16,800
Speaker 1: that transcended time, apocalypse or not. Madison flipped the page

296
00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:18,960
Speaker 1: in gast aloud, pointing his finger at a picture of

297
00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:22,080
Speaker 1: a man and nothing but a pair of shorts. Look

298
00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:26,600
Speaker 1: at all those muscles, he exclaimed, aghast, Tilda croked her head,

299
00:18:26,800 --> 00:18:30,520
Speaker 1: never having seen that amount of musculature. Was she supposed

300
00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,480
Speaker 1: to be attracted to that? She looked at the wide

301
00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:36,520
Speaker 1: grin What in the world was he smiling at the

302
00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:41,040
Speaker 1: perfect white teeth, smooth skin free of sores and pores

303
00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:46,080
Speaker 1: as well? He seemed to her different species people were

304
00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:49,639
Speaker 1: attracted to the oddest things, Tilda thought, part amused and

305
00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:53,040
Speaker 1: part inadequate. That how I'm supposed to look when I

306
00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:58,480
Speaker 1: get older. Tilda gafaud at the image he's question produced. No,

307
00:18:59,040 --> 00:19:03,440
Speaker 1: she chuckled, Her stomach spasming tickled. Almost immediately, she felt

308
00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:07,280
Speaker 1: a sweeping sensation thinking of Madison grown up. She'd never

309
00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:10,200
Speaker 1: given it too much serious thought before, always more concerned

310
00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:12,720
Speaker 1: for surviving the present to give the future much thought,

311
00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:15,320
Speaker 1: outside of where they would stay, what they would eat,

312
00:19:15,720 --> 00:19:19,760
Speaker 1: which direction would they go? She gave him an easy smile,

313
00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:24,280
Speaker 1: stroking his hair. No, you're not supposed to look like that,

314
00:19:25,520 --> 00:19:30,040
Speaker 1: Madison twisted his lips. But that's what people liked, thought

315
00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:35,639
Speaker 1: they should look like, not anymore. Tilda glanced at their

316
00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:40,120
Speaker 1: reflections on the television screen. Madison relented, resuming his perusal

317
00:19:40,119 --> 00:19:43,800
Speaker 1: of the magazine. Tilda pulled the blanket and comforter around them,

318
00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:46,680
Speaker 1: Tired with a full belly and cleaner than she'd felt

319
00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:50,560
Speaker 1: in weeks. Madison immediately snuggled up against her, resting his

320
00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:55,879
Speaker 1: head on her shoulder. It's weird what people did before,

321
00:19:56,800 --> 00:20:00,880
Speaker 1: Madison said sleepily. Tilda himmed her agreement, turning to check

322
00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:03,879
Speaker 1: out the window. Patches of snow had melted, but it

323
00:20:03,960 --> 00:20:06,120
Speaker 1: still took up most of the square field of vision.

324
00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:10,000
Speaker 1: The window offered her rays of sun, filtered unevenly to

325
00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:13,719
Speaker 1: the forest floor as clouds passed over them. While brighter

326
00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:18,440
Speaker 1: than the previous days, it was still largely gray outside.

327
00:20:19,320 --> 00:20:22,000
Speaker 1: They waded through time the rest of the day, cuddled

328
00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:26,840
Speaker 1: under blankets, reading small conversations, the light leaching gradually out

329
00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:29,440
Speaker 1: of the room like a curtain, very slowly being closed.

330
00:20:30,160 --> 00:20:33,520
Speaker 1: Pink and orange hues painted the floor, jagged shadows of

331
00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:37,040
Speaker 1: tree limbs and branches, like thin arms, closing it on them,

332
00:20:37,359 --> 00:20:40,359
Speaker 1: trapping them in a cold embrace, until there were only

333
00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:44,000
Speaker 1: fingers clutching at the edges of the room, and then

334
00:20:44,119 --> 00:20:48,960
Speaker 1: darkness fell quickly and totally. Tilda clicked on the lamp

335
00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,639
Speaker 1: standing on the side table, an iron wrought thing with

336
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:54,640
Speaker 1: a family of bears at the base, following each other

337
00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:58,439
Speaker 1: in a never ending circle. The lamp shade was faded yellow.

338
00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:02,359
Speaker 1: Sickly light flooded the room, a small spotlight of it

339
00:21:02,440 --> 00:21:05,360
Speaker 1: in the darkness. It must be a new moon outside.

