Story Time: The Sutton Chronicles | Slewfoot Part 1

⚠️ SPOILER & CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains full spoilers for the first half of Brom’s Slewfoot. Discussion includes themes of religious extremism, isolation, and colonial violence. Please listen with care.

"There are older things in the woods than the laws of men."

Welcome back to the Cozy Midnight Collective. This June, we are stepping into the dark woods of 1664 Connecticut. This week, we launch our two-part deep dive into Brom's folk-horror masterpiece, Slewfoot. In this segment, we open The Sutton Chronicles to discuss Abitha’s fight for survival in a rigid Puritan colony and the awakening of a mysterious, ancient spirit named Samson.

🎨 AN ARTISTIC NOTE: To fully immerse you in the dark beauty of this story, our visual podcast features the breathtaking, original illustrations created by Brom himself for the novel. All credit for these incredible pieces of art belongs entirely to the author.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Stranger in the Colony: Abitha’s defiance of Puritan expectations.
• The Opossum & The Monster: Our first impressions of Samson and the Wildfolk.
• The Shift in Power: The sudden tragedy that changes everything for Abitha.
• The Altar: The desperate alliance forged in the shadows of the forest.

Timestamps:

• 00:00:28 – Spoiler and Content Warnings 
• 00:00:50 – Welcome Back to the Collective 
• 00:01:32– The Midnight Draw (Tarot Ritual)
• 00:15:06 – The Sutton Chronicles 
• 00:21:24- The Stranger in the Colony
• 00:57:30- The Opossum and the Monster 
• 01:16:55- The Shift in Power 
• 01:23:10- The Alliance
• 01:57:15- Until Next Time 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:08

Before we wander into the woods, a quick note. This episode contains full spoilers for the first half of Brom's Sloughfoot.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Our discussion today touches on themes of religious extremism, isolation, and colonial violence. Please listen with care.

SPEAKER_02 0:26

Welcome back to Cozy Midnight Collective. I'm Morgan.

SPEAKER_01 0:32

And I'm Lauren. This June, we are leaving the modern hauntings behind and stepping back into the shadow of the 1600s.

SPEAKER_02 0:40

Tonight we are launching our two-part deep dive into a world of ancient magic, rigid superstition, and a girl who refuses to bow. We're breaking down the first half of Sloughfoot.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

So grab your favorite warm drink, light a candle, and settle in for storytime in the Colony of Sutton.

SPEAKER_02 1:03

Oh Sutton. Before we meet the wild folk, it's time to set the energy for the episode. So you already know. Let's set up the altar for the midnight draw.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

I'm so excited because we got like another tarot deck. And it's really cute because it's got crows on it. And I've already used this a couple times with my family at home. I specifically picked this one because like my husband feeds the crows in our neighborhood. And I was like, oh. I think they're starting to recognize us though, which is nice. Yeah. And they come like every morning, like clockwork, because he feeds them around the same time every day.

SPEAKER_02 1:42

I'm excited to see, or I guess not see, but like here when they start bringing him like little trinkets. Because I was asking him, I was like, have they brought you anything yet?

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Like teach them to bring you shiny metal. If you don't have anything like that yet, but I know that it takes time. It takes time. And we like we want to build like one of those like altar things for them. So we get to put put the food up there and then we give them like a spot to leave the treasures. Is it a special like it's literally just like it's literally just like a stick with like a flat piece of wood on top? Oh, okay. It's it's literally that's all it is, yeah. So yeah, we've been talking about doing that and putting it like in the front, but like we want to keep it like away from the dogs because the dogs are just idiots. Yeah, you don't want them like eating pro poop all the time either. Yeah, or like just scaring them off, and then but like we can't put it in the middle of the yard because we have like a apartment people like they have like a lawn service that comes and does the front yard every week and they'll just mow right over it. Or we've like mown over so much of our like flowers and stuff that we have out there, and they've like pulled it down, so it's just annoying, but that's not cool. And then the backyard is for like the regular birds, okay, because they know boundaries. Well, yeah, the they'll try to take like the crow stuff, and we don't want them touching the crow stuff, so okay. So we've got the ten of swords, the upside down page of swords, and upside down death. That's uh oh.

SPEAKER_02 3:14

Okay, ten of swords and it's upright. Okay. The defeated broken crow lies on the ground at the bottom of a cliff surrounded by cold, barren rocks. Alone in his misery, this poor bird has been left for dead, impaled by ten swords. His ordeal is marked by the heaviness of betrayal. The ten of swords could indicate being backstabbed and made denote the end of a painful situation. I hope not. If there is one positive aspect to this card, it is that the time of suffering will soon be over. This card asks you to let go and accept that an end is coming. By doing so, you will find the strength to move on. Do you feel like you've been backstabbed?

SPEAKER_01 4:01

No. It's funny because when I did this with Wade, uh-huh he got like all of like the most negative, like horrific cards. And so it's like, I I remember reading this one to him, and he's like, Jesus, like, what did you guys think? Oh, he got that?

SPEAKER_02 4:15

Yeah. Well, it's not always right, you know. It's it's like when it's spot on, I'm like, yes, I believe in the magic, I feel it. And then when it's not on, I'm like, it's a card game.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Nah, comedian. I think it's fine.

SPEAKER_02 4:32

Page of Swords. Okay, so it's reversed. The Page of Swords reverse represents a person who talks a big game but doesn't have the experience to back it up. The card reverse may also warn of jumping in jumping in too hastily without proper research, and as a result, wasting energy.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

Cool.

unknown 4:54

Cool.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

Death reversed is a sign that you are resisting change and holding on to behaviors or thought patterns that are preventing your growth. Take this as a warning to look at the habits that are preventing you from reaching your full potential.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Yeah. That's good. I like the death book for sure.

SPEAKER_02 5:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:12

I am working on it.

SPEAKER_02 5:13

So yeah, I was just thinking, you are working on it.

SPEAKER_01 5:16

Pull a card from the center of the deck and place it face uh place it face down on the table. Let your mind wander peacefully. When ready, pull two more and place them face down in the shape of a crow. Card one would be your heart energy in your inner self. So this position represents an energy that is serving as a foundation. It may be one that is permanent and represents one's true nature or an energy that has taken hold of the heart due to life events. This card's energy operates in the background and is tied with the present energy. So card one is Queen of Wands in reverse. When this card appears reversed, it is a sign that the Queen of Wands is lacking confidence and feeling scared that she will never live up to the potential she once felt was possible. She urges you to look deep within and ask yourself if fear is holding you back. So then the card two is the present energy. So this is the surrounding energy that creates the mood and creates the atmosphere for future events to emerge. Okay. So Knight of Cups. In reverse, the Knight of Cups may represent a person who has become overly emotional and may jump to conclusions without having all the facts. The Knight of Cups may also point to a relationship that has lost its creativity and has become mundane. And then card number three is energy holding you back or helping you. This is the energy that may be supporting your goals or adding friction to the situation. Often the card that comes through in this position hints at your hopes and fears. And that would be the upright hanged man. Okay. The hanged man. So key words would be delay, letting go, waiting, and waiting to decide. The element is water. So the crow hangs from the blossoming cherry tree, allowing his wings to fall in complete surrender. He stays still, leaning into the position and allowing the blood to rush in to nourish his brain. Away from the raucous noises of the roost, he has let go and is at peace. It is in the silence he will discover the answers he needs to help move a project or desire forward. The Hanged Man asks that you put the situation or plan on pause so that you can look at it from a different angle. There may be a vital element that you are missing, and the result may be a longer delay. The Hanged Man may suggest getting away from the situation both mentally and physically so that you can recharge your energy and approach the issue with a renewed vitality. This card may also represent a project put on hold due to an external force out of your control. The only course of action is to wait patiently.

SPEAKER_02 7:40

Those were really good.

SPEAKER_01 7:42

Yeah, the like the special cards or whatever. Those ones have like much longer. Yeah, I like that. That's cool.

SPEAKER_02 7:49

So I like that. I love it. It's like makes me feel good. And I like reading them for like the girls. They like it. And it it's cool because I do feel like even if you're not aware of like how to label like an emotion or a feeling, even if it's something like you haven't even really identified yet, but then sometimes you hear the cards and you're just like, oh, like that relate, that like answers that.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:15

Even if it's just like a feeling. No, I agree.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

You know, the death one, like, definitely is like my thing. I'm like, I'm really trying to work on myself and like my confidence and all that stuff, and I'm working on it.

SPEAKER_02 8:26

It's good. Yeah. I mean, you gotta start somewhere. I think it's great. We all deserve happiness within ourselves. It's really easy to lose and really hard to gain back, you know. It really is. Even if it's just like a change to a schedule, you know, just I get it. Like whether you're trying to work out or eat healthier, and it's just like the time you have to put in to researching, like, what are you even gonna like? How are you gonna do it? Then how are you gonna fit it in your schedule? Like every little thing takes up time that you just you didn't think it was gonna be like that difficult, and and then it is. So, like once you get going, it's good, just like momentum, keep going.

SPEAKER_01 9:14

I always heard that like it takes like two weeks to make a habit and like two weeks to like fully break a habit. And so, like, that's what I'm trying to hold on to or 27 or something. Yeah, that's what I'm trying to hold on to. Coming from like being in the Marine Corps, where it's like everything is like your weight all the time, your there's probably a lot of Marines out there that would probably agree with me, and there's probably a lot of Marines that would be like, Well, you're just you know a fat body or whatever, but at the end of the day, a lot of Marines' worth are tied to their weight and whether or not they can run three miles in like a certain amount of time, right? Which right it's important, yeah, it's very important, it's important to be healthy and take care of yourself, especially if you're ever gonna be in a situation where you need to take care of somebody or yourself or yeah, like a life or death situation. If it's a life or death situation, yeah. But I knew so many people that weren't within like the weight guidelines of what the Marine Corps set forward, and I would sooner trust them with my life than I would trust somebody who could run like a marathon, like in whatever marathon time is, you know. Like I am not a runner, I hate running with a burning fucking passion. But you don't have to run to get bit. I can lift a lot, I can carry people, I can do I can hike like a mother, like I can hike so fucking well. I can I can hike with weight on my back. Like, you know, I just like a rock. It's just like one of those things where it's like my brain sometimes still takes me back to that where it's like, and then you compare yourself to others, right? Like I have had two kids, right? And actually, it's kind of funny because it's like a small side side conversation, but up here in Washington, we have bikini baristas.

SPEAKER_02 10:57

Oh yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

And my friend from the ladybone ones, right? My friend from out of town.

SPEAKER_02 11:03

I accidentally was there when I moved here, and I had no idea what it was, and I pulled up and I was like, I said, Oh. Uh from a latte brevet. And I ordered it and she brought it, and I was like, like, and I used to be a stripper, so like I'm not judging by any means, but I was so thrown off. You're not if you don't know, and then driving away, I was like, Oh my god, that's why all the windows were blacked out, and it's like painted like a fucking ladybug. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

I tipped her, but then the coffee was the worst coffee, and it was like coffee dollars.

SPEAKER_02 11:37

Yeah, well, yes, you're a whole cooking like 12 ounces. I was like, This is so stupid.

