Desert Skies - Chapter 7 - The Long Paws

Episode Date: October 3, 2022

Mac has hitched a ride with HueHue in pursuit of answers to the mystery of the newest token, but Tendy isn't far behind. What mysteries does the second sphere hold, and who is the mysterious stranger they meet there? 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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For the best listening experience, headphones are recommended. And now, a message from our sponsor. I'm so bored. Me too. Billy, Margaret. What's wrong? 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? Yeah. How did you get in our house?

Well, kids. Let me tell you about Club 86. What's Club 86? I'm... I'm gonna tell you. Just be patient. Okay. Club 86 is the only way to get exclusive access to all kinds of Desert Sky's extras. Like what?

Seriously, kid. I'm gonna tell you. Sorry. That's okay. When you join Club 86, you'll receive amazing perks. Like access to exclusive merch, totally add-free episodes. VIP Creator Access, bonus episodes. 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 Oh, yeah. I'm gonna eat and drink and drive and laugh. The doctor says my days are done so I'm gonna have some fun. Hey, why'd you do that?

I love that song. Yeah, you're right. I have been hogging the radio. I think I'm just nervous. This is the farthest of way I've ever been from Desert Skies. What if something happens to us? Dandy's going to be so worried. I should have said something.

I know I am kind of a grown-up. But Dandy's still my best friend, and I think I'd be pretty upset if he just up and left without saying goodbye. But hey, you're my pal too, and I know you got my back if anything happens. I don't know why I'm so worried. Lots of travelers have gone down this road before. I just, I hope we can find out what to do with this key. Hey, there's a sign.

Now leaving the desert sphere. Okay, deep breaths. I got this, just leaving the only place I've ever called home and have no idea what to expect. Wait, wait, where's the rest of the highway? It just stands. We're going to crash you. if we keep going. Why in the hell are you speeding up?

Yeah! Can I open my eyes now? Wow. Look at this place. The trees, wait, wait. I've never seen a tree that tall before. Those are pines, ain't they? They're tall as a mountain.

I'm gonna roll the window down for a sec. You don't mind, do you? The air is so cool. And that smell is unbelievable. It's like a pine air freshener, but not disgusting. I'm sorry, I know I'm gushing a bit here. It's just that... What the heck was that?

Tire popped. Was that a pothole you hit? That don't make no sense. The Astral Highway doesn't have potholes? Oh well, no worries. Every 1986 Buick Skylark is equipped with a compact spare. And you're in luck. This one also comes equipped with a mechanic. Get it. Me, can it? Hey, you hear that? Hey, it's Tandy. And he looks mad.

Oh, he looks real mad. Save me, Wei, way. Mack, what in the hell were you thinking, driving off like that? And to the second sphere? You abandon the station, you abandon your responsibilities, and your friends. You abandoned me. Now wait just a second, Tandy. I wasn't abandoning nobody.

I knew if I told you I was leaving, you'd never let me gone. I found something back at the station, Tendi, a key. Save it, Mac. We can't do this right now. I borrowed this car from a traveler. Cash and Shirley are back at the station alone, and we have to... Shirley knows how to run a gas station, and I'm sure she can keep a traveler occupied until we get back.

It's not up for debate. We're headed back now. Not now, Wei, way. Oh, and thanks a lot for taking my mechanic. Don't be rude to him. He's trying to say something. What is it, Weiwei? You hear something.

What is it? Probably a malevolent being. And one that doesn't like to play board games either. We need to get out of here now. I hear it too. Listen, Tandy. Is that music? Yeah.

And I think I smell some kind of food, too. And it's... Not a burrito. Probably a trick, not worth the risk. Let's go, Mac. No, uh, I ain't going back just yet. I need to find out what the key belongs to, and it might have something to do with that music.

No, Mac, we're leaving. Get in the car now. I said no, Tandy. You go back if you want to, but I'm staying. Get in the car. No. Yes. No.

Yes. Tandy, look out. There's a malevolent bang shape like a dragon behind you. What? There's a... There's nothing. there. Real grown-up of you, Mac. Mac? Where'd you? You'll never take me alive, Tendi. Get it. You'll never take me alive because I'm...

I get it, Mac, because you're already dead. It's because I'm already dead. Tandy. Get it. Get it. Get it, Tendi. Look, I'm sorry for getting angry Mac. I was just really scared. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. Oh, that's all right. And I'm sure you'd be fine if something happened to me. You all got Shirley now.