340
00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:10,160
Speaker 1: Maison and Tilda curled up more closely. How long would

341
00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:13,840
Speaker 1: the power last? The cold morph Madison's voice making it

342
00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:18,399
Speaker 1: sound thin and tempered. Tilda took a deep breath. A

343
00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:22,959
Speaker 1: couple of hours, not much longer. I think we have

344
00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:28,240
Speaker 1: to leave tomorrow, don't we, Maison asked in the quiet Yes,

345
00:21:28,880 --> 00:21:34,520
Speaker 1: Tilda responded. Madison didn't answer, just pressed tighter to her side.

346
00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:38,000
Speaker 1: The sounds of their stomach scrumbling filled the room. Disgruntled

347
00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:40,919
Speaker 1: and greedy, it took a lot of coaxing, but eventually

348
00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:44,320
Speaker 1: Tilda's hunger went out, and she unhappily extricated herself from

349
00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:47,600
Speaker 1: the blankets, chucking them around Madison, who almost immediately removed

350
00:21:47,640 --> 00:21:50,359
Speaker 1: them and followed her to the kitchen, draping the thinner

351
00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:53,440
Speaker 1: blanket around him like a cape. Tilda turned down the oven,

352
00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:57,000
Speaker 1: light blue and fluorescent. She opened the pot, wondering if

353
00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:00,159
Speaker 1: she could give it the pasta without burning it. She

354
00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:04,719
Speaker 1: twisted the knob to low masson rummaged behind her. She

355
00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:07,240
Speaker 1: watched the pasta, stirring it to keep it from burning.

356
00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:10,080
Speaker 1: She was struck by the thought that their world was

357
00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:14,639
Speaker 1: very small, that they were contained in this moment. A

358
00:22:14,720 --> 00:22:16,960
Speaker 1: tug at her side pulled her away from her reverie.

359
00:22:17,520 --> 00:22:20,240
Speaker 1: Madison was at her side, two white packets in his hands.

360
00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:25,919
Speaker 1: I found these. It says it's called hot chocolate. She

361
00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:28,199
Speaker 1: could tell by the hopeful expression on his face that

362
00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:30,800
Speaker 1: he was very much intrigued by this idea and that

363
00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:34,520
Speaker 1: he very much wanted to experience it. It says, just

364
00:22:34,560 --> 00:22:38,919
Speaker 1: add hot water, he added, helpfully. Get a pot, she

365
00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:41,800
Speaker 1: told them, and he eagerly jumped to a bay. Clanging

366
00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:44,480
Speaker 1: through the cabinets, he held out what must have been

367
00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:48,520
Speaker 1: the largest one he could find until the left smaller one. Please,

368
00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:51,879
Speaker 1: he disappeared and returned at her side within moments, a

369
00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:55,600
Speaker 1: much smaller pot in his hands. Much better, She chuckled,

370
00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:00,760
Speaker 1: see if you can find some bugs, and dutifully began

371
00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:03,159
Speaker 1: searching while Tilda filled the pot with hot water and

372
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:06,399
Speaker 1: placed it on a smaller eye, turning it on high.

373
00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:10,000
Speaker 1: Her son, even after eight years, the words sounded foreign,

374
00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,840
Speaker 1: reappeared at her side, a brightly colored mug in each fist.

375
00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:17,679
Speaker 1: You can leave him on the counter. Madison did so

376
00:23:17,800 --> 00:23:20,320
Speaker 1: with two clinks, and she gave the pasta another stir,

377
00:23:20,720 --> 00:23:24,840
Speaker 1: testing the temperature with her finger. Satisfied, she requested the plates.

378
00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:27,960
Speaker 1: Madison returned almost before the words had left her mouth.

379
00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:32,000
Speaker 1: Tilda removed the pot of now boiling water and carefully

380
00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:34,480
Speaker 1: divided it among the two mugs and put the pot

381
00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:37,159
Speaker 1: in the sink. She ripped open the packets of chocolate

382
00:23:37,160 --> 00:23:41,600
Speaker 1: powder and tiny dehydrated marshmallows, funneling each into the mugs,

383
00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:44,600
Speaker 1: opening the drawer with utensils and picking out two spoons.

384
00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:48,040
Speaker 1: She shut the drawer with her hip and stirred the liquid,

385
00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:51,240
Speaker 1: tiny rollbols of chocolate and booies of white sugar getting

386
00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:56,240
Speaker 1: sucked down in the vortex. Careful, it's hot, she murmured,

387
00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:58,680
Speaker 1: passing one of the mugs to Madison, who carefully walked

388
00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:01,320
Speaker 1: it over to the table. Determined not to spell any

389
00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:04,960
Speaker 1: of the steaming chocolate. Til To followed suit, setting her

390
00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:07,080
Speaker 1: mug on the table and then returning to the stove

391
00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:10,520
Speaker 1: to shovel the remaining pasta on their two plates. Tilda

