DERELICT Presents: Midnight Burger

Summary

DERELICT Presents: Midnight Burger – Episode Summary

Release Date: May 20, 2024

Overview

"DERELICT Presents: Midnight Burger" is a captivating episode that immerses listeners in a surreal narrative set within an enigmatic diner that transcends the boundaries of time and space. Produced by Night Rocket Productions and penned by Joe Fisher and Finlay Stevenson, the story follows Gloria, a woman seeking employment during the pandemic, who inadvertently becomes part of a cosmic mystery that threatens the very fabric of existence.

---

1. Setting the Scene: Midnight Burger Diner

The episode opens with Gloria arriving at the Midnight Burger diner for a job interview. Unlike any ordinary establishment, Midnight Burger is situated "nineteen thousand feet down" in the ocean floor, encased within a massive, secretive laboratory base named FATHOM, operated by the powerful Maas-Dorian corporation. This diner is not fixed in location; instead, it shifts through various points in the cosmos daily, making each night an adventure into a different dimension or timeline.

---

2. Gloria’s Job Interview: Meeting Casper and Ava

Gloria arrives late for her interview, only to find herself in a deserted diner managed by Casper and Ava. The initial interaction is tense, highlighting Casper's unpreparedness and the diner’s eerie atmosphere.

• Gloria: "I'm broke and miserable. And for you to add your irresponsibly unprepared interview to that is the slap in the face." ([06:26])

Casper attempts to engage her in conversation, revealing the diner’s unique nature:

• Casper: "We have one regular customer whom you've already met, and the clientele here can be challenging." ([08:54])

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3. Strange Occurrences: The Radio Broadcasts

As Gloria navigates the interview, the diner’s radio intermittently broadcasts sermons by Zebulon and Effie Mucklewain, introducing an otherworldly element to the setting.

• Zebulon Mucklewain: "I can always sense when a change is coming... For God is my rock, in whom I take refuge." ([03:09])

These broadcasts serve as both background ambiance and foreshadowing of the diner’s instability within the cosmic tapestry.

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4. Emergence of the Transdimensional Threat

The tranquility is shattered when Ava alerts the group to an impending crisis:

• Ava: "We've got a problem. Look on the horizon." ([09:41])

A massive sandstorm-like phenomenon approaches, but Ava clarifies it's something far more sinister—a "transdimensional haboob," a sentient super being composed of antimatter.

• Ava: "It's like a large dust storm, but instead of dust, it's antimatter... a sentient super being." ([15:11])

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5. Leaf’s Revelation: The Cook with a Secret

Leaf, the diner’s cook, enters the fray, revealing his role in their predicament. He explains that Midnight Burger exists in a pocket dimension to evade cosmic threats like the haboob.

• Leaf: "Because it owes me a favor. I'm hiding from what?" ([14:24])

Leaf’s presence introduces a deeper layer of complexity, indicating that the diner is a nexus point battling constant annihilation from the ever-decaying universe.

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6. Time Travel Mechanics: Escaping the Threat

Faced with imminent danger, Leaf devises a plan to transport the diner back in time to evade the haboob. This involves sliding backwards through a timeline, effectively rewinding their existence to avoid the impending catastrophe.

• Leaf: "If we slide backwards through a particular timeline, that could throw it off the scent." ([16:29])

The group experiences disorienting time slips, witnessing Arizona’s landscape morphing from modernity to ancient eras.

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7. Encounter with the Pima People: A Glimpse into the Past

As they navigate through time, the diner arrives in a prehistoric America, encountering the Pima people. This interaction underscores the diner’s role as a sanctuary amidst the chaos of creation and destruction.

• Effie Mucklewain: "Those are the Pima people... They believed in the power of names, and that to speak the name of your ancestors is to conjure them from the spirit world." ([30:27])

This segment blends historical reverence with mystical elements, enriching the narrative with cultural depth.

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8. Return to Present: Consequences of Time Manipulation

After a tumultuous journey through various timelines, including the Devonian era, the group manages to return to their original position in Arizona. However, the repercussions of their time travels become evident as Gloria notices anomalies, such as her car appearing to drive away backwards.

• Gloria: "That's me getting into my car backwards. That's me driving away backwards." ([36:35])

This realization hints at the lasting impacts of their interventions in the time stream, setting the stage for future challenges.

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9. Conclusion: Setting the Stage for Future Adventures

The episode concludes with lingering questions about the diner’s existence and the protagonists' grasp on reality. The persistent threats from the cosmos and the diner’s unique ability to navigate through time suggest ongoing battles and deeper secrets yet to be unveiled.

