0:00

Welcome listeners to The News story in

0:02

the world of Don't Mind. I'm Kaye

0:04

Statz, the writer and creator of the

0:06

stories told here. Don't Mind is an

0:08

anthology podcast with each season following

0:11

a new story. The first season

0:13

followed the tale of Dr. Kingston

0:15

and Neil Mitchell as they explored

0:17

the mysteries of a small English

0:19

village in Don't Mind Croxmont.

0:21

If you haven't heard the story, you

0:23

can go back to listen any time. This

0:25

episode starts a brand new story,

0:27

Sealskin Rock. All stories in the

0:29

don't mind world are disconnected, so

0:31

you can begin with this tale

0:33

and return to listen or re-listen

0:35

to other seasons or stories at

0:37

any time. During the season episodes we'll

0:40

release every two weeks. Thank you

0:42

for joining us, and if you

0:44

enjoy our shows, please consider supporting

0:46

Fool and Scholar productions on Patreon

0:48

at Patreon.com/Fool and Scholar, so that

0:51

we can bring more indie works

0:53

like this to life. Now let's begin

0:55

the dive into Don't Mind Seal Skin

0:57

Skin Rock. Seal Skin See

1:34

your skin rock. Dad,

1:37

don't hit the pothole!

1:40

Ow! Never mind?

1:42

Well, there wasn't

1:45

any going around

1:47

it. Shit. Need

1:49

your meds? Need

1:51

better suspension.

1:54

Need a whole new

1:56

truck. There's

2:01

not a lot out here.

2:03

What are you talking about?

2:05

Over there's some grass, and

2:07

over there's a rock, and

2:09

just on this side, we

2:11

have an ocean. And oh

2:13

look, more ish. That's the

2:15

Gulf of St. Lawrence, not

2:17

the ocean. My bad, so,

2:19

on the left is grass,

2:21

and on the right, we

2:23

have water. Lots of water,

2:25

just so much, super cool

2:27

water. Look. I know it's

2:29

not super exciting right now,

2:31

but when we get to

2:33

the rock, it'll be great.

2:35

It's a classical building, and

2:37

you can explore and relax.

2:39

Classes? Dad, we're supposed to

2:41

be doing our school work,

2:43

remember? And I'm sure you

2:45

can do all that and

2:48

still have time to enjoy

2:50

it while we're there. Melody,

2:52

take a look in the

2:54

glove compartment. These are baby

2:56

monitors? Same thing. Found these

2:58

ones at the pawn shop

3:00

down the street from the

3:02

motel. Good ones. Cheap too.

3:04

I used to play with

3:06

radios when I was a

3:08

kid. Me and the two

3:10

guys down the road used

3:12

to stake out three spots

3:14

around the lake and... Well,

3:16

it was fun. And these

3:18

will work just like that,

3:20

so you can explore. You

3:22

can explore and report back

3:24

to me! In real time!

3:26

Yeah, it'll work. Could be

3:28

fun. Thanks, Dad. Um, are

3:30

we nearly there yet? Or

3:32

could we pull over to

3:35

get more snacks out of

3:37

the back? We... We should

3:39

be nearby. We already turned

3:41

off the 11. What's the

3:43

map say, Mel? Uh, maybe...

3:45

We should be there any

3:47

time now. The map doesn't

3:49

have much about this road.

3:51

Then keep an eye out

3:53

for a house and a

3:55

dock. You're back? Want your

3:57

met? Yeah, two. I gotcha.

4:02

Here you go. Thanks

4:04

Look there a house

4:06

and a dock. Is

4:09

that it? Is that

4:11

the boat? Is that

4:13

the one we'll be

4:15

taking? Might be. Let's

4:17

park and then I'll

4:19

check if this is

4:21

the right place. Yes,

4:23

Mel can hop out

4:26

to get more snacks,

4:28

but you really might

4:30

not need them. If

4:32

this is the right

4:34

place, we should just

4:36

be loading our stuff

4:38

onto the boat. No

4:40

need to wait around.

4:43

I just don't want

4:45

to be in this

4:47

truck anymore. Well, that's

4:49

good, because it's not

4:51

coming over to the

4:53

rock. I'm going to

4:55

the house. Melody, don't

4:57

go far from the

5:00

truck. Yep. Ah. I'm

5:02

more of those squishy

5:04

redfish candies. Squish fish.

