Episode 9 - Halloween

Summary

Hymns for the Road – Episode 9: Halloween Release Date: October 31, 2024
Host/Author: Hodgepodge Audio

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Introduction

In Episode 9 of Hymns for the Road titled "Halloween," listeners are plunged into a chilling yet enchanting narrative set against the backdrop of a magical apocalypse. The story follows four survivors—Copper, Glass, Silver, and Amber—as they undertake an annual quest to retrieve a sacred dagger essential for their survival through the harsh winter solstice. This episode intricately weaves themes of camaraderie, fear, and the supernatural, all while exploring the hauntingly beautiful landscapes of a transformed America.

---

Setting the Scene

The episode opens with the survivors navigating through a desolate pine forest, transitioning into an expansive cornfield that only reveals itself on Halloween night. The world around them is depicted as both "indescribably beautiful, and ruthlessly, indiscriminately deadly", setting a tone of eerie beauty and constant peril.

Notable Quote:
Copper reflects on their mission:

"We always found our dagger...it was always the same knife and always in the same place."
[01:41]

---

The Quest for the Dagger

As the group prepares for their journey, Silver reiterates the strict rules essential for their survival:

1. Don't talk to the inhabitants unless spoken to.
2. Only say what you have to.
3. Don't look them in the eyes.
4. Don't take your mask off.
5. No singing once past the walls.

Notable Quote:
Silver emphasizes the importance of silence:

"And only say what you have to. That's the biggest one."
[02:56]

Amber expresses her excitement for Halloween, contrasting with Glass's detachment, highlighting the diverse personalities within the group.

Notable Quote:
Amber shares her enthusiasm:

"I like Halloween."
[03:15]

---

Entering Halloween Town

Upon arriving at the cornfield's edge, the survivors describe the surreal landscape:

Notable Description:

"A sea of yellowing corn stalks. Not a speck of fruit on them as far as the eye could see. The sky was purple and black and red. The moon orange and unfathomably enormous."
[03:45 – 04:46]

They encounter the goat-masked folk, eerie inhabitants of Halloween Town who enforce their own set of ominous rules. The gateway into the town is marked by a wrought iron arch, symbolizing the threshold between their perilous quest and the enigmatic town.

Notable Quote:
Copper warns about their situation:

"The whole world was bathed in orange light from that enormous moon. It had the strange quality of lighting everything up only halfway... some places bend the way you think on Halloween."
[10:42 – 11:36]

---

Confrontation and Revelation

Inside Halloween Town, the group splits up to search for the dagger. Tensions rise as they navigate the haunted house filled with unsettling sights and sounds:

Notable Incident:
Amber bravely takes the lead in searching:

"I want to do it. Ding dong."
[14:25]

Copper accidentally removes his mask during a confrontation, revealing his vulnerability. This act breaks the illusion that masks provide, leading to dire consequences as the folk reveal their monstrous nature.

Notable Quote:
Copper narrates the betrayal:

"I ran until I couldn't. Until I met with a smooth stone wall almost 20ft high... They drew something out from the waistband of their pants. A knife. Hey, that's our knife."
[18:27 – 23:19]

The revelation that the knife is a tool to detect humans adds depth to the folklore surrounding Halloween Town, illustrating the intertwining of magic and survival.

---

Resolution and Escape

Despite the chaos and near-fatal encounters, the survivors manage to reclaim the dagger. Copper's quick thinking and sacrifice—using a fire spell to cauterize his wound—ensure their escape as dawn breaks:

Notable Quote:
Silver comforts Copper after the ordeal:

"Once we're out of here, we'll find something better to put on your burn and we'll wrap it up nicer... When the sun comes up, it's over. You made it."
[26:18 – 26:43]

The group's bond is reaffirmed as they reflect on their successful retrieval of the dagger, underscoring themes of trust and teamwork.

---

Conclusion and Reflections

The episode concludes with the survivors expressing relief and a return to normalcy as they leave Halloween Town. Amber's light-hearted comment about getting pumpkin-flavored treats adds a touch of levity after the intense journey.

