February 10, 2023 • 44 mins
Peyton Blake has difficult news to share with Jeremy, Anne, and Thomas, while Olivia shares difficult news of her own with her mother.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bridgewater is a production of I Heart Radio three D
audio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey for full exposure.
Listen with headphones. Listener discretion advised. How did you? I'll
explain everything, but you need to come with me. This
part of the swamp isn't protected. Why don't you put
(00:23):
down that knife first? Well, y, Thomas, you're looking surprisingly
well and this wasn't for you? Was for that? Are
we going to a gathering meeting? Why would you think that?
I don't know the symbol you carved those in the
trees when you want to meet, don't you? That's one
purpose for them, But that's not the primary one. So
what is the primary one? Come on, like, we'll talk
(00:45):
as we go. Okay, Hey, how did you know Thomas's name?
I know who all of you are, Thomas, especially White,
the Houdini active pooled there. I'm not sure if you
are impressed or annoyed? Can't I be both? Aren't you
(01:06):
going to ask me who I am? We know who
you are. You're gathering leader from Virginia, right, I guess
we all have reputations preceding us. Then I assume you
know why I'm here? Well, why don't you tell us?
All right, here we go? Ah, where are you taking us?
(01:26):
That's not so much about the destination as it is
about getting on a bus. What I haven't had a
chance to cover the whole swamp yet, and the bus
stop was closer than the areas I have secured. The
bus will be safe. Iron rank the favor of how
by iron busses are steel, which is an iron alloy.
(01:48):
The next bus should be here in three minutes. We
can talk freely on it. What do you mean you
haven't covered the whole swamp yet. The room I carved
it wasn't for community cation. It was for protection. That's
why that the bigfoot creature vanished. Can't come past the
boundaries of the rooms. Now. I can keep it out
(02:11):
of areas, but I can't keep it in, So be
careful if you choose to come back. So you're saying
it's not gone for good, No, just banished to the
other side for now. That's why I'm here. A lot
of things are not where they should be. Yeah, we've
we've figured that out on our own. Does that also
(02:32):
mean you figured out what's causing it? Well? Yeah, we
know we know that something is off balance. Do you
think things are not just off balance, Jeremy, they are
broken because of you. Me. What did I do? I
was trapped for forty years exactly. You should never have
(02:55):
come back out. What do you mean he shouldn't have
(03:36):
come back. Thomas was in there for a reason and
he should have stayed there. How dare you say that? Hey, hey, listen,
don't be mad at me. I'm just a messenger. And
who exactly is the source of this message the other side?
Oh cool, so you've got like a buddy over there
or something. I'm not trying to come here and mess
(03:58):
up your life, Jeremy, know you're just coming to murder
my father. Again. That wasn't me, That wasn't any member
of the gathering, or even a member back then. Oh sure,
it was an offshoot. Yeah where we've heard that all before. Then.
You know I'm right. You have no reason to take
your anger out on me, given that I'm the only
(04:19):
one here who was actually the victim of an attempted murder.
I think I could be angry at whoever I want.
That's fair, And I know this doesn't mean anything to you.
I wasn't even alive when you were pushed into the liminal,
But I am sorry for what happened to you. It
wasn't right not to mention it didn't even work. The
(04:41):
liminal that's what we call it. Where Thomas was and
your solution is just a thrown back again. Do you
know exactly what you're dealing with here? We have some idea,
then you know who's on the other side, what that
place is. Or you have a bunch of half baked
(05:05):
theories but not enough solid proof to connect all the dots. Well,
we've been thinking maybe it's the fae realm okay, and
considering the way you reacted to my iron assumption, Yeah, okay,
so you're not totally clueless. So that is what's doing this.
The fake Court, the hidden people, the Secret Commonwealth, whatever
(05:25):
you want to call it. Non human beings who reign
over a kingdom that lays just beyond a liminal space,
who could destroy all of us with ease if they
so chose. If that were true, wouldn't they have done
it by now? I mean, it certainly feels like they've
been trying at least here. They made a deal centuries ago.
What do you We don't bother them, They don't bother us.
(05:48):
Everybody stays happy and ignorant, and we have to give
them something like a human life. It's different for each
doorway here, Virginia, Muda Matlock, the Dragon's triangle places where
the veil between world is thinnest, where the other side
is accessible. There has to be something between here and there,
(06:11):
hence the liminal where you were trapped with someone else.