5:06

Sure. Careful, they're already

5:08

open. All right, girls,

5:10

this is the place.

5:12

We'll get everything loaded

5:14

over to the boat

5:17

and we'll lock up

5:19

the truck. Don't leave

5:21

anything behind. Take the

5:23

trash out, too. We're

5:25

going to leave the

5:27

truck with him. Lucas.

5:29

And he'll take all

5:31

the trash we have

5:34

out to a dump.

5:36

Right? Good. Right. It's

5:38

not that far, Max,

5:40

so should we just

5:42

use the crutches? Yeah.

5:44

Can you grab him?

5:46

Sure. Here, you got

5:48

this? Yeah. I'll grab

5:51

the trigger. Wait, can

5:53

you help me with

5:55

the jacket first? I'll

5:57

get the wheelchair. Help

5:59

your sister. I think

6:01

she's got this, Dad.

6:03

I'll grab the food

6:05

boxes. And don't do

6:08

anything to hurt your

6:10

back. Believe me, I

6:12

know. Grab my violin?

6:14

Yep. You fixed the

6:16

strap? Yep. I

6:31

don't think you've ever

6:33

been on a boat.

6:36

I know. I hope

6:38

it'll be fun, but

6:40

I think it'll make

6:42

me seasick. Oh, hadn't

6:44

thought of that. When

6:47

you were on a

6:49

boat last time, did

6:51

you get seasick? It

6:53

was a speedboat kind

6:55

of thing. And we're

6:58

on a light, so

7:00

we're in that seat.

7:02

Right there. Yeah, that's

7:04

it. Seal-skin rock. It's

7:06

more impressive up close,

7:08

and the boat right

7:11

out there won't take

7:13

long. This is going

7:15

to be so cool.

7:17

Doesn't even have Wi-Fi?

7:19

No, seriously, doesn't have

7:22

Wi-Fi. Don't know yet,

7:24

but we'll find out

7:26

soon enough. Hi. I'm

7:28

Maxine. Are you Mr.

7:30

Lucas? Yes, I am.

7:33

Good to meet you,

7:35

Maxine. Hi Mr. Lucas,

7:37

I'm Melody, I shake

7:39

your hand, but... Here,

7:41

let me take some

7:44

of that for you.

7:46

Thank you. You know,

7:48

you're lucky. It's a

7:50

real clear day and

7:52

the golf is calm.

7:55

Should be a smooth

7:57

ride out to the

7:59

rock. I'm tired. Can

8:01

I sit down? Of

8:03

course you can't. Let's

8:06

get you in the

8:08

boat and in a

8:10

seat. Do you want

8:12

anything specific Max? No,

8:14

I've got candy still.

8:16

I'm fine, just winded.

8:19

Go help dad. Will

8:21

do? Master we get

8:23

there. Master I can

8:25

get a shower. What's

8:27

left? Just the big

8:30

clothing suitcase. Close the

8:32

tailgate once it's out.

8:34

Otherwise, the truck's all

8:36

locked up. Are we

8:38

missing anything? No, don't

8:41

think so. Took everything

8:43

from the front seat

8:45

and vaccine has her

8:47

backpack. Hmm. Goodbye truck.

8:49

This is a bit

8:52

heavy, Dad. This is

8:54

a bit heavy, Dad.

9:01

Let me help with that.

9:03

Go ahead and get on.

9:06

Take a seat and make

9:08

sure you hold on to

9:10

anything alike. Thank you. Please

9:13

be careful. It's heavy. Don't

9:15

hurt yourself. Hey, Melody, I'm

9:17

sorry, but I ripped your

9:20

coat. Hasn't been my coat

9:22

for over a year. It's

9:24

yours. That's not bad. We

9:27

can fix that. That everything.

9:29

Yeah. Let's get on over

9:31

while this weather is still

9:34

good. All right. Hold on,

9:36

ladies. And if you feel

9:39

sick, don't lean over the

9:41

edge too far, okay? It's

9:43

louder than I thought it

9:46

would be. But faster, too!

9:48

I hear this is your

9:50

first time on a boat.

10:00

Still skin rock? Rock? Maybe about once

10:02

a year before Anne Rockpot to place.

