Episode 68 - Sands

## Sands

A black background with no border, however it does possess a scatter of white specs in the corners. Three animals are depicted in the middle, a lizard (possibly a gecko) in the top left, a crab in the top right, and a moth drawn in red in the lower centre. Bellow these images are the words "68.SANDS" written in white

### Author

William A. Wellman

Riot walks on the beach, Moth goes home, and Clara looks for clues. The theme of tonight’s episode is Sands.

***Content Warnings:** Animal death (Dogsmell, a moth, at least one salamander), Violence, Kidnapping and abduction, Death + Injury, Emotional Manipulation, Bugs (moths), Body horror, Drug Use (sleeping medication)*

## Intro - Patchwork Life

Nikignik narrates to the Dreamers The Quilt in it's first moments of life, seeing Irene Mend standing above it in her triumph, it briefly being her perfect creation, before it burst like a firework coming undone, ribbons of skin and lesser fabrics peeling from its body. And yet it thinks to itself, it could be worse, it's feet do not touch the ground, but it could move so far and fast, its hands hold no great strength, but it clutched secrets lost to time and the stars themselves. It's home was now a hotel (see The Resting Place Hotel) where no one was quite like them, but no one is quite the same.

Nikignik stands on a beach in the Prime Dream, the sand white, the sun not glaring too harshly, and the ocean turquoise. Beaches in the primes dream were never too crowded, and so one girl walked alone (see Clementine Maidstone).

## Story 1 - A Little Business

The Clone of Riot Maidstone (will be referred to as 'Riot' for simplicity) walks along a beach in the Prime Dream, and thinks of Valerie Maidstone, who shad had not been allowed to see since her ['Riot'] announcement in Episode 64 - Stations. She feels conflicted, that the people in her life were pulling at her from all different directions, least of all with the subject of Lady Ethel Mallory (see Episode 60 - Flies). She rises from her sleep long enough to check the notifications on her dreaming console, a message from Ralph reading "Hope you are good 😀", and a notification from Melanie Flores about her attending a morning press announcement, probably to make amends for her announcement in Episode 64 - Stations, which she was late for. She goes back to sleep despite this and attempts to re-enact the third person dreaming trick that Ralph had shown her in Episode 55 - Threats, which she does successfully, finding herself on a rocky shelf unveiled by the low tied, looking on to see herself walking along the beach in the near distance. Lady Ethel Mallory speaks up from behind her that when employees are late to her meetings, they ceased to be employees, and 'Riot' turns to see her sitting in a beach chair holding a tanning mirror. She [Ethel] comments on that 'Riot' had no one following her, and brings up her interview from Episode 64, that it had made quite the stir. 'Riot' tells her that she'd thought it would help Ethel, and Ethel tells her that it was wonderful, that Melanie had been a grouch because of it.

'Riot' tells her that she wanted to know what Ethel's plan was so that she could help more. Ethel tells her that they both had something against the Botulus Corporation, telling her that she'd been trying to find a way out for a while then, and she'd thought that the Stonemaid situation would be the perfect opportunity, but that hadn't worked out. 'Riot' is alarmed by this, that Ethel wanted the Stonemaid stuff to happen, and Ethel tells her that this was an example of something that she should never say or repeat. She [Ethel] tells her that her announcement in Episode 64 probably had the Stonemaids up in arms again, but that was only part of the situation now, because Riot Maidstone was one her way (see Episode 49 - Rescues), that she though the public deserved to know what had happened (see Clementine Maidstone), and that they could make Botco a real force for good. 'Riot' asks what Ethel wanted her to do, and Ethel tells her that she only needed to be patient, as it'd only take a day or two for the real Riot to get there, and she'd [Ethe] let her know what to do when it was time. 'Riot' asks her if she could keep Valerie and Ralph safe, Ethel asks her why, as she had more in common with Anderson Faust then with them, but 'Riot' insists regardless, and Ethel tells her that she'd keep them safe from Melanie. 'Riot' wakes up.

### Interlude 1 - Former Oceans

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that America's desert regions might not have been so heavily struck by the Black Rains, but that did not mean they were not strange or surreal. They had not forgotten that they were once weird oceans in aeons past still dreaming of the old shapes that once swam in their depths. Spirits still wandered over dunes, ghosts of an ancient age, as lost in death as they were in life. Strange regrets nest in canyons and gulches, and secrets have been buried where no one may find them. If the Dreamer was sleeping beside a rock that looks like a raven’s skull, especially do not dig there. They know who they were and Nikignik knew they were thinking about it. It was an ideal environment for things that used to be snakes and tarantulas, and things that used to be people.

