Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd are facing down the biggest calamity in their world-saving careers: childcare. Every adult in Youngtown has been abducted, leaving behind a village of traumatized orphans, fighting to survive in the alien-infested wilderness. Fortunately, there are some pleasant surprises in store: strange new powers, old friends, and fun facts await in this epic and heartrending double-length adventure.
LINKS
CREDITS
Written, Produced, & Performed by:
Cat Blackard & Jessica Mudd
Original Score & Sound Design:
Jessica Mudd
Additional Voices:
Sarah Rhea Werner as Ana
Joshua La Forge as The Garrickson Baby
Nat Garnett as Pippi Lindgren
Declan
Nashville Children's Theatre Fall Break 2023
Album Art: Cat Blackard
Sprites: Benichi
Special Thanks:
kenisu
Biozilla
Nashville Children's Theatre
Colin Peterson
TRANSCRIPT:
[Omniverse Audio Brand]
[90s phone ring and pick up]
CAT
Hey, this is Cat!
JESS
And Jess
CAT
You know, “MOTHER,” She Wrote is free to listen to, but it’s not free to make.
JESS
So please consider supporting our work on Patreon.
CATYou’ll get early, ad-free episodes of this show and all the storytelling podcasts we create.
JESSHead to Patreon.com/OmniverseMedia to chip in and join our community of world-saving wunderkind.
CAT
Oh and - heads up: this episode contains material concerning the loss of family members, child abandonment, enclosed spaces, abduction, trauma, and the threat of gun violence.
JESS
Please use your best judgment when listening… and take care of yourself.
CAT & JESS
Love youuuu.
[phone disconnect sound]
[highway ambience]
NINTEN
Dear Mom, since we paid you a surprise visit, I know I don’t need to tell you some of this, but Ana said I should keep writing it all down “for posterity”. I suppose I can start with some stuff that I didn’t think to mention when we saw you, what with everything else going on… We fought a freaking dragon!
[cave ambience and Dragon snoring]
NINTEN
Remember that sleeping dragon in the underground maze leading out of Magicant? Since the first time I saw it, it’d just been sawing logs while we snuck past on tiptoes, but this time…
[Ominous music starts, the Dragon snoring gets louder, footsteps]
NINTEN
[whispering]
Shh-shh - real quiet now. And watch out for the hole.
LLOYD
[whispering]
You say that every time.
NINTEN
[whispering]
And I mean it every time.
[his echoey inner monologue]
Ugh, I sound like my mom.
ANA
[whispering]
Heh. You do sound like your mom.
NINTEN
[whispering]
Hey! No reading my mind! Just- …wait.
[the snoring Dragon grumbles]
NINTEN
This feeling went down my spine - Like catching someone’s eye across a crowded room. It was like all of a sudden, somewhere in my brain, the dragon and I saw each other.
[Rocks tumble, the Dragon unleashes a yawning roar]
NINTEN
Run!
ANA
Woah! Aah!
DRAGON
Mmm. [Laughs low and sinister]
NINTEN
The dragon’s long neck snaked around in front of us, blocking the passage.
DRAGON
Now, now - don’t leave so soon, hot shots. I’ve got something you waaaant.
NINTEN
Uh…Yeah?
[The dragon steps heavily forward]
DRAGON
Mmm. There’s a song in my heart. And it’s yours… if you can defeat me.
[Rocks rumble]
LLOYD
Uhh…Perhaps a battle of wits?
DRAGON
[laughs] Well! Ha ha. A little ape with no power! I didn’t even see you there. Alas, to prove to me that you’re truly up for the path before you…
[The dragon flaps open its wings]
DRAGON
…I require more heated conflict!
[Flames ignite, the Dragon roars and dives forward, rocks tumble]
NINTEN
Oh. Oh no! C’mon!
ANA
[screams]
[A big blast of flame. The kids run, panicked, scrabbling over rocks.]
NINTEN
Behind here!
LLOYD
[High pitched breathing]
NINTEN
We dove behind a rock, just in time to dodge a jet of fire breath!
LLOYD
“No power”…?
ANA
[whispering]
What are the chances that fire is weak to ice?
NINTEN
[whispering]
I can shield you while you find out. Lloyd-
[A rock is struck somewhere nearby]
LLOYD
“No power”!?
[Lloyd unzips a backpack. The Dragon vocalizes nearby.]
ANA
[hushed, urgent]
Lloyd, if you’re going to arm a super bomb in a subterranean passage, I feel like that’s something we should have a conversation about.
DRAGON
Where are the warriors? Where are the champions!?
LLOYD
This device has been successfully field tested and my calculations are precise. Do you trust me?
ANA
…Implicitly.
[Lloyd speedily moves out from hiding.]