10:04

I don't stay there, I just drop

10:07

stuff off. I'll be coming out to

10:09

the rock almost daily now that you'll

10:11

be out there though. You'll meet Julia

10:13

when we get there. She's the only

10:15

worker at the chateau. She'll know most

10:18

of what you'd need, I'd wager. She's

10:20

been the caretaker for a few years,

10:22

though it's certainly a need of a

10:24

lot more help than she can provide.

10:27

I can't say though that the

10:29

chateau is not a wheelchair friendly

10:31

place, at least not from what

10:33

I've seen. It'll be fine. Maxine

10:35

can use crutches too. The wheelchair

10:37

just makes certain parts easier. My

10:39

sister's that way. She's got diabetes.

10:41

I can't feel much in her

10:43

legs some days. Though they still

10:45

work. I hope you'll find the

10:47

chateau a nice home for the

10:50

while, little ladies. It's a beautiful

10:52

old place. I think it'll be

10:54

great. Way better than that. Just

10:58

look at

11:01

this view!

11:03

Yeah. Don't

11:06

worry about

11:08

Wi-Fi or

11:11

the Chateau

11:13

or anything

11:15

for a second. Just enjoy the

11:18

ride! Yeah! Sure. Looks like a

11:20

lot of work. How long you

11:22

reckon you'll be out here? As

11:24

long as it takes. Months won't

11:26

have a real answer till I

11:29

get a look around the place

11:31

and dig a little deeper. What

11:33

about the girls? Couldn't they be

11:35

in school? Due to Maxine's illness,

11:37

we do online schooling. It allows

11:39

us to keep an eye on

11:42

her. It's not an illness. It's

11:44

not like all contagious. I had

11:46

meningitis when I was little and

11:48

I messed up my muscles and

11:50

now I get tired really fast

11:53

and sometimes have seizures. But I'm

11:55

not sick or anything. Hey Maxine

11:57

is great at school work. She's

11:59

smart enough that she helps me

12:01

on mine too. Well, I dropped

12:03

off a box from a telecom

12:06

company a few weeks back, so

12:08

hopefully I'll have no issues getting

12:10

all that schoolwork at. So there

12:12

will be Wi-Fi. The woman who

12:14

works here, Julia, she'll help you

12:17

get connected. But just know that

12:19

if you need anything from the

12:21

mainland or if there's an emergency,

12:23

there's a radio in the lobby

12:25

that reaches my house on the

12:27

shore. You guys will be making

12:30

a lot of requests for food

12:32

and supplies and such, and I'll

12:34

either pick up a list when

12:36

I come to drop things off

12:38

or you can radio over. I

12:41

wake up early, but I go

12:43

to sleep early too, so no

12:45

late night calls unless it's something

12:47

important. Got it. Thanks, Mr. Lucas.

12:49

Oh, we have radios too. They're

12:51

all baby monitors, but maybe it'll

12:54

work. Don't think these would reach

12:56

too far, but it'll be fun

12:58

to use around the island. Wow.

13:00

Look at those stairs. Someone carved

13:02

those. Wonder how long that took?

13:05

It looks like a castle from

13:07

down here. But I will totally

13:09

need help getting up with it.

13:11

Well, the dock's right there. Stay

13:13

seated till I tie us up.

13:15

Welcome to Sealskin Rock. Home to

13:18

the Grotschattow. You can stand up

13:20

now. Be careful when stepping from

13:22

the boat to the dock. Let's

13:24

go! Mel. Help your sister up

13:26

the stairs. I'll get the stuff

13:29

from the boat. No, I'll take

13:31

the suitcase. It'll mess up your

13:33

back. I'll help bring those up.

13:35

You girls just go on. I'll

13:37

bring up the food boxes first.

13:39

Is that all right? Yes, thank

13:42

you. I'll start with the wheelchair

13:44

in the food. We'll go up

13:46

ahead of them. It'll take them

13:48

a while. Oh shit, my back.

13:50

You okay? Yeah. Pulled a muscle

13:53

this morning. Keep going. Should

13:57

I bring

14:01

something? No.

14:05

Just focus

14:08

on the

14:12

steps. Let's

14:16

just get

14:20

to the

14:24

house, okay?