Notable Quote:
Amber wraps up with a festive note:

"Happy Halloween, everybody."
[27:38 – 27:40]

---

Notable Quotes Recap

• Copper on their mission consistency:

  "We always found our dagger...it was always the same knife and always in the same place."

  [01:41]

• Silver on the importance of rules:

  "And only say what you have to. That's the biggest one."

  [02:56]

• Amber's excitement:

  "I like Halloween."

  [03:15]

• Copper on the surreal environment:

  "The whole world was bathed in orange light from that enormous moon..."

  [10:42]

• Copper's confrontation narrative:

  "I ran until I couldn't... They drew something out from the waistband of their pants. A knife..."

  [18:27 – 23:19]

• Silver comforting Copper:

  "When the sun comes up, it's over. You made it."

  [26:18 – 26:43]

• Amber's festive sign-off:

  "Happy Halloween, everybody."

  [27:38 – 27:40]

---

Final Thoughts

Episode 9 of Hymns for the Road masterfully blends horror and fantasy, delivering a suspenseful and emotionally charged narrative. Through its vivid descriptions and character-driven plot, the episode captures the essence of Halloween's haunting allure while exploring the lengths to which individuals will go to ensure their survival. Listeners are left eagerly anticipating the next installment of this captivating journey through a magical apocalypse.

Transcript

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Anna McGuire]

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]

Sure has been a while.

[Glass]

We'll find it, Copper. Don't worry too much.

[Copper]

What if it's not in the same place this year?

[Silver]

It's never in the same place, but we'll get there.

[Copper]

I don't mean the Cornfield Silver.

[Amber]

It doesn't move, Copper. It'll be in the same spot it always is.

[Silver]

We'll get to it. We always do.

[Copper]

We always found our dagger. Some years it took longer than others, but we hadn't missed it yet. I don't remember how we knew what we were looking for, but it was always the same knife and always in the same place. It was only a matter of getting to that place and getting back out.

[Glass]

So, anybody want to hear a joke? Amber? Silver? Lighten the mood a little bit?

[Amber]

No.

[Silver]

I'm game for a joke.

[Glass]

Okay. Okay. So a dog walks into a bar. They should have kept their eyes open.

[Amber]

I don't get it.

[Glass]

Get it? The dog walked into a bar because their eyes were closed. Huh?

[Silver]

Huh?

[Copper]

Not your best work, Glass.

[Glass]

I didn't think so. Though.

[Amber]

If you can keep that up all night, I'll buy something worth a pint of blood for you at the next Winter House gas station.

[Glass]

Tempting.

[Silver]

You shouldn't joke about that.

[Glass]

Should I tell my dog joke again instead?

[Amber]

No.

[Silver]

Everybody remember the rules for tonight.

[Amber]

Don't talk to them unless they talk to you.

[Glass]

And only say what you have to.

[Silver]

That's the biggest one.

[Copper]

Don't look them in the eyes.

[Glass]

Don't take your mask off.

[Amber]

No singing once we're past the walls.

[Silver]

We've done this enough times. You think?

[Glass]

Obviously getting a little sharp, Amber.

[Amber]

Sorry. I'm just excited.

[Copper]

You're excited?

[Amber]

I like Halloween.

[Glass]

Well, I don't relate to that at all.

[Copper]

Maybe we could read some cards, pass the time.

[Glass]

I'm not getting anything from them right now. It's just Regular art.

[Copper]

What if we just made up our own card reading?

[Glass]

All right. Sure. You want to go first? And I'll never get used to that.

[Silver]

Well, here we are, y'all.

[Amber]

And there it is.

[Copper]

We couldn't see it up ahead. You never could. We were driving through a pine forest. Dry needles strewn out all over the narrow street. And suddenly we were shooting out into the field. The spontaneous tree line at our backs. The cornfield. It was a world all on its own. One we could only get into on Halloween night. I don't know if you could reach it outside of a car, but it was endless. A sea of yellowing corn stalks. Not a speck of fruit on them as far as the eye could see. Eventually the trees would disappear. We couldn't get back to them either. Not until morning. The sky was purple and black and red. The moon orange and unfathomably enormous. Like it was hovering just above us, watching. You see the town?