## Story 2 - Safe from the Darkness

Moth Scarberry returns to Vegas with the RV Gang and Ray. Olivier Song comments that moth seemed tense (see Bill Scarberry), but moth tells her that moth was alright. She tells moth that if moth wasn't, it'd be okay for moth to say, bringing up that Vegas had used to be moth's home, and asks what it was like growing up there. Moth tells her that it wasn't as fun as she'd expect from the movies, and Olivier reminds moth that she didn't know it from the movies (see Downing Hill Public Library). Moth tells her that Vegas for moth had been a little packed-together neighbourhoods that stared straight out into the desert, and barely having water, and always being a little bit on guard, because they never knew who might show up. She asks moth if there was anyone moth wanted to visit while they were there, but moth quickly tells her that no, moth had said moth's goodbyes. Olivier mentions that she didn't like being as close as they were to a Dreaming box, and Moth jolts awake (see Episode 62 - Provisions).

Olivier, still next to moth in the real world, observes that Moth hadn't been sleeping, asking about moth's bad dreams. Moth tells her that moth wasn't sleeping if moth could help it, and it wasn't just bad dreams, they were moth's memories twisted to point towards the Botulus Corporation. Olivier tells moth that moth was going to have to sleep sooner or later, wondering aloud if sleep medication might help. Moth agrees with this saying that moth might actually know a place where they could get sleeping meds, and Olivier calls into the front of the RV to Riot about stopping, Riot asks if they should tell Ray, but Moth tells them that he'd follow them and begins giving directions, Riot asks how safe they were, and moth tells her that they shouldn't leave the RV unattended. They arrive at a casino called "Lucky Day Casino", and moth gets out by mothself, telling the others that moth would be in and out, hoping through a back window. Moth falls further down then moth had expected, and lands hard on the floor, aware that something had gone wrong. A voice standing about moth tells moth "Welcome home" before kicking moth in the head, knocking moth out,

### Marketing - Polishing

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik's broadcast with her marketing segment. She tells the listeners that when looking at iconic Botulus Corporation products, not only was every design element for style, but also function. Such as with Dreaming Boxes not just silver to depict armour or to evoke modern architecture, in addition to allowing the box side to serve as a lens for the short-range security grid, the reflective sides helped the Dreaming Box regulate its temperature during the hot summer months and serve as a home for Botco's solar arrays. Keeping them clean and polished was essential, which was why botco's drone arrays fight a constant battle with the environment and weather.

### Story 2, Continued - Safe from the Darkness

Moth is once again in a dream memory, this time a memory from moth's childhood, sitting in a garden with Fox as he showed moth a silk moth that he held cupped in his hands. Fox hands the moth over to Moth, and he asks moth what the moth was saying. Moth tells him that the moth was singing about the garden, only for it to change to a Botco jingle that moth had heard over the radio, and moth looks up to find fox looking at moth blankly. He tells moth that moth could sleep all moth wanted soon, it was easy, all moth have to do was reach out to moth's local dreaming box or Botulus Corporation Contact Terminal, or just wait, as The Cluster would be happy to collect moth at the end of the ad cycle. The Silk moth curls up and dies in Fox's hands, and moth is approached on all sides by moth's loved ones before moth wakes up again at a sudden impact to find present day Fox standing over moth. Moth greets Fox, looking over to see Dinah behind him sharpening a butcher's knife, and greets her too. Dinah tells moth that moth had a lot of guts coming back to Vegas after what moth had done (see Bill Scarberry), Fox speaking up, saying that moth probably though that they'd be dead or 'taken away' so that moth could rob the place blind. Moth tells them that moth hadn't meant to hurt them, but Dinah asks moth why moth had 'done it'. Moth tells them that Bill Scarberry had been sick, that he was moth's dad, moth had wanted to help him, and Botco had real doctors. Dinah asks moth if moth though he was alive now, that Botco had probably found him worthless at the entrance exam and tossed his body in for compost. She asks moth fi that was worth destroying their home. Fox tells moth of everything that had happened since moth had left, that no one had seen Francis Duckworth and that the flies were around day and night, so they'd been in a bad way.

