Episode 56 - Thorns

## Thorns

White briar surrounds the image, a white pot with a red, dried out hand reaching up out of it.

### Author

William A. Wellman

Clara embarks on the summer program, Percy travels the city streets, and Rick Rounds has a dream. The theme of tonight's episode is Thorns.

***Content Warning:** Abuse, animal death (Dogsmell as usual), Violence, Kidnapping and abduction, Death + Injury, Strangulation/suffocation, Drowning, Emotional Manipulation, Body horror*

## Intro - In The Window

Nikignik talks to the Dreamers about Milo pre–Black Rains, telling them about how he'd never been able to identify the plant that sat on his windowsill (see Venus). Only that it was beautiful, and that from his hand it had grown from a dried twig to blooming flowers and creeping vines. Nikignik narrates Milo on the night of the Black Rains, sitting from his window and watching the fires burn across the city, unable to escape his apartment on the twelfth floor due to his disability. Nikignik narrates Milo during the days after the Rains, raiding the empty apartments of his neighbours for food and water. Milo sits next to his plant, and he listens as she speaks to him, watches her as she grows from her pot and her vines twist around him, and she tells him that she'd carry him now, and that she was hungry.

Nikignik stands in a Conservatory in Downing Hill Public Library, telling the dreamer of how the forest floor outside of the windows was wreathed in fog, and how several students (see The Summer Campers) stumbled out of the building into the morning light.

## Story One - Secrets Like Cards

Clara Martin walks out of Downing Hill followed by Dogsmell to wait for her summer instructor out the front (see Episode 50 - Radios), turning to wave goodbye to the Librarian but finding her to have already left. She joins Victoria Tepiani, Harrow Blackletter, and Arnold Eggers by the stone lions (see Downing Hill Public Library) each of whom she recognises from her classes but has not spoken to individually. She greats them, and they attempt to greet her back, but it quickly turns into them bantering with each other. Harrow comments that they'd though there would be more of them there, and Clara asks which of them had been on the summer program before, and Friday Rescher gets their attention from her resting place upon one of the stone lions, telling them that she had, before sliding down and joining the rest of the group. Clara wishes her a good morning, and Friday responds by telling her that it was the morning that was marking the beginning of three weeks of misery, telling the group about how Downing Hill had told them the trip was to learn to harness their powers more effectively, but they didn't tell them about the tests. Clara tells the group that she was sure they'd be fine, that the trip would be a learning experience.

Arnold screams at the sudden appearance of a Nightgaunt in the treeline. Everyone reacts with appropriate terror, and Clara notices that the creature has wind chimes hanging from its antlers and a hut was constructed on the hump of its back. A ladder drops down and they look more closely to see Winona Carline standing on the porch and beckoning for them to come up (a scene that reminds Clara of when she helped with the attack on Solomon Reed's house in Episode 46 - Teeth - Episode 47 - Regrets). Arnold asks if she was their instructor, and Victoria informs him of this being obvious (despite her own visible fear), and the group climbs up. Clara tells Winona that she remembered fer from Solomon's house, but Winona tells her that she must have seen a different old woman and Nightgaunt, also telling her that '*secrets are like cards* ... *best to keep them until the right moment*'. The others finish climbing the ladder and Winona tells them to pull it back up, that they were leaving. Victoria asks who Winona was and where they were going, and Winona tells her that they were going to go and learn, and that they could call her Winona.

### Interlude - Ramblerose

Nikignik tells the Dreamers about how a distinct lack of ecological oversight had had its effects on the Hallowoods and the world around it, plants once deemed as invasive grew rampant from the Black Water, Wild buckthorn’s glistening black berries peer from the forest like clusters of eyes, thickets of dog-strangling vine shroud trees like barbed wire, and the rambler rose blooms not in pink but deep crimson. But then again, what actually is an invasive species, a being not contentment with its life looking for a knew. It was a pity that the life that was before could not adapt to the future, that it might die out. Thus said the rambler rose, and humankind as it arrived on every new shore with malice, and thus said the Froglin Court, as they reached out to claim the forest and its lakes for Lolgmololg. Nikignik asks the dreamers how it felt to watch the world slip away from their grasp.