392
00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:13,560
Speaker 1: turned off the stove to conserve power. She placed one

393
00:24:13,600 --> 00:24:15,960
Speaker 1: plate across from Medicine and one in front of herself,

394
00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:20,159
Speaker 1: handing him a fork. Together, they started eating noodles and

395
00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:23,199
Speaker 1: sipping at chocolate, going about it much more slowly than

396
00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:25,920
Speaker 1: they had earlier on the day, saving what would probably

397
00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:29,119
Speaker 1: be their last warm meal and the relative safety of

398
00:24:29,160 --> 00:24:33,479
Speaker 1: these walls provided to them for a long time. You

399
00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:36,800
Speaker 1: like the hot chocolate, mats, and Bob has said, eagerly,

400
00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:42,400
Speaker 1: slurping some from his mug. What are these white things marshmallows,

401
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:46,200
Speaker 1: Pilda responded, tiny ones. At the look on his face,

402
00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:48,879
Speaker 1: she realized the word, of course, meant nothing to him.

403
00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:54,000
Speaker 1: They're like sugar and flour and cream of charter. They're

404
00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,320
Speaker 1: sticky and chewy. People used to put them on sticks

405
00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:01,360
Speaker 1: and roast them in fires. It'd make them melty and smashy.

406
00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:04,639
Speaker 1: Then you make a sandwich. We had sweet crackers as

407
00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:09,160
Speaker 1: the bread, and chocolate and the marshmallow which would melt

408
00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:14,760
Speaker 1: the chocolate. They called it a s'more. Madison listened, entranced.

409
00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:22,840
Speaker 1: A some more, Yeah, because people wanted some more of them,

410
00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:27,879
Speaker 1: Tilda explain, smiling. Madison's mouth fell open in a wide

411
00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:31,199
Speaker 1: Oh what a strange ritual, it sounded, now, even to

412
00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:34,440
Speaker 1: Tilda's own ears. Her parents had taught her this odd

413
00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:37,560
Speaker 1: bright in the fireplace in their living room on cold nights.

414
00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:40,840
Speaker 1: The ingredients weren't necessarily hard to come by, but they

415
00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:43,840
Speaker 1: weren't the easiest either, Tilda reckoned. She'd only made some

416
00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:46,920
Speaker 1: more as a handful of times more than Madison probably

417
00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:51,159
Speaker 1: ever would. She'd kept an eye out for the ingredients.

418
00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:54,679
Speaker 1: She wanted Madison to try it. As ridiculous as it was,

419
00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:58,280
Speaker 1: there were so many things she wanted to show him,

420
00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:01,040
Speaker 1: so many things of the old world that would soon

421
00:26:01,080 --> 00:26:05,120
Speaker 1: be forgotten, traditions and rituals and ways of life dying out.

422
00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:07,680
Speaker 1: She wanted to share those that had been passed to

423
00:26:07,720 --> 00:26:13,199
Speaker 1: her before they went extinct, lost to the darkness. Tilda

424
00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:15,320
Speaker 1: took a gulp of her own hot chocolate, Swishing the

425
00:26:15,359 --> 00:26:19,080
Speaker 1: chocolate around her tongue. She felt a comfortable buzzing underneath

426
00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:22,120
Speaker 1: her skin, like her powdered chocolate and cheese and carbs

427
00:26:22,160 --> 00:26:25,480
Speaker 1: had awakened her blood from a long slumber. She felt

428
00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:29,280
Speaker 1: heavy and heavy. Her stomach was uneasy, unused to the

429
00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:33,479
Speaker 1: rich food, but she plowed through, determined, unwilling not to

430
00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:38,639
Speaker 1: experience this very rare thing. Soon their plates were clean,

431
00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:42,920
Speaker 1: their mugs empty. They both stared forlornly, not wanting their

432
00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:47,840
Speaker 1: meal to be over. Squashing the desire to remain sitting statuesque,

433
00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,000
Speaker 1: Tilda cleared the table, piling their dishes in the sink.

434
00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,320
Speaker 1: She heard the swish of Madison's makeshift cape as he

435
00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:57,879
Speaker 1: exited the kitchen. Afraid the generator could cut off at

436
00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:01,440
Speaker 1: any minute. Tilda filled four glass with water, leaving two

437
00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:03,360
Speaker 1: on the counter for later and taking the other two

438
00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:06,479
Speaker 1: to drink for now. She switched off the light so

439
00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:10,000
Speaker 1: that the doorway to the entry was illuminated. She followed

440
00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:12,600
Speaker 1: Madison into the living area, flipping on the heat with

441
00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:15,680
Speaker 1: one finger as she passed. If they were leaving tomorrow,

442
00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:17,800
Speaker 1: may as well use up the last of the generator.

