Episode 19 - Clay

Summary

Hymns for the Road: Episode 19 - "Clay"

Release Date: January 10, 2025 | Host/Author: Hodgepodge Audio

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Overview

In Episode 19, titled "Clay," the survivors navigating the post-apocalyptic fantasy wasteland face critical challenges that test their trust, resilience, and moral boundaries. As their journey through the deadly yet beautiful remnants of America continues, the group confronts supernatural forces, scarcity of resources, and the profound costs of survival.

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Setting the Stage

The episode opens with Copper reciting the poignant hymn "Danny Boy," setting an emotional tone that underscores the themes of loss and longing (01:03). This lyrical introduction foreshadows the imminent sacrifices the group will face.

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Critical Resource Shortage

By 02:11, Amber announces, "We're almost empty," signaling a dire shortage of gas that propels the group into urgent action. The scarcity of resources heightens tensions among the survivors:

• Amber expresses urgency: "We can't just stop in the middle of the canyon."
• Silver echoes caution: "We're not supposed to stop in the middle of the canyon."

Their conversation reveals the precarious balance between necessity and survival rules in this treacherous landscape.

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Encounter with the Temple

As their fuel dwindles, the group spots an ancient temple nestled within a cave (04:03). The temple, associated with the enigmatic Arch Folk, presents both a potential salvation and a looming threat:

• Glass observes the altar: "That's no ordinary altar, Copper. That belongs to one of the big ones, the Arch folk."
• Amber decides against seeking divine intervention: "I'm not asking a God for anything."

The decision to proceed towards the gas pump amidst ominous surroundings underscores their desperation and the ever-present danger of the wasteland.

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The Offer and Its Consequences

Upon reaching the old gas pump (10:04), the group realizes that conventional transactions are impossible. Silver proposes an exchange based on superstition: "Amber, start the pump. I'll write down a memory. And we'll hope the Summer's taken."

This act of offering personal memories as currency to the supernatural beings reveals the depth of their desperation and willingness to trade invaluable aspects of themselves for survival.

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Tragic Loss and Resurrection

The exchange leads to unforeseen repercussions. After making their offering, Copper suffers a fatal incident, leaving the group in despair:

• Silver pleads: "I can't stop crying."
• Glass consoles: "We're going to pick you up. Ready? 1, 2, 3."

In a miraculous yet unsettling turn, Copper is resurrected, but the resurrection comes with emotional and ethical ramifications. Her return is marred by confusion and disorientation, highlighting the complexities of interacting with otherworldly forces.

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Aster's Revelation and Final Sacrifice

Aster, the mystical member of the group, provides cryptic insights into the nature of their predicament:

• Aster explains: "They'll trade if you offer something in exchange that's of equal value."
• Later, Aster confronts Silver with a heartbreaking truth: "The only fair trade for a life is a life."

Faced with no other options, Aster orchestrates Silver's sacrifice to restore balance, embodying the theme that survival often demands unimaginable sacrifices.

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Emotional Aftermath and Continuing Journey

With Silver's departure, the remaining members grapple with their loss and the weight of their choices:

• Copper reflects through song: "But maybe you'll come and find the place where I am lying and kneel and say an oath there for me."
• Amber maintains stoicism: "Everything's fine."
• Glass provides reassurance: "We're all safe. Everything's okay."

Despite the sorrow, the group presses on, their bond strengthened yet forever altered by the events that transpired.

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Conclusion

"Clay" masterfully intertwines themes of sacrifice, trust, and the moral dilemmas inherent in a world where magic and danger coexist. The episode delves deep into the characters' psyches, revealing how far they are willing to go to survive and the personal costs that come with it. As the survivors continue their journey through the fantastical yet perilous landscape, the lingering questions about the nature of their world and the beings that inhabit it set the stage for future episodes.

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Notable Quotes

• Amber (02:11): "We're almost empty."
• Aster (04:29): "You are not clairvoyant. You cannot see the future."
• Silver (10:22): "Amber, start the pump. I'll write down a memory."
• Aster (16:44): "The only fair trade for a life is a life."
• Copper (22:19): "But when you come and all the flowers are dying if I am dead as dead I will maybe you'll come and find the place where I am lying..."