• Gloria: "Life is about choices, man. You and I both suffer from a very rare form of mental illness. Right?" ([38:22])

This final exchange leaves listeners anticipating the unfolding of Midnight Burger’s saga, blending elements of science fiction, mystery, and existential contemplation.

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Notable Quotes

• Gloria on Her Struggles: "I'm broke and miserable." ([06:27])

• Ava’s Scientific Explanation: "When you're a scientist and you spend your time zooming out on the universe, you discover that the universe is inherently a huge bummer." ([21:16])

• Leaf on Turning Back Time: "Tachyons. You guys need cream." ([28:33])

• Effie Mucklewain’s Wisdom: "We can gaze so deeply into the visions of a promised life that often the life we've been given slips past us." ([10:49])

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Conclusion

"DERELICT Presents: Midnight Burger" masterfully blends elements of science fiction and surreal storytelling to explore themes of existentialism, the relentless march of time, and the quest for meaning amidst chaos. Through Gloria’s journey and the diner’s cosmic escapades, listeners are invited to ponder the delicate balance between order and entropy, all set against the backdrop of an ever-shifting universe.

Transcript

[Ava]

This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance.

[Casper]

Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game?

[Ava]

Well, with the name your price tool from Progressive, you can find options that.

[Gloria]

Fit your budget and potentially lower your bills.

[Ava]

Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by.

[Gloria]

State law not available in all states.

[Jay Barton Mitchell]

Hey everybody. Jay Barton Mitchell here again. Like I mentioned last time, while we're taking a bit of a break, we're going to feature a few other shows that we really enjoy and admire over here. And the first one is Midnight Burger by Joe Fisher and Finlay Stevenson. The story follows a woman named Gloria who, during the pandemic, takes a job at a diner outside Phoenix called the Midnight Burger, only to find out that the building and its staff are constantly shifting through time and space. Every day the diner appears somewhere new in the cosmos. I don't want to spoil all the revelations because they really are written and laid out super well, but it has a great collection of characters and a highly imaginative, whimsical storyline that will remind you, of course, of Douglas Adams, but I think also Doctor who and everything, everywhere all at once. If you like the show, you can listen to it anywhere. You get your podcasts and you can Visit them at weopenat6.com Spell out the six. Hope you like it. And stay tuned for more shows and more news about the second half of our season. Thanks for listen.

[Gloria]

Um, hello? Hello?

[Casper]

Hello?

[Gloria]

Hi, I'm here for the job interview.

[Casper]

The what?

[Gloria]

Job interview. There was an ad said all applicants be here at 6. I was assuming 6pm was it am cuz that would be weird.

[Casper]

An ad?

[Gloria]

Yes. Am I. This is Midnight Burger, right?

[Casper]

Yes.

[Gloria]

Okay, you're kind of freaking me out right now.

[Casper]

What are you. Have a seat at the booth. I'll be right with you.

[Gloria]

Sure.

[Casper]

What the fuck?

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

I'm Zebulon Mucklewain, here with my wife Effie, doing our best to bring the holy to the holler.

[Effie Mucklewain]

Hi, y'all.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

Effie, what you were saying to me this morning over coffee.

[Effie Mucklewain]

Well, darling, as it was with my mother and her mother, I can always sense when a change is coming.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

That is right.

[Effie Mucklewain]

And as one might sense a storm coming up in their bad knee, one feels a pressure growing. All creation waits, but do not be afeared. Oh, no, no, no, no. Look to the psalms, y'all. For God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

Where does this season of change find you all? Perhaps at a beauty salon? Considering the expression of a new life through your follicles, perhaps at the clouded graveside of a loved one, perhaps it finds you lamenting the loss of your taqueria at a lonely diner outside of Phoenix.

[Gloria]

What?

[Ava]

Hi. Hi, there. Sorry to bother you. I'm Ava. That's my booth over there.

[Gloria]

Oh, okay. You're a regular here?

[Ava]

Sure. Listen, I have an important question.

[Gloria]

Okay.

[Ava]

Do you have a cigarette?

[Gloria]

Oh, yeah. Do you want a bum one?

[Ava]

Seriously? Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I'm going to start crying. Hang on.

[Gloria]

Are you having a hard time quitting?

[Ava]

I am having a hard time starting.

[Gloria]

I don't know.

[Ava]

Yes. Yes, please, Can I bum a cigarette?