Shirley's great. She's been a real help. And as long as she's here, I'm sure she'll be a benefit to the team. But she's not going to replace you, Max. I don't know. Sometimes it feels like you and I aren't hardly friends anymore. Since Shirley showed up, you and her are always working on something. I've already been having a hard time with.

I don't know. I don't want to talk about it, I guess. A hard time with what? You know. My purpose. But Mac, I told you. I know, I know. I do lots of other stuff like make cash laugh and help ease travelers, et cetera, et cetera.

That don't change the fact that I'm the mechanic. Hell, it's in my name. Or, my name's an it. Maccanic. But when's the last time I did Mechanican? Like we talked about before, the Buick's almost never never. need work. Just the last service. Not like I'm swapping out transmissions. Stupid, perfect cars. I guess I just don't feel like me and my title go together all that well. And that's causing a

little bit of a crisis in me. And maybe that's why I left the desert sphere. I feel like I'm lacking purpose, Dandy. So I guess I got something to prove. And when that key came to me, We can talk about the key later What you just said about not having a purpose That's just not true Forget about the title You and I have been in this thing together Since I found myself standing behind that counter

Our purpose is and always has been To help travelers reach their destination I can't do that without you That's a thing, Tendi You're the attendant I think maybe you could do that without me Mac Look Tindy

lights ahead is that neon I'm not sure about this maybe we shouldn't be here oh come on let's get a closer look the long pause yeah but it's spelled

P-A-W-S sounds like a place you'd like Way-W-W-Way Way way there he is did he just go inside come on Tendi it might be dangerous back

you think Wayway would stay outside if he thought we might be in danger Okay, let's go It's a bar Full of bears It's a bear bar Let's just find Weiwei and get out of here On it

You take that side and I'll take a look over at the pool table Okay, where are you, coyote If I was a benevolent K-9 warrior Where would I have gone first? He does like music Maybe he's... Oh no, oh God, I'm so sorry, sir, ma'am, bear, please, let me get you another one. I'll be right back.

Excuse me, bartender, can I get some help over here? Normally bears have great hearing, but, uh, unfortunately that's not the case for Jerry. Name's Driston. Tendi, uh, the attendant. I'm from Desert Skies. Desert skies, huh? I remember that place. I don't remember you, though. When I passed through a gas station, the man there, what'd you call it?

Attendant. That's right. The attendant I met was a bit older than you, a deep southern drawl. That's my predecessor. Is that right? That's been some time then, hasn't it? Jerry, let's get a couple beers down here. Thank you, my final.

friend. There you go, attendant. Why don't you take that over to Arthoretta and make nice with her? I will. Hey, thanks for the help. I recommend watching your walking in here from here on out. I definitely will. Here you go, ma'am, again. I'm so sorry. I don't know what that means, but I'll be careful moving forward. Do you find him? No.

No luck. Well, shit. But Mac, I found a human. He's a traveler. He has to be. He's been to Desert Skies. Hmm. Maybe he heard the music like we did and came to check it out.

I don't recognize him, and he was talking about the old attendant. The old attendant. That means... That means he's been here for a while. I think we should talk to him, find out what's going on. Come on. He was here. I wonder where he went.

Hey, look you here. It's Wayway. Where you've been hiding, bud? Really? Where is it? Okay, come on, Tandy. Wayway's got something he wants us to see. Says it's behind the barraways.

He says it's at the bank of the creek. Just a little ways ahead. I don't see anything. It's under here. Help me move these branches, Tandy. Oh my God. Is that a... 1961, Buick, Skylark.

Yes, sir, it is. Whoa. Kristen, how long have you been out here? At the long pause, I mean, I've been out here a very, very long time. Is your car broke down? Maybe I can take a look at it. I really want to take a look at it. Nah, I'm not broke down, just park.

Under a bunch of branches. Listen, I know what you're going to say, and you can save your breath. If I remember correctly, it's an attendant's job to make sure a traveler reaches his destination safely. Well, take a look around, attendant. I have reached my destination, and I don't intend to drive a foot further. So you're just going to spend an eternity sitting around in a bare bar? That's the plan, compadre. But that sounds awesome.

Seriously, Mac, what? Don't you fellas remember what it was like back then? Back when we were alive. Hell, that was nothing but a nightmare for me. Life is pain, my friends. Nothing but pain. And then I die and I come to the astral plane. What do you think is the first thing your old attendant tells me?