[Amber]

I think so. Look over there.

[Glass]

Where?

[Amber]

Over this way.

[Glass]

I think you're right.

[Silver]

Anything on the cards? Now, Glads.

[Glass]

I think my cards might be drunk, actually.

[Amber]

What?

[Glass]

Well, they're just showing me really blurry close ups of random objects. I don't know what this is supposed to mean.

[Amber]

What? Let me see.

[Glass]

Sure. Here.

[Copper]

Oh, right.

[Amber]

I forgot.

[Copper]

I can't see.

[Glass]

I forgot you can't see them.

[Silver]

Well, gonna find somewhere to park. Everybody get your costumes on.

[Copper]

Legend has it that the moss grows on the north side of the trees. Well, legend has it when the rain comes down, all the worms come up to breathe.

[Silver]

Well, legend has it that some bees come, all the plants they even with the leaves.

[Glass]

Legend has it that the world spins around on an axis of 23 degrees. But have you heard the story of the rabbit in the moon?

[Copper]

Or the cattle? She left the mountains while out in the cornfield there was a village. A hundred little box buildings stacked on top of each other. The exteriors were black and the windows lit up orange, gold. But this wasn't the somewhere better. It was the Halloween town. And it stayed at a distance no matter how fast you drove. It floated on the horizon like a mirage. And you could hear the noise if you opened the windows. But you could never get any closer. Cars weren't welcome there. Humans were though. And if you wanted to get in, you had to get out and walk.

[Silver]

Everybody feeling alright?

[Copper]

No.

[Amber]

I don't know what you're talking about. I'm feeling great.

[Glass]

Somehow I feel way worse than last year.

[Amber]

You should have thought of that before you developed magic. I'm immune to the bad vibes.

[Silver]

If you got any singing left in your system, get it out now before we get to the gate.

[Amber]

Nope. I feel great.

[Silver]

All right, y'all. Everybody costumed up?

[Amber]

Yep.

[Copper]

I'm gonna bring a spell, just in case.

[Amber]

Which one?

[Copper]

Fire. Just a small one.

[Glass]

What are you planning on setting on fire?

[Copper]

I'm not gonna set anything on fire. I just thought it might be a good distraction. Or a light. It's not even that big.

[Silver]

Focus, y'all. We get in, get the dagger and get out. Then we're home free until the solstice. Here we go.

[Copper]

It never took long to get there. We couldn't have walked more than a half mile on any given year. But the space seemed so much wider than that. I looked back toward our car. After only a few minutes of walking, even jumping high enough to see over the corn stalks. I could barely see the road. Like we'd been walking for hours.

[Glass]

Should we tie ourselves together now, or do we wait until we get closer?

[Silver]

Go ahead, Glass. Now's as good a time. As any.

[Glass]

Here, Amber, you're next.

[Amber]

Got it? You got it, Copper?

[Copper]

Yes.

[Amber]

You sure you don't need help with the knot?

[Copper]

I can do the knot just fine.

[Silver]

We gotta hurry, y'all. Night's already half over.

[Amber]

Come listen, all ye fair maids to.

[Copper]

How the moral goes Nobody knew and nobody knows how the pebble was robbed.

[Glass]

Of his twice five toes or how.

[Amber]

The dawn came to own illumino snows.

[Silver]

Or how the junglers went to sea.

[Copper]

And she bet they roll and came.

[Silver]

To shore by the chainly bore Where.

[Copper]

B tre Silver was right. The night was already half over. But it was hard to tell how late it actually was, considering the brightness. The whole world was bathed in orange light from that enormous moon. It had the strange quality of lighting everything up only halfway. It tricked your brain into thinking you could see perfectly. But every object cast a shadow that looked a bit too much like it was moving on its own. And after only a few more minutes, we arrived under the wrought iron arch. The gateway into town. We're here.

[Silver]

Mask on, y'all.

[Glass]

Sooner we get in, the sooner we can get out.