[Gloria]

Yeah. Yeah. Here, take my lighter.

[Ava]

Thank you. Oh, my God.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

Wherever this time of change may find you, here is the Chuck Wagon Gang to remind you that heaven will always be your home.

[Casper]

Okay. Hi.

[Gloria]

This place is interesting. What's the radio show? It's wild.

[Casper]

That's the Muckle Wayne's Hour of Power, sending out the gospel to the greater Toadsuck region.

[Gloria]

Where is Toadsuck?

[Casper]

Arkansas.

[Gloria]

Why is it playing here?

[Casper]

Hmm?

[Gloria]

Why is it on the radio? In Arizona?

[Casper]

Right, right. Because Arizona is where we are right now.

[Gloria]

Right now.

[Casper]

Anyway, this is Midnight Burger. I'm Casper. Oh, yes, that's Ava. She's always here.

[Ava]

Nicotine. Get in.

[Gloria]

Me.

[Casper]

And this is a diner.

[Gloria]

Are you sure?

[Ava]

Hey, we're in Arizona right now.

[Casper]

Yeah.

[Gloria]

Is she, like, a homeless person? A little nutty.

[Casper]

She's actually a physicist with multiple doctorates.

[Gloria]

Sure.

[Casper]

So you saw an ad telling you to come here at 6?

[Gloria]

Well, it said all applicants, but it looks like it's just me. Can I ask, did you make the ad? Because it seems to me that no one else works here. But you seem surprised that I showed up. Do you own this place?

[Casper]

Um.

[Gloria]

Okay, look, I don't have time for this. You obviously had no idea I was coming. And you seem to have no idea what you're doing. I. I'm broke and miserable. And for you to add your irresponsibly unprepared interview to that is the slap in the face. I don't have time.

[Casper]

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. I'm sorry. You're right. I didn't know you were coming. Management never tells me these things. How about you tell me about yourself?

[Gloria]

Okay. My name's Gloria. I've been in the food service my whole life. I had a taqueria for a while, but the pandemic shut it down. I don't have the money to start it back up again, so Now. Now. I don't know. I don't know what I'm doing. I saw the ad and for some reason a diner out in the middle of nowhere sounded like a good idea.

[Casper]

There any family in the picture or.

[Gloria]

No. Mom and dad passed away. I was an only child, so it's just me.

[Casper]

That's great. I mean, that's. I'm sorry about that. That's my condolences. Can you tell me about the ad?

[Gloria]

Management doesn't really tell you anything, do they?

[Casper]

They don't.

[Gloria]

It's weird that you say management.

[Casper]

Is it?

[Gloria]

Well, it's one diner outside of Phoenix. It's not a Red Robin.

[Casper]

That is weird. I should stop doing that.

[Gloria]

Anyway, it was an ad in Craigslist. Not a lot of restaurants are hiring right now, so it stood out.

[Casper]

Weird. That's never happened before.

[Gloria]

Well, how did you end up working here?

[Casper]

I don't know. Just sort of walked in looking for a place to be. But that was a long time ago.

[Gloria]

Have you ever done a job interview before?

[Casper]

No. How's it going?

[Gloria]

Poorly.

[Casper]

What usually happens now.

[Gloria]

Now is when you pretend you're a people focused organization by telling me about yourself.

[Casper]

Sure, sure, sure. I'm Casper, and I pretty much do everything around here since our cook unexpectedly left a while back. We have one regular customer whom you've already met, and the clientele here can be challenging.

[Gloria]

Well, listen, I know the ad was for a waitress, but if your cook left, I've got tons of time in the kitchen.

[Casper]

That's great. Do you have any experience with dark matter?

[Gloria]

You mean like mole sauce?

[Casper]

Gloria, listen. You seem like a very nice person and I'm sure you'll do well in life, but I think you should probably leave.

[Gloria]

Oh, I should?

[Casper]

It's for the best.

[Gloria]

You've got to be kidding me.

[Casper]

I'm not. You should really go.

[Gloria]

What the hell is wrong with you?

[Casper]

Well, that's a whole other conversation.

[Gloria]

Let me explain something to you. This place is an embarrassment to all restaurants and you have no customers. I don't want this job, but I'm not leaving until you offer me this job so that I can turn it down.

[Casper]

You really need to leave before it's too late.

[Ava]

We've got a problem.

[Casper]

Shit.

[Ava]

Look on the horizon.

[Casper]

God damn it.