LLOYD
Hey! Dragon!
NINTEN
If you’d told me that the kid I met hiding in a trash can was going to arm an explosive and stand between us and a fire-breathing dragon, I wouldn’t have believed you... But Lloyd’s always been full of surprises.
DRAGON
Ha ha ha! Such spark. Did I wound you, little ape?
LLOYD
Take this!
[Lloyd fires a rocket]
DRAGON
I intend to hurt more than your feelin-[gulps/chokes]
[The Dragon gags. A muffled explosion]
LLOYD
Feel my power!
DRAGON
[burps]
[A hiss sizzles from the Dragon’s throat and they heavily thud to the ground]
ANA
[gasp] Oh my gosh! [laughs]
NINTE
[laughs] Awesome! Woo!
[The score softens]
NINTEN
How did you know that would work?
LLOYD
Einstein's formula for success. A = X + Y + Z. Where A is “success”, X is “work”, Y is “play”, and Z is “keeping your mouth shut.” He had a big mouth. And when all else fails: fight fire with fire.
DRAGON
[weary, husky]
No mere spark, but a flame I see! Ha ha ha. Good! Ha ha ha. [Coughs] My melody is yours…
ANA
And so the Dragon cleared their throat and crooned the sixth melody to us. Maybe “croaked” is a better word for it - Lloyd’s bomb left them a little hoarse.
DRAGON
Ba ba ba-ba-ba baaaaa…
LLOYD
That’s it?
DRAGON
…What? I assure you when you play it altogether it sounds much fancier.
ANA
Only two more melodies to go.
[Underfolw ambience fades to field ambience]
ANA
We were dreading the thought of having to cross the desert again- And just like that Magicant graciously released us into a cave in the wilderness, just outside Youngtown. It was a welcome surprise and a huge relief, but… being so… close unexpectedly… it shook me.
[Ominous, dreamy music starts]
ANA
Ever since you were taken, Momma, I’d imagined myself here - surrounded by these big pines, running to you - as though I could reach into memory and pull you away from them. I didn’t even realize my legs were moving.
[Ana begins to run]
NINTEN
Ana? W-wait up!
ANA
I was consumed by that nightmare again - Light filling the Youngtown sky like the star of Bethlehem, until the village was blazing white.
[A soft drone begins]
ANA
The shock of those inhuman hands grabbing you. The weightless and breathless terror of ascending from the Earth toward something unfathomably alien. The scream…
[A bloodcurdling scream, very distant]
ANA
-That didn’t leave your lips, but was so loud that, hundreds of miles away, it came from mine.
[the music fades, the drone increases, but then is overcome by a soft melody]
ANA
And… just like then, as I was asphyxiating from fear and adrenaline, a vision hit me like a bolt and breathed life back into me. Except this time? As I ran, something about the wind, the light, the smell of the trees… It felt like deja vu… and I realized…
[Ana stops running]
ANA
The vision was real. Ninten, Lloyd, and I standing in tall grass, looking into the dark woods - together. I’d held onto this moment for so long, and now? I was living it.
[Ninten and Lloyd run up]
LLOYD
Ana?
NINTEN
Are you okay?
ANA
I am. It’s all gonna be okay.
NINTEN
It is.
[Ninten moves close to Ana]
NINTEN
[softly]
We’re gonna find her.
ANA
I believe it. He squeezed my hand, and his telepathy spoke a wordless warmth to me that made the sunlight seem more alive.
[the music ends]
LLOYD
We should keep moving. I’d prefer not to be wandering around these woods at night.
NINTEN & ANA
You and me both.
[they laugh]
NINTEN, ANA. & LLOYD
Jinx.
[they all laugh]
ANA
Guess we all owe each other a soda. …Unless the aliens abducted it all.
LLOYD
Perhaps they were repelled by New Coke?
NINTEN
Oh - they’re- They’re evil - they probably like New Coke.
LLOYD
A valid point. Like a sinister E.T…
[they walk through the forest]
NINTEN
…That looks weird…
ANA
Through the woods, just ahead, we could make out the dirt road to Youngtown, and beyond that was a strange blockade where the town entrance should be.
[the wind moves through the blockade]
ANA
As we got closer, we could see it was a kind of makeshift fence - cobbled together out of spare planks and downed branches…
[Lloyd kicks the fence]
LLOYD
This is not structurally sound.
CHILD GUARD
Halt!
NINTEN & LLOYD
Aah!
ANA
Uh- H-hello?
CHILD GUARD
I said halt, interwoper!
ANA
A face, crudely streaked with camouflage paint, appeared through one of the holes in the fence. It was a child, maybe seven years old. He held a spear with a kitchen knife duct taped to it. Another face appeared next to his, this one wearing a too-big catcher’s mask.