SPEAKER_01 11:43

Yeah, no, I mean, the one I went to was pretty good. She's a pretty good job, really sweet, and like they talk to you and stuff like that, which is like like for me, I'm shy, you know. Regular people, yeah. But I'm not models. I'm shy because like the whole point why we went over there was to like he was like, Yeah, I want to go. Let's go look at the girl. I wanna, you know, not in a creepy way, but he was like, you know, I just want to go in a sexual way. So he's he's just like it's interesting because he's like, we don't have this where I'm from, like, this is not a thing, and so it's like, yeah, let's just go. So we went, and this girl's really sweet, gorgeous, beautiful, beautiful woman. And I'm like, her and I are talking, and she's kind of like, Oh, like what do you guys do for work? And like, you know, he's active duty, and so he was explaining like what he does, and then she asked, like, if I was active duty, and I'm like, Okay, look at me, like, no, but then I'm also like, Oh, I was, you know, like whatever, and like we kind of got into the discussion, and then we like we were there for a minute, and because she's making like three drinks and stuff, and so we were talking, chatting, and then came up that, like, you know, I've got two kids, and she's like, Oh, I have two kids, and I'm like, fuck, like comparing, and then I compared myself to her and like what she looked like, and she's but she's like just this beautiful woman, and then I'm like, Why am I doing this? Like, there's so many other factors that come into play other than like the amount of kids you have, like you know, you've got like your genetics, you have like I took I think what fucked me up was I had a birth control bar, like I got the next one on put in. As soon as I put my next one on in after I had my daughter, it fucked me up. Like I blew up, I was I got really big, and then I took it out a couple years later, and then I got pregnant with Reese like a few months later. Yeah, and then like they say it takes like two years for your body to get back to normal after having kids, and I'm just like, is it because of that, or is it like, am I lazy? Like, I mean, like, because like I I eat like twice a day, like I'm not like maybe you're not eating overeating, like I'm not, I don't feel like I'm doing that, but then there's like some days where I'm like, I can't stop, you know. So it's just like I don't know. My point is all of that aside, I'm working on it. It's hard. It is.

SPEAKER_02 13:58

You try, yeah, and like, and then if one day fails, you just don't give up. You just okay, well, tomorrow's a new fucking day, and we're gonna like give it another go. Because sometimes I'll be like, oh hell, I'm giving in because it's easy. Yeah, but you just yeah, it's just yeah, I need to tell myself, don't give in every day. Like some days are gonna be hard and you just have to stick to it. You know, even if your daughter is screaming bloody murder at the top of her lungs and it hurts your ears, just keep going.

SPEAKER_01 14:29

Yeah, so well, with that, yeah, with our little banter. I want to start by saying I have seen and heard about this book for years, right? Like I've seen it recommended on like a lot of like, you know, horror gothic, you know, that type of vibe. Witchy, 1600s, 1600s, that type of thing. If you liked Witch, you'll like the movie Witch or The Witch or whatever, you'll like Sloughfoot. I, you know, I'm like gorgeous cover, so beautiful, and I had no idea that the author, who is Brom, he also not only wrote this amazing book, but he also illustrated the cover. And he's got like in the middle of the book, he's got portraits of these characters. So we've got our main character. Actually, before we even introduce Abatha, the way this book was started, the way it opened, so good. Mm-hmm. It like caught you right away. Unique. You're seeing it from the perspective of like what you assume is the bad guy. Yeah. Or the antagonist. You think this is going to be a blood?

SPEAKER_02 15:46

Honestly, I was like, oh, it's gonna be like a bloodbath book of this fucking like demon and his little like hooligan sidekicks, and I was all down for that. Don't get me wrong. I was like, ooh, like the just the way he gets awoken out of this deep purgatory slumber.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

Slum, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:11

That he doesn't even know is a purgatory.

SPEAKER_01 16:14

Yeah, he like has and this that's the thing too is like he has no idea who he is.

SPEAKER_02 16:17

All he knows is he's content and he wants to stay sleeping. He's sleeping, and that's what feels good to him. He is like endlessly tired, so he's endlessly slumbering, yeah, has no idea where he is, how long he's been there, who he was, if he's ever gonna leave. Like he's like just literally in a trance. Like indefinitely.

SPEAKER_01 16:44

And that's the thing, too, with this book, too, is like I assumed it was gonna be like the devil demons, similar to like the witch, like board demon, though, because I definitely went through and looked at all like every single chapter, if not multiple times, I would go and look at my illustrations or the the middle um illustrations.

SPEAKER_02 17:10

And like when I and I would look at him and be like, oh, is this her and this becomes her? Like, I was like, How is this gonna connect? Are they different people but they look the same? Type of like ancestral stuff. Um, but he made me fall in love with the whole, like immediately. I was immediately obsessed, and I really loved looking at the character reference. I was like, this just makes it so good. Makes it easier also to like have to visualize myself, like hands down, that immediately I was like, full moon.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Like literally, no, right away. I mean, honestly, yeah, it's a full moon for me too. I guess spoilers for our rating. I mean, we'll keep talking about that. We'll keep talking about it and we'll reiterate why we gave the full moon.

SPEAKER_02 18:01

But yeah, I mean, so you said And this wasn't even on like our radar until we went to that bookstore. We didn't even plan to like we didn't even give you an option, as you saw, kind of like how we develop it.

SPEAKER_01 18:13

Like it was. I mean, we did do like the June book of the month, but I I I think it's a blessing that that book is so small. Yeah, like our official June book of the month, we'll be able to get them both in there because this deserves and even this is also kind of a shorter book, too. Was it 300? Uh yeah, it was like 300 pages, something like that. The way he wrote this book was so good. The beginning, so going to the beginning, you are kind of it's like a dual POV, third person, well, not dual. I'd say it's multiple POV, third person, this creature. 305. Yeah, yeah. This creature is waking up from sleeping, and he's kind of pissed about he's like, Why am I awake right now? Like, what is going on? He's like, No, don't wake me. Don't wake me up. Don't leave me alone. And I'm not doing anything for anybody, I'm fucking sleeping. And these childlike voices are like, Father, like it's time to wake up, it's time, and you know, it's time to feast. Like, they they keep trying to get him to eat. And the first thing that he kind of sees upon waking up is like he calls it like this weird horned creature. And we come to find out, like, in a couple sentences, it's a goat. Yeah, he finds a goat, and then it goes into detail of him like just consuming, eating this goat, like frantically.

SPEAKER_02 19:38

He's just like starved as soon as blood.

SPEAKER_01 19:41

Yeah, first he doesn't want anything, he doesn't want anything, he's like, fine.

SPEAKER_02 19:43

He's like once he tastes it, and then he's like, Oh, like I'm hungry, I cannot like get enough.

SPEAKER_01 19:49

Yeah, and again, there's like these three childlike voices, and they're like, Yes, father, like they're encouraging, yeah, both, yeah. Yeah, so they're like, Yes, Papa, yes, father, like encouraging him to consume this goat.

SPEAKER_02 20:02

You must eat, continue to eat, very of like the 1600s, how you would speak then. Like, yeah, all of it's in character.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

Yeah, and then you hear like a woman's voice, and she's like yelling for Samson. She's and she's Samson, where are you? Oh, you stupid goat. Like you can kind of hear her like cursing a little bit. Like in the background, I can't, and he can hear it, and right off the bat, like as soon as he like the blood touches his lips, he's like pissed. He's kind of like, I want to kill everything now, like main, kill, destroy, that type of thing. And so it's that moment we switch places, and now we're talking about our main female main character, Abitha. I love her. Oh, I love her so much. So we're introduced to Abitha, who's our main female main character, and Abitha is so cute.

SPEAKER_02 21:00

She's like this petite little firecracker of a redhead. And she comes from outside of the Puritan community.

SPEAKER_01 21:11

She comes from like London, doesn't she? She comes from like somewhere over the pond.

SPEAKER_02 21:15

So I envision her like, yeah, England from over there. Yeah. The Puritans are the people that obviously left and came over and established like in the 13 colonies, like the 13 original colonies.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

Do you remember that song? Vaguely.

SPEAKER_02 21:34

Yeah. From when we were children, like learning about like America's heritage, anyways. Um I'm not gonna lie, I doubt it onto all that shit. Like I oh, this is like this is from literally so long ago, like in first grade. It's just an embedded memory. Yeah. The song. But yeah, and so over here, I feel like those communities were. probably that probably was exactly what it was like like very Christian and like we are building America like this. Yeah. And as you all know, as part of our history in America, there was in what was it, Salem, Massachusetts, was well, it was all over. They used to do this to witches, but literally people that even helped cure people of like little ailments with natural remedies that we see all the time now, they were considered like witches and would be tortured, murdered, hung, strung, burnt, all those things.

SPEAKER_01 22:41

And so it's like very much that with this but they did like the some of them were accepted very, very but to a degree and they would call them cunning women. But even that was still kind of like if you take one step further than some of like the little things that like you're doing like it could be something as simple as like hey I put some honey in your tea to make your sore throat go away.

SPEAKER_02 23:09

Like which you're watching pretty much if you and how it boiled down because I remember again morbid Ashley and Elaine did this episode on and it was actually so sad what they would do. And a lot of it would boil down to you said something or did something that your neighbor truly didn't like like you looked at their kid the wrong way or just whatever a kid throwing a temper tantrum they're not getting their way well then they're gonna go tell the adults that like you're a witch and you're gonna be murdered.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

Um but this is a kind of community like very strict she's an outsider she was essentially like sold by her father over to get married and she's growing up continuing to grow up because I mean she's an adult but she's very young. She's like 18 right or 1920s I want to say okay maybe okay yeah still very young yeah and especially for women in that for being away from home never been on a boat let alone a boat to America to start your new life yeah so I mean it it even like I will say she did roll the dice like not she didn't roll the dice she got assigned to a really good husband initially yeah Edward I love Edward oh my sweet Edward so Edward before we get to him I guess like well no we can kind of do a little backstory.

SPEAKER_01 24:35

So she does she says like as soon as she gets off the boat she meets this guy Edward she says that he's right off therapy she's just very quiet. Well she she was sold to him or whatever. She was sold to him yeah so she didn't get a chance didn't get a chance to meet him until she got literally got off the boat and he picked her up yeah to like go be with him they're married. Yeah and she said he was very quiet very soft spoken he's older but she said he's isn't he's not like terrible he's not terrible but he's yeah he's not like graying yeah and he's no like he's not like super hot but he's not ugly either he's just kind of like an average looking man and he has well he has like a limp doesn't he's got a limp didn't he have like polio when he was a kid I think something like that. They said that he had had a disease when he was younger and so he just had never really quite healed right or something like that. And he's also very soft spoken.

SPEAKER_02 25:31

He's very soft spoken and it kind of leads me to believe that like like the way that she kind of describes him I kind of wonder if he's also like on the spectrum like you know like kind of like on the lower end but you know but he's just he's just an overall just really sweet guy especially for the times and for the community he was raised in and the community in which he lives he's probably the only husband in that entire community that is like that. I'd say the reverend no well but but you would never know like until we get there and we figure out exactly I feel like those kinds of communities where the woman like it's so far like from women having any kind of say yeah it is you will wear these 10 garments under your dress each day. Like it is you're waking up at the crackodon feeding the chickens milking the cows raising the kids educating them feeding preparing meal like it is like the thought of a woman being independent a woman you probably couldn't even talk to them like that would have been rough like you go to church every single day every single day like you are not to miss church ever unless you get a permission slip from the priest from the reverend and then if you miss depending on why maybe you'll get a pass if it's habitual you're going to the stocks if you ever miss or are late to to Sunday church you're going to the stocks and then like let's what's a stock so it's like those like you know Beauty and the beast you know if you watch Beauty and the beast there's like a guy like the it's like wood and there's like holes cut out and so it's like your head your hands but then you're you're like on the ground but you're not standing yeah you're so it's like it's just uncomfortable almost yeah you're uncomfortable you're put on display for the whole village you need to see and that you fucked up.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

Realistically you're supposed to like reflect on what they've done and then that you're supposed to then take that and then not make those same mistakes but some people will push the boundaries and like they'll throw stuff at the people or whatever and yeah and then they're not fed either there's like no food no bathroom no sleep you're like literally there reflecting for like a hours to days. Yeah and Abatha comes from a place where she comes from London or it's either London or England where yes it's strict but she says like this is something else like she grew up in documentaries. Kind of a really sad yeah she has kind of a sad backstory but like it it's still much more progressive compared to where she's at now yeah and she struggles with it all the time because she's she's mouthy for one like she's got she's got a mouth on her she stands up for herself she stands up for her husband she sometimes will try to speak for her husband and and it's just because he's so soft spoken and that she doesn't want him to get like yeah walked all over which we'll get to that but she's basically like she's struggling with the whole like seen and not heard aspect of everything and Abatha and Edward live in the wild like kind of in the wild I guess they do they have a farm out in the middle it's on the outskirts of the village like almost into like the main like capital I guess not I mean it's just but they're because there's not states I don't think really truly yet it's still like very much like land and like maybe like just discovered kind of like a county like yeah because I feel like the next town over is like the city the capital right it starts with an H. The the main part is that they are kind of removed from the community like their farm is like one of the farthest farms away from town and it is one of two farms in Edward's family's name and they're like their father so there's Edward in the in the village or town and he has a brother and yeah Wallace and their father was one of the originating like founders of Sutton right like he fought the natives like he helped establish he stole the land from the Native Americans when he passed away he left the farms he had two well he had like their main farm that they had started and then he kind of branched off and started this like side farm and Wallace is the eldest brother Edward is the youngest he left the farms to both of them respectively so Wallace took like the bigger more established farm and then he gave Edward the less established farm. But it's still in his name still in his name.