## Story Two - The Blooming City

Percy Reed thinks to himself that they worst part about being a ghost was that he couldn't pet cats. Diggory Graves suggests that they might call the cat "Evelyn", and Riot Maidstone comments on how many abandoned cars where in the way of the RV given that they were in a city (Toronto), also telling Diggory that they weren't naming that cat after any of the names that belonged to their 'people parts', and Percy suggest 'Jezebel' because his dad (see Solomon Reed) would hate it. Olivier Song suggests 'Nimbus', Riot laughs at this and tells them [Olivier] that they [The RV Gang] were definitely naming it Nimbus. Riot asks Diggory if they were able to move the cars in front of them out of the way, and they tell her they didn't know, but she tells them he was sure they could if they tried, and they get out of the car. Percy comments to Riot that he'd thought he'd find the world more destroyed than it was, and Riot tells him that it seemed everyone had just left for the Dreaming Boxes, but from what Walter 'Walt' Pensive had told her the days after the rains were full of panic. Percy comments that it was worse things than just panic, and they look out the RV window to see Diggory pick up a car and throw it, sending it flying into one of the concrete barriers at the side of the express way. Percy comments to them that they'd never told him that one of the people they were made of had been a pro wrestler, and Diggory smiles at him before proceeding to punch a sedan, causing it to spin across and off the road.

Percy looks down to see vines with pink flowers creeping across the cement under his foot, and he thinks to himself that this is curious, as even in the Hallowoods the pants didn't move that quickly. He watches as one of the flowers blooms, and Percy sees it had clusters of teeth inside of it in circles. Percy looks up and calls out for Diggory, only to find the bridge wrapped in the same type of vines and looks behind him to see them circling the RV, trapping Olivier and Riot inside. He looks back at Diggory and finds them in the process of being swallowed by a particularly large bloom the size of a trampoline.

### Marketing - You Deserve Better

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik with her marketing segment. As opposed to addressing the listeners as she normally does, as addresses Nikignik directly, telling him that she hadn't forgotten about him. She tells him that she'd thought she'd found a way to drown him out and stop him from interfering with her program. She tells him it didn't matter, as she had worse planned for him, that when she found him, whatever it was he is, she was going to make him wish he was never born. She calls on the saying 'every rose has it's thorns' and she tells him that hers were deadly. Asking him if he thought she'd gotten where she was today by playing nice, that she was done with warnings, telling him that he had no idea what Botco's research and science division was capable of, that if he did, he wouldn't dare continue transmitting into dream.

She asks him if he has a skull (he doesn't), that if he did, she'd reach into it and peel his eyes out of his head, and make sure that the Dreamers heard were his screams. She wasn't going to tell him when, as that would ruin the fun, so Nikignik should go ahead and keep talking, see what happened. Asking him if his 'little bout of propaganda' was worth his life.

### Story Two, Continued

Nikignik comments that Ethel was lucky they chose to only continue their broadcast, as they could seriously hurt her if they wanted to.

Percy doesn't hesitate before rushing forward to help Diggory, slamming his momentarily corporeal body into the side of the flower, causing her to spit Diggory out. The flower pulls herself back together, and Percy prepares himself to fight her, but someone calls out for him to slow down, and Percy looks up to see Milo being lifted up by the vines over the concrete barriers. Percy sinks back and checks to see if Diggory was alright, taking note of the RV being released by the vines. Milo apologises to the RV gang, turning to Venus to tell her that she'd forgotten the rule they'd agreed on, that the Venus must ask before eating people. Milo tells the Venus to apologise to the RV gang, but the Venus defends herself by saying that Percy had set her on fire. Riot, having manged to escape the RV, starts to yell at the Venus, and the Venus apologises for trying to eat them. Milo tells them that there was no need for a fight, that they could just drive on through if they wanted, but Riot starts to ask him questions, asking who he was and why he'd attacked them, which caused the Venus to become physically protective of Milo in attempting to intimidate Riot, but Milo waves her off. He introduces himself and the Venus, telling them of how he'd used to be a botanist, and how The Venus wasn't supposed to eat travellers, just wildlife. But he and her helped each other, as he was her eyes, and she was his transportation.