[Amber]

Don't stay past sunrise.

[Glass]

You know, that would be a lot easier if there were any indication of what time it is.

[Copper]

The moon moves. You just have to watch it closely.

[Silver]

Lead the way, Glass.

[Copper]

If you wore a mask, the folk couldn't tell you were human. Everybody's a monster in there. We weren't the only humans, either. Lots of people come here to get their own solstice. Items for their own places. Not that I could tell who was human. The party couldn't even tell each other apart. That's why we were tied together as we passed under the gate. My friends distorted in front of my eyes. I knew it was an illusion and one that would dissipate if any of us lost our masks. But it always made my heart drop to see them all replaced by things large, impossibly shaped. Far from human things.

[Amber]

Let's find our haunted house.

[Glass]

Is that Amber?

[Amber]

Yep.

[Glass]

Jeez, I can't even look directly at you. Makes my head hurt.

[Silver]

Speech to a minimum, y'all.

[Copper]

Sounds like somebody took their mask off.

[Amber]

Not the first one either. Look over there.

[Copper]

Is that a body?

[Amber]

What else could it be?

[Copper]

They don't usually just let them line the street like that, though.

[Glass]

Who knows? Strange rules will never understand.

[Copper]

Guys.

[Silver]

Yeah.

[Copper]

That was the first time I saw them. Just a ways away from the body. A figure standing about 100ft behind us. A human shaped figure. The most human I could see at all. The folk don't usually bother with looking human here. But this one was just standing there. In plain black clothes and a stark white mask of a goat's head. I thought it was an illusion or my imagination. Because I looked away for a moment and they were gone. Um. Nothing. I'm just, you know.

[Silver]

Yeah, darling, we know.

[Copper]

Good evening.

[Glass]

Good evening to you as well.

[Silver]

Little small, aren't we?

[Glass]

Hey? I just like squeezing into small spaces this time of year.

[Silver]

Some of them are awfully difficult to climb into, I will admit.

[Glass]

Enjoy the evening. Well, that was something.

[Copper]

Let's just keep going. What we were looking for, what we had to find every year, was inside one of the buildings. We knew from experience that they would stay standing when you went inside. Even the ones that seemed barely held upright by posts and wires. The folk didn't hold back in the Halloween town. They'd eat you if they caught you. Or worse. The winters liked to pull you apart and hang up the pieces of you from the roofs. Sometimes the pieces were still alive. The summers like to trick you into staying past sunrise when the gate into the cornfield would close and you would have to wait another year to get back out. I don't think anybody ever made it that long.

[Silver]

Anybody care to do the honor?

[Anna McGuire]

Me.

[Amber]

I want to do it.

[Copper]

You're a freak camper.

[Amber]

Better than being terrified. Here we go. Ding dong.

[Copper]

Let's hurry.

[Glass]

Excuse me. Excuse me.

[Silver]

Where's your mask, darling?

[Copper]

I fell.

[Glass]

I, I, I'm sorry.

[Copper]

I'm sorry. Where did it go?

[Glass]

Where did what?

[Copper]

The human. Where did it go?

[Glass]

That way.

[Copper]

The folk vanished into a crack in the floor. No doubt they'd catch up to that poor bastard soon. Whatever solstice item they were looking for, they wouldn't need it now. I could see out the thin window by the door, but I couldn't see which way they went. I couldn't tell if Glass had lied, but what I could see was the figure in the goat mask standing still in the shifting crowd. Blank wooden eyes staring right at me. We'd better hurry. Yip.

[Glass]

Yip.

[Copper]

Yip. We climbed through the house at smelled like burnt sugar and smoke. The stale dustiness of autumn air, and just the faintest metal tang of blood. I didn't remember what normal fall looked like before everything. Silver said a lot of things were similar. The stairwell was narrow, so narrow we couldn't have walked to across. And at our regular sizes at that. But I suppose the things in here don't really pay attention to the bounds of space and time. I think those are more like abstract concepts to them.

[Amber]

There's the room.

[Copper]

Yes. Guys, slow down.