[Gloria]

What is that? Is that a sandstorm?

[Ava]

Nope.

[Gloria]

It looks like a sandstorm.

[Ava]

It doesn't matter what it looks like.

[Gloria]

What does that mean?

[Casper]

It's coming towards us.

[Ava]

Well, what do you think?

[Gloria]

Am I going to get stuck here?

[Casper]

Gloria.

[Gloria]

Yes.

[Casper]

Just remember that I told you to leave.

[Effie Mucklewain]

In times of change, we often weep for the life we were promised. A life we promised ourselves. A life we imagined. All those visions of our future can be swept away in the deluges and tempests of creation. And though they may be swept away, still we cling to them. We can gaze so deeply into the visions of a promised life that often the life we've been given slips past us and out of our grasp as well. Do not gaze too deeply into lives unlived, my brothers and sisters. Do not fall in love with apparitions.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

And for those of you out there still missing that life you feel you're owed, here's the Norfolk Jubilee Quartet to ease your aching. Go.

[Casper]

Here it comes.

[Gloria]

Jesus Christ.

[Casper]

It'll be fine.

[Gloria]

How often does this happen?

[Casper]

It'll pass.

[Gloria]

Is my car gonna be okay?

[Ava]

It's probably not there anymore.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

What?

[Casper]

This doesn't feel right.

[Ava]

I was just about to say that.

[Gloria]

Of course it doesn't feel right.

[Casper]

Okay, we're okay.

[Ava]

I'm going out there.

[Gloria]

My car is gone.

[Ava]

No, it's probably right where you left it. It's probably us that's gone.

[Gloria]

What does she mean? It's us that's gone?

[Casper]

Ava, don't go out there.

[Ava]

Relax. It's weird out here. It's not dusty, but I can't see past the parking lot.

[Gloria]

The parking lot my car is supposed to be in. What's going on right now?

[Ava]

I think I know what this is. Hey, Casper, go to the back door.

[Casper]

What am I doing?

[Ava]

Just go.

[Casper]

Okay.

[Gloria]

Do you see my car out there?

[Ava]

Your name's Gloria?

[Gloria]

Yes.

[Ava]

Gloria. I'm gonna throw a rock away from this diner, and it is going to magically hit Casper, defying all laws of physics. When that happens, tell me how concerned you are about your car.

[Casper]

Wait, you're gonna do what?

[Leaf]

Ow.

[Ava]

Ha ha. You hit me in the eye pocket dimension.

[Gloria]

What is. What is this place?

[Casper]

How did that curve all the way around to the back?

[Ava]

It didn't. We're just in a universe that's only about 6,500ft across.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

Casper.

[Casper]

Is that Leaf?

[Gloria]

Who's Leaf?

[Casper]

He's our cook. Leaf. Oh, thank God.

[Leaf]

Hey, guys.

[Ava]

Leaf. What the fuck?

[Casper]

What's going on?

[Leaf]

Listen, we don't have a lot of time.

[Gloria]

Motherfucker. Everybody stop. God damn it.

[Leaf]

Who's this?

[Casper]

This is the new waitress.

[Gloria]

I absolutely am not the new waitress. Will someone explain to me what the fuck is happening?

[Effie Mucklewain]

Pardon me, Gloria. Might my husband and I have a word?

[Gloria]

The radio is talking to me.

[Effie Mucklewain]

Gloria, you have entered Into a period of wandering, of searching for meaning and needing shelter. And in that search you have found yourself in a place eternal.

[Gloria]

Oh my God. Have I died?

[Effie Mucklewain]

Not at all, my dear. Though that question does imply a finality that has no purchase within our various vernaculars.

[Gloria]

The radio is talking to me and I don't know what it's saying.

[Casper]

Okay, Gloria, we'll stick a pen in this for now.

[Leaf]

I've got a problem.

[Casper]

Leaf, where have you been?

[Leaf]

No time for that.

[Ava]

Hang on. Are we in a pocket dimension right now?

[Leaf]

Yes.

[Ava]

Nailed it.

[Casper]

God damn it, Leaf. Why are we in a pocket dimension?

[Leaf]

Because it owes me a favor. I'm hiding.

[Casper]

Hiding from what?

[Leaf]

Look, I'm sure it'll be fun.

[Casper]

Hiding from what? Leaf?

[Leaf]

A trans dimensional haboob.

[Gloria]

Dude.

[Casper]

Holy shit.

[Effie Mucklewain]

Gloria. How you doing darling?