Milo asks them if they were alright, and Riot tells him that they were just on a road trip. Milo tells Riot of how he'd thought about leaving the city, but he kept on finding things to study. Diggory speaks up, telling him of how they'd been planning on removing all the surrounding traffic by hand, but as time was short asks if The Venus could lift them over instead. Milo agrees to this, and The Venus follows begins to carry them over. While they are being carried, Percy approaches Milo, momentarily confusing him, but Milo tells Percy there were alot of ghosts in Toronto. Percy asks Milo if he was trans, and he tells him he was. Percy tells him that he'd never met someone like him when he was growing up. Milo confides in him that he'd wished he'd known more people like him when he was first coming out, but he would have also not been able to predict where he was now either. Percy thanks him for giving them a ride, and Milo tells him that he'd already done the hardest thing, growing up, not all he had to do was what made him happy and not worry about the rest. Riot thanks Milo and The Venus sets them down. Milo wishes them safe travels and they leave, Percy questioning what it was that made him happy. Deciding that his friends were a good start.

### Interlude - Flowers of Fire

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that when he spoke of fields of starlight or the orchard at the centre of the universe, he didn't speak of plants in the way that they might be familiar with them. His flowers were born from fire and stellar clouds, his forests of burning suns and fathomless abyss. Life existed in many forms, much of which would defy human categorization. But he did now have an appreciation for organic life which he might not have had before, as he'd never really understood it. When he'd met Marolmar, who considered the human level of life to be a form of detailed art. In the way that life combined and grew and evolved, learned to defend itself from the universe outside, it was of great interest to Marolmar, and perhaps it was his voice more than the words that caught Nikignik's attention. And yet, were it not for him, he doubted he would be speaking to the Dreamers now.

## Story Three - Be Not Afraid

Rick Rounds looks up at Big Mikey and wonders if he was in reality or the torment of his mind, comparing his thoughts to glass, a combination of smooth and sharp. Wondering of Mikey with all his monster features speaking to him of the devil. Sometimes he saw Buck Silver but he could never cry out loud enough to catch his attention, or Mrs. Wicker damning him with a smile, and all the people who he'd thought to have been his friends at Fort Freedom who left him behind, the only one still with him the one he'd left in the bog (see Episode 17 - Bogs). Mikey reads to him:

"...*without denying that there are forces on earth greater than our meagre understanding*, ... *and that any thing we have met which is too great for our senses we call angel or devil, god or titan*…"

Rick understands vaguely that there was something wrong with his hand (see Episode 53 - Rivers and Rick Rounds: Description) but he is delirious, and the world keeps spinning too much for him to think coherently, but he realises that he was looking down at his tree arm, and -hoping for all the world that it didn't and was just a branch- he thinks for it to move. It does, and he begins to sob. He desperately denies ownership of the arm to himself, telling it to "get away from [him]. Get out of [him]". Mikey continues to read, and he thinks to himself how sorry he was that he hadn't jumped in after him. Or maybe he had, and this was him drowning, as everything was dark, and quiet, and he didn't seem to be able to get air into his lungs.

Rick comes to the realisation that it wasn't just darkness surrounding him, as there was also fire burning beneath his feet. He finds himself wanting to run but he is without the ability to feel his feet, assuming that it was Polly come to finish the job (see Episode 19 - Devils). Instead Tiff arrives. Rick addresses him, and Tiff does the same in turn, telling him that he [Rick] was not well, as he'd been infected by "*the most hideous plague in the universe*" and that left as he was being to be ben into madness or die in the process. Rick tells him that he [Rick] was already dead, but Tiff informs him that he wasn't yet, and he could live on if they could come to an agreement, as he was someone with "*a vested interest in seeing the devil die*" (see Episode 39 - Promises) Rick takes this to mean that Tiff was an angel (see Episode 66 - Morals and Demons/Devils), Tiff tells him that he was here to give him a second chance at life, and Rick tells him that he wanted that. Tiff instructs Rick to find Polly and retrieve his Cane, that he'd provide him with all the tools he needed and keep him from dying and offers out his hand to shake on this deal. Rick accepts, telling Tiff to just tell him where to find Polly.

## Outro - Thorns

Nikignik waxes poetics to the Dreamers about Thorns, saying that it was a rare beauty that did not also sting, how he had known little sweetness that did not also come with the tase of bitter loss, and that every story he told there was inevitably an ending, ever eye he looked through would someday shut. And even so they were living things, sturdy with physical forms that could take a little pain and hold a little sorrow to account for the pleasures and the joy. He calls upon the metaphor of a rose, calling it sweet as it bloomed, and it was better to face the thorns then never know its beauty, and that when Nikignik dissolved at last into starlight, he would go knowing that he had not waisted his life in slumber, but was instead painfully, gloriously awake.