14:36

It's going

14:40

to take

14:44

forever. We've

14:48

got nothing

14:52

else to

14:55

do. So

14:59

take your

15:03

time. I

15:07

don't know, it's

15:09

not just me.

15:12

What? You don't

15:14

think those online

15:17

gym classes are

15:20

working? This place

15:22

is like a

15:25

castle. Yeah, but

15:27

it's a chateau.

15:30

What's the difference?

15:33

It's French. Come

15:36

on. Let's get inside.

15:39

I really want a

15:41

shower. Got enough photos?

15:43

Yeah. Now I do.

15:45

Just look at this

15:48

place. I told Darcy

15:50

had sent her some

15:52

photos. This is awesome!

15:54

No problem. Come on.

15:56

I want a shower,

15:59

and you need one,

16:01

too. You re- Well,

16:03

duh. I've been holding

16:05

on to you. No

16:08

thanks. I'll walk the

16:10

rest. Look

16:30

at this place! Look at the

16:32

class! What's... Is that real? You

16:34

think? That's so creepy. Hello. Oh,

16:36

hi. I'm Melody, and this is

16:39

Max, Maxine. Where's Samson's kids? The

16:41

Morrisis. Yes, your father said you

16:43

were on the way up. It's

16:45

nice to meet you. I'm Julia

16:47

Softer. Julia, or Julie is fine.

16:49

You both look exhausted from the

16:52

walk. Your father and Mr. Broadrock

16:54

have already been up and down

16:56

a few times, but I know

16:58

those stairs are not to be

17:00

trifled with. Yeah, sorry. I had

17:02

to stop a lot. Did the

17:05

real estate developer hire you too?

17:07

No, and yes. I've worked here

17:09

for a few years, taking care

17:11

of the estate. When the shadow

17:13

sold I moved over to their

17:15

employ. I keep a record of

17:18

all our smaller expenses, mind the

17:20

books, tend to what I can,

17:22

and of course I man the

17:24

from desk. Now that the renovations

17:26

are planned, I know the ins

17:28

and out of this old place.

17:31

Miss Julia, you're so pretty. I

17:33

love your hair and your lip

17:35

color. It's so retro. Do you

17:37

thrift? I watch a lot of

17:39

thrift videos, and we thrift a

17:41

lot. You can find the best

17:44

stuff. That's so kind of you

17:46

to say, Maxine. I've always enjoyed

17:48

this style, though sometimes I can

17:50

say it's not too practical when

17:52

I'm working in the courtyard or

17:55

tidying up. Yeah. If You're out

17:57

here alone. Doesn't it get lonely?

17:59

Sometimes. But I tend to enjoy

18:01

the quiet, and a good book.

18:03

And I see people like Mr.

18:05

Broadrock from time to time. What

18:08

about at night? I don't stay

18:10

here at night. I have my

18:12

own little boat that I take

18:14

back to shore. My apartment is

18:16

not too far away. The building

18:18

has its own dock. You go

18:21

out on the water at night?

18:23

In the dark? Sometimes. Certainly so

18:25

in the winter when the days

18:27

are so short. So you won't

18:29

be here at night if we

18:31

need something? If there's ever an

18:34

emergency, there's a radio in the

18:36

drawing room. Well, my office really.

18:38

You can use it to call

18:40

Mr. Broadrock. But while I'm here

18:42

during the day, you can ask

18:44

me for anything you might need.

18:47

Like Wi-Fi? Luckily. I was told

18:49

that you'll need to download some

18:51

school work? Yeah, and other stuff.

18:53

Well, good news, bad news. We

18:55

have Wi-Fi, but it only works

18:57

in the drawing room, part of

19:00

the library, this hall, and this

19:02

bit of the foyer. So, it

19:04

won't work in our room? I'm

19:06

afraid not. And where is our

19:08

room? Ah, another bit of good

19:10

news, bad news. The only room

19:13

we have that can accommodate the

19:15

use of a wheelchair is, strangely

19:17

enough, on the top-most floor. and

19:19

the elevator is not currently operational.

19:21

Hasn't been for many years. But

19:23

the reason the rooms upstairs can

19:26

accommodate a wheelchair is because it

19:28

used to be the personal rooms

19:30

of Jean-Paul de la Grot, and

19:32

they are the most beautiful rooms

19:34

in the whole shadow. They have

19:36

large balconies, beautiful windows, and a

19:39

large glow-foot tub that he had

19:41

imported from France during the shadows

19:43

construction. Well, if that's the only

19:45

room that can accommodate my wheelchair,

19:47

I guess we'll just have to

19:49

take it! Well good, because it's

19:52

also the only one I prepared.