Fox goes to attack moth, and Dinah tells moth that moth could have asked them to help moth, but moth had instead called the flies any runaway. The RV Gang arrive then to help moth, Riot jumping out of the RV and saying, "*Don’t do anything crazy now because trust me, we’ll get crazier*!". Dinah asks moth why moth had come back, and moth tells her that moth had been tagged by a cluster and only needed sleeping meds. Dinah tells moth that she'd get the meds for moth, but then moth had to leave, leaving as Fox beaks down into hysterics of laughter, telling moth that moth had everything coming for moth. Diggory Graves tells fox that they were going to be leaving now, as Dinah returns with the meds and tells moth to get lost. They dive off with Fox yelling after moth that he hoped it was all worth it, and to say hi to Bill for him.

### Interlude 2 - And Yet, What A View

Nikignik tells the Dreamers that beaches and deserts were different things in space for what dwells there is larger than you by orders of magnitude, and consequently so is the sand, the Dreamers may look out on the great basin and see empty dunes of broken rock; while Indescribables looked out on universal expanses and see millions of dead planets, dry and devoid of life, washed by the waves of galactic gravity. And yet, what a view it was. Nikignik tells the Dreamers that he thought the most interesting scenery was the ones that there was no one there to see, that even in the Grand Archives of Zelkryzelk, one would not find such glories documented, for omniscient beings rarely care about such seemingly meaningless, but infinitely beautiful, parts of their nature.

## Story 3 - Everything Opens

Clara Martin sneaks into Winona Carline's hut with Friday Rescher, after having Harrow Blackletter and Arnold Eggers distract her, it is unspecified if Harrow and Arnold know that they are being used as a distraction. Clara asks if they should be doing what they were doing, but Friday tells her that she though they should, as she starts to rummage through Winona's things. Clara asks her what exactly it was she was looking for, and Friday tells her that she wasn't normally wrong about her gut feelings (see Episode 65 - Miles) before pulling out a book wrapped in dark leather. Clara sees that the book was bound, and asks if the book could open, but Friday tells her that everything could open, before stabbing the book cover with her void knife, resulting in a howling shriek of wind whistling through the room, which is quickly dampened and drawn into the blade, with a single hairline crack appeared near the handle. Friday flips the book open to find it to be a journal. They find out that Winona wanted to get inside of Downing Hill Public Library to access the Archives, Clara asks what the Archives were, and Friday informs her that it was the place below the library where they kept the 'important stuff', and that it was guarded by some very grumpy staff members. Clara questions why Winona couldn't just go down there seeing as she was a staff member (see Episode 56 - Thorns), and Friday tells her it was because Winona wasn't a staff member, pulling out "Winona's" library card and showing that it was actually addressed to one Mr. Stewart (see Episode 2 - Dogs). Clara tells Friday that she hated when she was right, Friday tells her that she'd better get used to it.

Winnona appears sitting on her bed calling them 'rude little girls', and Friday threatens her with her knife, telling her not to try anything. Winnona chuckles, asking Friday if this was a stick up, but Clara tells her that they wanted answers, Friday telling Winona that The Director would skin her for parchment when she found out she'd been lying. Clara tells Friday not to be stupid and asks Winona why she'd taken them from Downing Hill (see Episode 56 - Thorns). Winona doesn't answer her, so Friday attacks, quickly being disarmed, but Edgar 'The Spider' Rescher jumps from Friday's sleeve and onto Winona's face. And then Clara smells pine Needels, looking up to find her and her classmates lying in the forest, the earth around them undisturbed, and no Winnona to be found. Victoria Tepiani looks at Clara and Friday, furious, and demands to know what they'd done.

## Outro - Sands

Nikignik waxes poetics about sand, calling them coarse and irritating, piled in careless heaps across the Dreamer's planet. Nevertheless, it was made of rock and bone and shell, small fragments of life ground into nothingness by the ceaseless oceans of time. He tells the Dreamers that everything broke, everything got gradually smaller, released from its shining and manifold forms into white piles of memory. If only one could get them bac, reassemble all that was broken, witness once more the reign of what came in ages past, the glory that graced this cosmos, shells and bones and hearts and mountains. If one was terribly unlucky, they were left to walk the beach, and with our still-formed feet tread away all that was, wondering where it went, until it was washed away.