[Gloria]

Well, how do you think I'm doing, talking radio person?

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

They say you can't explain fire to a fish, but I imagine if they could, that fish would feel about like how you're feeling right now.

[Leaf]

Wanna be clear? This is not my fault. I was in a card game in Andromeda, which we all know is a shithole. How could I have expected that the big loser at the table that night was the son of.

[Gloria]

What's it? Transdata. Dimensional haboob.

[Leaf]

It's hard to explain.

[Ava]

It's like a large dust storm, but instead of dust, it's antimatter. And instead of being a few miles long, it's the size of a nebula. And instead of being a weather occurrence, it's a sentient super being.

[Gloria]

Sure.

[Casper]

And Leaf has let it right here, where it's going to kill us all.

[Leaf]

Well, which I will apologize for many times over, I'm sure. Look, if there's any place I'm going to be able to shake this thing, it's here.

[Casper]

How?

[Leaf]

I don't know. I've been hiding in this pocket dimension, but it's going to move on any minute. And when it does, this trans dimensional super being is going to rush right at us.

[Casper]

What are we supposed to do when it rushes us?

[Gloria]

Jump out of the way. Sorry, I've decided I'm having a psychotic break, so everything's funny now.

[Leaf]

Wait. Actually, she's right.

[Gloria]

Oh good, that makes it funnier.

[Ava]

You want to jump out of the way?

[Leaf]

Time slip. If we slide backwards through a particular timeline, that could throw it off the scent. Where were you before I showed up?

[Casper]

Normalcy, Arizona.

[Leaf]

That'll work. Is my recipe book still in the kitchen?

[Gloria]

Wait, what? He's going to cook something to make Us go back in time. Come on. Jean Claude Van Damme is Time Cook.

[Leaf]

I like her. I'll be in the kitchen.

[Ava]

Are you having a good time over there while we're all about to die? Gloria?

[Gloria]

I don't know. I mean, I opened up my fridge this morning and all I had was Tapatio and a carrot. So at least this is less depressing.

[Casper]

Okay, let's do this. Gloria, how about you have a seat at the booth there and we'll explain everything to you. As long as we are still alive in a few minutes.

[Gloria]

Booth.

[Ava]

Okay, we're losing the pocket dimension. There it is.

[Casper]

Jesus, that's huge. What am I looking at, Zebulon? Hit Gloria with some narration, would you?

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

And lo, Gloria looked upon a sight nary a member of her race had ever seen. Suddenly, she sat in a booth in a diner, floating in the tumultuous starways, her limited knowledge of existence as her only guide.

[Effie Mucklewain]

The vastness of this new heavenly plane, broken only by a distant malevolence. A dark spirit who now eyed her countenance with hunger. It was the size of any sky she'd seen tenfold. And it now moved upon them like a stalking beast.

[Casper]

Uh, leaf. It's coming. Almost there.

[Ava]

It looks very angry and it's moving very fast.

[Casper]

Almost there.

[Ava]

If he kills us, I am going to kill him.

[Gloria]

Oh, my God. Everybody, head on to something.

[Leaf]

Now.

[Effie Mucklewain]

The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the spirit of God was hovering over the water. Waters.

[Casper]

Everybody okay?

[Leaf]

Good back here?

[Ava]

I'm fine, Gloria.

[Casper]

I don't take that as a yes. Leaf. Did it work?

[Leaf]

I don't know.

[Casper]

Look outside. Okay. Well, we're back in Arizona.

[Gloria]

Hey, that's my car. That's me getting into my car backwards. That's me driving away backwards.

[Casper]

We're going backwards in the timeline. We may be here a while. Leif. It looks like it worked.

[Leaf]

Okay, I'm going to pick up speed. Things are going to go by pretty fast.

[Casper]

Gloria. Try and keep it together, okay? Just keep your eyes outside. Watch the highway in the distance. You see how it disappears? Now the road that you drove here on becomes a dirt road. Then no road at all. Keep your eye on the view outside. I'll be right back.

[Leaf]

I think that went very well.

[Ava]

I'm not going to thank you for solving a problem that you created.

[Leaf]

Hey.

[Casper]

Okay, guys, huddle up. We need to explain to Gloria what's going on.

[Leaf]

She seems fine.

[Casper]

She's looking out a window and watching Arizona go backwards in time. She's not fine. We need to explain things to her. And by we, I mean Ava.

[Ava]

Oh, I'm explaining it fine. Pussies.