19:54

Why did he need a wheelchair?

19:56

Don La Grot. We heard he

19:58

was a silver prospector. He was,

20:00

but even rich men get old,

20:02

very old. In his later years

20:05

he used a wheelchair and kept

20:07

to the topmost floor of the

20:09

estate. Now, to get to the

20:11

rooms is rather simple. See those

20:13

stairs? Those great big phenomenal marble

20:15

steps? No, sorry. I must have

20:18

missed them. No! Yes, those gloriously

20:20

shining steps, I polish myself. You

20:22

take those up until there's no

20:24

more up to go, then take

20:26

a left. Halfway down the hall,

20:28

you will see a large double

20:31

door on the right. That is

20:33

the entrance to your rooms. There's

20:35

a big sitting room with storage

20:37

first. Then on the left is

20:39

another set of double doors which

20:41

bring you to the master bedroom.

20:44

Your father said that is for

20:46

both of you to share. That

20:48

room has the attached dressing room

20:50

and a bathroom that can accommodate

20:52

a wheelchair. Back in the sitting

20:54

room is also a smaller door

20:57

on the right. which leads to

20:59

a small prep room and the

21:01

attached servant quarters with its own

21:03

bathroom. That's for your father. Think

21:05

you can find it? Yep. And

21:08

I really want to take my

21:10

shoes off, so let's go. Yeah,

21:12

right. Let me just get the

21:14

backpack. Thank you, Miss Julia. Thank

21:16

you. You're welcome. I'll see you

21:18

girls later. We've

21:27

already gone really far coming

21:29

up from the dock. We

21:32

can take breaks at the

21:34

landings. Yeah, things. These windows

21:37

are amazing. The wallpaper has

21:39

texture and the railing is

21:42

gorgeous. Can you imagine how

21:44

much this cost? Nope. You're

21:46

going to have to explore

21:49

this place. Take the radio

21:51

and tell me... The

21:56

water bottle is empty. Let's get

21:58

you upstairs and then you can

22:00

take your meds. Yeah, sure. Want

22:02

to just carry me up then?

22:04

It'll be faster, and my legs

22:06

are giving out. Sure. And the

22:08

faster I get you up there,

22:10

the quicker I can get a

22:13

shower. Win-win. Come on. Use one

22:15

hand to hold my neck, and

22:17

hold a crutch in the other

22:19

if you can. If not, I'll

22:21

just come back for it. Fine.

22:23

Now. Ali. Don't

22:38

move like that. What

22:41

happened? You're okay? I

22:43

thought... I thought I

22:46

saw something. Maybe a

22:48

cat. We'll have to

22:51

ask Julia about that

22:54

later. There may be

22:56

cats here. And don't

22:59

start cursing. You're okay

23:01

to keep going? Yeah,

23:04

sure. Sorry. I'll get

23:06

the crutch once I

23:09

drop you off. Then,

23:11

I'll shower. Good. Your

23:14

hair's looking greasy. Well,

23:16

it doesn't usually get

23:19

such a front row

23:21

audience. Do you think

23:24

they'll repair the elevator

23:27

while we here? Is

23:29

that something dad can

23:32

do? I don't know.

23:34

We can ask him

23:37

later. Look. That looks

23:39

like the door she

23:42

was talking about. Can

23:44

you? Sure. It's amazing!

23:47

Look at the doors!

23:49

We can open them,

23:52

right? Go, go! I'm

24:01

like, we're

24:04

like royalty.

24:06

Let me,

24:09

I'm gonna

24:12

get the

24:15

crutch. I'll

24:18

be right

24:20

back. Definitely

24:23

getting my

24:26

workout in.

24:30

Here you go. I'm going

24:33

to shower. I need this

24:35

many stairs, really. Here you

24:37

go. Thanks. I'm going out

24:39

to take a nap. I've

24:41

got nothing left. That's fine.