SPEAKER_02 30:34

And there's custody issues going on about the land and he didn't give it he's making his brother pay for it over years time and he's almost paid off his own land that was gifted to him from his father to his brother. Yeah because that's how fucked up his brother is.

SPEAKER_01 30:54

Yeah and so the thing too is like they're paying in bushels of corn so his his crops are corn and then he has some beans and they sell it in in that main town town.

SPEAKER_02 31:05

Yeah they'll or they'll trade it for some Edward's been beekeeping the last couple of years and he doesn't have that many bees I think it's like one hive yeah um but he's like getting better and better at it like he's trying to grow the hive.

SPEAKER_01 31:19

And Wallace had also uh so Wallace had made like a bad decision where he was trying to grow tobacco he wanted to try to make more money and so he was like there's big money in tobacco but the problem is like in their area in their climate tobacco or something right it's either that ground is like not good for tobacco. Yeah and so he pretty much like spent all of this money and then leveraged Edward's farm.

SPEAKER_02 31:45

Oh my god if and so so obviously it was a bad financial decision didn't work out and so yeah Wallace shows up to Edward and Abitha's farm and he's like the guy Lord or the magistrate yeah he owes the magistrate and so he's so he shows up to the farm and this is where we get context on how Edward and Wallace are like how well you find out like what kind of a person Wallace is well he just so he shows up at the property with all this bad news it's late at night he helps himself to the last bit of like their meat which they have none because they're waiting on the crop to come through to sell to have money to to buy rations of things that'll last them the whole year. He so he eats the rest of that drinks the last of like their homemade beer which they don't have the ingredient again they're like tapped on everything like low stock barely scraping by and he comes in and just helps himself all to it kicks up his fucking feet on their table and is like sit down like I have some bad news to tell you and like I expect you to cater to me and understand and not be offended when I come to you with my poor decisions.

SPEAKER_01 33:01

And he's speaking all to Edward with this too. Another thing that's kind of like hitting them like not only is Wallace eating all their shit but their goat we talked about in the beginning how that creature ate their goat and how he could hear Abatha searching for the goat and which he didn't even know he just ate. Yeah didn't like he literally has no idea what it is who she is like what's going on. Yeah and she did like because he's like in this cave like in a hole in the ground so there's like a cave and then he drops into the cave go it's like a drop off and so she did like go in there and kind of look and she's thinking like oh you you dumbass animal you fell in the hole like she could hear shuffling around at the bottom of this like cave.

SPEAKER_02 33:44

But she's also kind of scared like she feels like something's off about the cave she doesn't trust it she thought she heard something she even and she did she just doesn't know what it is. Yeah and so she's kind of like nope and she's like I'm gonna I'll come back with Edward and we will have to like fish the goat out she's like oh you fell down there you're you're you're either dead or your back is broken and you're gonna be no good to us regardless. Yeah but she's it they're so desperate times she's like is there a way for me to fetch the body so we can like eat the meat yeah I could never imagine living like that yeah in our ancestors all of us had to like yeah we are we are so we're lucky lucky but then we're not not yeah there's a whole lot going on it's like every generation has like their own thing that fucking sucks.

SPEAKER_01 34:37

Anyway so yeah circling back to Wallace and his visit so Wallace sits down and he's talking to Edward throughout all of this expecting Abatha to feed him and all this other shit and he's talking to Edward and he's like so hey I made a mistake he's like so you know that you know it was father's wish to keep the to keep the farm and our knitting and like you know you know that he wanted us to to grow tobacco and like even his dad like couldn't have known I mean I think he did like I mean they were like his dad and Wallace were like tight knit and his dad had it in his head that he wanted to to grow tobacco so Wallace was like we have to grow tobacco even though there were lots of people that did tell them like this is not the area for it and I'm pretty sure Edward was one of them. Yeah and but they didn't listen so your old dad's dead Wallace but like what could he possibly know?

SPEAKER_02 35:31

Yeah Wallace Because Wallace is so smart and he knows what's best for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 35:36

So he's like so listen I have a friend in town I'm friends with the magistrate and you know we kind of worked it out and in order to pay off my debt that I have like that I acquired trying to grow tobacco I leveraged a farm and at first they're kind of like oh no well I mean I guess there's room out here you know we could help you build a house and he was like no no no no I leveraged your farm Edward and Edward and like Abatha right off the rip is like what the fuck what are you literally like uh it's not your fucking farm to leverage what do you mean and Wallace and he's like uh I wasn't talking to you shut your fucking bitch's mouth yeah can you control your control your woman control your woman and he's like actually I can if it's not yours yet yeah and Edward is kind of like Abitha please let me handle this you know but he's like so sweet and so he's kind of like brother like what are you doing? Like why would you do that? He's like this is my farm you gave it to me it was it was mine by birthright I've been working this land I've been working to pay you off we have one season left like that's all they have is one growing season left and the one payment the farm is literally theirs nobody can come take it from them nothing is nothing is stopping them from doing whatever they want with this farm. And Wallace is kind of like see it's out of my hands like I already promised the magistrate and you know it just it is what it is and Edward and Edward does kind of speak up here he's like no he's like that's not how it is he's like I've worked so hard Abitha and I have worked so hard we we tilled the land we planted the crops we've been on on time every single year with our payment he's like you can't do this to us and and you know and Abitha like speaks up too and she says the same thing. She's like she's like you didn't do any of this work you're the dumbass you're the you're the one who grew who tried to grow tobacco even though so many people told you not to do it. So she's pissed and but like he's he's like if you don't control your woman I will I will backhand her across the mouth and Edward's like Abatha please like let me handle this and so he's like whatever it's a done deal right I've I've already got the paperwork in order this coming Sunday you're going to sign it and you're gonna sign the farm over to the magistrate and they're kind of like where are we supposed to go? Yeah like what are we supposed to do and he's like well the magistrate did say that like you know you guys could stay on the land but you would have to pay him so basically your debt would start completely over and then like another it's like 15 years or something. So he's like yeah in 15 years the the land will be yours and they're like no that's not gonna work and so he's like well it is what it is you have no choice Edward see reason and you know he has a way of like talking to his brother and his brother usually gives into these things and so Wallace goes home Hartford okay Harford so Wallace goes home and Abitha and Edward are like what the fuck and so Abitha is kind of like we're not doing this we are not we're not gonna roll over and let him take what is yours. Yeah it's yours. Ours I mean yeah she I mean she she does respect she does respect Edward for the most part like she she just knows that he's such a sweet soft spoken person so she's like they spend all night working on like a speech getting hit yeah getting all the language right who he needs to like be around who he needs to approach yeah because Wallace is going to take over the situation. Abitha looks like since like her weird run in that she had like not run-in but like her weird she went to that cave where the beast woke up and like she's kind of feeling funky but she's also she's more so worried about like one losing their farm but also she's worried about the fact that the goat's gone like there's just like she can tell that something is off but she doesn't really have time to dwell on it right now because like they're literally about to lose everything.

SPEAKER_02 39:37

So like more trying to figure out like because there was a brief talk of they would pay the magistrate for 15 years and they're like wait wait wait like why do we have to reassume the entire loan and debt also more than what they had too because yeah because it's like plus it's so much it's a whole new principle and interest. And then it's like the was there ever mention about them potentially like moving in with Wallace and that family.

SPEAKER_01 40:11

I don't know why that's ringing a bell but it's I don't remember I I feel like he did say that I think he had no because he had pretty much was using them to pay off his debts. Yeah because he is somehow he's friends with this magistrate which we kind of get like a little bit of their conversation later um but I don't think that it was ever they were never invited to stay with him. Yeah so he's friends with so he's friends with his magistrate bag he doesn't even live in their town he lives like a few towns over but right in Hartford.

SPEAKER_02 40:41

That's right Hartford I think it ends up being what would be literally Hartford Connecticut because we're like over there in the 13 colonies. Yeah because part of and I know we'll touch upon later but the insanity that surrounds that of like the Salem witch trials and the actual true evidence of those stories because there's so many misconceptions but they Brahm does pull like the actual I keep wanting to say artifact it's not but like the true story the true evidence like the history the true history of what happened kind of into this with like these women and the stocks and everything like that.

SPEAKER_01 41:24

Yeah I mean especially when we get to like the trial and like the torture aspect of it like so fucked up. So fucked up and just cruel and just it it's really insane when you actually think about it. But yeah we'll get there.

SPEAKER_02 41:41

They knew it was insane for the times they just like allow the community to run with it. There is no way we've it because we haven't even really advanced that much as a civilization in 300 years.

SPEAKER_01 41:53

So I mean we've come a long way from like this to that comparatively but like there's still a lot of setbacks that we have yeah I mean there's still a lot of setbacks that we have like today too with and it's like it it hasn't been that long but it's also been plenty of time for us to get some of our shit together. We shouldn't still be dealing with half of the shit that we're dealing with but you know it is what it is. So Abatha and um Edward her husband spend pretty much all night preparing the night the night before Sunday they're gonna go to church and have a discussion with the other reverend. The other yeah the reverend so like the reverend Reverend Carter Reverend Smith. Yeah there's like a few others but they're not correct named but there's like I want to say there's like four or five of them in total and they're kind of like the town council they whatever they most respected yeah like the authority. Yeah they're the authority because it's very much church is mixed with state well they go to church and right off like from the beginning you can kind of tell that like the town is very distrusting of Abatha she's an outsider she's from a different country she's known to be kind of mouthy I guess like she has no problem like speaking her mind which is unheard of for women in this time she also has been known to make like little charms or like little like potions. Potions or poultices apothecary yeah it's very natural herbalist yeah she's a very Christian beginning yeah she she's very adamant like even in her own like in her monologue that it is not witchcraft. She's like I'm not I'm not a witch I'm not I'm not a witch I don't deal with the devil she kind of hints that like her mother was like a cunning woman and there are some things like we kind of get like little bits and pieces of some of her backstory as well. We know that her mother died and her father as a result kind of like went descended into kind of madness. Similar to like Thomas and Willamine's dad. Um he got just like super religious and was like he at first seemed to be pretty accepting of like the fact that she did practice some magic. But told her to s he was always telling her to stop. He was always telling her to stop, but as a result of it, she died. And that and that sent him into this spiral. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 44:19

And so her soul wasn't safe, she was gonna end up in hell. Yeah. Like all this, that, and the other.