[Casper]

Hey, Zebulon, could we get some, you know, explaining what the hell is going on? Music.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

That's a wonderful idea, Casper. Here's the Hayden quartet with Will There Be Any Stars in My Crowd?

[Gloria]

What are those?

[Ava]

My notes.

[Gloria]

On what?

[Ava]

This place. Uh, before we start, I'm going to need another one of your cigarettes.

[Gloria]

Oh, Kay.

[Ava]

Would that the second one was just as good as the first. Am I right?

[Gloria]

Please start talking.

[Ava]

So when I was young, my mother always dreamed of me being a nightclub singer. But all I ever dreamed of was going to college. So she disowned me, and off I went to college. And then I went back to college again and again and again. I had a real knack for it. I got this big stack of doctorates, and like most people with a big stack of doctorates, I spent a lot of time in front of a great big chalkboard. I had a great one. It slid back and forth. I missed that thing. I would write big, long equations, publish, write more big, long equations, publish again, etc. When you're a scientist and you spend your time zooming out on the universe, you discover that the universe is inherently a huge bummer, because everything is dying constantly. Matter and antimatter is breaking down, forming into something else and breaking down again. Look out the window. We are going backwards in time at an alarming rate. Do you see anything staying put? Even the rocks are changing shape over time. Myself and my colleagues all accepted that. We accepted that the universe was in a constant state of decay. We had become coroners, really state studying celestial death. But I had a problem. Because on my chalkboard and my chalkboard alone, all those equations I was writing were slowly pointing towards something. There was a point somewhere deep in existence that wasn't dying. It was a constant. And the universe doesn't do constants. The universe does death. So this one strange spot in endless space and time was an anomaly. I tried to tell people about my theory, but everybody said I was crazy. Which, as a scientist, is when you know you're awesome. So what's a girl to do, be called crazy her whole life? No. I decided that I would leave my lovely chalkboard behind, go out and find this thing. I would go to the singular point in all of existence that somehow wasn't dying. Turns out it's a diner. Thanks for the cigarette.

[Gloria]

Whoa, hang on. Why is it a diner?

[Ava]

Oh, I have no idea.

[Casper]

Ava. Tell her the rest.

[Ava]

What? And everything after that is theoretical. Oh, by the way, that's my booth over there. No one touches my booth.

[Casper]

Okay, that was zero percent helpful, Ava. Thank you.

[Gloria]

No, no, that helped.

[Ava]

Suck it.

[Gloria]

Tell me the rest.

[Casper]

Well, I mean, Ava's right. It is all theoretical after that.

[Ava]

Suck it again.

[Casper]

Oh. The old saying is that the only constant is change. This place appears to be the exception to that rule.

[Gloria]

And it's outside of Phoenix.

[Casper]

No, there's no fixed spot. Every night at 6pm when I unlock those doors, we're somewhere else. Sometimes a different time, sometimes a different timeline, sometimes a different universe, a different dimension. And sometimes an hour and a half outside of Phoenix.

[Gloria]

So you just float through the universe and what, serve burgers to people?

[Casper]

Well, it's a little more complicated than that. In an ever changing cosmos, this place is a constant. And I think the cosmos kind of hates that. So. The cosmos quite often tries to kill us. As you just saw with the transdimensional haboob.

[Gloria]

Oh, good.

[Casper]

Today it was a giant malevolent super being chasing leaf across the galaxy. Tomorrow it'll be who knows what. What was it last week?

[Ava]

Four dimensional Ice harpies.

[Gloria]

Right.

[Casper]

Four dimensional Ice harpies. It could be anything. This place is like a virus, constantly under attack by antibodies.

[Gloria]

Okay, but let me try and approach this in a way I can understand. It's a restaurant. I used to run a restaurant. And the three things you have to ask yourself when you're opening a restaurant is why this place? Why here? Why now?

[Casper]

Well, today it was because of you. That's the theoretical part. The part that Ava doesn't want to talk about. What I'm convinced of is that no matter where this place sets down from day to day, when I open the doors to start the day's business, someone is going to need us. Because how could they not? Like Ava said, it's all death out there all the time. Everything's breaking down. And sometimes people need a place, even if it's for an hour or just a few minutes. They need a place to feel like they're not dying. Because it's all just too terrifying.

[Leaf]

Hey guys. Brought you some coffees. It's been a day.

[Gloria]

So what's your deal, Leif?

[Leaf]

Me? You know, I'm just one of those guys. I wander around a lot. Odd jobs, stuff like that. I usually end up back here though.

