6 - FOLKLORE: Well, didn’t see that coming in this Folklore

Dive into the astral adventures of Dr. Apples, a young master of astral projection. As a teen, he hones his skills to explore the vastness of the universe, befriending a parasitic snail-like creature named Frederick. However, when a gargantuan dragon-like being appears on the horizon, Frederick reveals a shocking predatory nature. Dr. Apples is left grappling with the reality of pulling beings from astral realms into Earth, and he promises to share his mysterious gift. Alongside this, a heartwarming bond between Dr. Apples and his ailing mother Ms. BaRule deepens, where shared tales of astral adventures and Gumbo-making become their cherished routine.

Transcript

NEWSLETTER

#DrApples

INTRO

[00:00:06.14] - Dr. Apples

Hey, welcome. You're listening to the podcast, Dr. Apples. The fun fictional fantasy folklore about me. The fun fictional fantasy folklore about me. The fun fictional fantasy folklore about me. Dr. Apples.

[00:00:21.23] - Lacie

What are you doing?

[00:00:24.07] - Dr. Apples

I'm podcasting.

[00:00:26.01] - Lacie

No, you're not.

[00:00:26.51] - Dr. Apples

Yes.

[00:00:28.23] - Lacie

No, you're not.

[00:00:29.14] - Dr. Apples

Yes. 

[00:00:30.26] - Lacie

No.

[00:00:31.42] - Dr. Apples

Yes.

[00:00:32.55] - Lacie

No.

[00:00:33.43] - Dr. Apples

Yes.

[00:00:35.05] - Lacie

No. You're not.

[00:00:35.52] - Dr. Apples

Oh, yes, I am.

[00:00:37.55] - Lacie

No. No.

[00:00:38.34] - Dr. Apples

No.

[00:00:38.50] - Lacie

Give it. You give it. You give it. Give it. Give it to me.

[00:00:45.29] - Dr. Apples

Fine. You podcast then. I'll go check on my pickled ferries.

[00:00:51.05] - Lacie

Enjoy the show.

STORY

[00:00:54.11] - Lacie

Dr. Apples knew he had to work on astral projecting and traveling back into his physical body the same way he left. He couldn't remember much from many experiences either, but with a few adjustments, he trained himself to gently wake up and for his brain to remember most of the details.

[00:01:11.08] – Teen Dr. Apples

I got this.

[00:01:12.46] - Lacie

Soon the process became second nature to him. By the age of 14, he was swift, agile and felt he had mastered the technique. Oh, thank his ego for that.

[00:01:23.22] - Teen Dr. Apples

It's easy.

[00:01:24.44] - Lacie

He was most excited about describing his experiences to his mother.

[00:01:29.23] – Ms. BaRule

What an amazing experience for you, Pum.

[00:01:32.52] - Teen Dr. Apples

Yeah, it's nothing.

[00:01:37.33] - Lacie

The Cheshire Grand from Dr. Apple's reaction always placed an equally impressive smile upon Ms. BaRule's face. She knew the smile he gave when he told those stories came from the happiest part of his soul. Both loved each other for their bottomless wealth of knowledge, independence and strength. They were a refreshing alternative from the benighted society they were around. Dr. Apples admired his mother. She was easily his best friend. Well, his only human friend. On one occasion while he was experiencing astral projection, he heard a tiny gargle as he viewed the galaxy. He came upon a tiny, shelled creature, where it came upon him.

[00:02:21.46] - Teen Dr. Apples

Oh, how cute.

[00:02:24.04] - Lacie

This creature seemed to be into Dr. Apples. It stayed near him for the entire duration of his astral travel. It never interfered and was by his side. He felt a connection to it. The companionship was refreshing. He woke up and went about his daily life. He was a bit lethargic and moody that day, but he knew he could take a nap later. When it came upon time to explore the astral world again, that night he noticed the galaxy and the cute little being was beside him again. It looked much like a large snail, but had a beautiful human like eye. This creature seemed to float about effortlessly, much like Dr. Apples. You only knew it was around at times by the faint gargle. Its shell was shiny and twinkled against the darkness. His body didn't have too many features. It appeared to resemble the shape of a translucent thumb and had nostrils for breathing. This had to have been the same creature as before.

[00:03:27.18] - Teen Dr. Apples

I'll call you Frederick, and you'll be my friend here.

[00:03:32.53] - Lacie

He stare at the creature for a reaction for a while, then went back to observing the sights. He never bothered to touch Frederick, and Frederick never made a reaction, but clung close to Dr. Apples before disappearing from sight at times. As Dr. Apples viewed his surroundings, a dragon-like creature appeared in the far-off distance. He could tell it was massive. This thing seemed light years away, but it was so close.. Dr. Apples was trying to assess the girth of it. He was certain it was bigger than a killer whale and its length was longer than his sight could measure.

[00:04:10.04] - Teen Dr. Apples

Wow, that thing is really moving fast.

[00:04:13.07] - Lacie

The dragon-like creature had the grace of a dancing kite on a warm summer's day. A movable grid. You couldn't tell if it had scales from this distance. He couldn't ascertain if it had eyes or a nose, but it certainly had teeth. Massive teeth. As it got closer, he could finally see his face.