SPEAKER_01 44:27

Yeah. Yeah. And he burned all of his her mother's things, like everything that she had had, anything that wasn't related to like the Bible or God, or I mean actually, yeah, he took, he got rid of her clothes, like he got rid of everything of hers.

SPEAKER_02 44:42

And Wallace thinks he's gonna get everything like signed, seal, delivered, yeah, on the transaction. But the night before, Edward and Abitha stayed up pretty much like all night long rehearsing exactly what he's gonna say to decline and oppose the offer.

SPEAKER_01 45:07

And they're also bringing like their original contract that they're supposed to fulfill before he's even allowed to do that. And so before they talk with the with the reverends, they go to church and we kind of are introduced to a few different characters. Like there's kind of like the women of the town, and they're kind of like very high and mighty. They look down on Abatha, like they like Edward just fine. But Abitha is like this fiery redhead, like she's got a mouth on her, and her hair always slips out of the thing.

SPEAKER_02 45:42

Well, not all of her hair, but a bang.

SPEAKER_01 45:45

Yeah. And Abitha is like she today, she's like, okay, I cannot run my mouth today. Like we need everything to go perfectly, so she's kind of trying to stay on her best behavior. The women of the town are just very snooty, like very bitchy, like they just are kind of talking shit. And then we're also introduced to this other character who kind of becomes important later, and his name is Ansel, and he's kind of like the town crazy, crazy skeptic. Like he's just very obsessed with finding what he says are like agents of the devil. So he'll say, like, like he was late to church, and if you're late, like you you get reprimanded, and so they're kind of like, Why were you late? And he's like, Well this time, yeah. Why why this time were you late? And he's like, Oh, I was following after this like black cat that I thought was an agent of the devil, and they're and like Reverend Carter is kind of like, Okay, dude, like it's so interesting.

SPEAKER_02 46:42

How many agents of the devil do you run across on a daily basis?

SPEAKER_01 46:46

He's like, Because this is like what the fifth one this week, and so Abitha is also like placed, so there's like a seating arrangement in church where because by hierarchy, right? Yeah, it's like hierarchy. So like Wallace and Edward are able to sit like on the right side of the church. Like if you're looking Well with the men, yeah, with the men women sit with the wheel, yeah. Yeah, that's right. Women sit with the women's back of the women, yeah. She's in the back with like the servants and stuff like that. Because of her, like, yes, she might be married to someone in the village, but at the same time, she's still an outsider. Doesn't matter that she's married to like a well-respected family. She does kind of talk to like this one woman who's like a servant, and she gives her a like a little charm, and we kind of figure out that this woman is like in love with Wallace's eldest son. So Abitha's Abitha kind of is like she traded, she so Abit, like this town kind of barters. Yeah, it's like a little love thing where she's like, Yes, if you put it under your bed, he'll kind of come to his senses and he'll fall in love with you. But like at the end of the day, like she kind of like she could tell that the son had like a thing for her too. So she was kind of like, It's it is what it is. Like, if I can get a little something out of it, then there's really no harm in it. Like, they already have a feelings for each other. They go through the sermon. This and by the way, church is like three, four hours long. Each reverend gets up there and speaks for like an hour each. Yeah, like they have like a timer, and she's just like, bro, this is so boring.

SPEAKER_02 48:17

But she's like no airflow.

SPEAKER_01 48:20

Yeah, and she said it's so strange here because yes, where she's from, they do center their life around God, but she's like, here is like a whole other level of just she's like, I don't even want to call it like religion. It's just like it's she's just it's it's insane here. And so church is over, they all go outside, and Wallace is already waiting with like the reverence.

SPEAKER_02 48:45

Oh, and if you fall asleep in church or like you're distract like distracted and not paying attention to literally like every word that is coming off of a reverend's tongue, there's like a guy that comes over and like hits you in the head with like a giant like stick to get you back focusing.

SPEAKER_01 49:03

Yeah. We also like we also meet Reverend Carter's wife, who becomes Sarah. I love Sarah. I towards the end, like her Yeah, I can't even get into that right now. That's part of part two. But Sarah is the Reverend's wife, and she seems very strict in like the when we first meet her, she's very strict, and she's like, Don't let me see you passing out those things again. If I see you doing that, I will tell my husband. And yeah, and you will go to the stocks. You will go to the stocks. And so there's that conversation that happens, and so Abitha's on the outskirts of like the men talking, and she can hear Edward saying what he needs to say, where he's he's basically again reiterating, look, this is the contract that we signed. We are we have one season left to pay off our debts, and he's kind of saying, like, if we're behind, if for some reason we're behind, fine, we'll do it, or we can't make it, we'll concede and we'll do whatever you ask. But he's like, please give us the original contract that like the magistrate has no rights to be able to come in here and do this. This is a binding agreement. We we can't do this, like you literally legally you cannot do this.

SPEAKER_02 50:18

Yeah, and Wallace is like, Where did this come from? Where is this change?

SPEAKER_01 50:22

He's like, it means why are you quite she put this in your mind, she poisoned your mind, that silver tongue fucking wench or whatever, you know. He just and he's like going straight for Abatha, and Abitha's kind of like, I'm just standing here, but she's also kind of like, Yes, and in a way, she did give Edward the bravery he needed, like the courage, the courage, yeah, to speak up. And because he doesn't want this to happen either, yeah. And so well, it's just they'll have nothing, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:51

No, it's and then everything that they've worked really hard for. And she's only been around, what was it, like five years or so at this point? Yeah, she he already put in ten years of work almost before she was able to come. She came, yeah, exactly. Came to help him, and he does everything. That's like a lot of work, blood, sweat, tears, hours, labor, back pain, like whatever, however cost you want to like round it up to. But she's like yeah, he deserves that.

SPEAKER_01 51:26

He's such a sweet guy, too. And so I think that's why his brother thought he could just walk all over him, and you know, he's very soft-spoken, and it sounds like their father He usually is a pushover, I think. Yeah, well, their father used to go extra, like he was very rough on Edward because Edward was so soft-spoken, but Edward also really liked art, and his dad, I guess, like used to beat him for it, and Edward finally like stand he stands up for himself. He's like, No, this is we cannot do this.

SPEAKER_02 51:55

Yeah, and the reverends are like, We agree.

SPEAKER_01 51:58

Yeah, you're right. You at le we should at least honor the agreement, and if you don't fulfill it, then yes, you have to give up the farm in that situation. Yeah, but we also learned that Reverend that the Reverend does not fuck with the magistrate, they do have history, but it's not quite revealed quite yet. But he does say, like, I don't like the way that the magistrate does things, this is not his town.

SPEAKER_02 52:19

Yeah, he it's almost like you can tell, like, just from the words spoken, that he's kind of like a dictator.

SPEAKER_01 52:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:26

And that's not how the new country is being formed.

SPEAKER_01 52:31

Yeah, so he is kind of like, yeah, no, like, we're gonna go ahead and let Edward and we're gonna give Edward and Abitha their chance, and yeah, we'll see how it goes. And so Edward and Abatha are like, Thank you so much. Wallace does not hold his tongue, he's very pissed. He's like, You cannot do this to me, you're going to ruin me. Why would you do this to me? Like, what are you talking about? Like, why is you letting your wife Yeah? Why is she running your house like you're the man of the house? And Edward, and Edward's like, Yeah, but I agree, she's right. We're we're both right. So, you know, like, oh well. So we know Wallace is pissed. He's like, You're gonna regret this. He's like very just like he's such a fucking asshole. I cannot stand Wallace.

SPEAKER_02 53:19

Like he immediately is like, I'm coming for you to Abitha. Like, even right in front of Edward, he doesn't care.

SPEAKER_01 53:26

Yeah, everybody. And the reverend's like, you need to chill out.

SPEAKER_02 53:29

Yeah, he's like otherwise you're gonna end up in the stocks.

SPEAKER_01 53:31

Yeah, we're gonna have some words with you.

SPEAKER_02 53:33

Yeah, and and then he's like basically, fuck you guys, I'll get I'll get Magistrate Watson, and we'll just see how this goes, and we know how much you guys don't like each other, and so like immediately it's just like drama. Yeah, drama, drama, drama.

SPEAKER_01 53:51

Yeah, and it's evening time. Ever and Abitha are like kind of celebrating. She made him some like biscuits and like you know, honey, or like they they had like some honey, or she had like you something that she had traded for to kind of sweeten like their usual, you know, kind of plain meal or whatever. They're they feel more at ease, they do still have the goat to deal with, but they're kind of like that's a problem for tomorrow. And like I said earlier. And like Abitha's like, I'm so proud of you, babe, like you did amazing. And he like, like I said earlier, Edward is an artist, he likes to draw, and so he has like these little pages of like the Bible that his dad had like made him study, but he uses them as he draws, like he sketches, and so he kind of sets to work like sketching Abitha, and like they kind of have like this cute little moment where you kind of figure out like she's like draw me like one of your naked French girls.

SPEAKER_02 54:48

It's actually so cute though, because like they have like this really sweet night together where they're like we feel good, but also that's not allowed, like in this Puritan community, like you're not supposed to look at your wife that way, like sex is very much like a business transaction, yeah. Like they're not even allowed to like tear out in front of their husbands, you're not allowed to like gaze at your husband or wife, you're not allowed to like be erotic, like that's not okay, which is like blows my mind. So, very much having like a loving, sensual, sexual, aroused relationship with your husband or wife is not okay. Taboo.

SPEAKER_01 55:36

Yeah, yeah, and like that's the thing too, is like we kind of get like how just truly how amazing of a husband he was, especially for that time period. Whereas like when they're at home, like he's like he doesn't get after her to like put her hair up or whatever, but he he likes having he likes her hair, like he loves her hair. And they live on the outskirts, so nobody like there's no neighbors, so nobody because if they lived actually in Sutton, that's how those people were back in the day.

SPEAKER_02 56:05

It was like very much like snooping around what's going on in other people's homes, like what can I basically narc on somebody else for to get them put in the stocks? Like that's like what people like lived for. Yeah, the drama.

SPEAKER_01 56:20

Yeah, they they love to point the finger, especially if it like put them in a better light to not like get ahead in that position to be, yeah. And yeah, so like I said, they have like a really sweet night together, and yeah, Edward was just a great husband, and then they wake up and they go about their day, and Abitha is like, we need to go get the goat. Like, we have we have to have that goat, we have no choice. And so Edward goes with her up the mountain, like or into the woods, like kind of up in the mountains, and before we kind of continue with that part, we need to go back to this creature that we met in the beginning. And the creature is being stirred awake again by these little childlike voices, and they're like, Father, you need to wake up, it's time to wake up. And he's like, Dude, I want to sleep, leave me alone. And they're like, No, father, like we need to like we need to feast. You need to get your strength, get your strength up, like the blood, blood, blood. Yeah, blood, blood. And then they say, like, summing it up we're summing it up. Yeah, and so they kind of are explaining about like this like sapling. Like, we need to bring blood to papa, yeah, to papa, which they call so it's like this red leaf tree that's literally still a sapling.

SPEAKER_02 57:36

Yeah, and as time progresses, we're gonna learn more about what this tree symbolizes, what it's capable of. The goat creature is father. The sapling was and hopefully will become father, and then there's mother earth, right?

SPEAKER_01 57:56

So it's very much like Yeah, this is where I'm like, it's not it's not like devil, demon, no, like I thought it was gonna be. It's almost like Faye, like Faye creatures, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 58:12

Like for folklore, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 58:14

In most like situations with like the Fey and all that, they're not all like the hot like Fey that we read about like in like other books.

SPEAKER_02 58:22

Yeah, this is like most Fey creatures are like these combinations of like different things where like they look scary, they have yes, they're scary, but they also have humanistic features, yeah, yeah. Which you'll see. We will show you guys these illustrations, they're so wild, they're so cool.