CHILD GUARD 2
[whispering]
They’re kids too.
CHILD GUARD 1
[whispering]
They’re suspishus!
CHILD GUARD 2
[whispering]
But- but!
ANA
Um-
CHILD GUARD 1
Who goes there!?
CHILD GUARD 2
[starts to cry]
CHILD GUARD 1
Stop crying, you baby.
CHILD GUARD 2
[cries even harder]
ANA
Oh, it’s okay- we’re here to help!
CHILD GUARD 1
One wrong move and you’re dead meat!
LLOYD
I highly doubt that.
ANA
Shh- Lloyd! My name’s Ana and these are my friends Ninten and Lloyd. We… heard something bad happened here and we wanted to-
[Child Guard 2 drops their spear, still crying, runs past the gate and wraps their arms around Ana]
CHILD GUARD 1
H-Hey!
ANA
Oh!
ANA
She rushed out and flung her arms around me.
CHILD GUARD 1
You can’t trust them!
ANA
It’s okay. It’s okay.
[somber music starts]
NINTEN
We are here to help. I promise. Kids gotta stick together, right?
ANA
Ninten put out his hand, radiating kindness. His eyes met the child’s and the child dropped his spear and embraced him.
CHILD GUARD 1
[choking up]
It’s- Oh… It’s been so scary.
[Children’s voices begin to echo through the town]
YOUNTOWN CHILD 1
Help is here! Help is here!
YOUNTOWN CHILD 2
Are mommy and daddy back?
YOUNTOWN CHILD 3
Are my parents back?
[The crowd of children gets louder]
ANA
Children gathered around us. Some were dressed like warriors, as best as they could manage. Others were dressed like any other day, but disheveled from weeks of abandonment. None of them were older than 10, many of them younger. We held their hands and were led to the center of the village.
CHILD CHORUS
They’ve come to help us! They’ve come to help us! They’ve come to help us! They’ve come to help us!
[The crowd of children becomes sad, pleading]
ANA
More children appeared from wooded shadows and hiding places and rushed to us with tear-streaked faces, runny noses, and pleading arms - desperate to be held.
YOUNGTOWN CHILD 4
Did you bring any food?
NINTEN
Uh… heh.
LLOYD
Are there no adults left?
YOUNTOWN CHILD 3
A big spaceship in the sky took all the grownups away.
YOUNTOWN CHILD 2
I saw it fly toward the mountains.
ANA
And here I’d been worrying about us, momma. A whole town of children had their parents taken away. A whole town of orphans… trying to survive on their own…
YOUNTOWN CHILD 5
I told them to leave me alone. It’s all my fault!
ANA
No, no - you didn’t do this sweetheart.
YOUNTOWN CHILD 1
They’re never coming back!
YOUNTOWN CHILD 2
Please help us. Please.
CHILD CHORUS
[rises up again]
LLOYD
What… do we do?
ANA
[sighs]
We take charge.
[Ana claps twice assertively, the crowd silences]
ANA
Everything will be alright. I- I promise. My friends and I are here to help. We’re going to get back everyone’s mommies and daddies. We’re going to bring them all back. But right now we’ve got to keep you safe. Uh - Let’s line up two by two, just like Noah’s animals, and walk to the church. Can you do that for me?
CHILD CHORUS
[Assorted uncertain affirmations]
ANA
Do you know the song?
The animals, they came, they came by twosies, twosies
[The score fades and the Child Chorus begins singing along, quietly at first]
ANA
The animals, they came, they came by twosies, twosies. Elephants and kangaroosies-roosies, children of the-
TOM GARRICKSON
Are you Ana?
ANA
Huh?
TOM GARRICKSON
Are you Ana, Ninten, and Lloyd?
ANA, NINTEN, & LLOYD
Yes…?
TOM GARRICKSON
My name is Tom Garrickson. My brother would like to speak with you.
[A strange, high drone rises up softly]
ANA
He took us to a house on the edge of town. The crowd of children followed us with a hushed reverence.
[a door opens]
TOM GARRICKSON
Welcome to our home.
ANA
In the living room his sister was gently rocking a bassinet.
[A baby goggles, a bassinet rocks]
NINTEN
Where’s… your brother?
GARRICKSON DAUGHTER
He’s here… He’s been so eager to meet you.
[Happy baby noises]
NINTEN
No way…
LLOYD
Surely not…
ANA
We peered into the bassinet, at the giggling baby within, and…
GARRICKSON BABY
[echoing telepathy]
Ah, good. You’ve come. It’s a pleasure to at long last make your acquaintance.
LLOYD
Eugh! It’s… talking in my mind!
NINTEN
Ana and I talk in your mind all the time.
LLOYD
But it’s… a baby!