What? He says, there's another one. Just go down that road, he says, and you'll arrive. at your destination calls it the next life. Why would I ever want to try my hand at life again? Look, I don't know what the next life is, but I can tell you this. They're better off without me there.

But you don't know that. The next life, it's a new opportunity. I don't know what's past the 33rd sphere either, but I know whatever it is, it's life. And that means you don't have to do it the same way you did it before. It could be different this time. Yeah, but you don't know that, do you? Listen, some of us just aren't meant to be around people.

You see people like me, we get hurt so much in our lives that it gets to a point we can't walk into a room without the lights dimming a little. After a while, you start to figure out the world be better off without you. The world wouldn't be better off without you, and the lights don't dim when you enter a room either. That's easy for you to say, you and your friends here, see you serve a purpose. I don't serve any purpose, but to spread a little sprinkling of doom and gloom wherever I go. Speaking of which, time to spread some now. What are you talking about? I don't earn my drinks around here somehow.

Stick around, you'll see. How's everybody doing out here? Thank you, Jerry, for the warm introduction. I'll show how necessary it is, since you all know who I am and I know who you are. I'm supposed to remind you, don't forget to try the tried and true fried fish balls, delicious as always, and the special right now, is the pizza paradox which for those not in the know is a pizza that looks terrible that tastes good for some reason this here is one i've been working on for a while and in light of

some of the conversating i've been doing recently seems like now's a good time to share it hope you enjoy I thought I'd left behind I'm still living there in my mind Why would I ever Go through it all again The pain I carried through my life It's still here on me

other side so what is the point in taking that highway memories memories plague my mind telling me telling me I'll never find paradise paradise it's show to be Paradise, paradise, but not for me. I think it might be the one, yeah, I can get it too. That's the only thing that makes sense, it is. Yeah, yeah. Hey, look who it is. Tristan, that was oppressing.

Amazing. All right, all right, I can pick a guitar and sing a little, but like I said before, there's nothing I did in there that lit up the room more than it brought it down. I'm just a lost traveler slinging sad songs for his keep. That's not what you're doing, not at all. That's right. I feel, I don't know, a little lighter. I may not agree with everything you said in that song, but I do know one thing.

Oh, yeah, what's that? You have a purpose. Let's see, how do I put this? we spend a lot of time at desert skies trying to help people process all the pain that they're bringing with them from the physical plane right mac yeah lots of folks we meet come over to this side all beat to hell something in the first life must have really put them through the ringer and whenever we try to dig into the root of their experience we almost always run into the same issue people just don't have the words for the sad they feel Tandy's right, but what you did in there, it was magic, sad but powerful. Tristan, a musician who plays a sad song or an artist who draws a sad picture, they're giving a voice to the pain that we often don't have words for.

Tapping into a part of our experience, we might not be able to access ourselves. I think in a very real way, it allows us to process the pieces of us that need it the most. Huh. Well, that's a positive way of looking at it, I guess. Driston, I think there's people in the next life who would appreciate you and your gift. I think you'll find purpose there. Maybe you're at a tenant, and I don't know. I'll have to think about it.

I can help get your car ready to go. You should have astral fuel in the tank still, unless you were gallivanting around the spheres. No gallivanting, but when I got here, I tossed the key to that car in the creek. I doubt you'd ever find it now. I don't think we have to. Tristan, I think this might be yours.

Well, I'll be the key. Same shape and everything, but this one's different. It says token two on it. You want to give it a try, see if it starts up? You know what? No. No, not right now. But thank you.

You know, you fellas have given me a lot to think about. You know, I'm envious of you, Driston. I find that hard to believe. Nah, you can believe it. I think Tandy's right. I think you. you do have a purpose and a gift and that's a good combination to have you're saying you don't have that of course he does mac i've told you tandy you're my best friend but i need you to stop

telling me how i should feel about things i need you to trust me when i tell you there's something that i'm meant to be doing but i'm not doing it i'm sorry mac i trust you i just feel helpless I wish there was something I could do to help. You do help, Tindy. You help just by being my friend. Maybe you need to write a song about the pain you're feeling, little man. Calling me little man makes me want to punch you in your face. But yeah, maybe I could write a song.