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Characters Introduced

• Silver: The pragmatic leader grappling with immense loss.
• Amber: The resilient and resourceful member focused on immediate survival.
• Copper: The emotionally sensitive soul whose sacrifices highlight the group's struggles.
• Glass: The steady presence providing support amidst chaos.
• Aster: The enigmatic and mystical figure whose actions carry profound consequences.

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Hymns for the Road continues to explore the complexities of human emotion and supernatural influence in a world reborn through magic and destruction. Episode 19, "Clay," stands as a testament to the lengths individuals will go to preserve life and the inevitable losses that accompany such endeavors.

Transcript

[Fred Meyer]

New year, same great savings. All in the Fred meyer app. Get 10 for $10 on select varieties of Kroger pasta, Starkist tuna pouches or Powerade. Then get Tender Fresh Heritage Farm boneless chicken breasts for $2.49 a pound, all with your card. Shop these deals at your local Oregon Fred Meyer today or click the screen now to download the Fred Meyer app to save big today. Fred Meyer Fresh for everyone. Prices and product availability subject to change restrictions apply. See site for details.

[Podcast Announcer]

Hymns for the Road is a fiction podcast that often takes place inside a moving vehicle. Listener discretion is advised while driving. General content warnings are listed in the show notes.

[Copper]

Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling from glen to glen and down the mountainside the summer's gone and all the flowers dying Tis you, tis you must go and I must bide but come ye back when summer's in the meadow or when the valley's hush and whitest snow For I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow O Danny boy oh, Danny boy I love you so.

[Amber]

We're almost empty.

[Glass]

I don't think we're going to make it much further.

[Amber]

No, I know.

[Copper]

We can't just stop in the middle of the canyon.

[Silver]

We're not supposed to stop in the middle of the canyon.

[Amber]

What else is Aster got?

[Silver]

I want to know if there's somewhere nearby where we can get gas. Hmm. Is this Bendon Road?

[Aster]

They trust in you.

[Copper]

I guess we'll just keep our eyes peeled for a bend in the road, then.

[Aster]

Perhaps that's their mistake.

[Glass]

I'll keep my eye out for you, Silver.

[Amber]

I swear, if you say anything about it being a trap or a trick or.

[Glass]

We have to be on our guard. Always, Amber.

[Amber]

Yeah, and if we run out of gas this far from a station, we're dead for sure. So if you have any better ideas, I'd love to hear them.

[Silver]

I trust Aster enough to not be totally screwing us over.

[Glass]

Silver, you should be careful with that glass.

[Amber]

I'm not stopping in this canyon. Can't you just call them out here and ask where to go?

[Silver]

I already tried. They're busy.

[Copper]

Amber. Amber, slow down.

[Amber]

What's that over there?

[Copper]

The cave in the rock.

[Silver]

Oh, there's a statue in there.

[Amber]

Where?

[Glass]

Looks like some kind of temp.

[Narrator]

Move.

[Amber]

I can't see. Oh, hell. That does look like a temple.

[Aster]

Perhaps if you were paying attention. Perhaps if you had arrived sooner.

[Copper]

Could we?

[Glass]

No.

[Copper]

Why not?

[Glass]

That's no ordinary altar, copper. That belongs to one of the big ones, the Arch folk.

[Silver]

I'm with silver on this one.

[Amber]

I'm not asking a God for anything.

[Copper]

It's beautiful.

[Glass]

It sure is.

[Silver]

Who knows what they do to you in there.

[Amber]

I'm going to keep driving. I feel like it's watching me.

[Silver]

It probably is.

[Aster]

It is.

[Amber]

They are all right. Let's go.

[Aster]

You are not clairvoyant. You cannot see the future. You can tap into a source, but the power has no color till someone else channels it. You're not giving them divination. The power does not become the future until it reaches their hands. You only see the future the moment they do.

[Silver]

The next thing I'm getting is just the word pump.

[Amber]

A pump? Do you mean a gas station?

[Aster]

Maybe because you have little else to give. You have nothing that can properly pay for what you want. What they have. The love. The pain.

[Glass]

Up ahead, I see a turn.

[Copper]

Whoa.