[Gloria]

You wander around the universe, I mean.

[Leaf]

Universe is a little reductive. You're kind of describing a sandbox in a playground in a densely populated city. When you say things like universe, are you human? Oh, yeah, sure. 10 fingers, 10 toes, facial hair, the whole deal.

[Gloria]

You just went into the kitchen and made us go backward in time. You're just some normal dude.

[Leaf]

Well, what a lot of cooks won't tell you is that it's really about the ingredients. They like to convince you they have some sort of magical powers, but it's really about getting out of the way of what you've got in your kitchen. Am I right?

[Gloria]

What did you have in your kitchen that made time travel happen?

[Leaf]

Tachyons. You guys need cream.

[Gloria]

I'm good.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

My dear, I am getting the distinct feeling that it's our turn.

[Effie Mucklewain]

I'm feeling the same way, darling.

[Gloria]

Okay, so what's up with you guys inside the radio?

[Effie Mucklewain]

Well, I'm Effie Mucklewain and this is my husband, Zebulon.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

And we're broadcasting to the greater toad, Sargeria. Bringing the holy to the holler.

[Gloria]

Okay, but really, though, Effie, I'm getting.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

The distinct sense that our new friend, Gloria would like to understand the inner workings of our presence in her life.

[Effie Mucklewain]

It's understandable, dear. But as Job asked, can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

[Casper]

Leave.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

Might I ask you to put a pause in our rush through this river of time we are currently in? We would like to show something to our new friend.

[Leaf]

Yeah, sure. We can't stop for long, though. Hang on. Okay, we've stopped moving forward in the timeline at normal speed.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

Gloria, if you would, please direct your attention outside our windows. If I have listened to the Lord's whispers correctly, we have traveled far and to the American past. And we are currently placed on a vast and open plain in an America before history began, when it was a land of magic and enchantment, a land of peace.

[Gloria]

There's a village. I can see people.

[Effie Mucklewain]

Those are the Pima people. They inhabited your home of Arizona for generations before the arrival of the Spanish. The Pima believed in the power of names, and that to speak the name of your ancestors is to conjure them from the spirit world.

[Gloria]

They can see us. They're waving.

[Effie Mucklewain]

Feel free and wave back. There's no fear in them, no pain in unknowing. They're witnessing a mystery, and all they need do is wave. During your time with us, do embrace that feeling.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

For how much of our lives are spent building spires to reach the unknown? How much time do we spend convincing ourselves that such constructs may one day be complete? And perhaps all that time we've spent demanding answers from the. The mysteries should have been spent waving at them, admiring them from afar, being thankful for their magnificent scope.

[Effie Mucklewain]

We can keep going. Natalie. Thank you kindly.

[Leaf]

Powering up.

[Casper]

Okay, he's gonna take us pretty fast now. There goes the village. And then here comes the.

[Gloria]

Oh, wow.

[Casper]

Ice age.

[Gloria]

This is amazing. Ava, you're a scientist. Are you in heaven right now? This is amazing, right?

[Ava]

Eh, history's boring.

[Gloria]

Why?

[Ava]

Because it already happened.

[Gloria]

Oh, come on.

[Ava]

I've seen some pretty amazing nonsense sitting at this booth. You know, time slippage is pretty kindergarten for me at this point.

[Gloria]

Can you humor me, please? I'm having a moment. Be amazed with me.

[Ava]

Give me another cigarette and I'll promise to get interested in something.

[Gloria]

You really like cigarettes?

[Ava]

This place is the most amazing place in existence. But nobody thought to put in a cigarette machine.

[Gloria]

Okay, fine. I'll make that deal.

[Ava]

Excellent. Hey, Leif.

[Leaf]

Yeah?

[Ava]

We're going to make a stop at the Devonian era.

[Leaf]

We can't keep doing this.

[Ava]

Or I could remind you that you almost got us killed today.

[Leaf]

Fine. Coming up on it. I'm going to stop around 415 million BC.

[Ava]

That'll do. Get your purse. We're going outside.

[Gloria]

Isn't that bad? Isn't there something where we could change the present by messing with the past? No.

[Ava]

The Butterfly effect is sexist.

[Gloria]

Oh, it's sexist.

[Ava]

Only a man could think himself so important that even his slightest action could influence the time stream.

[Leaf]

Okay, we're here.

[Ava]

Let's go. Welcome to the Devonian era.

[Gloria]

It's dark.