24:44

I'm going out to take

24:46

a nap. I've got nothing

24:48

left. Hey girls, a tower

24:50

fit for princesses, eh? Here's

24:52

the wheelchair Maxine. Did you

24:55

make it up? Okay, how

24:57

are you feeling? Like I

24:59

just said, tired, I'm gonna

25:01

nap. We can explore later,

25:03

right? Take a nap, rest

25:06

up, test out the shower,

25:08

you both will share the

25:10

big master bedroom. You can

25:12

explore later, okay, Melody, but

25:14

be careful. Julia says no

25:17

one should go in the

25:19

little tower rooms on the

25:21

east side of the building.

25:23

The floorboards are riding out

25:25

and it's dangerous. The basement,

25:28

too. Otherwise, it should be

25:30

fine to explore. But take

25:32

a flashlight. Not all the

25:34

rooms have functioning electricity right

25:36

now. And don't break anything.

25:39

We're here to try and

25:41

fix this place. Where are

25:43

you going? The meds kicked

25:45

in, so I've got work

25:47

to do. Rest up. All

25:50

right, I'm going to take

25:52

a shower. Max, make sure

25:54

to take your meds and

25:56

do you... Sorry. Sorry. Hey,

26:08

Mel, hey, Max, what's

26:10

up? We slept for

26:12

a few hours. Oh,

26:15

that's good. How are

26:17

you feeling? I don't

26:19

think I'm up for

26:21

exploring. That's okay. We

26:24

can do it later.

26:26

I thought maybe you

26:28

could go. and we

26:30

could use the new

26:32

radios to talk. You

26:35

could tell me what

26:37

you see. You sure?

26:39

That's not boring for

26:41

you? If we always

26:44

wait for me, we'd

26:46

never explore. Come on!

26:48

Fine, but just this

26:50

floor for now. Once

26:53

you feel better, we

26:55

can look around together.

26:57

Yeah, sure. Okay, so

26:59

here's yours. Yours is

27:02

the baby side, so

27:04

you just leave it

27:06

on, and I can

27:08

hear you. I have

27:10

this one. And now

27:13

you can shoot me!

27:15

But maybe I'll turn

27:17

it on once you

27:19

get out of the

27:22

room. Go! Go! Right,

27:24

fine. I'm going, I'm

27:26

going, relax. The

27:33

hallway we were in before. I

27:35

went right out the doors, so

27:37

the stairs are ahead of me,

27:39

but there are a couple of

27:41

doors on the way. On the

27:43

left, we're right? Both. Come on,

27:46

Mel. Describe it. Like, the hall

27:48

is made of wood. Even the

27:50

floor has these, like, little decorations

27:52

in it. Little wood and mosaics

27:54

all around the edges near the

27:56

walls. Antarsia. What? More French? There

28:00

are two doors.

28:03

One on the

28:06

left and one

28:08

on the right.

28:11

The right room

28:14

would be next

28:16

to our room.

28:19

Want me to

28:22

check it out?

28:24

Max? Yeah, but

28:27

actually describe it.

28:30

It's not fun

28:32

if you don't.

28:35

So the doorknob

28:38

is dusty. I

28:40

think it's bronze

28:43

or copper or

28:45

brass. Something shiny,

28:48

but not really

28:51

gold. Oh my

28:53

god. There

28:58

are just shells upon

29:00

shells of... No! Of

29:02

freshly cleaned linens! It's

29:04

a closet, Max! A

29:06

very well-capped linen closet.

29:09

You jerk! I thought

29:11

you saw something! I

29:13

did! Just nothing exciting.

29:15

What about you? Did

29:17

you go to the

29:19

balcony? See

29:30

anything out there? I think

29:32

I can see a lighthouse.

29:34

I wish we had binoculars.

29:36

Oh, or a telescope. This

29:38

seems like the kind of

29:40

place to have a telescope.

29:42

The map said, the nearest

29:45

one might have been the

29:47

point, a scuminac lighthouse? I'll

29:49

look again later when the

29:51

sun sets. Your turn. Go

29:53

through the next door! Sorry.

29:55

We have to be careful.

29:57

Julie may have cleaned our

30:00

rooms, but the rest of

30:02

this place is still... Dusty.

30:04

Your allergies would be going

30:06

crazy out here. Well, maybe

30:08

now in the linen closet.

30:10

Some extent, I can feel

30:12

it even in our rooms.

30:15

Now open the other door.

