Episode 9 - Birds

## Birds

A white drawing on a black background of an open and empty bird cage. Outside of the bird cage and on the bottom of it there are feathers drawn in red. The image has a white border.

### Author

William A. Wellman

Joshua fails to return a library book, Polly and Mort meet the Colony, and Marco loses his appetite. The theme of tonight’s episode is Birds.

***Content Warnings:** Static, birds, death + injury, body horror, kidnapping + abduction, animal death, violence, emotional manipulation, terrorism*

## Intro - The Grackle

Nikignik speaks to the Dreamers about the Grackle, a massive bird that comes to you when "you know you will never walk another step." It has a razor-sharp beak and huge black claws, but it does not scare you. Instead, it is a relief. Soon it will carry you away far to the north. Crossing, however, is not free. You do not have any payment, but it takes a silver button from your jacket, which is enough.

Nikignik is speaking from a rowboat. There is a man across from them rowing frantically while carrion birds circle overhead.

## Story One - Overdue

Joshua Fishell knows that he is being watched as he rows his boat across a lake. He reaches the shore and runs into the forest. He arrives at a cabin that has "Overdue" carved into the door. He says that he needs more time and races into the cabin. A flock of ravens that has been chasing him is close behind, but he manages to shut the door behind him. The ravens pound on the windows.

Joshua takes a blanket off a cage in the back of the cabin. In the cage is Darlene, a woman who was transformed by the rains into something with claws, many teeth, and glowing green eyes. Joshua takes a book from the Downing Hill Public Library out of his coat and begins to read from it. As he does so he is moving through the labyrinth of the book, farther than he's ever ventured before. At the center he speaks an incantation he doesn't recognize, invoking Syrensyr. In the cabin, Darlene begins to shift and change before his eyes. She starts to change back into a normal human and smiles at him.

Suddenly, the door bursts open and ravens surround Joshua. His words falter and Darlene crumbles to ash. The ravens transform into a creature called the Omen, who takes the overdue book and watches as Joshua burns from the inside out until. The Omen flies away with the book, leaving only feathers and embers behind.

### Interlude One - Ring of Birds

Nikignik warns the listener not to cross the ring of dead birds, which are caused by the toxins released by the Dreaming Boxes. If you do cross this ring, the Botulus Corporation will know and they will know you are not sleeping. If they find you, you will be trapped in their dreams forever.

## Story Two - Good As New

Polly and Mort are travelling together through the forest. Mort asks what they are doing and Polly thinks to himself that while the little green fires that burn in Mort's eyes are "repulsive," one has to work with the resources they're given. He explains that they're looking for someone with too many souls, then explains what a soul is. Mort asks if he has a soul, and Polly dismisses the idea because Mort is not alive.

The two exit the forest and come across a river dam with a bridge running across the top. Gulls fly overhead, and Polly announces that they will cross there. Mort suggests that he could walk through the river, and Polly says he could step through space to the other side, but they will use the dam to avoid ruining his suit or wasting power. Mort seems disheartened, and Polly feels a little bad about that. Hoping to boost Mort's spirits, Polly asks what he wants more than anything in the world. Mort says he wants to go back to sleep. Polly asks why, and Mort says that it was peaceful. Everything was easy to understand before he was raised out of the water, and Polly makes him feel stupid.

Polly offers to put Mort back where he found him when he's finished. He tells Mort that he didn't raise him from his sleep for good conversation, simply because he needed some extra muscle for his task.

More birds fly around the pair as they cross the dam. They are undead, with rotted wings and heads. Polly notices that although water is barely passing through the dam, he hears no noise from the generators. Mort spots a huge mass of dead birds against the deep side of the dam. Suddenly, the dead gulls open their multitude of glowing green eyes and rise out of the water, surrounding Polly and Mort.

Mort asks if the seagulls will be his friend.

### Marketing - The Endless Skies

Lady Ethel Mallory advertises a newly released addition to the Prime Dream, Endless Skies, where the Dreamer can fly. Her broadcast is interrupted by Malcolm Rivera, a Stonemaid. He says that they are not dangerous or terrorists, but people who want to wake up. They want to be able to leave the Dreaming Boxes, which BotCo promised they could do. He implores the Dreamers to join them and their cause.

Lady Ethel resumes control of the broadcast and reassures the Dreamers that everyone is perfectly safe.

### Story Two, Continued - Good As New

Nikignik notes that the transmissions are getting closer, now coming from the Southern Hallowoods.

Polly calls for Mort to help him as the mass of seagulls rushes towards him. Mort does not move, saying that Polly isn't very nice to him and doesn't even like him. The mass lands on the dam in front of Polly. Its weight bends the safety rail. As the birds advance on him, Polly opens his umbrella and summons a wave of fire. It stops the mass for a moment, but it only kills a few birds. The rest of the Colony continues to surround him.

He tells Mort that this is what he made him for and Mort says that that hurts his feelings. The birds rush Polly from all sides and he summons a wall of of fire from his umbrella to keep them at bay. They are pressing against it with incredible force, though, and Polly is unsure how long he can hold them off. He yells to Mort that he's sorry and that he's been inconsiderate. When nothing happens he adds that Mort is his only friend, though he worries about who might be listening.

Mort attacks the birds, killing some and driving the rest of the swarm away. Polly apologizes to Mort and says that he will try to be a better friend. They cross the rest of the dam and head into the forest, with Polly helping to clean bird remains off Mort's suit.

### Interlude Two - Lives of Our Parents

Nikignik speaks about someone they only refer to as "she", who seems to be some kind of parental figure to them. Just like us, they struggle to comprehend the life of their parent. We know our parents for only a portion of their lives and will never know them in their youth. We are very familiar with their mistakes and see their worst qualities in ourselves. We fear that we will repeat their mistakes. She watches over Nikignik, though, just as they now watch over us.

## Story Three - Breakfast

Brooklyn, an assistant of Lady Ethel, and Marco, a security officer, are in a plane. Marco excitedly asks if "the Lady" is just as nice in person as she is on the BotCo show. Brooklyn tells him that she is wonderful to work for and is very considerate.

A red light flashes above them and Brooklyn stands to get a bird cage with a dove inside. Marco, confused, asks if the bird is a pet. Brooklyn coolly tells him that the Lady has certain tastes that he will get more accustomed to as he works with their team. She brings the bird cage to a door and opens it to reveal a dark room. When she returns, she no longer has the bird cage. Before the door closes, Marco thinks he sees red heart-shaped sunglasses and hears an abrupt squawk from the dove, but he brushes it off as an engine noise.

Brooklyn and Marco look out the plane window, Marco eager for a distraction. They notice that the trees have gone from green to black. Brooklyn tells Marco to "say hello [...] to the Hallowoods".

## Outro - Birds

Nikignik closes the broadcast by speaking again about birds. They are unfamiliar with them, as birds are more of a human thing. Humans view birds as symbols of hope and freedom and their songs are associated with good weather and beautiful days. Bird once ruled this world, but Nikignik likes humans much more. They are sad that eventually humans will also fade out into something that is a shadow of their former selves, with something new rising to take their place. They tell listeners not to worry though, as they will chronicle our last moments and be here with us.