[Aster]

The road hugs the cliffside until the wall splits into a sheer crevice in the mountain. The turn becomes a fork. One way stays on the road. Simple. Right? The other leads straight into the chasm. The bottom is level with the road. But even one step past the entrance would throw them into darkness. And they wouldn't be alone.

[Amber]

Oh, like hell. Am I going in there.

[Copper]

What are those things?

[Glass]

They look like some kind of structure.

[Silver]

Glass.

[Amber]

How it moved.

[Glass]

Or a creature, I suppose.

[Copper]

Glass.

[Silver]

Tell me if this is the spot. It says yes.

[Aster]

It isn't the only one of its kind. Not the only place. Humans left their machines in twisted piles in hopes the elements will eventually return the metals to the earth. But they aren't piles of scrap anymore. They remember how it felt to be alive. But they don't remember the shape they were supposed to be.

[Amber]

We're going into that scrap metal boneyard.

[Silver]

Look way over on the other side. There's the pump. Just one by itself. Just like the Magic 8 Ball said.

[Glass]

Copper. Can you reach the gas can?

[Copper]

I'll try.

[Amber]

Glass. Some of those things are like 15ft tall. And are you sure that pump will even work?

[Silver]

Of course I'm not Amber, but what other choice do we have? We're empty.

[Amber]

We keep limping along until we find something else. It's. It's not moving. This is so great. I love this so much. Can't wait to go in there. Well, are the rest of you waiting for written permission?

[Silver]

Oh, right.

[Aster]

This is where it happens. This is where you should have been watching.

[Copper]

Do we have stuff to pay for the gas?

[Silver]

I've got a backpack full of stuff. We'll have to cross that bridge. After we cross this crack.

[Amber]

Why is it so dark in there? It's like the sun doesn't even make it to the bottom.

[Copper]

I can only imagine what it looks like from all the way at the top.

[Glass]

If we're going in there, we're going together. No splitting up.

[Silver]

At least it's wide enough to walk in.

[Amber]

Yeah, and wide enough for those things. Those metal creatures.

[Silver]

They're reactive to noise.

[Glass]

That's good.

[Silver]

No, but I think that if we aren't too loud, it won't bother us. And I don't know if they can get past the skate either.

[Amber]

Come on. Sooner we get this over with, sooner we can leave.

[Copper]

Do we knock?

[Glass]

Gig's cracked open already.

[Aster]

Look.

[Copper]

An invitation.

[Glass]

They're not keeping us out, that's for sure.

[Silver]

Here goes.

[Amber]

Let's go.

[Aster]

A gash in the earth. The ghost of an earthquake. The sun does not reach there. The flowers do not spray as liberally over the rocks. It is a blind spot to you. Not because you can't see. Only because you don't.

[Amber]

We only need enough gas to go a few more miles. Just a few more miles. Oh, they're really touchy.

[Silver]

Quietly as you can, everybody.

[Amber]

We're almost there.

[Silver]

I see the pump.

[Glass]

It belongs to the summers. Look. It's all burnt up on the back.

[Amber]

It's ancient. How are we supposed to pay for this?

[Glass]

Pumps like this. People used to go into the station to pay.

[Copper]

But there's no station.

[Silver]

Amber, start the pump. I'll write down a memory. And we'll hope the summer's taken.

[Aster]

The Summers like to delay consequences. Usually until their own season. They store up transgressions. They hold grudges. They think it's more fun that way.

[Glass]

Think of something good.

[Silver]

Hurry. Almost done.

[Copper]

Guys.

[Silver]

Done. All filled up.

[Glass]

Put the nozzle back. Careful.

[Aster]

You should have been watching over them.

[Copper]

That one got closer to us.

[Silver]

How many are there close to us?

[Copper]

4. They're all so sharp.

[Aster]

You could have been there. After all. It's what you wanted.

[Silver]

Where. Where do I put the payment? Look.

[Copper]

Look on the back. There's a little slot.

[Silver]

Perfect.

[Aster]

You wanted to know the pain. And the world gave it to you.

[Glass]

As long as we get back quiet, we can.

[Silver]

Oh. Run. Run.

[Amber]

Time to go.