NINTEN
Yeah, I’m not gonna lie - that’s weird.
LLOYD
Is it weird that it’s the strangest thing we’ve encountered so far?
NINTEN
…So you’re a baby, huh?
[Haunting music and chimes join the drone]
GARRICKSON BABY
Though my body is indeed that of a babe, like you all, I possess exceptional abilities.
ANA
Clearly. But- pardon me, your cognition is… remarkable.
[Low, misty noises join the score]
GARRICKSON BABY
Surely by now you’ve seen that a linear perception of reality is but one facet of an immeasurably complex universe. I am new to this life, this body. In time, this mind will fog to the awareness that I currently possess, but - regardless of our waking minds’ perception, our cosmic consciousness is… ever present.
GARRICKSON DAUGHTER
In other lives I’ve been his mother. He showed me. I’m glad I can be here to care for him now.
GARRICKSON BABY
We are, all of us, in communion with our greater intentions. And that is how we come to find ourselves in this moment. We are precisely who, what, where, and when we need to be. We have called to each other, and we have answered. I am here - to impart to you knowledge that will unlock a tremendous power. A power which adults cannot comprehend.
NINTEN
Woah…
GARRICKSON BABY
Follow me, with your minds.
[the tones increase]
GARRICKSON BABY
[his voice becomes less echoey]
Follow my voice within.
[Sounds fade to silence]
GARRICKSON BABY
Consider this physical universe. All matter is in agreement on where and when it is.
[Bright, synthy music starts]
GARRICKSON BABY
This bed, this house, this land, and our bodies - upon this planet, in this galaxy; and all molecules therein - in this moment, in this reality. And within that, what are you?
NINTENUm… h-human?
LLOYD
Homosapiens.
ANA
Ana.
GARRICKSON BABY
True. But these bodies called by these names are not the whole of your “selves” - they are the means through which you experience this world. They are a multitude of microorganisms and cells, each with their own consciousness, operating and growing in collaboration with your higher selves.
ANA
So… we’re like the cells… in the body of Mother Earth.
GARRICKSON BABY
Precisely. And like the cells of our bodies: we are in collaboration with her. Whereas the invaders from the stars… are not.
LLOYD
And therefore… we are Earth’s defense force! Like an immune response! After all - most human bodies and minds don’t materialize the elements from thin air...
GARRICKSON BABY
Ah, nor does the average mind puzzle out grand designs to better comprehend or harness the power of the universe, my friend. Our respective abilities hold more purpose than this conflict, though it is the matter at hand. And to that point: in this facet of reality, the older one grows, the more likely they are to anchor themselves to a fixed idea of what existence is. So I am here to remind you that existence is:
[The music swells in energy]
GARRICKSON BABY
[echoing]
Boundless!
ANA
No thing is one thing!
LLOYD
Everything is relative…
NINTEN
“Boundless…” Boundless? Th- the dimensional slip! I can do this thing where I blink out of a moment and sort of move.
GARRICKSON BABY
Yes! You know. You know it instinctively. All of existence is in conversation with itself, held together by collective intention. You know somewhere you’d like to be, you ask politely, and the physical world obliges you.
LLOYD
That would mean…!
ANA
We can go anywhere!
GARRICKSON BABY
The power of teleportation - to move through space and time.
NINTEN
We could go to Mt. Itoi right now…
GARRICKSON BABY
Unfortunately no. To tesser is no small feat. In your present forms, in this linear reality, there are… limitations. But those limits can also be tools. Your bodies have functions, instincts, intentions that can be redirected to other purposes.
LLOYD
A backdoor?! To hack reality…?!
ANA
Something you’d like to share with the class, Lloyd?
LLOYD
Don’t mind me. Please, continue.
GARRICKSON BABY
Very well. Now - Picture in your minds a beloved, but distant place - perhaps one of your homes.
[Neighborhood sounds swell up]
GARRICKSON BABY
Feel that place, remember it - vividly - with all your senses, with all your heart. …You are already there. Through memory, an invisible piece of you travels. You exist in two places at once; you have but to bridge the gap. However, your bodies do not understand traveling in this way.
LLOYD
But! If you were to, say… run. Your body understands motion. It executes the “travel” program. If I am running, then I am going somewhere. Meanwhile, your mind isn’t pointed at your local address, it’s logged into an address halfway around the world. Psychokinetic Transmission Control Protocol! Of course!
GARRICKSON BABY
I’ve… No idea what he said, but… I sense his instincts are correct.
LLOYD
Ha! Reality bows to my elite skills.
ANA
Wow, Lloyd.
LLOYD
You don’t understand how your powers work - and you don’t mind. I don’t understand how your powers work and I mind very much. But I think I’m catching on…
ANA
Okay so… we can only go somewhere we’ve already been…
NINTEN
Uh-huh.