SPEAKER_01 58:42

So father is kind of like he's still very reluctant to get up, he just wants to be left alone, but they're kind of like these little creatures are just in there and they're talking to him. And the first one he sees is So there's Forest River Sky, and they have children's voices, so they have like they're a mixture of like what looks to be like a child. Uh-huh. And so forest is like a mix between a child and an opossum.

SPEAKER_02 59:05

But the whole, like the possum, as if they're each of the creature's mouths was wide open. The child like head sits within the mouth of the creature, yeah. And the creature has like tons of like fangy teeth.

SPEAKER_01 59:21

Then you've also got Creek, and it's like a again, it's like a combination of a fish and a child.

SPEAKER_02 59:27

But it he like floats, so he can like float like through the air, yeah, in the air. Yeah, yeah. But he's a fish, so it's swimming. It's really interesting.

SPEAKER_01 59:37

And then there's so cool, Sky, who would be like a combination again of like the human and a crow, right? Crow. Yeah, yeah. And he just like kind of flitters about, and they all have like these little child cute little voices. Yeah. But they're over here like kill, kill, made, destroy. Blood. And they're they pretty much paint a picture of like humans, and they're like, Can you smell them? Like you can smell them. They've destroyed the land, they've cleared the the valley, they've stolen all of our magic. Yeah, they stole all of our magic. Like, they're trying to push him to kill and hate humans. Yeah. But through that, he would drink their blood, and then he gets m stronger.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:18

And so he can't- But it's also like whatever he in the beginning, whatever he eats, he's morphing into. So he's eaten this goat, and then he starts to like transform into goats. Yeah, into a goat, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:32

Yeah. So then they're like, oh, look, here comes two of them now. And so that would be Abitha and Edward. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:39

So they can hear this conversation like going on in in the forest or the woods. Yeah. And it's kind of coming like both point of views, right? So like Abatha and Edward are having this conversation. And then when you're zoned into the creature and like these children of the forest, you hear the third hand conversation happening between Abitha and Edward as if you were with the creatures down in this cave. So it's like, it's really cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:13

Yeah. And so, like, did I say that right? Yeah, no, that's good. That's perfect. Cause yeah, Abatha and Edward kind of start arguing a little bit because he's kind of poking fun at her. Because she's like, she's like, hey, about the goat, right? Stupid goat, yeah, fell down a hole, and Edward is like And broke his hole. Like, what are you talking about? And he's just kind of like poking fun at her, and she's like, you know what? She's getting you can handle this. Yeah. And I'm gonna go back to the try not to fucking die. Yeah. In the cave. And he's like, Babe, like, come on. He's like, it's okay, I'll I'll get the goat. And so she she walks away and he's just kind of like Abitha, that's so silly, like my sweet darling little thing. And he goes towards the cave where she said that he that the goat fell. And she's like, There's something not right about this area. Like we can't, we shouldn't be around here. Like, let's just honestly fuck it to the goat. And he's like, No, like we need the goat.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:06

So he's kind of thinking, like, haha, I'm gonna get the goat and everything's gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine. And so he's going forward. The creature is hearing him and smelling him coming forward. And then it's is it Creek?

SPEAKER_02 1:02:20

Yeah, it's it's it's Creek and Forest again, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:23

And they go up and like he like Edward thinks it's like rats coming up. Isn't that what it was? Like he thought it was like rats or mice.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:32

Or bats something.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:34

So he's like kind of in there on his belly trying to look into this hole, and then But he doesn't quite see it, right? Can't quite see it until It's too late. Until it's too late, and like he's like face to face with one of these like the little jerks creatures. I'm pretty sure it's Creek. I I think so too, because he's like a fish, like fucking floating with the what this doesn't make any sense.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:56

But just the face of the child at first, but then it's saying some like demonic like shit. And then he There's like giggle, yeah. They love to like giggle, and then he sees it come into play like that. The whole trying to digest the whole image of like what it is, and that startles him, and then that's when he falls, right? Is that how that happens?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:20

Yeah, that's what happens because he startles and then he falls into the hole.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:24

He's fucking dead right away, yeah, by the way. There's like no surviving that.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:28

Well, he's he's definitely hurt, but he's like aware enough that like when Father comes forward and father like smells his blood, he starts, yeah, he just starts feasting on him. And then Edward just dies.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:40

Well, didn't he like rip out his like all of his intestines and stuff? Yeah, he like pretty much ripped him apart. The main creature that we know as father starts like transforming into human.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:54

Yeah. So now he's like he's kind of got like the chest and hands of like a human. A man.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:01

A man and like kind of a face, but the facial features are all goat.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:06

Yeah, but it's also kind of like like flattened almost, like it's not like an elongated snout, like they have.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:12

Again, we'll show the pictures, and then like the lower half is like goat for sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:17

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he kind of like as he's feasting, he kind of is starting to remember little pieces of like who he is, but it's not enough questions for him to understand. Yeah. And he can hear Abatha coming back and she's like calling for Edward, and they they do come out of the hole for like a minute. The creatures, right? The creatures, yeah. So all four of them at this point, even father come up, and they want him to like get her right away.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:48

Kill her, like get get Abitha. Well, they don't know her name, but like get her, like, let's get her, let's go.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:53

Yeah, and I don't I don't think she sees them quite yet. It's not until like later that she sees them, but she can tell that Edward has fallen into the hole. Yeah. So she's panicking, she's like, she's terrified, like, oh my god, Edward, like, how am I gonna get him out of there? Like, she doesn't she doesn't know what she's gonna do. She's calling and like nothing, calling for him, nothing, she can't even hear him whimpering, nothing. And the father is looking at Abitha and he can kind of tell, like, there's something about her, right? Where he's like, Something's off. I want to meme her, but I also don't want to maim her. And so at this time, fucking Wallace is riding up on his little fucking horse because the night before he traveled to the magistrate, and he's like, Yo, they're not gonna let you like they they're they're not gonna follow through with our agreement. And the magistrate is kind of like, Oh, that's unfortunate. Cause like so it looks like you're gonna have to pay me. Yeah, you gotta figure something out.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:49

Yeah, I'm sure you're smart, you'll figure it out.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:52

And so he's kind of like, you know what? Because I like you and I liked your father, I'll give you a little more time. To figure this out to figure this out and to convince them. And so Wallace is kind of like thank you.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:06

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Appreciate you.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:08

And so yeah, so he's gonna try to ride there to try to talk them into again honoring his agreement. And he gets there, and then he can hear Abitha is like screaming, she's beside herself. He goes to the cave, and she kind of explains like what happened, and he's like, Oh my god, my brother. And he's kind of like calling for him again, like it's too far down. There's no, there's not like not enough rope. And she's kind of like, I'm gonna go get rope. He's like, There's not enough rope. We figure out the whole like didn't they need to get a couple different ropes?

SPEAKER_02 1:06:50

Yeah, they tried to get a couple different ropes, it just wasn't it wasn't long enough, and then it was pretty much they were coming to the conclusion that everybody else will die trying to get the body, and they need to close off the cave and turn that into Edward's tomb, essentially, and that needs to be his resting place. So they should hold a funeral on the grounds and start, yeah, start planning for like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:21

Yeah, so they have the funeral. Abitha is devastated.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:26

Like she is she didn't she loved him and she knew she loved him, but I don't think she realized how much she loved him until he was gone. And then of course she's like going over in her mind like over and over and over again, like the last words that they had, because it was like a stupid fight when she's like, Don't die, you know, and then he fucking dies. Yeah, it's so sad. And you're like, bro, immediately you gotta cut him out, like cut him out of the story.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:55

Like really sad. And like I was I was pretty sad too. I was like, oh, poor Edward.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:00

I know. I was like, well, now she's really fucked because she's like this outsider. Like her only in was her husband. Yeah. Her own and then I'm thinking, like, oh god, like, how's this gonna work? Are they gonna let her keep her land? Like, like of the times? Is that gonna be possible? Like, yeah, she doesn't even like fit in this community. Can she go back home? Like, there's just so many questions where I'm like, this is gonna like get sticky. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:28

Yeah, it's really it it it's really sad. And they when they have the funeral, all they have, like they bury a coffin, but all the coffin has is like a pair of his clothes. Like a tooth? I think it might have been a tooth, because I think they had found like something happened where he got hurt and something was left before he fell in the hole.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:49

Was it I think it was like a tooth?

SPEAKER_01 1:08:51

Yeah, yeah. So it was something like that, yeah. Where like his No, I'm curious.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:55

Well, we'll talk and maybe I can find it.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:57

So throughout all of this, Wallace, his brother's you know, barely been put to rest, and he's already thinking, like, well, hey, this is my inn to get that farm.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:08

Because now that's mine, yeah. It's it's not hers, and Edward's no longer here, so it's mine.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:15

Yeah, so his mindset is that like it was Edward's, Edward died, so now it it reverts back to me. And so the reverends kinda pull her aside after the funeral, and Wallace is there, and Wallace is like painting himself to be like the concerned brother-in-law, and he's like, You won't be able to run that place on your own, you're gonna need me to take care of it. Like, you know, he says, You can move in and work as like a servant in my quarters, like, I'll I'll house you and all the stuff. And she's like, No, absolutely not. This is no, this was not what Edward won wanted. And the reverends are kind of mulling this over, and they're like, Well, I mean, everything that Edward has because she's his wife by law, it does go to her, she's the widow, and the farm is not yours and Wallace.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:09

She can she can proceed with doing anything that would be in Edward's like best interest, like what he had wanted. Yes, yeah, like she can act as his proxy, yeah, and so she essentially becomes him for transactional purposes, which benefits her language, speaking out, like it actually ends up aligning more with like her personality as well. Where I'm like, good, yeah, for you that they're kind of like allowing this because Wallace freaks out and he's like, Don't you know, don't fucking talk to me like that. Yeah, he loses his shit again, and you're gonna go in the stocks, and then they're like the reverends are like no, actually, no, she's not, and you need to stop, or you're going to be the one disciplined.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:03

Yeah, and the reverend does say, like, hey, we suggest you take Wallace's offer at this point. Yeah, you know, like there's no shame in it, like everything's okay. Yeah. But Abitha is like dead set on like absolutely not, I'm going to see this through. And so they're kind of like, Look, we warned you, right? Like, obviously, the law is on your side, like everything else is on your side. We did warn you. Was it his tooth?

