Desert Skies - Chapter 5 - Stupid Little Rock Thingy

Episode Date: September 5, 2022

Michael Partridge was on his way to achieving everything he'd ever wanted in life, but found himself at Desert Skies instead. Mac has an idea that he thinks will help prepare Michael for his journey, but will his peculiar method result in success or disaster? Join Club 86 Visit our Merch Store Join the Discord Visit our Website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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We're tired of playing with our Mac and Temi dolls. Seriously, Mom. Tenney just keeps saying the same things over and over. Seriously, Mac. Seriously, Mac. Seriously Mac. Hey, kids. Can't get enough of desert skies?

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And you'll be the first to hear the Club 80s. exclusive six-part season desert skies game knowledge i want to join club 86 me too awesome just grab your mom's credit card when she's not looking hey and go to patreon.com forward slash desert skies or by clicking the link in the episode notes below patreon.com forward slash desert skies yeah patreon. patreon.com forward slash desert skies uh-huh patreon. patreon.com forward slash desert skies did i stutter guys seriously and now back to your regular programming That's it. That's it.

Can someone please tell me what the point of this thing is? I thought I was going to get to save the astral plane. Yeah, I'm a little overwhelmed with it too. How far have you made it? I don't know. So far, all I've done is service a dozen Buicks. And help to reunite a Scorpion with his tribe, it's weird. It's all the stuff I already do.

Sounds like you've got it better than me. I've only played once. And it had me reorganizing the burrito freezer and mopping. Whoever thought that what goes on at an astral plane fuel and service station would be entertaining, simply does not understand entertainment. I think I'm done with this. Same. Hey, at least it's something new.

We don't get a lot of new things around here. Yeah, speaking of new, do you think Shirley plans on staying? It's been nice having her around here. It has, huh? Did you see what she did with the hot dog warmer? Nah, what'd she do? She got it working. The dogs are hot, Mac.

Well, hot damn! I just don't know how we can ask her to stay. No idea how that would even work. We only have the two positions here And as long as she stays at the station We can't receive new travelers That's true We never get two travelers here at the same time

And besides It'd be wrong to ask her to say We're here to help travelers reach their destination Not keep them from making the journey Just because we like hot hot dogs You're right Tindy I hate to see her go but it's the right thing to do You want me to tell her?

No I think I should should do it. I mean, unless you really want to. Of course I don't. She likes it here, Tindy. This place feels like home to her. But like you said, we got a job to do. How about we tell her together? Where is she? Last time I saw her, she was rewiring the fluorescent lights under the canopy. Sweet, that light's been out forever. That'll make it a lot less scary out there. Yeah, I will. Come on, Mack. Let's get this over with. Where's the Skylark?

Did you move it? No, uh, you don't think. That she left? I can't imagine she would. Not without saying goodbye. Should we go looking for her? Looking for who? Thank God you're alive.

We thought you were dead. No, we didn't. And she is. But I've never felt so alive. Being back here seems to have woken something up in me. Something I thought was gone. I got some of my spring back. That's great to hear, Shirley, but there's something we need to talk to you about.

I have something I want to talk with you about as well. What's that? You two have been wonderful. And I can tell you care a lot about the work you do here. Thank you for saying that. But there's some things you aren't very good at. Routine maintenance being one of those things. She's got us there, attendee.

We suck at routine maintenance. The gas station has to be kept in impeccable condition. It's an oasis along the highway, a place of respite and refreshment. Travelers who have endured a long journey look to the gas station as a moment's reprieve from the cares of the road. And the travelers you serve, they've been on a very long journey, haven't they? Shouldn't the first place they arrive after that journey

really be something special? Surely, I know what you're going to say, and we just can't. You need me here, at least long enough to show you greenhorns some of the ropes. It's not that we don't want you here, It's just that we've never had more than one traveler at the station at the same time. As long as you're still here, the Skylarks quit showing up. That shouldn't be an issue. Why's that?

Because I've parked mine in that empty spot on the other side of the highway to make room. I'm afraid that's not how it works. How do you know, have you ever tried it? No, but... Well, I'll be damned. What I tell you? Surely, that doesn't change the fact that you don't belong here.

The astral plane is an in-between kind of place. And we have a responsibility to make sure you reach your destination. Hey! Uh, greetings, traveler. Greetings, nothing. What in the hell's going on here? I have a plane to catch, and some heads are going to roll if I miss it. Your heads.

Hey, I understand you're a little disoriented, but let's just take a deep breath. You better start giving me some goddamn answers, or you're about to be a little disoriented pencil neck. Hey, only I can call him that. Oh, you want to go, little man? If I may. Cram it, Grandma. Hey, hey, what are you doing? Hey, that's my ear!