ANA
We set the destination in our minds…
NINTEN
Uh-huh.
ANA
And… we just… run…?
NINTEN
Heh. 88 miles per hour.
ANA
Oh my gosh! YES! T- That’s it!
NINTEN
Punch in the time circuits, hit 88, and boom! …My body is a Delorean!
GARRICKSON BABY
You comprehend- Heh, you comprehend this power in a way I cannot follow, but I am glad that it comes to you with ease.
NINTEN
Yeah… you might not be ready for that yet, but in a few years? You’re gonna love it.
GARRICKSON BABY
You are close to the end, but the path ahead will be harder still. Use this power and the people and places you’ve made a connection with will always be within reach. Your survival may depend on it.
ANA
Thank you. Oh…! We- we don’t know your name.
GARRICKSON BABY
My parents were taken before they could give me one. The names of our pasts have… little meaning here. Perhaps, for now, address me in the truest manner, which we’ve shared so many times.
ANA
Thank you… friend.
[The music crescendos and fades]
[Organ music begins to play, children sing “This Little Light of Mine”]
ANA
And there I was, in the Youngtown church. The last place you’d been. Leading the children in song just like you did. All things considered, they’d done a good job keeping each other alive with what skills they had. But there were no leaders, just… the chaos of scared kids holding onto what hope they could. The ramshackle wall had been their best attempt to defend themselves from the threat of aliens returning. …What possible reason could they have had for taking just the adults…? It’s so cruel.
[The children’s singing fades, we hear kitchen ambience under the organ music]
ANA
We took inventory of food and supplies, cooked them a hot meal, and helped them feel safe as the night came.
[The kitchen ambience fades to night noises]
ANA
Many of them wouldn’t let us out of sight and crawled into our beds. In the morning we planned our next move.
[The organ and night sounds fade to daytime outdoor ambience]
NINTEN
There’s some kinda swamp nature preserve between here and Ellay.
LLOYD
Mt. Itoi is just beyond that. The city could provide a good staging ground for our ascent.
ANA
I hear Ellay’s pretty rough.
NINTEN
And with the alien base nearby… who knows what’s going on over there! But meantime… we have to figure out this teleportation thing. I could hardly sleep thinking about it!
LLOYD
The crying children didn’t help.
ANA
[sighs]
LLOYD
I’m simply stating a fact.
ANA
I don’t know if we should leave them.
NINTEN
We’ll be right back! That’s the point. We could go visit your dad…
ANA
I bet that would cheer him up.
NINTEN
Yeah, we’ll see your dad, my mom - wanna see your folks, Lloyd?
LLOYD
No need.
ANA
Are you sure? I mean, we’ve never met them. You don't talk about them much.
LLOYD
My parents are kind people and we have an understanding of each other. Their jobs are very demanding. There'll be plenty of time for introductions once our work is done. Now… I’ve scouted the area. There’s a clearing ahead where we should be able to put this new ability to the test.
[The sounds of children playing fades to a pensive score and a series of mysterious chimes]
NINTEN
Out in front of us was trees and sky, maybe about three hundred feet of open field. I took the lead, Ana was in back, and Lloyd in the middle.
[tension strings build in the score]
NINTEN
He figured, if there was a chance of him taking this ride with us it’d be sandwiched between the two people with PSI abilities. We all focused on Snowman; imagining the smell of the pine trees, the cold, the sound of our feet crunching on the icy ground. Ana and my telepathy helped the three of us sync our memories - see and sense the same place until we felt like we were there. And then… we ran. My eyes were closed, I just saw where I was going, not where my body was headed. Then I felt the wind rushing faster than it should and-
[The score builds and suddenly stops]
NINTEN
[writing]
-It was like stepping into a freezer. Just like that - We skidded to a stop on the road right outside of town.
[The kids skid to a stop]
NINTEN, ANA, & LLOYD
[heavy breathing]
[Triumphant score swells]
NINTEN
…That was awesome!!
LLOYD
Incredible. Our bodies appear to be intact. Hundreds of miles traversed in an instant with no apparatus but the human body. This is the discovery of a lifetime! The implications…! The implications!
ANA
Oh gosh… It’s so good to be home.
[Windy ambience]
ANA
We visited papa and Ninten’s family. We picked up supplies in Merrysville and were back to Youngtown in an hour and a half. I’ll admit I was nervous even being gone that long. It didn’t feel right - leaving them alone. They were so in need. So hurt.
[The distant sound of children fades in]
ANA
I want to be their rock. Time and again I let myself think, “maybe I could be.” But… me being here wouldn’t get our parents back.