[Silver]

Where's the dagger?

[Glass]

Maybe it fell off. We can look for it.

[Copper]

It was right here.

[Amber]

Glass, look. There's still an indent on the pillow.

[Copper]

It's always right here. Where did it go?

[Glass]

Chill out, Copper. We'll find it.

[Silver]

No.

[Glass]

What?

[Silver]

No. We need to go. We'll figure something else out.

[Amber]

What? We need that knife, Silver. We're screwed if we don't have it.

[Silver]

Listen, every human here looking for their own thing had to find out about theirs somehow. We'll find out about a new one.

[Glass]

Silver. We're not gonna make it through winter without it.

[Silver]

Glass. Somebody's trying to make sure we stay here and look for it. Somebody's trying to keep us from getting back out on time. We need to go.

[Copper]

Huh?

[Amber]

There's another dead body in the corner.

[Glass]

There's lots of dead bodies, Sam.

[Amber]

No, a whole intact body like the one we saw on the street. Look at this. It looks like they've just been stabbed.

[Silver]

Sure does. Same thing will happen to us if we don't.

[Amber]

Silver, it's Halloween. Since when does a folk just stab someone and leave them? They never do stuff that simple. The agony is the whole point tonight.

[Copper]

Their mask is still on.

[Glass]

Somebody can see through the masks.

[Silver]

We got to go. Come on.

[Copper]

The goat figure was behind the house, looking up through the window.

[Amber]

Come on, Copper.

[Glass]

Hurry.

[Copper]

Y'all. Hurry. Hurry. You're going too fast. Wait.

[Glass]

Guys, come on.

[Copper]

Tonight. It's coming loose. Something ran into Me. And I was on the ground. I stood up as quickly as I could, making sure my mask was secure on my face. Wait. My party disappeared into the crowd. Wait. I was alone, surrounded by creatures. Maybe people. Most likely not. I couldn't even look for them. The shifting forms and barely decipherable illusions meant that I wouldn't even recognize my friends if I saw them. As I looked for anything familiar, I stumbled back, clutching the slash across my arm. The pain rang through my nerves like an electric shock. Blood slid out between my fingers and behind me, the figure in the goat mask. I ran. I passed another body, stab wound in the chest, bleeding into the street. But I knew the way I came. I knew where the gate was. What? What? But it was here. It was right here. Or maybe I didn't. Where is it? I suppose it was my own fault. It's arrogance to think you would know where anything is in this world. So I ran. I ran until I couldn't. Until I met with a smooth stone wall almost 20ft high. No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I was bleeding, and I didn't have much to stop it. They would be able to smell it soon. Fresh blood. They'd be on me like a swarm of wasps. I knew it was going to hurt, but fire was the only spell I had. Okay. Okay, here we go. Here we go. One, two. I knew how to cauterize a wound properly. Silver taught me. This is not the right way to do it, but a little melted skin is better than being torn apart. But even after replacing the smell of blood with a smell of burnt flesh, I wasn't safe. I hadn't escaped. The person in the goat mask. You. Why aren't you joining the party? You're. You're being awfully rude right now. You know, they drew something out from the waistband of their pants. A knife. Hey, that's our knife. Our sacrificial dagger. The one we needed for the winter solstice ritual. The one we wouldn't survive without. Blood dripping red from the ragged tip of it, they lunged. The other person swung at me, missed, and I kicked their leg out from under them. I had a moment. I could wrench the knife away from them and run, try to make it to the gate on my own. But I didn't. That's mine. I don't know what happened to me. Of course, there are places that bend the way you think on Halloween. In this place, even otherwise, benevolent folk can become bloodthirsty monsters. I suppose, on some level, it could Happen to humans too. I needed that knife. My friends needed that knife. They might die without it. This person might kill them by keeping it. Folk didn't even need knives. This one was just doing it for fun. Give it to me. I suppose I didn't mean to take the mask off. Or maybe I did. But as I wrenched the dagger from their hand, my elbow pushed the goat head off their face. What? They were human. Just as human as me.

[Amber]

Ooh.

[Copper]

Did you find one?