[00:04:40.32] - Teen Dr. Apples

Oh.

[00:04:42.20] - Lacie

He had no plans for this encounter. He looked around his surroundings to see if it were heading to a particular point. Nothing around him? Yep, it was probably headed towards Dr. Apples. He turned his head to the right and there was nothing blackness and stars in the background. He moved his head to the left and the massive green grid scales passed him as he felt the breeze of the creature passing him.

[00:05:13.54] - Teen Dr. Apples

What? What? What? Huh?

[00:05:16.51] - Lacie

He looked around to see if there was a way to escape. Funny. His eyes naturally moved down and Frederick was gnawing on his leg. His teeth, which Dr. Apples had never noticed before, were firmly embedded in his leg, slightly moving in and out. Rage within Dr. Apples, he grabbed Frederick, squeezed once and squeezed again to make it suffer. With all the force he had, he viciously threw it towards the large scale dragon that's creature moving. Dr. Apple's eyes popped open in his bed from the astral travel. 

The room was hazy and psychedelic. Feel like with his body stiffened, he sat up and began to recall the experience. The cogs were turning in his mind. He vigorously pat it all over his body and directed his attention to his leg. He lifted his pajamas pants to find faint reddish bumps on his chocolate skin. There was no blood and he didn't feel any pain. He patted his leg some more and felt a gush on his right-hand. He flipped his hand over to reveal flesh-tone-goon embedded in his nails. Oh, how the cogs were now spinning indeed. He remained still in that same spot for most of the day, pondering.

[00:06:42.37] - Lacie

This was a new level of enlightenment. The ramblings of thoughts erupted in his brain.

[00:06:49.07] - Teen Dr. Apples

How long could I stay under? How often could I do it in a day? Could I connect with another person? The dead, the living, other beings while astral traveling? Could I project with anyone I choose while astral projecting? Could I die from this goo? Why did Frederick try to eat me? Could I eat it? There's got to be a limit to what one can and cannot do in this uncharted practice. Where is Frederick? God kick his little...

[00:07:24.18] - Lacie

Ah. Ah. Ahhh! He wanted to understand how he had the ability to maintain the goo on his hand returning from Astro Travel. The answer was practice.

[00:07:32.39] - Teen Dr. Apples

Oh. 

[00:07:33.11] - Lacie

He Astro projected, he tried to touch anything he could. His sense is heightened and he became cognizant of every moment of Astral Travel. Eventually, he trained himself to pull beings from other realities into Earth. When he returned home from Astral Projecting, he would come back with a physical gift or two. Yes. It's a technique he promises to show me.

[00:07:56.17] - Dr. Apples

Just you wait, I'm going to show you how to manifest these things here. Just you wait. Blah, blah, blah.

[00:08:06.15] - Lacie

So he says, Then a week or two later, I hear.

[00:08:10.46] - Dr. Apples

Just you wait, blah, blah, blah.

[00:08:12.56] - Lacie

Blah, blah, blah. He has to remember the initial promise first. Some of the most common beings he would collect back to this planet were snail beings like Frederick. Later, he learned that they're parasites. He calls them things. I mean, calling them parasites is just off-putting. Plus, we can't sell them online that way. These successful hunts were a catalyst for a bigger ego, a confidence booster I wish Dr. Apples received a little later in life. Anyhow, playing in multiple rounds, his mom listened to his stories while cooking Gumbo and would test his memory on journeys.

[00:08:55.14] - Ms. BaRule

(French) Pomme, do we choose our looks before being born here? Do we choose our parents? What about experiences?

[00:09:04.05] – Teen Dr. Apples

Ah.

[00:09:05.20] – Ms. Barule

What's a color I haven't seen before? Better yet, find a being I have never seen and draw it for me, pour favor.

[00:09:15.52] - Lacie

Assisting with Gumbo and assigning Quest became routine for the two and were expected at least twice a week. These were moments Dr. Apples knew not to take for granted. For her skin was no longer as soft as the brush of a dandelion. And although her eyes sparkled, Ms. BaRule's cough was getting worse and her body appeared frail behind her now oversized dresses.

OUTRO

[00:09:43.29] - Dr. Apples

Hey, don't go yet. The next chapter of my adventure is just an episode away.

[00:09:53.32] - Lacie

That's right, delectably hit the subscribe button to keep up with Dr Apple's antics.

[00:10:01.56] - Dr. Apples

Delectably.

[00:10:03.06] - Lacie

What? Wanting to try something different?

[00:10:06.46] - Dr. Apples

Hmm, Don't and visit www.drapples.com for even more enchantment. Till next time, keep those apples crisp.

[00:010:17.31] - Lacie

And your imagination wild.

[00:10:20.17] - Dr. Apples

Delectably.

[00:10:21.11] - Lacie

Yeah.

[00:10:21.37] - Dr. Apples

Really?

[00:10:22.09] - Lacie

Really.

[00:10:22.38] - Dr. Apples

You're scaring them. And I'm the witch doctor.