[Copper]

Let's go.

[Amber]

I've got you. Come on. No time. Run.

[Silver]

We're almost there. Hurry. Help. Come on. We're almost there. Silver, get the gate.

[Glass]

I'm ready.

[Silver]

Hurry. Close it. Close it.

[Glass]

They can't get through.

[Silver]

Copper.

[Glass]

Oh, hell. Oh, hell. Copper.

[Copper]

Is it bad? I don't. I don't want to look, everything's gonna.

[Glass]

Be all right, sweetheart. Amber's filling up the car, and we'll be on the way to getting you help. Don't move around too much, all right?

[Copper]

Okay.

[Amber]

Done.

[Silver]

Tried engine. Go. Where? Where to go? Where do we go? What do we do?

[Glass]

Glass, you and I were sitting back with Copper. Try to stop the bleeding. Amber, take shotgun.

[Silver]

Where are we going?

[Glass]

Temple in the mountain.

[Silver]

What?

[Glass]

I thought you said don't have another choice. Glass, get in the car.

[Copper]

Go.

[Amber]

Get them on the blanket so we can carry them.

[Silver]

Does anything feel wrong to you? You guys.

[Amber]

No, boss. Everything is fine.

[Glass]

Hold on, baby. We just have to carry you in.

[Copper]

It hurts.

[Glass]

I know, sweetheart. I know. We're going to pick you up. Ready? 1, 2, 3. I know. I know. It hurts. I'm sorry. We got to get you inside.

[Amber]

Offerings?

[Silver]

Yep.

[Amber]

What kind of stuff do we have?

[Silver]

What's the most most valuable thing we have?

[Amber]

Drinking water.

[Silver]

The whole tank?

[Amber]

Absolutely.

[Silver]

What about food? All of it.

[Podcast Announcer]

Take.

[Amber]

Take all of it.

[Silver]

You got it?

[Amber]

I got it. Grab the food. Let's go.

[Glass]

We've got something to offer. Just hold on. Just hold on.

[Amber]

We got all our drinking water and all our food on the altar.

[Glass]

Amber heard.

[Silver]

Here, let me help. I think somebody heard us.

[Copper]

Scared?

[Glass]

Don't be scared. You're gonna be all right, you hear?

[Amber]

They took the offering.

[Copper]

Yeah.

[Glass]

Copper. Oh, Copper, come on.

[Silver]

Hold on, Copper. You can do this.

[Amber]

Didn't do anything.

[Silver]

No, no, no.

[Glass]

Copper, please. Stay with us.

[Amber]

But they took the offering.

[Silver]

No. No.

[Amber]

They took the offering. Why didn't we get anything back?

[Silver]

No, it's not over yet. They're not gone yet.

[Glass]

They're gone, Glass.

[Silver]

No, they're. They're not. We can fix this.

[Amber]

We gave you the most valuable thing we have, and you gave us nothing.

[Glass]

There's nothing we can do.

[Silver]

There has to be something we can do.

[Glass]

Over. They're gone.

[Silver]

No. Not yet.

[Glass]

Where are you going?

[Silver]

I'm asking for help. I. I need help. I need your help. I don't know what to do, Esther.

[Aster]

You know I can't go in there.

[Silver]

I don't care. We. We have to think of something else to do. There. There has to be something we can do. If the world isn't magic now, there. There has to be a way to.

[Aster]

You're appealing to things much higher than me, Glass.

[Silver]

What? Tell me what that means.

[Aster]

You're asking for the return of a human life.

[Silver]

Yes, that's exactly what I'm asking for. That big statue in the temple. Do you. I want to know if you Know who it is? Is there any? I mean, I want you to try talking to them.

[Aster]

I can't speak to them, but I can tell you that they'll trade if you offer something in exchange that's of equal value.

[Silver]

We don't have anything left. We already gave them the most valuable stuff we can give them. We don't have anything equal to human life. I. Oh.

[Aster]

The only fair trade for a life is.

[Silver]

I get it. So we lose either way.

[Aster]

I wish I could do more, but.

[Silver]

What? You just. You just reacted to something.

[Aster]

You should go back in there.

[Silver]

I don't want to. I can't play at Copper like that.