SPEAKER_02 1:11:24

The small casket landed with a hollow thud as there was only a set of Edward's clothing within, along with his hat and a tooth wrapped in white linen. Yeah. The tooth being included at Abitha's instance. So we got that spot on. I was like, yeah. Like, I don't know why in the beginning I thought an ear, but yeah, it's a tooth.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:47

Yeah, so he um his only piece of body. Anyways. So she's kind of like as soon as like it's agreed that she has to pay on time. Yeah. If she doesn't pay on time, then yes, everything goes back to Wallace. Yeah. Same deal as before.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:06

So then that's not even good enough. So he wants to push it a little bit further. So not only if she defaults, but then she has to like work off what he would essentially lose in the farm, which is like 15 years or something like that. She would have to be his, and I don't want to say slave, but like he makes it seem that way.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:38

Like it's supposed to be a servant, but he's like, oh, it's gonna be like way harder than that.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:43

Like she would have to move in with Wallace, live there for like the indefinite future, cater to his every whim, and like be punished at the same time because to work off a debt, yes, the debt that he is taking on in for the magistrate.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:04

Yeah, for the magistrate, because it is his debt, yeah. Like, God forbid. And he's like, Oh, I'm coming for you, and like as soon as you're mine and you're in my house, I am gonna teach you like all the lessons. You're gonna learn what it's like to be a real Puritan woman. Yeah, I'm not letting this go. Like, you've literally just made this worse for you. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:29

And and like as Abitha's walking home, and she does have like a small kindness given to her by Reverend Carter's wife, where she pulls her to the side, and this is where we kind of figure out that Sarah is actually like pretty dope, pretty awesome. Yeah, she says, look, I'm rooting for you. Like, I am like in your corner. I'm in your corner, I'm on your side. If you ever need anything, let me know. And she gives her what was it like she gives her like food, I think, or something to eat um to kind of tide her over until things get going. Because at this point, like it's coming out of winter going into like spring and summer. So she needs to start like planting and getting her crops and stuff like that ready like now in order for it to yield and then be able to pay on time. And so she's like, We're rooting for you. If you ever need anything, let me know. Okay. So Abatha goes home and she immediately goes into the barn. She's still devastated by the way. Like, she's doing all of this, like crying, sad, depressed, like very much so in mourning.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:27

But she's like, I've got to figure this out. I have to figure it out because there's no time to waste.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:31

And so she goes in and they have like a mule, but she has to like hitch up the mule to the plow. The plow. But it's extremely heavy. She's and she's this like tiny little small woman, and she's like, I'm strong, but like Edward sometimes needed help with this. Like Edward also like it's she's like, This is very difficult, and so she's trying to get the mule to cooperate, the mule's not cooperating, she can't lift the like the bridle or whatever thing onto onto the mule because she's also short, and so she's just like fuck, like can something just go my way, yeah. And she does realize like the weight of this decision and this journey she's about to go on, and she's like, I should have just fucking taken him up on his offer. Like, why do I Abitha? Like, why do you always have to do that? You're gonna do it.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:23

Always in your mouth, like in your mouth, and like put your that's me, and then I'm like, No, no, no, no, no. You are doing the right thing.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:30

Yeah, no, and like this is exactly what Edward wanted. You're literally fulfilling his wishes, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:36

And like you and your husband were a good team, like, keep that going, but in that situation, you're devastated, you're grieving, like she has no idea what she's doing, like, totally out of her lane element, you name it. I could totally understand like doubt creeping in and being like, I can't even get this fucking thing on the mule to plow. Like, I can't even do the first fucking step. Yeah. But then it's all about using brain over bronze.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:11

Well, before that though, this is like when shit starts to kind of hit the for her. So that's when she's struggling with that shit, right? So while she's struggling with this, Creek, Sky, and Forest are talking father into killing Alpha. Yeah. They're like, we need to start with Father from across like the Yeah, like they're watching her struggle. Right. They're yeah, they're watching her struggle, they're watching her cry.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:37

They can tell that she's in the field across from the field.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:40

Sad. Yeah. Yeah. And they're like, this it starts with this one. Yeah. Remember who you are, father. Like they're really trying to they're trying to get him to remember who he was. And father's kind of like, again, he's kind of going back into memory. Like memory. And so he's getting like little, yeah, he's getting like little slivers of like he can remember killing and like maiming and stuff like that. Scream, scream, blood, blood, people, but then he also is like, like, there's something kind of tickling.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:07

Seems off.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:08

Yeah. So he's like, I s he still is not understanding. They're like, Well, we just need to get some more blood in you. Yeah. So they're like, kill the woman. Yeah. Right. So and he's like, Yeah, yeah. Yeah, okay, yeah, like let's do that. So as Abatha is struggling with this fucking mule and the plow, she hears something coming from like the in the back of the barn, and she's like kind of looking, trying to see what's going on. And then like she sees the fish. So river or sorry, Creek. Yeah. Yeah. I keep on calling her.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:37

I call I'm me too.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:38

So Creek comes swimming out, and she's like, Okay, I don't know where you're lost my shit. She's like, ha ha, what? I now fish coming out. And then she sees like the possum and they're kind of like baiting her, and they're like, they're like just kind of fucking with her, trying to like kind of push her back. And then she turns around and sees this goat man. Goat man. And she's like, oh my god, like the devil. You're the devil. Yes. And as they like kind of make eye contact, he is like they both have like a shared vision of blood, screams, maiming. Yeah. But then spiders come and it freaks both them. Yeah. Like they're both like, what the fuck? Spiders.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:22

She like takes off, goes into the house. And then he feels like he's getting consumed by literally millions of spiders. And they're like taking him into this like hole.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:33

Right. But like he also is like, he's like, what was that? Like there's something not right about this woman. And even like the the Creek and Forest. And Forrest is kind of like the ringleader of like Creek and Sky. Yeah. And he's kind of like the spokesperson for them. But he's kind of like, We need to do away with her. There's something not right with her. Like, I don't know. Like, but he's like, he's like, it's okay, we'll get her next time. You know, we'll we'll lure her in again. Yeah, we'll we'll kill her. Yeah. And so Abitha's like inside. But now father is kind of like just has like all these questions. Yeah, millions of questions. Because he's trying to figure out who he is.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:15

And so he's very obsessed with connecting dots because again, he's just woken up from he has no idea about anything. Yeah. Like nobody's up, down, like who the fuck is it?

SPEAKER_01 1:19:31

But he's like, at this point, he's desperate to figure out who he is. Like he he does want to know like what happened. So he kind of is like, I'll handle this with like the woman. So Abatha spends the night terrified. She's like got her musket, she's like barricaded the door. Yeah. She has this little catch coming back. She has this little cat that like has like one eye and it's like spine is all crooked, and she had nursed it back to help when he was like a kitten. Yeah. So she it's like her little companion. And so the one thing that she had been able to keep when her mom had passed before her dad burned everything that she had was this braid of hair. And it's made up of like isn't it's pretty small. It's yeah, or it's small enough to go. It's a small enough to put on like a necklace, but yeah, but it's like little pieces of hair from every single woman in her family line.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:28

And her mother's like the woman lineage.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:32

Yeah. And she's trying to remember back on like what little knowledge she does have. Like her mom did teach her some things, yeah. Her mom taught her some things when it came to not devils. She just kind of talks about like the wow folk and how well she can be menacing creatures, but there's also ways to appease them, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:20:59

You leave them like milk or like little There's different, I guess you could say she taught her about different almost like civilizations of folklore people, and like there's all sorts of different kinds, and like for the fairies, you do this for the more ominous ones, like she's picturing as creek and forest and sky, you need like little gifts, or maybe that was the milk. Yeah, it was something like that. Yeah, different different remedies to keep them happy, yeah. So that way they bother everybody else but you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:46

And yeah, so she's still pretty, she's very terrified, but she kind of like whenever she like either she puts on like the the necklace or she like wears it or like she touches it, she can kind of like hear her mother speaking through this as like a guide for what she needs to do. And so she kind of thinks of it as like it's a connection, it's a connection to her mother and to all of her ancestors before her. Yeah, when she like needs to call upon them. Yeah, and so she's kind of using it not only as like that, but also as comfort. Yes, and so she like normally she has it hidden behind like a pacifier or a blanket, yeah, like a cubby or something like that, but she's holding on to it as like, okay, I have my mom here, like, okay, let's let's figure this out.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:29

So next morning she like kind of like creaks open the door. Father, he's there, right? He's like kind of sitting outside and he's just waiting for her. And she's like, Are you the devil? Like, are you here to trick me? Are you here to like make me stray off my path with God? And he's kind of like, devil, like who's this Satan that you talk about? Yeah, who's Satan? Who's the devil?

SPEAKER_02 1:22:53

Who's God? Yeah, like I have no idea.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:55

He's like, I have no idea.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:56

Am I? Yeah, what's can you tell me? Yeah. So he immediately goes into like, oh, she can answer questions about me.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:05

Yeah, please like tell me. And she was like, I think you're the devil. And he was like, but that's that doesn't sound right. Like, it doesn't sound like me. And so they he kind of gets frustrated and he was like, he kind of like storms off. Yeah. And she's like, What the fuck is going on? So we kind of get like some little things happen here or there, but she she does kind of figure out how to like put the plow on the mule. She does start working her ass off to plant plows the field, plants the seeds, and it's a dry spring summer, so like no rain has come, nothing is growing. Yeah, she is literally hauling buckets of water from the watering her field cellar or the from the well. From the well. Yeah, yeah. Reverend Carter has given her permission to stay home. Like a leave. Yeah, like the leave of absence to get her stuff in order and like get what she needs to get done. But he's like, You have don't this amount of time, you know. So like Wallace every now and then comes in and is kind of spying on her. He sees that she's just like haggard, she's starving, she's like weak and frail. She doesn't look good, she doesn't look good, nothing is growing, and he's kind of like, okay, like I this is this is like good. Yeah, yeah. And so again, she's still very much so depressed, she's feeling really down on herself, she's like terrified that this is not gonna work out. She's like, I'm gonna look so stupid. Yeah. And there's a point where she's like, I want to quit. Yes, yeah, and again, so then father comes out from the woods again, and so and they're both kind of meeting when they're both like down.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:42

Yeah. They're both like, mm-hmm, fuck.

SPEAKER_01 1:24:46

Yeah. Father keeps getting like these visions of the spiders, he's terrified of the spiders. Yeah. Abitha kind of has it every now and then, but she's got bigger fish to fry in this situation. For is they're both curious about one another.

SPEAKER_02 1:24:57

Yeah. Because she's still like every day, she's like, We're that fucking. Yeah, where is he?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:03

He hasn't come back. Is he waiting? Like, is he just biding his time until he can like come and kill me? Like the whole thing. Um, she hasn't seen the little creatures in a while. So she's just kind of like, Maybe I hallucinated all of it. Like, maybe I'm just truly losing my mind. Yeah. And he does kind of come forward again and he's like, Who am I? And she's like, Bitch, I don't know. Like, I don't know. Look at look at what I have to deal with. Like, I don't care what you have going on. And he's like, he's like, What if we well, what do you need? What do you need? What do you need? Like, what can I do to alleviate this? And then she's like, Oh, you can help me. And he's like, I don't know, maybe. She's like, Well, can you make fucking corn grow? And he's Or can you make it rain?

SPEAKER_02 1:25:48

Yeah, or something like rain. And then he ended up like the er, like he almost works on like urges in the moment where he put his like hand in the soil.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:00

And he has her help him, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:26:02

Because he does kind of start to doing it and he's like, Help, like, get in here.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:06

Come here and help me. Let's figure it out. And then as they're doing it, he starts to get like, Oh shit, okay, yes, this is what we can do. I feel like you can feel it too, right? Like, can you feel it? And she's kind of like, I do feel something, like something is happening. Yes, but she's like not understanding, like they're both kind of like this feels familiar, but but I don't understand. Right. But none of this still just doesn't make any sense.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:30

Like, I don't know what to do, how it's working, what to say, yeah, what it is, who it is, but like let's keep doing it.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:26:39

And then somehow it leads into like this almost like this chant between them. Yeah. And it turns like melodice. And next thing you know, magically, this like stalk of corn is like flourishing. And it's her unbelievable.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:03

Yeah, feel gross, rain comes, like, and she's like, it's just well, they end up doing it to more and more.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:10

Yeah. Like, but they were like literally just in the beginning, the one, and they're like, She's like, Oh my god, I can do I can do this with your with you, yeah. And then the way that they make each other feel, and then in that instant, father's like, this, this is what I'm supposed to be doing. This is who I am. Yeah, but I need more, I need to know more.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:36

And he's kind of trying to push away like that murderous side of him because he's like, That's not right. Like, this is not me. This is not who I am. Yeah, that doesn't feel like this is who I am.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:47

This is what I that doesn't feel like it connects to me. Yeah, it feels like they like like Forest Creek and Sky want that from me, and I don't know. Why they're lying, they're hiding something. This feels like that. Yeah. All the meanwhile, the little creatures are trying to tell him, like, this was a part of you, but that right now is not the time for this. Right now is the time for slaughtering.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:16

Yeah, and they're trying to like tell him that like the people are responsible for like all of this. We used our magic and they took us for granted. They took it all for granted and they took it all.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:25

And they took it all. Stole our magic.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:27

And so he's kind of like, like, she does give him like gifts too. She's giving him little things in return for him helping her around the farm. And one of those is a name. She names him. She names him. She does name him. She names him Samson. Because that was the name of her goat. But she was like, You kind of remind me of him. So I don't know why, which like Samson.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:47

Because he ate the goat, so that's why it reminds him.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:52

Because she's like, Are you the one that killed Edward?