And I'm about two seconds away from ripping it off and stomping it into the dirt. Now stop being a little bitch and get your ass inside before I get really angry. Jesus, are you crazy? I said inside. Okay, okay, okay, I'm going inside. Damn, that hurts. Now, where were we? You are terrifying.

Please, please, please, please, don't leave us. You're welcome to stay as long as you like. Consider the invitation. accepted. Now show me how to do that ear thing to Tendi. Hello again, sir. Have we come down a bit? I just need to know what's going on. Why am I in the desert and not at LAX?

Why am I in this nasty little gas station? And why in the hell? Am I driving a Buick instead of a Bentley? Hey, what's wrong with a Buick? It is here again, Shirley. Mack, no. Sir, can I get your name? Michael.

Michael. Michael Partridge. Wait, wait, wait. You're the Michael Partridge? In the flesh. I'm just kidding. I don't know who you are. Cash?

Attendant. How may I be of service? Traveler bio for Michael Partridge, please. Michael, this is going to be hard for you to hear. But you're dead. Is that a threat? No, that's the reality. Your life on the physical plane has come to an end.

This is the astral plane, and it's our job to help you get to the next plane of existence, the next life. I think I understand. That's great. I understand that you're a bullshitter speaking bullshit in a way that doesn't make sense, because you don't want me to get to the airport.

Who sent you guys? Was it Derek? Michael, nobody's bullshit and nobody. Tendie's right. You're D-E-A-D dead. Let me show you. Michael, what are you doing? Michael, these are pop rocks.

And this is soda. Now consume them both. Why would I do that? Because on the physical plane, eating pop rocks and drinking soda at the same time, would make your stomach explode. I don't think that's true. Really? It says here in your bio that you started the morning at the gym,

where you berated your trainer for implying your glutes needed work. That little prick! How'd you hear about that? Then you got your hair cut and didn't tip the barber because you thought your sideburns were uneven. Mediocre work deserves mediocre pay. You then went home and cried in the shower for about half an hour. Hey, that's not true. Where in the hell are you getting your info?

And then you drove to the airport. Which is where I should be right now. But you didn't make it. Looks like you flipped off a trucker you thought was going too slow. And he pushed your Bentley off the stack interchange. Does any of that ring a bell? Michael? You all right, bud?

Oh my God. I'm dead. Now you're getting it. See, not so hard. Are you kidding me! Calm down, young man. Calm down? Calm down!

Do you have any idea what I had to do to get where I am? How much I had to work! How much I had to sacrifice! Are you kidding me? Come on now, buddy. It's not all that bad. The work's over. It's time to get your rest on.

Let me microwave you a burrito and we'll all... There's gotta be a better afterlife than this. I mean, Come on. Vuex Skylark's microwavable burritos. What in the hell did I do to deserve this? Is that it? Am I being punished?

Uh, that's offensive. You guys better get your shit together. I will not stand for this level of service. I'm Michael Partridge. Damn it! I don't eat microwavable burritos. Well, I never... You're gonna stick around, surely.

you're going to have to get used to the occasional outburst. These aren't your run-of-the-mill travelers, and their unique experiences have to be taken seriously. Tandy, hand over those embarrassing childhood memories. Here you go. Td Bank knows that running a small business is a journey, from startup to growing and managing your business. That's why they have a dedicated small business advice hub on their website

to provide tips and insights on business banking to entrepreneurs. No matter the stage of business you're in, visit td.com slash small business advice to find out more or to match with a TD small business banking account manager. Shirley, anything from your time on the physical plane that could help us deal with the Michael's situation, open to new ideas. Very diplomatic of you, but no.

When anyone got rowdy, we just kicked them out of the store and told him to hit the road. Grab him by the air, kick him in the rear. Yeah, that probably wouldn't work so well for us. We need to make sure Michael's prepared for the long road ahead. The trip isn't especially difficult, but it can be dangerous if you don't know what to expect. Hey, maybe I can help. You're welcome to give it a shot.

You're not just going to show him the rock labyrinth, are you? Tindy, you are hilarious. No, it's going to take more than a rock labyrinth to break this guy. you gotta trust me more all right best of luck thanks tandy but not gonna need it i know exactly what'll help this guy what am i looking at

you sir are looking at a rock labyrinth a bunch of rocks and circles what's the point michael michael michael you said you sacrificed everything in order to achieve what you've achieved in life which is what exactly well before this happened, I was about to fly to Dallas to interview for the job I'd fought for my whole career. My dream job. The interview was just the formality at this point. This one was in the bag. What was the job? Vice President of Marketing for a serial company. That was your

dream? Why'd you want to do that? You don't strike me as a serial lover. A serial killer, maybe. I didn't give a shit about the cereal. The company was huge. The pay was exceptional. A lot of people would kill to get that job. That's the kind of job guys wait, a lifetime to get. That's the kind of job winners get. That's the kind of job a guy like me should have.