Heck, maybe I could come back here and you can play your guitar and I'll sing. You know what? I think I got something for you. It looks like we can test this key out after all. You're going to start the car? No. I'm going to unlock an open. the trunk. The trunk? A long time ago when I got to desert skies, your old attendant started

servicing this here car, filling it up with gas and whatnot, and then he opened up the trunk and I asked why, and he said sometimes supplies and inventory come in the trunks of these skylarks, like this one here. He didn't find no supplies, but he found something, something weird. Weird how? Well, your old attendant, he reaches inside the trunk and pulls this out. A guitar. But why? I couldn't tell you why. You attended asked if I played, I said I did, and he told me to keep it. I asked what the reason was, you know, if I'm dead.

And he said, he didn't know. Maybe I'd find a reason. The Bears, see, they make guitars and all kinds of instruments. And that's where I got mine when I got here. So I just left this one here in the trunk. It's never been touched. Still got the same pick here lodged in the strings. Anyway, maybe you're the reason I got this guitar.

I'm not sure if there's any intention behind anything that happens in this place, but I'm always hoping there is. Here, take it. You can write your song. But I don't know how to play. I'm sure you get guitar players coming through your gas station all the time. Musicians are rarely the most health conscious of people. Someone can teach you the bass of chords, I'm sure of it.

The pick, Tendi. Look at it. Token three. Token three. Tristan, I don't know what to say. Thank you. You're very welcome. It's nice to see some humans again.

And thank the two of you for giving me something to ponder a bit. I better get going back inside. Adios, amigos. Safe travels, Tristan. Hey, Tristan, wait a second. Before you go, you said the old attendant serviced your car when you came through. Where was the mechanic? Well, I don't think they had a mechanic.

I didn't mean no one but the old man when I was there. Anyways, I gotta get going, guys. There's sad songs that need playing. Desert Skies didn't have a mechanic. That doesn't make any sense. No, no it doesn't. Huh. You want a ride with the Wayway or me?

Well, I'm pretty sure you don't know how to drive, but you're a safer bet than Wayway. I'll let you pick the music. It's so good to be back. It's so good to be back. The forest sphere was beautiful, but there's just something about the warmth of a desert breeze. Like someone gently wiping a warm blanket across your face. Exactly. I wonder how the traveler is holding up. I feel bad for taking his car.

Is that him? I guess so. Uh, greetings, traveler. I don't want to talk. Please, just fill up the tank and let me go. If I have to listen to one more minute of another story. Story. From that old lady.

Story after story after story. That woman's voice has become like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. Give me those keys. I'll sit in the car. Tell me when I can drive. Okay. Wow. That guy really doesn't like Shirley.

Yeah. Hey, maybe you should give him the guitar. He could write a song about all the pain Shirley's voice caused him. Come on, Mac. I know I'm hilarious, but it's not that fun. No, it's not that. What is it? Bear tender.

I'm sorry, what? Back at the bar. Serving drinks. He was a bear tender. Oh, you're right. That's funny. He was a bear tender, Tendi. Yeah, I got it.

A bear tender. Seriously, Mac? Greetings, Traveler. This is Jared Carter, the writer, producer, and for better or worse, the cast of Desert Skies. Thanks so much for listening. I'd love to connect with you on Twitter, so. So you can follow me there at Desert Skies Pod. Also, if you like this show, be sure to rate and review wherever you listen.

Safe travels, my friends. The Fable and Falling Network, where fiction producers flourish. Broadcasting, this is Roger Bergato Fisher, Communications, something, Moonbase, wherever. guys can sort out the next thing. I need to get the rover checked and loaded. John? On it, boss. Excuse me. If communication still makes a difference at this point in the plot, if we can keep this base or this moon together long enough to be a thing. I changed my direction. I worked my way down. I took those scraps. The bits they'd forgotten about are thrown away and I built my own

place. Still inside, but within the shadows. All my thoughts. My hope. All of my heart is on a makeshift rocket hurtling towards us with the most precious of cargo. We'll definitely deserve a celebration. Not like yours. You and your boy down there? I hope he's got a private room waiting. It'll be enough to be close again. Ah, my amato. When I have Alex back in my arms, maybe then I can think about resistance.

We've kept the corporations at arm's length longer than most. Well, whatever you're building, here, or wherever, I'm in. Any way we can help. It feels like we're approaching the closing stage of this journey. The final stop. But either way, it's been one hell of a story. And either way it ends with Alex. Moonbase Theta Out, the final season.

Broadcasting on your podcast feeds starting August 14th. For early access, join us at patreon.com slash Monkey Man Productions. Moonbase Theta, out.