[Glass]

I spy a human.

[Copper]

It was an accident.

[Glass]

I get the first pick.

[Copper]

The knife was hole in my hand. But it pulsed, sending a thick bassy thump up through my arm, beating through my chest. A folk nearby, a long spindly thing with too many stick like legs, had a heartbeat. I could feel it. But folk didn't have heartbeats. Humans did.

[Glass]

How long do we wait?

[Silver]

They'll find us.

[Amber]

Can you tell how much time we have left?

[Silver]

I said they'll find us.

[Amber]

But what if they don't?

[Silver]

I'm not leaving them behind them.

[Amber]

We should go back in. We should go back in and find them.

[Copper]

Thank all you're tied together.

[Glass]

It's part of us. We wouldn't last long without it. Yeah, it's.

[Copper]

You're. Oh, I forgot.

[Glass]

Well, you're having a good Halloween, I assume.

[Copper]

Guys, it's me.

[Glass]

Hey, it's you.

[Copper]

Oh. A dog walks into a bar.

[Silver]

Beg your pardon?

[Copper]

Never mind. I think I mistook you for someone else.

[Glass]

Ah. He should have kept his eyes open. Yes.

[Silver]

Grab that rope, Copper. We gotta go pick up the knife.

[Amber]

Great move.

[Copper]

We sprinted to the gate, our Decker pulsing in my hand. And behind me, above the shouting and laughter and crows. I thought I could still hear the goat person screaming as they ripped them to pieces.

[Amber]

It's been a pretty long time.

[Glass]

We got back. Moving again. Amber. We'll get out.

[Silver]

If we were stuck, we'd still be in the town. Stop touching it, sweetheart. Going to make it worse.

[Copper]

Sorry.

[Amber]

Sorry. Why are you.

[Glass]

Don't apologize. You'll just die.

[Silver]

Look at me. Are you all right?

[Copper]

Yeah, it just. Just hurts.

[Silver]

That's not what I meant.

[Copper]

It was a human. What was the one stabbing all the people? It was a human. They were using our knife to detect other humans.

[Silver]

This was the one that came at you. Come here. Once we're out of here, we'll find something better to put on your burn and we'll wrap it up nicer. We'll find somewhere quiet to park and you can get some rest. When the sun comes up, it's over. You made it.

[Amber]

Glad you got out of there safe. Cop.

[Glass]

I don't want to sound like I'm happy about any of this, but you did kind of save our heights for the solstice.

[Amber]

Yeah, you got our knife. We'd be screwed if it weren't for you.

[Silver]

You did good. I'm real proud of.

[Copper]

Thanks, guys.

[Silver]

We already wrapped that knife up, right?

[Glass]

Yep. It's back in its towel prison until the solstice.

[Amber]

Good. That thing creeps me out.

[Glass]

Hey. And we're out.

[Copper]

We made it.

[Glass]

Ha. You see? It's just like I said. I don't know what everybody was so worried about.

[Amber]

When we pull over for Copper's medical stuff, I'm getting something pumpkin flavored. And I don't care how much it costs.

[Silver]

All right by me.

[Amber]

We might as well do something fun.

[Glass]

So how about it, Copper? Wanna get some consolation snacks before our 12 hour nap?

[Copper]

Pumpkin?

[Silver]

There they are.

[Amber]

Happy Halloween, everybody.

[Glass]

Happy Halloween.

[Anna McGuire]

Hymns for the Road is a podcast written and Produced by Anna McGuire. Starring Maurice Thomas as Silver, Pau Pananibon as Glass, Grizz Siebenek as Amber, Tabitha Bardal as Copper, and featuring Zayn Schacht as the goat person and Ray O'Hare, Tariq Esau, Autumn Toller, Vincent Holmes, Justice Washington and Anna McGuire as the folk. Original music by Joshua David Mitchell. This episode's hymn is the Moss by Cosmo Sheldrake. Sign up for our [e-mail] or support our work on Patreon.com findasalive Thank you for listening and Happy Halloween.

[Ryan Seacrest]

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[Copper]

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