Episode 18 - Bones

## Bones

A white reliquary on a black background, filled with a red bundle of sticks. The image is framed in bones, each of the bones has something written on it which reads "Your name is written on the bones of this world".

### Author

William A. Wellman

Olivier speaks with the Instrumentalist, Polly ruins his suit, and Jonah explores the realm between life and death. The theme of tonight’s episode is Bones.

***Content Warnings:** Static, body horror, death + dying, abuse, misogyny, transphobia, homophobia, sexism, violence, gun mention, animal death, blood*

## Intro - Old Bones

Nikignik narrates a person awakening without eyelids. You don't know how long you have been asleep, but your body shifts and cracks as you climb out of the tub. The morning light is painful. The hall mirror reveals an unfamiliar body with a desiccated face, long fingers, and skeletal hips. Your body has never reflected how you see yourself, and has always caused you discomfort. Your new body is unrecognizable, and it sets you free. You put on black lipstick to match your new eyes.

Nikignik sits in a rich velvet armchair, the same color as the curtains over the windows and the coat hanging by the door. A small fire warms the room and casts red light over ivory crosses, ancient books, and a mummified human hand covered in silver.

## Story One - Second Chances

Olivier recalls having faced many terrors as he grew up, and facing them all bravely. He has never lived in fear. Even when others fell around him, he remained strong and resolute. Now, for the first time, the Instrumentalist makes him tremble with fear. He has no idea how to deal with the feeling, and tries to rationalize it. He knows what the old man is capable of, but tells himself there are more dangerous things in the house. His greatest fear at the moment is that he doesn't know what his future holds.

The Instrumentalist shows Olivier a picture of his family in the past and asks him to identify the ghost who attacked him. He confirms that the child in the photo is the ghost he saw. The Instrumentalist explains that it was his daughter's spirit, which is now untethered from the grand piano he bound it to. It will be difficult to recapture the spirit now.

Olivier asks if the old man is going to kill him, and the Instrumentalist complains that he was misled about Olivier's talents. The Instrumentalist demands that Olivier help him reclaim the ghost and his key, and in return he may try to teach him some of his art. He plans to make Olivier useful. Olivier realizes he was not sent here to die. He merely has a new authority figure to follow. This motivates him to believe that he can still find a way to impress the director. Olivier agrees to help, and the Instrumentalist tells him to start reading through his collection. Many of the titles are on the library's acquisition list.

The Instrumentalist tells Olivier that they have a formidable task ahead of them. They must reclaim the key of creation from the Scoutpost, unmake a powerful revenant, and bind his daughter to a new instrument.

### Interlude One - Skeleton park

Nikignik speaks of "Skeleton Park," where children played among gravestones. The graves were shallow, and terrible things appeared there after each rainstorm. The headstones and remains were eventually moved, but the things that had appeared remained. After the black rains fell, the park rose up into a monstrous skeleton that now roams the Hallowoods. Children are no longer allowed to run, scream, laugh, or play in Skeleton Park, unless you want to lose them.

## Story Two - Foul Play at Fort Freedom

Polly, Yaretzi, and Mort are being chased by a mob with all-terrain vehicles and semi-automatic guns. Polly is concerned that his suit will be stained, and yells that Mort will not be invited to future negotiations. Yaretzi argues that Mort is not the problem, and they should have hidden rather than trying to reason with humans. She attacks the driver of the first vehicle that catches up to them, and they turn to run off into the trees, splitting up.

Polly manages to avoid the bullets, and uses his umbrella to shoot flame at his attackers. The group's leader is undeterred, and charges through the flames after Polly, jumping off his four-wheeler to continue on foot. Polly flees and manages to lose the man for the time being, running into Mort again in the woods. Mort is upset that the people are so mean, and Polly explains that people like that are the reason the world is dying. Polly tells Mort that they are leaving, but Mort is worried about Yaretzi. Polly had forgotten about her, but thinks she can handle herself. Mort refuses to leave without her, sitting down on the ground. Polly insists that she's fine, and that she doesn't care about them anyway. They have more important things to worry about. He is unable to convince Mort, and finally gives in. Mort agrees to wait while Polly goes back to get Yaretzi.

### Marketing - Final Arrangements

Lady Ethel Mallory explains that Dreamers have access to the best nutrition, exercise, and medical care available. In preparation for the end of their lives, Dreamers can purchase a non-biodegradable coffin to be buried in their hometown. They may also choose to donate their body to the BotCo Science Division to aid in the development of new technology. The default option is contributing their body to the Dreaming Box Garden, where it will be used to produce nutrients for the other Dreamers.

### Story Two, Continued - Foul Play at Fort Freedom

Nikignik says that they would like to die naturally, in an implosion that pulls the universe into endless silence that will eventually form a new plane of existence. Human death is less dramatic.

Polly spots three men putting Yaretzi, who is tightly bound, into the back of the leader's truck. He follows them on foot, rather than expending resources to appear directly where he wants to go. He reaches their camp around sunset. He expects to spend a great deal of energy on this encounter, but accepts that it is necessary to keep Mort happy. He walks past barricades, traps, and guards, to the gates of the compound called Fort Freedom. He holds his umbrella and speaks an official request for resources. He is then able to move freely through space directly to the bonfire inside the fort.

A jeering crowd surrounds the fire, yelling obscenities into a pit full of strange skulls. Polly passes mostly unseen through the crowd, as everyone is focused on the pit. As he makes his way to the edge to look down, he doesn't realize the group's leader, Rick Rounds, has come up behind him. A man announces that Rick brought a new fighter in on patrol, and Polly turns around as he realizes the crowd is looking at him now. Rick punches Polly's jaw, knocking him into the pit. When he lands on the ground, Yaretzi immediately runs over to stand over him protectively.

Rick announces that both their contestants have a fair chance, and calls for Buck to release their fighter. Polly is embarrassed that Yaretzi is seeing him with his guard down and his horns showing, and gets to his feet as a massive gate opens in the pit.

Frogsticker is released into the pit. It is a massive black and blue bird with a long neck and a sharp beak. Its feathers have been clipped so it can't fly away. Yaretzi is prepared to fight, but Polly grabs her and speaks another request for power, pulling her with him through the nothingness between worlds and back to Mort. Mort is thrilled to see Yaretzi. She asks Polly why he came back for her, but he just collapses on the ground and closes his eyes.

### Interlude Two - More Pleasant Slumberings

Nikignik has been asked why they tell the stories they tell, and whether the could tell more pleasant stories. They explain that, as the host, they cannot change the truth of what is happening in the world. The stories can be ignored or forgotten, but they cannot be changed. The end cannot be changed.

## Story Three - A Regrettable Outburst, Frankly

Jonah is in a crypt, looking at the depictions on the wall. There are many eyes, tentacles, contorted forms, and creatures Jonah recognizes from the ocean. He begins to piece together a story from the pictures, though it is too complex for him to truly understand.

Nikignik explains that they are the subject of the eyes on the wall, and that they made this place. How could a human understand cosmic grief, or real love? Human lives are too short to fathom the depths of these feelings. Jonah has no idea what he is standing in. Nikignik says that "a lord of life and death" does not deserve to be buried in the mud like an animal. There was nothing in the universe like him, and there will never be another. They mourn him, and were overjoyed to see that his creations lived on. They are in love with everything he left on Earth, and will carry on his memory in their stories.

They have forgotten Jonah, but he is fine for now.

## Outro - Bones

Nikignik says we are all bones in the end. The vast array of feelings and experiences we have over the course of our lives is a gift. Good and bad, joyful and painful -- the scope of these experiences makes our lives worth living.