[Sad music swells up]
ANA
Even though we can teleport now, it’s not right to assume I can promise to tuck them into bed every night. So we made sure they had what they needed… I told them we’d be back as often as we could… and we left. Or, we tried to. They clung to us as we turned to leave.
[The Child Chorus and score rises up with voices pleading for them not to leave]
NINTEN
None of us wanted to leave the Youngtown kids on their own, but Ana? I don’t know if she’d admit it, but… after everything we’ve been through, I could tell that was the hardest thing she’d done. That’s the kind of person Ana is. She cares - more than anyone else I’ve ever known. Heck, she might give a kidney to somebody on the street if they said they needed it. She told me that back in Snowman, the other kids call her “little mother”. I thought it was funny. I imagined her fussing over a bunch of little kids like a teacher or something, but… that’s not it. She was ready to give everything to protect these kids. She was willing to give all of herself, because that’s what they were asking for. It was beautiful… and… scary. There wasn’t much Lloyd and I could do to comfort her. In some ways, we were lucky how difficult the road ahead was.
[The music ends, swamp noise fades up]
NINTEN
The Youngtown forest opened to a flat marshland. We could practically see all the way across with only tall grasses and a few scattered trees between us and the woods on the other side. But it was anything but a straight shot. It was a mess of lakes, streams, bogs - whatever. Dry land was scarce and that made this big open place a beautiful… and unbelievably hostile maze.
[Sinister droning rises up,along with muddy footsteps]
NINTEN
Small herds of buffalo charged us.
[Rumbling footfalls move past]
NINTEN
We’d dive out of the way, and with nowhere to go, we’d land face first in the mud next to a pair of hissing alligators.
[Alligators hiss]
NINTEN
The water was teeming with them, and it was easy for the big ones to waddle up on land and block our path.
[Alligators grunt]
NINTEN
Even when we didn’t see them, we could hear their weird grunting. No matter where we were, we were surrounded. And it wasn’t just the wildlife, Mom - we saw aliens. I don’t mean the saucers or robots, not those weird creatures out in the desert, I’m talking actual space invaders in the flesh. We weren’t sure what we were looking at at first. Some things came in low and flat from the water, then pushed themselves up tall.
[Squishy noises move, and dangerous synthy music begins]
NINTEN
They moved in a kind of sticky, wrong way, sloshing like a liquid made of pure muscle, like an octopus, but with way too many tentacles. The first thing we could make out were their teeth - these big, creepy smiles.
MOOKS
[hostile, hissing vocalizations]
NINTEN
And then we saw their eyes… three of them. Two on stalks that poked out like snails from their head, or body I guess, and the third just above their mouths.
MOOKS
[hostile, shrill, grunting vocalizations]
NINTEN
They barked some words at us that we didn’t understand but we definitely got the point.
NINTEN
Scatter!
[Muddy running]
NINTEN
Ana and Lloyd dove out of the way and I threw up a psi shield just in time to shatter two blasts of ice in front of my face.
[Ice crunches against a shield]
NINTEN
They had psychic abilities too! And… they looked at me or looked into me?
MOOKS
[hostile, burbling vocalizations]
NINTEN
I could feel them rummaging around in my brain. If Ana hadn’t thrown a bolt of lightning at them, I don’t really know what would’ve happened.
[a splash
ANA
Why were you just-
[She shoots a bolt of lightning, a Mook screams]
ANA
-Standing there?
NINTEN
Don’t look at their eyes! They were trying to hypnotize me or something.
[Mooks slosh away in retreat. Dangerous music ends, swamp sounds persist]
NINTEN
After that encounter we were on the defensive more than ever. Teleporting back was basically impossible. Not enough room, too dangerous, so we pressed on. Out in the distance we’d seen a small cabin with smoke coming from its chimney. With all the winding paths, it took us ages to figure out how to get there. By the time we did, we were exhausted, covered with muck and mud, and paranoid. What if this cabin was another trap like the hotel in Spookane? What if it was a hideout for those squiddy space mooks?
[Tentative, plucky music starts]
NINTEN
We approached the cabin from the back, cautiously… But just as we did, this weird white trash can by the side of the house started moving.
[Dull, plastic thumps]
NINTEN, ANA, & LLOYD
[Startled noises]
LLOYD’S DAD
[muffled]
Hello? Look, whatever your concerns are, I promise you I’m no threat. Just… Please let me out. These industrial buckets aren’t certified for this usage, you see…
LLOYD
Wait- …What did Einstein call his biggest blunder?
LLOYD’S DAD
[muffled]
Oh! Well- Einstein thought his biggest blunder was the inclusion of the cosmological constant in his field equations! You know, presuming that the universe should be attracting itself gravitationally, slowing its own expansion… Quite the blunder indeed! Unless, of course, if the constant is real - then it’s not a blunder at all is it? Ha ha ha!