443
00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:21,639
Speaker 1: The heat hummed to life. Tilda placed a glass of

444
00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:24,199
Speaker 1: water on the side table for Madison and clutched the

445
00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:27,240
Speaker 1: other in her hands. She crawled under the comforter and

446
00:27:27,280 --> 00:27:30,800
Speaker 1: began slipping slowly, molling over the options available to them,

447
00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:34,120
Speaker 1: not wanting to dwell and venturing back out into that cold,

448
00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:38,159
Speaker 1: but knowing that they would have to. Madison interrupted her

449
00:27:38,200 --> 00:27:43,679
Speaker 1: grim thoughts, What would have happened to you? Confused, Tilda

450
00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:45,400
Speaker 1: turned to look down at the top of his head.

451
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:50,320
Speaker 1: What do you mean if you hadn't, you know, laughed

452
00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:54,679
Speaker 1: with me at the hospital, what would have happened to you?

453
00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:59,160
Speaker 1: Tilda had never given it much thought, outside of perhaps

454
00:27:59,200 --> 00:28:01,960
Speaker 1: I shouldn't have done this. At least Madison would be

455
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:05,280
Speaker 1: safe even if he wasn't with me, She pondered, for

456
00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:09,359
Speaker 1: a second. Knowing what she knew now that the father

457
00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:12,680
Speaker 1: was the son of Aaron and Darla Delane, arguably two

458
00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:16,160
Speaker 1: of the most powerful people alive, she imagined they would

459
00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:18,720
Speaker 1: have wanted her as far away as possible, tucked away

460
00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:21,200
Speaker 1: out of sight. She didn't know if they'd told the

461
00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:23,680
Speaker 1: nurses what their son had done, or if the staff

462
00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:26,840
Speaker 1: had even known Madison's true identity, how they planned on

463
00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:29,720
Speaker 1: claiming him. Yes, they would have shipped her to the

464
00:28:29,760 --> 00:28:32,159
Speaker 1: middle of nowhere, where no one would know her and

465
00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:35,879
Speaker 1: no one would ask, and she'd die in obscurity, a

466
00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:41,360
Speaker 1: working prisoner. I don't know, she said, which was the truth.

467
00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:45,880
Speaker 1: She could only speculate. I think they would have put

468
00:28:45,920 --> 00:28:50,600
Speaker 1: me to work somewhere far away. They wouldn't have killed you,

469
00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:56,560
Speaker 1: he questioned, quiet, No, there aren't enough of us to kill,

470
00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:01,080
Speaker 1: not when it takes work to keep things running. As

471
00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:03,200
Speaker 1: soon as she said it, she wondered if she should have.

472
00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:05,920
Speaker 1: It was a dark thing to say to a child,

473
00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:09,360
Speaker 1: even if it was honest. And what would have happened

474
00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:15,240
Speaker 1: to me? He whispered. They would have raised you, Tilda said,

475
00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,800
Speaker 1: with hollow certainty. Perhaps that would have been better, even

476
00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:21,040
Speaker 1: if the thought of Madison growing up with the people

477
00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:24,959
Speaker 1: who believed HSV five as punishment for humanity's sins, who

478
00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:28,600
Speaker 1: were complicit in its initial spreading, made her breath catch

479
00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:33,440
Speaker 1: in her stomach. Queasy. Madison seemed to ponder that for

480
00:29:33,480 --> 00:29:35,520
Speaker 1: a moment, and Tilda couldn't help but wonder if he

481
00:29:35,600 --> 00:29:39,480
Speaker 1: was thinking the same thing. His next question surprised her.

482
00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:44,760
Speaker 1: Do you think my grandmother is dead? The image of

483
00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:47,640
Speaker 1: Darla bleeding on the floor immediately rose to Tilda's mind

484
00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:55,200
Speaker 1: with unwonted clarity. Again, she replied, I don't know. Since

485
00:29:55,240 --> 00:29:58,920
Speaker 1: they'd escaped d C, there had been no broadcast, although

486
00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:02,520
Speaker 1: Tilda didn't suspect arm would be doing any broadcast anytime soon.