[Aster]

Something happened, Glass. You need to be with them.

[Silver]

I can't. It's too much.

[Aster]

A life for a life. Glass.

[Glass]

I don't know how long you'll have before.

[Aster]

The world tilts upon its axis. They will not feel the shift. They will not feel the vacuum, the space in the world where something was. But you'll feel it. The void. The emptiness. And more. You will feel the House of Summers compromise. It will not hurt them. They will not feel it.

[Silver]

Aster. What? I. Bless.

[Aster]

I'm so sorry.

[Silver]

What? Why? I. I don't understand.

[Aster]

They said they would stop it from hurting.

[Silver]

Stop what? I want you to tell me what they could stop from hurting.

[Amber]

Glad.

[Silver]

Copper. You're alive. What happened? Is everyone okay?

[Amber]

Yeah.

[Silver]

What's wrong? What happened?

[Glass]

We got Copper back.

[Silver]

Copper? What happened?

[Copper]

I. I don't remember.

[Silver]

I. I can't stop crying. That's fine, Squeaker. Let's just get you back to the car. We can figure it out later.

[Aster]

They will seem happy to see one another and confused over the relief. Human emotions from human states of being. You are too far from that. You'll never be close enough to understand. And they will be so lost in their disorientation and what they do not yet comprehend as grief that they will not notice when you disappear. What a burden to carry. What cruelty from the House of Summer. That you must shoulder that secret. That only by dishonesty can you protect your beloved. Maybe they were punishing you for the sin of your carelessness. For the sin of not arriving soon enough. It hurts in exactly the way the frost doesn't.

[Silver]

You've got them?

[Glass]

Yeah, I got them.

[Amber]

I'll drive.

[Copper]

Can I put my head on your leg?

[Glass]

Of course, sweetheart.

[Silver]

Aster disappeared before I said goodbye.

[Glass]

They do a lot of that, darling. Don't you worry about it too much.

[Silver]

But I didn't say I. I should have.

[Glass]

It's all right. We're we're all safe. Everything's okay.

[Amber]

Enjoy it while it lasts. First thing we're picking up is another water cooler.

[Glass]

Is that why there's so much space back here?

[Silver]

Must be.

[Copper]

But when you come and all the flowers are dying if I am dead as dead I will maybe you'll come and find the place where I am lying and kneel and say an oath there for me and I shall hear the soft eu tremble above me and all my grave shall warmer, sweeter be for you will bend and tell me that you love me and I shall sleep in peace until you come to me.

[Podcast Announcer]

Hymns for the Road is a podcast written and Produced by Anna McGuire. Starring Maurice Thomas as Silver, Pau Panganibon as Glass, Grizz Siebenek as Amber, Tabitha Bardal as Copper, and featuring Justice Washington as Astor. Original music by Joshua David Mitchell this episode's him is Danny Boy by Frederick Weatherly Sign up for our [e-mail] or support our work on Patreon.com Hodgepodgeaudio thank you for listening.

[Narrator]

Back in 1980, 70% of clothing worn by Americans was made by Americans. Today, it's 2%. And the reason is simple. It's cheaper to make things overseas. But that doesn't change the fact that 2% of textile manufacturers have refused to give up on this country. And those companies deserve to be congratulated. I'm talking about companies like American Giant. American Giant controls every link in their supply chain. And that matters because when you buy from American Giant, you create jobs for people in factory towns all across this country. Look, I get it. Nobody wants a lecture. But if you want to see more companies make more things in this country, you gotta support the companies who are already doing that very thing this holiday. Check out the [e-mail] flannels, hoodies, T shirts and jeans make made to last a lifetime. Support the 2% who are still making it here at american-giant.com new year same.

[Fred Meyer]

Great savings all in the Fred meyer app. Get 10 for $10 on select varieties of Kroger pasta, Starkist tuna pouches or Powerade. Then get Tender Fresh Heritage Farm boneless chicken breasts for $2.49 a pound, all with your card. Shop these deals at your local Oregon Fred Meyer Today or click the screen now to download the Fred Meyer app to save Big Today. Fred Meyer Fresh for Everyone. Prices and product availability subject to change restrictions apply. See site for details.