30:17

The one on the left.

30:19

Fine. And describe it. Stop

30:21

forgetting. Okay, okay. The doorknob

30:23

is similar. Something brassy, but

30:25

with more dust. The door

30:27

is, like mahogany. A darkwood.

30:30

With inset little squares, lots

30:32

of dust there too. Oh,

30:34

and then? This looks like

30:36

it may have been a

30:38

sitting room or an office.

30:40

There's a big old desk,

30:42

really thick, like it had

30:45

a large section of what

30:47

was maybe green leather before,

30:49

but it's all cracked and

30:51

peeling now. What else? I

30:53

think someone came in and

30:55

messed up the place. The

30:57

windows are intact, really pretty

31:00

glass, but the walls are

31:02

a mess. They're big sections

31:04

where the beautiful wallpaper's been

31:06

peeled off. Someone took a

31:08

knife or something and cut

31:10

some of it away. What

31:12

else? A lot of spray

31:15

paint, neon green, a little

31:17

bit of white. It's not

31:19

even good, like, it's just

31:21

words, and it really ruins

31:23

the aesthetic. Sure.

31:27

Lots of stupid shit. Darren

31:30

and Lindsay are supposed to

31:32

be together for Heather. Apparently.

31:35

Some creepy stuff too. So

31:37

far you haven't read anything

31:39

now. Read the creepy stuff.

31:42

Yeah, so there's one in

31:44

green. There are all in

31:47

neon green, but it says

31:49

close your eyes and from

31:51

dust to dawn. No, I

31:54

think those go together. Close

31:56

your eyes from dust to

31:58

dawn. There's another

32:01

one. It's all in

32:04

the wallpaper, says, in

32:06

the silver sleeves. In

32:09

the silver sleeves? What?

32:12

Doesn't say. Give me

32:14

a second. I'm going

32:17

to put the radio

32:20

down. Sure. What did

32:22

you find? Under the

32:25

wallpaper. There's the same

32:28

thing. I

32:34

took more wallpaper down. That said

32:37

not to destroy anything. It's already

32:39

a mess in here. I barely

32:41

did anything. But I took down

32:44

more of the wallpaper and underneath.

32:46

In the wall, maybe the plaster

32:48

or something. Someone scratched the same

32:51

thing. In the silver sleeps. In

32:53

the silver sleeps. In the silver

32:55

sleeps. Over and over again. So

32:58

creepy. Did you say it scratched

33:00

in? Yeah, with a knife. Something.

33:02

Wait. What

33:05

the... Oh! What'd you find?

33:07

It wasn't a knife war

33:09

nail. It was a fingernail.

33:11

I touched it. Oh! I'm

33:13

showering again. I'm coming back

33:16

and I'm showering again. This

33:18

is... Don't mind. Seal Skin

33:20

Rock. Written and created by

33:22

K.A. stats. Produced, directed and

33:25

with sound designed by Travis

33:27

Fengraf. co-edited and directed with

33:29

dialogue editing, editing, sound design,

33:31

mixing and mastering by Finner

33:33

Nielsen, with script editing by

33:36

WK Stats, music by Brian

33:38

and Boone, and executive producers

33:40

Dennis Greenhill, A.J. Punken, Carol

33:42

Van Graf, and Michael Viegas.

33:45

Starring Marcy Edwards, Lily Pichu,

33:47

Ewan Chung, Mark Muir, and

33:49

Carolyn St. Pe. For bonus

33:51

content, early releases and ad-free

33:53

episodes, please support the creators

33:56

at patron.com/fool and scholar. You

33:58

can also get a limited

34:00

edition, Sealskin Rock Coin, made

34:02

of metal, if you sign

34:05

up. today. This is a

34:07

fool in scholar production. Thank

34:09

you for listening. The Warning

34:11

Woods has haunting horror stories

34:13

that are sure to linger

34:16

with you long after listening.

34:18

I'm Miles Tridal, writer and

34:20

narrator of The Warning Woods.

34:22

Each week, I write an

34:25

original scary story and share

34:27

it on the Warning Woods.

34:29

I've written two novels and

34:31

nearly 200 short stories spanning

34:33

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How does peer pressure work

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and why is it so

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trust your gut when you

35:00

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35:02

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likely relevant to you. You'll

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discover things you can use

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