487
00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:07,360
Speaker 1: She changed the world order without meaning to. She had

488
00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:11,160
Speaker 1: just wanted to do what was best for Madison, and

489
00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:14,520
Speaker 1: what did the world think of that? She felt a

490
00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:18,360
Speaker 1: surge of homesickness. Tilda imagined her mother sitting in her

491
00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:23,600
Speaker 1: favorite em old green chair, reading a heavy tone. Tilda

492
00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:27,960
Speaker 1: turned off the light, but they both sat awake thinking. Eventually,

493
00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:31,240
Speaker 1: Madison and Tilda wandered into sleep as the darkness closed

494
00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:53,320
Speaker 1: in around them. And that brings us to the end

495
00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:57,000
Speaker 1: of this month's fiction. It was kind of funny to

496
00:30:57,040 --> 00:30:58,600
Speaker 1: read over the show. I was just kind of laughing

497
00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:01,200
Speaker 1: with Samantha. I don't remember a lot of this, And

498
00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:03,320
Speaker 1: again just a reminder, I wrote this for Nano Raimo

499
00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:07,120
Speaker 1: National Novel Writing Month, and I have not really edited

500
00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:11,120
Speaker 1: it because I kind of both didn't want to add

501
00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:13,360
Speaker 1: that extra work to me, but also I think it's

502
00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:15,800
Speaker 1: interesting to look back at what was going on in

503
00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:17,840
Speaker 1: my head when I first started this job. But stuff

504
00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:21,440
Speaker 1: one ever told you, and so it's been fun going

505
00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:25,560
Speaker 1: back over it. This chapter was funny because I know

506
00:31:26,040 --> 00:31:29,480
Speaker 1: exactly what I was thinking. I've never had a generator.

507
00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:35,880
Speaker 1: I don't know how they work. If you are listening

508
00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:40,040
Speaker 1: to this and are like no, but I did grow

509
00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:44,640
Speaker 1: up near a survivalist neighbor who had one, and he

510
00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:47,400
Speaker 1: was very always telling me like how I'm going to

511
00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:51,160
Speaker 1: survive and the wilderness when things go wrong, So I

512
00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:54,720
Speaker 1: could see that shining through. It is also funny how

513
00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:59,120
Speaker 1: often the generator is a thing in horror games like

514
00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:02,000
Speaker 1: The Last of Us. That interesting they hear the generator

515
00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:06,880
Speaker 1: and then the zombies all comers. Also, it cracked me

516
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:08,840
Speaker 1: up because I was like, wow, my comfort foods are

517
00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:12,440
Speaker 1: the same because there's that whole bit about when they

518
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:14,440
Speaker 1: finally get hot water, what do they make? Mac and

519
00:32:14,480 --> 00:32:17,320
Speaker 1: cheese and hot chocolate. So it is kind of like

520
00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:21,160
Speaker 1: a snapshot into what was going on at the time,

521
00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:25,520
Speaker 1: but it's also fun and sometimes kind of like huh okay,

522
00:32:25,560 --> 00:32:29,080
Speaker 1: yeah that's still true. I'm still the mac and cheese, yes,

523
00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:33,200
Speaker 1: hot chocolate yes. But anyway, I'm very excited to share

524
00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:35,280
Speaker 1: where this goes. As much as I don't remember, I

525
00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:39,480
Speaker 1: do remember the end, and I'm excited. But I hope

526
00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:43,360
Speaker 1: that you're all enjoying it. And as always, Christina is amazing.

527
00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:45,640
Speaker 1: We love hearing from you about it. We love that

528
00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:49,240
Speaker 1: we get to do things like this every now and

529
00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:52,320
Speaker 1: again because they do take more work. But yeah, if

530
00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:56,560
Speaker 1: you have any any theories what's gonna happen, or if

531
00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:59,400
Speaker 1: you have any things from the public domain that we

532
00:32:59,400 --> 00:33:01,680
Speaker 1: could give a similar treatment to, we would love to

533
00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:04,440
Speaker 1: do that. You can email us a step ad mom

534
00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:06,760
Speaker 1: Stuff at iHeartMedia dot com. You can find us on

535
00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:08,840
Speaker 1: Twitter at mom Stuff podcast, or on Instagram and TikTok

536
00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:10,560
Speaker 1: at stuff. I'll never told you. We have a tea

537
00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:13,000
Speaker 1: public store and we have a book that you can

538
00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:16,080
Speaker 1: get wherever you get your books. Thanks as always too, Yes,

539
00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:19,000
Speaker 1: our super producer Christina, our executive producer Maya, and our

540
00:33:19,040 --> 00:33:21,640
Speaker 1: contributor Joey. Thank you and thanks to you for listening.

541
00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:23,520
Speaker 1: Stuff I'll Never Told You is production of by Heart Radio.

542
00:33:23,560 --> 00:33:25,040
Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, you can check

543
00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:27,120
Speaker 1: out the heart Radio app Apple Podcasts wherever you listen

544
00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:28,040
Speaker 1: to your favorite shows,