SPEAKER_02 1:28:54

And he's kind of like Well, no, at that point, I think they just f it was just the goat. Because he was like, No, I didn't.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:04

He does kind of say something about it comes up eventually because then she gets mad.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:09

And it's a whole big fight.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:11

It is a fight, but then she does like, she is kind of like, okay, like, yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:15

No, because it's more because then she's hella mad, especially at Forest, and she's like, get the fuck away from here. Yeah. Don't come on my property. Because Forrest is like a big thing. That was a whole other that was like a quarter of the way. Yeah, because like the book.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:28

Yeah, because Forrest does make fun of it. He like kind of pokes fun at the fact that like they murdered Edward and even like father, and like, yeah, we'll get to that. Cause like, or Samson, I guess, is that the right thing.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:39

Or I guess we could talk about it now, and like that's just where we'll be.

SPEAKER_01 1:29:42

Well, yeah, because like Samson does is kind of like, bro, what the fuck? Like, because he does get really mad at Forrest because Forrest is like noticed like Forrest is watching all this and he's like he has like little meetings with Creek and River, or not River, sorry, Sky. And he's like, father is not getting it. Like he's not understanding. Like Papa the tree, the pop of the tree is like it's wilting, it's not getting what it needs. He's not fill feeding and killing enough. Like we're failing. We're failing, like Papa's gonna die, and then it's we're all gonna be it's yeah, we're fucked. And Creek and Sky are kind of like, I don't know, like she doesn't seem that bad. Right. And he's kind of like, well, you guys are fucking tainted.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:28

Like just just wait.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:29

Because she keeps offering them milk and like gifts, and like they like will come over and like Creek and Skye are kind of like, Windows look pretty good, you know. Yeah, and they're kind of saying like she's really not as bad as I thought she was gonna be. She's like returning the favor, like she gives, like she weaves like a crown for Samson and she makes him um because he likes like what like the little he also likes these little like candies that she makes. Oh, it's like it's like not brittle. Is it brittle? I think it's like brittle. It is, yeah. And so he really likes it, and so she'll like make it for him and she gives it to him all the time. And um, so like they're getting closer, they're kind of you know, tapping into more of like the magic that they can do together. And but it's not every day.

SPEAKER_02 1:31:15

Like, I do know, like sometimes she'll be like, dude, I haven't seen him in forever. Where is he? Like, I could really use his help right now. So almost for probably like three-quarters of the book, it they are connected in their own line, but you do have two separate stories going on simultaneously for a majority of the book between Samson and his own shit and like Abitha and her own shit, because there's this whole entire time we're coming up and we're seeing different ways for Wallace to just completely derail anything that Abitha has going on because she continues to make strides in the right way, such as like he pops over before she comes back to church and he notices like the corn is flourishing, flourishing. He's immediately like, What the fuck? How did this happen? The last time I was here, there was barely anything, and it was all like dying. And then on top of that, Abitha looks fantastic. Yeah, she's like able to eat, she looks nourished, her skin's flowing, she's gorgeous, her hair's beautiful, and he's like, I must be going absolutely crazy. And he's also just like, oh fuck, like she's gonna I need to come up with another plan because I cannot allow this to happen. And then that's when he goes into the pick Pequa? Pequa.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:47

Yeah, it's um the natives of like that area. Yeah, they were driven out totally racist, son of a bitch. Yeah, he's such a terrible he's fucking terrible, dude. So he pretty much brings his son into this. Yes, poor son. I do kind of feel bad for his son sometimes because I'm like, he is such a young person. Impressionable, and he couldn't go against his father, really impressionable, yeah. So it's like But not only that, but like law-abiding, God-abiding, yeah, Puritan-abiding.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:17

He's just been left alone, yeah, it never would have happened. Yeah, and everybody knew it was fucked up, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:23

And there was a point too where like Wallace did come forward again, like in between but before like the corn and everything started to work out for her. He did like say, like, look, original offers off the table. How about you marry my son?

SPEAKER_02 1:33:37

Yes, I have a great idea.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:38

Yeah, you can marry my son, you'll still be a part of the family, you can still stay on the farm, but you guys are still gonna continue with the original magistrate deal.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:46

Mm-hmm with the payment.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:47

And she's like, You know, your son's in love with like I think her name's like Helen or something.

SPEAKER_02 1:33:51

And that's the one who she originally gave the charm to in the beginning of the book.

SPEAKER_01 1:33:56

And he's like, Oh, he'll be fine, like it's he'll know it's it's a business transaction, like it has to be done. No, like fuck you, like you're horrible.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:04

You're a fucking douche, no matter who it is.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:09

Yeah, so yeah, he decides he's gonna go enlist the help of not only his son, but um this man who is known for being able to get things done discreetly. And so he's kind of like, Look, I need your help. We're gonna steal this corn. Because like at this point, Abitha, like it's coming up on like the due date for her to make her payment. And he's like, What's gonna happen is we're going to go and steal all of her corn. She's harvested it, it's like ready to go. It's like she's sitting in the barn. Yeah. And the guy's kind of like, Why would I want to steal this random person's corn? And he was like, Why are you asking questions? You can't like I'm I'm here to hire you. Yeah, you can take whatever you want.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:52

Whatever you want.

SPEAKER_01 1:34:52

I just want it gone. I just want it to be.

SPEAKER_02 1:34:54

I don't even want the corn. You can literally have all the corn. Take all of it. And this guy's like really down on his luck. His wife is basically, and he's a he's a native man. He's fallen on hard times where he can't provide for his family. And his wife is kind of like, if you don't figure something out, like I'm gonna leave you.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:13

Or you're gonna, yeah, you're gonna leave us. And so he looks at this opportunity as like, it's not like a robbery robbery. There shouldn't be any kind of fight that ensues.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:26

He's like, it's just one woman, it's one woman do anything.

SPEAKER_02 1:35:29

Exactly. It's in the dead of night. We're gonna take this corn. He told me to bring like on like kind of like a wheelbarrow kind of thing, and then from there I can just go home with my corn and provide for my family. Like, he's like, this is like super chill, yeah, super easy. Otherwise, I don't think he would have done it because he's trying to also stay out of like crime. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:54

Because like they they've made it very clear that he's to leave her alone, yeah. Like the authority figures in their town have made it clear leave this woman alone. You're obsessed, give it a place. Whatever happens will happen, right? And so, yeah, he enlists the help of these guys to help him. They go in the middle of the night and they start stealing her corn, right? They start loading it up into these carts. The native man, he did bring two of his buddies to help him out. I think they're like his cousins or brother or something like that. They're helping him out.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:29

There's too much corn.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:31

Too much corn. They're like, we don't have enough room.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:33

And Wallace is tripping balls, like, load more, load more, load more. Like their cart is getting laid down. We can't lift this out of here.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:44

Take her cart too. And like they're like, you know what? This is this is you're acting this is not crazy. They're like, we don't even fucking want the corn anymore. Like, we're out, right? Yeah. And so Wallace is like, let's set the barn on fire. He's like, I'm gonna set the fucking barn on fire.

SPEAKER_02 1:36:57

And then he starts whoa.

SPEAKER_01 1:36:59

Starts to burn down the barn. This alerts Abitha. She comes in and she is like, Whoa, whoa, whoa, what the fuck are you doing here? Yeah. And she shoots Wallace, but she shoots him in like the leg. And so it's like flesh wound, like nothing too crazy, but it's like a gift to see like he's wounded from doing what he's not supposed to be fucking doing. Yeah. And Samson comes in and everybody sees Samson and they're like Satan. Yeah. Like the natives are like, oh fuck. Like they kind of recognize who he is, and they're like Well, they say Sloughfoot. Yeah, Slew Foot. Like they start foot, which is the name of the book, obviously. And Samson again is like fuck is Slewfoot. But then he kills one of the native men.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:47

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 1:37:48

The other two.

SPEAKER_02 1:37:49

Well, they immediately they're like, I think they were scared in the moment where they were like in shock. Thought that they had to defend themselves, even though nothing at that moment was like happening. Yeah. I mean, if anything, it was Avatar to defend.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:03

But um, I think doesn't she also like doesn't Wallace like hit her or something like that? Something happens when she gets hit, and so like she was unable to like that's why she missed like Wallace altogether with the well not altogether, but that's why she got him in the lane. I wonder if there I can find like a little excerpt um about this part here in the book, but yeah, keep going. So yeah, he uh everybody just dips. They're like, fuck this, this isn't worth it, and they leave. Abitha is left with no corn because the whole barn has been burned to the ground at this point.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:37

She was mostly worried at that time too, like getting the animals out of the barn.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:42

Yeah, I think she was successful in getting the mule out, but then I think she lost like her chickens because she had chickens in there. Um, and I think like her other goat, her so she's kind of left like with nothing. She had already harvested all the corn, there's nothing left from like this crop, and she's like, Today is the day, or like it's like tomorrow is the day that I have to make this payment, and so she's like, What what am I gonna fucking do? And between this, Forrest has taken it upon himself, like even without telling Creek and Sky, because he's like, he can tell that like they just love Abitha. So he's like, Okay, I'm just gonna have to fucking kill her myself because Father is too wrapped up in Abitha, he's not gonna fucking do anything, and so he basically is like talking to like the poisonous creatures in the area, so like snakes, spiders, like centipedes, and he's like, I'm gonna hide them in her house, and nothing really comes of that, they don't really get her in her house, but as she's walking to like the outhouse, she does get bit by a snake. Oh, there was like tons. Yeah, there's a ton of snakes. She got bitch. Centipedes were all over. She got bit a whole bunch. Yeah, a bunch of times, like enough that to kill her. Should have killed her. Yeah, and then she got very sick. Yeah. And Father Samson ends up healing her and saving her, and like all the poison gets pushed out of her body. Because some of his is that when he shared his blood with her? I believe so, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And then he looks to like his children and he's like, What who did this? Who would do this? And Forrest is kind of like, Me, you're clouded, your judgment's clouded, and like she needs to fucking die. This is where it comes out that, like, yes, Samson was responsible for killing Edward. He's like poking fun at it as she's like literally recovering from multiple freaking poisonous snake bites, it's seeping out of her body. She's like feeling haggard. And Samson at this point, like, he like smacks the shit out of Forrest and he's like, You get out of my fucking sight. I told you to leave her alone, you didn't listen to me. And so he kind of banishes Forrest to the Forest, pretty much. And Forrest is like, you know what? It's your fault if Papa dies. Like it's because you refuse to listen to us, you refuse to look inside yourself and see who you are, you refuse to uh acknowledge your true nature. Fine, and so he just kind of goes off. And so Abitha's like, what am I going to do? And Abatha does say, like, hey, like she's mad at him, yes, at Forrest, but she's also kind of like, Oh Horace, yeah, you know. Um, but at this point, she's like, Okay, I can't even worry about that right now. Fine, whatever happened with Edward, it happened. But she's kind of like, We need to do something. Like, I have nothing to give. Wallace is gonna win. I know it was Wallace that did this last night, but I how am I gonna explain everything in you like without being called like a witch? So she's kind of like, I don't know what to do.

SPEAKER_02 1:42:00

And I still yeah, and I still am not gonna have the funds. So regardless, he wins.

SPEAKER_01 1:42:10

So then she's kind of looking over at like Edward's beehive, and well, Samson comes over and he's like, like, what can I do?