[Ava]

It was cloudy a lot.

[Gloria]

It's quiet.

[Ava]

The only animal life is in the ocean at this point.

[Gloria]

The trees are so weird.

[Ava]

That's why we're here. Those aren't trees. Those are 20 foot tall mushrooms.

[Gloria]

Whoa.

[Ava]

Trees could only grow about four feet at this point. But the prototaxites could just keep growing.

[Gloria]

So you like mushrooms?

[Ava]

The only thing even remotely as interesting as theoretical physics. This is the mushroom.

[Gloria]

Okay, I just want to put that tree in an omelet.

[Ava]

Now I see you've moved past the freakout stage.

[Gloria]

I'm having a cigarette in 415 million BC and I feel. Alright.

[Ava]

You should stay.

[Gloria]

Stay?

[Ava]

Sure. You're looking for a job, right?

[Gloria]

Why would I do that?

[Ava]

Because you're having a cigarette in 415 million BC. Do you seriously want to go back to one carrot and a bottle of Tapatio after this?

[Leaf]

We've got to go Muckle Waynes.

[Casper]

We're going to have to pick up the pace. How about some Traveling music.

[Effie Mucklewain]

Might I take this one, husband?

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

Well, of course, my dear.

[Effie Mucklewain]

If no one is too offended, I might play a little secular music.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

Goodness me, honey, that's awfully risque.

[Effie Mucklewain]

Well, I wouldn't do it if you didn't love it so much. Heart of Mine.

[Ava]

Get a room. I really kill for some Linda Ronstadt sometimes.

[Leaf]

Okay, this could get weird. We're going to go full speed all the way back to the Big Bang. And that should toss us back to where we started. Hang on.

[Casper]

How are you feeling?

[Gloria]

One hell of a job interview.

[Leaf]

Welcome back to Arizona, everybody.

[Gloria]

There's my car.

[Casper]

See, right where you left it.

[Ava]

No sign of the trans dimensional haboob.

[Casper]

Good work everybody. Leaf, never do that again.

[Leaf]

Sorry.

[Casper]

Gloria. Listen, I can never tell when we're going to get swept off somewhere else. So now's the time to make it for your car, right?

[Gloria]

Right.

[Casper]

What's the use of waiting when you know you want to go? Why am I running my. Honey, don't you hear that fever?

[Effie Mucklewain]

Thanks for listening to Midnight Burger. Y'all be sure and tune in this time next month for more adventures in the vastness.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

And if time and tide roil you too harshly or diurnal courses leave you with no safe havens, just remember we're out there somewhere looking for ya.

[Effie Mucklewain]

We open at 6. Waiting here in V.

[Casper]

No, honey, I love you.

[Gloria]

The Fable and Folly Network where fiction producers flourish.

[Casper]

Hello and thanks for calling the Arena. If you know your party's extension, you can dial it at any time. If your psychiatrist has gone missing, press 3. Press 3?

[Gloria]

That sounds ill advised. Life is about choices, man. You and I both suffer from a very rare form of mental illness. Right?

[Casper]

Yep. Yep, that's us.

[Gloria]

I'm just saying we're probably not the best private investigators since we don't know what's real.

[Casper]

The waitress at the Chinese restaurant, she told me that I needed to complete three trials to find Sadler. Okay, but how long have you been out of your meds?

[Ava]

Three trials.

[Gloria]

The arena, the old factory, the inventor's basement. The inventor's basement.

[Casper]

Exactly.

[Gloria]

Mama, I met someone today. You're not gonna believe this. Half spider, half human.

[Casper]

You all have this disorder. We call it the Imperfection. Okay, so we just got off the train at a stop called east river between East Broadway and York street, which.

[Leaf]

I'm pretty sure doesn't exist.

[Gloria]

We are not a cop show, Charlie.

[Casper]

I know that, but we're friends and I need my friends.

[Ava]

How sure are you that these things are actually happening in real life? It seems like reality can be a little slippery.

[Gloria]

Charlie. Charlie.

[Ava]

They're on my face.

[Gloria]

Amber.

[Casper]

Amber.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

Stop.

[Gloria]

Stop.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

Stop.

[Casper]

Stop it. Stop it.

[Gloria]

These fucking spiders.

[Effie Mucklewain]

They are everywhere.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

The Imperfection an audio drama in nine parts. Produced by Wolf at the Door Studios.

[Ava]

Out now.

[Zebulon Mucklewain]

For more information, please visit wlfdr.com.