LLOYD
Correct. We have nothing to fear. That is… provided that you don’t take issue with my truancy… father.
ANA & NINTEN
Huh!?
[the can is unsealed]
LLOYD’S DAD
[gasps] Oh, good gracious it’s bright out here. …Lloyd?! Is that you, son?
LLOYD
It is.
[Lloyd’s father stumbles out of the bin]
LLOYD’S DAD
Oh, oopsy daisy.
ANA
Sir, are you okay?
LLOYD’S DAD
It’s just the paresthesia... Why Lloyd! You’ve made some friends!
[a sudden, glitching noise. All music and ambience stops]
LLOYD’S DAD
Hello there! It’s nice to see you all! Well, I know you can’t necessarily see me, outside of your mind’s eye, of course - but it wouldn’t be the human experience without limitations, I suppose. I’m Lloyd’s father, and you are? Oh, I understand if you’re shy. I was shy for a long time. I had to read a book just to figure out how to work my way around it! Now, I can be overly forward - but I promise I don’t bite. If it’s safe for you to do so, if you could just speak your name aloud so I can hear you? Well, pleased to meet you! Are you enjoying the show? I guess you must be if you’ve gotten this far! That’s just wonderful. Thank you so much for cheering on my son and his friends. Lloyd, well… He’s a chip off the family block: all brain. And that’s not easy - Being different paints a target on you. I haven’t been around to protect him, frankly I don’t know how - in any material sense, that is. Though, by the looks of things, he may have figured that out on his own… You know, it means so much that you’re here for him; listening along and encouraging him. I’d wager it means a lot to him too, even if he doesn’t acknowledge-
[a sudden, glitching noise. Music and ambience resumes]
LLOYD
Father- be it far from me to criticize your predicament but, what are you doing here?
LLOYD’S DAD
Oh, well, just a little workplace accident, son. Never a dull moment for an enclosure specialist! Duncan’s refurbishing a factory in Ellay to produce these plastic industrial buckets. I was… inspecting the product and well I’ll be darned if I didn’t get sealed in. Though how I ended up in the river I can’t say…
ANA
And you washed up here?
LLOYD’S DAD
Fished out! Whoever it was, well - they sounded like a young girl, but it took a lot of brute force to haul me out. She asked if I was a zombie or a squid -
NINTEN
Wait a minute…
[the music fades out]
LLOYD’S DAD
- I guess she lives here…?
NINTEN
Pippi?!
[Ninten’s footsteps round the house]
NINTEN
It seemed impossible but, what wasn’t these days? I rounded the porch and saw a folksy wood sign above the door that read “The Lindgrens”.
[Ninten runs up to the house]
NINTEN
Pippi Lindgren?
[The front door bursts open and an air rifle is cocked]
PIPPI
Who wants to know?!
NINTEN
Ah! …Hi?
PIPPI
Ninten?!
[She runs across the porch to him]
PIPPI
What the heck are you doing here?!
NINTEN
Haha!
PIPPI
Mmm!
[BBs rattle in her gun as she hugs him]
NINTEN
I could ask you the same thing!
ANA
Woah- gun!
PIPPI
Who the-
[Pippi quickly takes aim]
NINTEN
Woah-ho-ho- They’re with me! Gun down.
PIPPI
It’s just an air rifle…
LLOYD
A deadly weapon, in capable hands.
NINTEN
Pippi, these are my friends Lloyd and Ana - and uh, Lloyd’s Dad… who you fished out of a river? Um, everyone, this is my neighbor from Podunk, Pippi.
ANA
Oh! From the graveyard! Gosh! It’s a pleasure to meet you!
PIPPI
You’d all better come inside.
[They walk up the steps to the proch.]
PIPPI
Ninten, you look hungry.
NINTEN
Oh big time.
PIPPI
I could make waffles…
NINTEN
Waffles!?
[Swamp ambience fades to a crackling fireplace, cracking eggs and kitchen noises.]
ANA
The cabin was rustic and cozy - though the only warm reception was reserved for Ninten.
[A mixer starts up]
ANA
Pippi regarded me in particular with icy indifference. If there was some kind of test for me to prove myself, she flunked me before I had a chance to take it.
NINTEN
I had no idea your family had a second house!
[Mixing stops, griddle noises]
PIPPI
Where did you think we went on vacation?
NINTEN
I dunno… Summers?
PIPPI
[Sigh] I guess you’ve got a lot to learn about me, huh cutie?
[Cooking sizzles]
LLOYD’S DAD
You’re out here all on your own? Your parents aren’t here?
PIPPI
I’m fine. I know these swamps like the back of my hand.
NINTEN
Is everything okay, Pippi?
PIPPI
It’s fine. I’m just having a little me time, you know?