SPEAKER_02 1:42:21

What can I do? How can I fix this? And yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:42:25

And she's kind of looking at like the beehive and like the because like Edward Kat Bees, and she's kind of looking at it, and like they kind of come together again, they kind of go through this like little ritual thing again where she now like they they chant together, they you know hold hands and like they do the whole thing, and then now the bees are listening, are listening to her almost like she's like the queen bee at this point, and so they just get to work making a shit ton of honeycomb, and like it goes from like being like this little like what would be like a drip off of like a shovel or something like that, to it turns into like pounds and pounds, pounds and pounds of pounds.

SPEAKER_02 1:43:08

Yeah, because I did get to the part where she was like taking taking the honey into Hartford to the Black Toed Inn to see Barry Jones and um speak with him on like how much because they don't use like there's no US treasury, right? There's no like dollar bills and coins and stuff and how they pay is like shells, isn't it? Like yeah, these shells that have been like pressed into like like they kind of just like these little almost like pearl looking things.

SPEAKER_01 1:43:41

Yeah. So I mean she's kind of like, okay, like maybe this is how how I pay off my debt, right? So Wallace, knowing what he knows, he goes and gets the reverence, he gets the sheriff involved, and he's like, Okay, we're gonna evict her today, right? She's obviously not gonna be able to, she's not gonna be able to pay. So he takes them all out to her farm. And Abitha like comes to the door, they're pounding on the door, they like she she's like, Come on in, like, what can I do for you? And they're kind of like, Well, you're late on your payment. And she's like, Well, today is like I think she's like October, whatever. She's and they're like, Well, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:44:16

And she's like, Okay, so I'm not late because it is today.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:20

Yeah, it's today.

SPEAKER_02 1:44:22

And they're like, Quit, quit fooling around, like, let's just like get it over with.

SPEAKER_01 1:44:27

Like, if you don't, if it's I mean, the sheriff and the reverend are both still really nice and respectful to her. They are, but Wallace is kind of like, you stupid woman, like, let's just get this done and over with, quit trying to fucking. Yeah. And so she's kind of like, Well, while I know that we agreed on corn, she's like, you know, we didn't really specify exactly what the payment had to be, but she's like, My funny thing is, my barn, as you can see, like was weird set on fire. She's like, Wallace, I noticed that you're limiting. I heard that you dropped like a fork into your leg. Is that like, you know, onto your leg or something like that? You know? And he's kind of she's kind of like, I dare you to say something because I have something to say as well. Yeah. Wallace obviously is not gonna do that. So he ends up like he's kind of like, Well, obviously, you can't pay, there's no fucking corn, you're not gonna be able to grow corn by the end of the day. And she's like, Well, will honey do? And she like shows them all of this honey that she's got. Like, it's so much that it and honey is more valuable than corn in this area because they use it for everything, and so she's kind of like she has way more honey that it is even equal to the corn that she owed. It's like pounds more.

SPEAKER_02 1:45:40

Like, she has a few already had yes, yeah, and she already has a majority of like the payment to provide. She just needed, I think, to make like one more trip in with the remainder of the honey. Or what she wants to do in that case is just like take the honey, yeah, you go fucking do it. This is how much I'm getting for this. You can see this person at this place, and this is what you'll get paid. Transactions done. This is my farm.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:11

And Wallace is pissed.

SPEAKER_02 1:46:13

Like, he's like, You know, he loses his we agreed on corn, and they're like, Well, actually, they're like, This is actually more than enough to cover the debt.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:21

Like, she should be she's good.

SPEAKER_02 1:46:23

Yeah, it's that the payment would be made, not that the payment had to be made with corn. It was just that they should have to be paid. Yeah, yes, yeah, and so and he's just trying to reject it. He's rejecting it. They everybody shuts it down.

SPEAKER_01 1:46:42

Yeah, he I think at one point he even like gets physical with her, tries to grab her, and like I think he like smacks her at one point too, and they're like, You are out of fucking line. Yeah, leave. Like, we're leaving, we're sorry we bothered you. Yeah, this is settled, this is your farm. Wallace, you have to figure it out. Like, yes, she she's good, leave her alone. And they and they and they say, they say, if we see you messing around with this woman again, you will be put in the stocks. Yes, we're done with this. Keep your head, take your dignity, go home. Okay. So they leave, Wallace is pissed, and Wallace is like, I know what I saw the other night, but she's dealing with witchcraft. We're gonna deal with this. And so he kind of starts planning that route. So, in between this, like Samson kind of goes off on his own venture again. He does come across like a woman, he does go into the village or the town. He comes across like a woman and her like young grandson. Yes, as they're picking berries, and she's kind of got her back turned.

SPEAKER_02 1:47:47

The little boy was totally like fine with him.

SPEAKER_01 1:47:49

Yeah, he handed him some berries, gave him like a little gift. Samson like ate it, and he like for a second he kind of questioned, like, should I should I eat this little thing? Like, I don't know if I should or shouldn't. Yeah. Um, and again he starts to get more pieces of who he may or may not be. Um, and then he's kind of going on like this like long journey of self-discovery. In between this as well, Abitha does go back to church, she does find out that the Reverend Carter, the one who's been so nice, and his wife Sarah, their daughter, ends up getting um it was like the measles. And so she's kind of like, ooh, I remember when I had that. She's like, they showed me kindness when I needed it, and so she's like, I I want to find something to do to help them.

SPEAKER_02 1:48:30

So she's trying to remember like back in her brain, like what her mother, what kind of like treatment she put together for measles. Yeah, she does make like a little poultice thing, but she requests though Samson's help, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:48:45

For this, so that will be some words that she needs to say over this girl and it should help heal her. And so she does go into town, she says, like, hey, I brought this cream, right? She put this on her scars. I know it helped me a lot when I had the measles. Yeah. And so she kind of masks it as like so it's not like a spell.

SPEAKER_02 1:49:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:49:08

And she's like, I'll help, you know, I'll come pray with her, put pray with you guys.

SPEAKER_02 1:49:11

And so she and she makes sure to say to um tell the reverend's wife, Sarah, like, well, I always start these out with a prayer. Would you join me in prayer? So then they start that, and then when she goes off to like chanting for the actual like spell of spell of it all, that she keeps like to a minimum almost like a whisper. Um so that way she doesn't get looked at for like speaking in tongues, kind of. Yeah. Um, yeah. She still very much wants to like play it safe, but she does want to help because they've been so helpful to her.

SPEAKER_01 1:49:55

Yeah. Yeah, so she ends up like doing this little spell thing. And it heals this girl like very quickly. Yeah. Her fever goes away, she stops shaking, she's not like mumbling. She's not having like hallucination. Like that's what I say, like she has hallucinations, she's kind of like, oh, like what she does say something about because like Fabrial seizures. Yeah, Abitha does say that like there was like wasn't it like glowing or something like that? Like something, something was glowing and something did happen to where like if Sarah had opened her eyes, she would have seen like this is what's happening. Yeah, and it wouldn't. But she was like so wrapped up in her prayer that she did not see like this take place. And so the little girl was kind of like you were glowing, and she's like, Oh no, like you know, you were just tired sleeping, like you must have been hallucinating. And so she does that, she goes home, and they're kind of like, Hey, you need to be careful on your way home. Like, you know, there was oh, this was the other thing. Yeah, there's somebody Samson while he was off on his adventures, he runs across, he comes across like a den of wolves. Yes, and they're being hunted by two of the members of the town. And they did kill one wolf, and he kind of is able to like, he does again like kind of his thing. He kind of reaches out to the wolves. The wolves then turn to him as like their pack leader, and then he's kind of like like they can understand one another. Yeah, and he's like, Let's go, come with me. Kill him, like fuck him up, and so they go forward and they kill this guy and his son as they're hunting these wolves. They kill him and the son, and so they're kind of like again when she's walking home from taking so he just aided in helping the wolves keeping kill two that were hunting. He did have some of their blood too. Like, I think he did, I thought he tasted some of their blood. Or it were they trying to kill Samson too? Is that they did see Samson as well, but like uh yeah, I think something like that. Yeah, and so he ends up like kind of feasting on one, uh-huh. And then he just kind of runs off with the wolves.

SPEAKER_02 1:52:11

He's like, off he felt bad right away because I remember he was like, Oh, like Abatha can't find out about that. Yeah, like he felt guilty. He did feel guilty. He was like, Yeah, that's just that's not me. Yeah, and then but now he's like, Yeah, the leaders of like these wolves, and he's like coming into his calling as like being one with like all the animals and like the forest. Yeah, need to be. And then yeah, when he was off on his own for those few months too, I know you brought it up, right? The like the old lady that saw him and had a fucking heart attack and died. And then they just like so the little boy that was with her, her grandson, he's totally fine. Yeah, but then when he sees her freak out and then she literally fucking dies of a heart attack, then he now has this horrible, terrified perception of Samson, and like he's going back into town about that, and then that's when the men go out to start like hunting, right? Yeah, even though they they're focusing on wolves because they're like this little boy has no idea what he's talking about with regards to like Sloughfoot, right? It's a jam-packed book full of I feel like we're at a good halfway point.

SPEAKER_01 1:53:22

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cause yeah, he's he's kind of disappears for a while. He does, because he's trying to find out your kind of like where did he go? Where did he go?

SPEAKER_02 1:53:30

Shit's starting to go south for her, south for her, and she doesn't have her friend, and it's all Wallace's fault. Like, yeah, every single story with Centurn that you run across, it's and what's so interesting is that so many different times Samson offered to Abatha for him to just kill Wallace, and like she she's like, No, like I don't want that on my conscience, that's not who I want to be. Yeah, like he'll eventually give up. Little does she know, like those kinds of men just know they take and they will, yeah, they will not quit and they will take, take, take. Yeah, and so yeah, we're at like kind of a crossroads with like what's the wild folk creatures are like have one idea going on. Slew Foot, aka Samson is just trying to figure out where he is and what his place is in the world. Yeah, Abitha's still devastated over the loss of her husband and going through like the hills and valleys of just trying to maintain homeownership and not get it fucking robbed from under her feet.

SPEAKER_00 1:54:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:54:51

And then all the while there's like this overarching thing, theme of like this Puritan lifestyle way to live.

SPEAKER_01 1:55:01

Yeah, like the fear of Woodscraft and Satan and yes. And yeah, I think, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:55:10

Yeah, going into part two, like we get it's gonna all the answers we need, but we also get some pretty fucked up shit that happens between then and then and then kind of in the background with the with the wild folk, like specifically Forest Creek and Sky, is they are hush-hush talking amongst themselves about we really have to get father like on board with Papa. He needs to remember this needs to happen. Otherwise, the I keep wanting to say sorcerer, but it's not that. The and I know his name is Mamana Pet, but like, yeah, the shaman, the shaman will find him and destroy him, and then it all will be for nothing, yeah, for good. Yeah, and we will all be in purgatory, darkness, hell forever. And so you're like, what is this other part of the story that's going on here?

SPEAKER_01 1:56:12

Yeah, their main concern for sure is just like preserving like their nate like nature and the land and all that. Like that is what they worry about, like their forest animals, the animals, the forest, mother earth, yeah. Like following, like, yeah, they do follow like the circle of life, yeah, right, but no outside influence. Yeah, that brings the first half of our Slough Fit journey to a close. Abatha has made her choice and the woods are starting to answer back.

SPEAKER_02 1:56:37

We want to hear your thoughts on the village of Sutton. Head over to our Instagram or Patreon to check out this week's Midnight Drop Visual Gallery and join the discussion.

SPEAKER_01 1:56:48

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SPEAKER_02 1:56:58

That sounds good. Yeah. And until next week, keep the lights low and the volume up. Thank you for joining us in the dark. Sleep well if you can. And remember, some stories are meant to haunt you. Bye. Have a good night. We'll see you soon.