You know what I'm talking about? You work at a gas station. That can't feel great. What do you mean? I mean, look at you. You're about the same age. may be a little older than me how old are you I don't know a billion we don't really do time the same way here at least I don't think so okay so let's say

you're one billion I am 53 got it judging by your clothes I'd say you're some kind of mechanic look at Sherlock Holmes here I a 53 year old First Class. Eat at the finest restaurants, have assistance that get me anything I want, any time of day. Women want me. Men want to be me. Now, grammar may not be my greatest strength, but I believe you misspoke just now. Oh, please do tell, Grease Monkey. Ha, monkey. Anyways, you're saying you do this and you do that. People want you. or want to be you, but you got it wrong. See, you did this and did that, and were wanted, and so on.

Just driving home the fact that I'm dead, huh? That make you feel better than me? Because you ain't. You're nothing. You'll never be someone. What do you have to show for all the time you've been around? Huh? What do you have to show?

I'm trying to show it to you right now. What, this pile of rocks? You, sir, do not know what a pile is. This is a rock labyrinth. Am I supposed to be impressed? Nope. I don't imagine you'd be impressed unless these rocks were made out of diamonds. To be honest, I thought that'd be cool, too, but I didn't know where to find any.

Anyways, you know why I wanted to talk to you? Can't imagine. Enlighten me. You're not going to believe this. But you remind me a lot of me when I first got here. Now, I don't remember my life on the physical plane. I've tried to make educated guesses, and as far as I can figure, I was either a rock star or a high-powered lawyer. Uh-huh.

Whatever it was, it left me angry. I doubt I was a VP of anything, but I must have felt strongly about whatever I did. Because even though I couldn't remember, when I got here, I felt cheated. There was something inside of me that said I was supposed to be somebody. But when I showed up, they put a wrench in my hand and put me to work, servicing Skylarks. Is this story going somewhere? You in a hurry? No.

I guess I'm not. Am I? Anyways, this traveler was here once. From New Mexico, I think it was. And we got to talking, and she says, you know what you need? And I said what? and she said you need a rock labyrinth i thought that was stupid and i let her know as much but the old attendant said it couldn't hurt so we walked out here and she helped me make this and then what she said

start walking so i did i started right here and i thought boy this is dumb labyrinths are supposed to be tall and hard to figure out this was flat and a baby could find our way to the middle but i did it anyway and you're about to find out start here i am not doing this this is dumb you want me to grab shirley is that the old lady uh-huh all right i'm walking i'll walk with you slow down now take your time not everything's a race that's it just walk That's it. Just walk. You're welcome to think if you'd like.

It's quiet out here. It is. I don't ever remember it being so quiet. It's unsettling. Why's that? Because I'm not used to it, that's all. There's nothing wrong with quiet. After a while, you get used to it.

You even start to like it. Come on. Let's be quiet together the rest of the way. Give it a try. And here we are. And here we are. That was... different. Did you like it?

No. I mean, not at first, but maybe I could get used to it. Is that it? What now? I'm going to tell you the same thing that woman said to me, which is... Take a deep breath and look up. Why do I need to look up? Oh my God. They're beautiful, aren't they? I've never seen anything like it. You never looked up at the stars when you were on the floor.

physical plane. Where I lived, I don't think you could even see the stars. Even if you could, I'm not sure I would have noticed them. Michael, if you take nothing else from this experience, try to remember this. You didn't lose anything when you left the physical plane, because you were losing the whole time you were there. You were losing stars, and you were losing quiet. You never looked down at the path.

You never looked up at the sky. You just kept looking to the next thing. I just wanted to be somebody. Sure, we all want to be somebody. But sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we're becoming that we start to forget who we are and where we are and all the wonder that surrounds us. I wish.

I wish I could go back. No, you don't need to go back. You just need to be here. Right now. Hey, I know this whole thing is dumb, but do you think I could hang out here for a while? I think I'd like to walk this stupid rock thing again. There's no rush, bud. Take all the time you need.

Wow. He's still out. there. I take back what I said about the Rock Labyrinth. You ought to give it a try some time. Maybe I will. Looks like we still have some time. You want to submit the Traveler Report, Mac? Really? Can I? I've never done that before. Go for it. You've earned it. Cash, I'm ready to submit my Traveler Report.