[She plates the food]
PIPPI
Who wants waffles?!
[She sets a plate on the table]
ANA
This looks wonderful, Pippi. Thank you so much.
[Silverware clatters as they eat]
PIPPI
It’s no big deal. I had to improvise on the eggs, but they’re just as good as chicken eggs.
LLOYD
How… resourceful.
PIPPI
What do you think, cutie?
NINTEN
Oh- they’re real good.
LLOYD’S DAD
Mm-MMM! Young lady, these are scrumptious! Perhaps it’s the famine talking, but I dare say this is the best waffle I’ve ever had.
LLOYD
How many days were you trapped in the bucket, father?
LLOYD’S DAD
Uh… Well… It’s hard to tell... In the absence of outside stimuli, my ability to observe the passage of time was undone. Heh. Now that I’m moving through it again, it’s quite novel! I’m tremendously grateful to our hostess for bringing me ashore and opening the ventilation seal or, I dare say - I may not be here enjoying this superb meal with you all.
PIPPI
Yeah- Sorry about leaving you in the can. Never know who you can trust these days.
[her echoey inner monologue]
Least of all an adult. Probably just a matter of time before he loses it like mom and dad.
ANA
Oh, Pippi - I’m so sorry.
PIPPI
What’re you talking about?
ANA
Your parents.
PIPPI
Hey!
[Her silverware clatters]
PIPPI
What the- What the heck?!
[She stands up from the table abruptly]
ANA
Oh no. Oh shoot.
NINTEN
Whaaat’s going on?
PIPPI
Who the heck do you think you are?!
ANA
I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.
PIPPI
You’re darn right.
LLOYD’S DAD
Son, can you provide any insight here?
LLOYD
Ana has psychic abilities and I believe she’s read Pippi’s mind.
LLOYD’S DAD
Oh, fascinating.
ANA
We can help - we’re trying to fix things-
PIPPI
I don’t care!
NINTEN
Hey, Pippi - listen. Ana’s telling the truth. We’re here to help! We’re chasing down whatever’s doing this and we’re going to stop it. I promise.
PIPPI
Stay here, Ninten. Please. After the zombies… mom and dad started acting weird…. They were scaring me. I ran away. And - I’m fine! Really! But it’d be so much better if you stayed.
NINTEN
I… I can’t. We’ve got to end this thing or it’s gonna get worse.
PIPPI
Fine. Do whatever you want. I can take care of myself. Just promise me you won’t tell them where I am.
ANA
Pippi… I think you did the right thing and you’re right where you need to be… Over in Youngtown, ALL the adults were abducted. There’s a bunch of kids, most of them younger than you, living on their own, trying to keep it together.
PIPPI
So what? You want me to be a babysitter?
ANA
It’s not like that. You’re resourceful, strong as Samson, You know how to live off the land…
[Optimistic music starts]
ANA
These kids lost their parents. They feel so helpless. We are going to put a stop to this, but those kids need someone right now.
PIPPI
[sigh] I guess… if I could be a help…
ANA
I can’t think of anyone better suited.
NINTEN
Heck, I bet you’d be running the place when we get back.
PIPPI
Emperor Pippi does have a nice ring to it…
ANA
And I don’t think it was a coincidence that you found Lloyd’s father. I think you both should go.
LLOYD’S DAD
Uh, well- I’m afraid you’ve got me at a loss. As I’m sure my son will attest, I don’t really have much aptitude for conventional parenting…
LLOYD
It’s true.
ANA
But you’re an engineer! A problem-solver! You have a unique way of seeing the world. These kids are building things out of spare parts, trying to keep themselves safe while literal aliens are lurking through the woods! They have a problem, and your talents can help them solve it. …Plus you’re tall.
LLOYD’S DAD
I… suppose the home office can wait a little longer before I file my report.
ANA
So that’s where we left them - in Youngtown. Rested and resupplied, we made our way back through the swamp, through the wilderness beyond, and there was Ellay - a rough-hewn, rugged barnacle of a town, clinging to the river delta, with Mt. Itoi and the dark cloud looming nearer than I’ve ever seen them… You’re so close, Momma. We’re so close… For you, for the children of Youngtown, for Pippi’s parents, for Papa - for the planet and everyone - I swear with all that I am: nothing will stand in our way. Love, Ana
[The music swells and ends. The “MOTHER,” She Wrote theme begins and plays under the hosts.]
CAT
Welcome to “MOTHER,” She Wrote - a travelogue diary through the strangest, most thought-provoking, most heart-rending video games ever made: MOTHER as it’s called in Japan, and EarthBound - as it’s called everywhere else. This is the story of the first game in that series: EarthBound Beginnings.
[The “MOTHER,” She Wrote theme ends]