Ready to receive your report, Mechanic. And what do I do? Just talk. Just talk. Right on. When Michael Partridge first showed up, He really got under my skin. He was so angry and mean, and I started to feel all defensive in what's not. And then I remembered back when I felt really angry.

And how what I was feeling wasn't really angry at all. I was feeling sad. Like I'd been cheated. Like I'd lost something important. But rather than mourned my life on the physical plane, I turned all that emotion into something. Ugly. I know Michael Partridge still has a lot to figure out.

A walk around a rock labyrinth doesn't cure anybody of those kinds of feelings. But I think he's starting to realize that maybe he didn't lose all that much, that he couldn't replace with something better. Something we already have, but don't realize. That's my report, Cash. One to be remembered, mechanic. What in the hell is that? Looks like young Michael is no longer standing in your rock thingy.

What in the world is he doing to that car? I think you guys better get out here and see this. If you're here, then who's driving that car? Nobody. I don't know. My car's still parked at the pump. So am I seeing what I think I'm seeing? A coyote doing donuts in a Duke Skylark. Yep, you're seeing it.

Or it's a shared hallucination. Shirley, did you leave your keys in the car? Why wouldn't I? Who on Earth was there to take it? You're looking at it. E-ha! Way, you crazy son of a bitch! God, I love that coyote.

Bitches, I am home. Lord Corson, you've returned. Welcome home, master. Your lordship has been greatly missed. The eight sphere wasn't the same without you. Yes, all right, thank you. Thank you for the warm reception. Stop groveling.

Was Aristin's fear mobile successful on his quest? Where is he, Lord Corson? Where is the one called mechanic? Well, about that, see. I had a change of heart. Why bring the mechanic here, when I'm already surrounded by so many wonderful and interesting friends? Friends? Who are these friends, my lord?

But forgive me for saying, the master of this fear has no friends. No, not one, no, not ever. Shut up, shut up. I'm talking about you, you idiots. My impish, despicable friends. But we are not our Lord's friends. As you've told us many times, your majesty. Sure, my friends. That is why from now on, you'll be the ones to play games with me.

No, Master, not the games. Please, Master, anything with the games. We'd rather be banished, Lord Corson. Have a liquefied and drank with supper. Oh, yes, liquefied. More dignified than games. Someone up the door. I'll get it. When the hell could that pay? Master, you have a visitor. You? What in the blazes are you doing here?

You're supposed to be in a dungeon, somewhere on the 23rd sphere. And you're not supposed to be visiting spheres where you don't belong. What are you insinuating attendant? Why, I haven't left my sphere in ages. Too much work to be done. The master, you've just returned from the desert sphere. Having failed to procure the mechanic, I might add. Oh, you little shit.

Oh, I don't have to answer to you, attendant. What business is it of yours where I've been? The name's Dale, not attendant. And it's every bit my business. Your business, too. I know you had to have seen it when you were out there. Something's changing. No concern of mine.

It should be. The astral plane is in danger. What do you mean in danger? Look, if it puts you at ease, I did not take the mechanic, and I have no intention to. I've actually grown a little fond of that station and it's stuff. If that's true, then help me save it. Save the station, save the plane.

I don't follow. You don't have to. You just have to help me. What are you asking me to do exactly? Help me break into Zochia Cue's palace. That's why you were imprisoned. No wonder she locked your ass up. Are you insane?

Breaking into the home of a sphere mover, what on earth for? There's something that I have to borrow. Borrow my ass. What could be so important that you'd risk your very existence to steal it? I don't know, but it's something of great importance. Greetings, Travelers, I'm Jared Carter, the creator of Desert Skies. We're almost halfway through the first season, and I've enjoyed getting to hear from you as much as I've been enjoying making this show.

I'm on Twitter now, and would love to connect with you there. Just follow Desert Skies Pod. And as always, if you like the show, please think about rating and reviewing wherever you listen. Desert Skies, we'll be back soon with episode six. Until then, this is Jared Carter, wishing you safe travels. The Fable and Falling Network, where fiction producers flourish. From the producer of The Subjective Truth and Two Flat Earthers Kidnap a Freemason, comes a chilling new science fiction anthology series called Someone Just Like You.

My fingers bend backward and beg me, please, let us write a story for them. Let us peel back their skin to reveal the horror lurking beneath. Pain that feels all too familiar. Torment that hits too close to home. This isn't an alternate dimension. This isn't a liminal. realm or a divergent timeline. These horrors are here and now

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