I'm assuming how did you know that it's similar in Virginia. Well,
the need for two souls is at least two souls,
one that has to be new every forty years. That's
my understanding of how Bridgewater works. And he wasn't willing,
(06:34):
so things have been hinky here for a while. Yes,
it's not a deal breaker for the fay realm, the
willingness bit, but having to residents of the liminal, that's
non negotiable. It keeps things nice and closed. So without me,
the gates are wide open for anyone to waltz into
(06:55):
the kingdom or out of it. Okay, so how do
we close it? We follow the terms of the deal.
Even if I went back in Alden wouldn't be able
to come out, or we'd be stuck with the same problem.
I take it Alden as the other person in there. No,
they wouldn't be able to come out either. Okay, well
that's a moot point. Because you are not going back
(07:18):
in there. Someone has to or people are going to die.
Oh whoa, We do not know that. You think you
would have been able to defend yourselves against that beast?
That's not your storybook, sasquash Jeremy. We've got similar creatures
in the South, bear like things that can stand on
two legs, take down trees. There's the Focky monster, the
(07:40):
Ozak Howler and wait wait the monster that's that's that's
that's Arkansas, right, and it kills livestock. Right then, maybe
what we just saw is the thing that killed the cows.
That's exactly my point. These monsters are not going to
stop at a viscerated and cows, which is why we
(08:02):
need to fix this. Doesn't have to be me, though, right,
Whatever deal exists doesn't stipulate a specific person. It doesn't
have to be you. But to be really honest, I
don't know who else would willingly go in there. Why
why would we trust her on this? Why would we
trust you on this? We don't even know you. And
(08:22):
the gathering hasn't exactly been good to I have no
reason to lie to you. Even if you are telling
the truth, that doesn't mean that there's not something else
we can do. Okay, you got rid of that beast,
the howler thing, whatever, just very easily. You just teach
us how to do that, and we can take care
of this area. It doesn't work like that. I told
(08:45):
you I can keep things out by creating a protective boundary,
but I can't keep anything in. They'd be free to
roam elsewhere. Can we kill them? They are flesh and blood,
presumably right, so we figure out how we can take
them down. The monsters coming from the other side are
not your biggest problem. Let's say they are a pretty
(09:05):
urgent concern. If the terms of the deal aren't honored,
the phay realm won't stick to its side of the
veil anyone. You're gonna send more monsters through. What does
that mean they won't have to The boundary will collapse,
the two worlds bleeding into one another, causing problems we
can't even imagine. The deal must be honored. It sounds
(09:29):
like we we need to renegotiate this deal. I don't
think you really comprehend what we're dealing with here, Jeremy.
This is old magic. It's not something that that can
be altered or undone. It's like gravity. We have to
bend to it. Humans have found plenty of ways to
(09:50):
defy gravit, but we always have to come back down always.
And do you want to chime in here? Yeah, Dad,
I think she's right. We may not have a choice.
What is happening here? We we we we met her
five minutes ago, and you're just taking everything she says
a face value. I'm not saying that we should just
give up, but thank you. No, Jeremy's right, we don't
(10:13):
have any reason to trust you. Your predecessor was slippery
at best, and manipulative and worst. I've known her a
lot longer. So until you have proof of what you're saying,
and I'm not even sure what that proof would look like,
we're going to keep doing what we've been doing and
figure things out the old fashioned way, grasping for straws
in the darkness. Investigate. You know what, Fine, I can't
(10:40):
force any of you to do anything. We all know
how disastrous that is, so go ahead, do your own investigating,
but do it quickly, and when you finally figure out
that I'm telling the truth, come and find me. All right, Okay,
(11:01):
so have you moved into Celeste house to huh, stepped
into her whole life. I'm not her permanent replacement. Besides,
I wanted to keep an eye on things, so I'm
staying in Freetown Forest. That's safe, I'm protected, all right. Listen,
follow the ruins from the East Hiking Path and you
(11:22):
will find that. I don't think we're gonna need to,
but thanks, Remember, don't take too long. Hey, it's Jeremy,
(11:46):
Jeremy Bradshaw, the cool Professor. Hi. I know it's only
been a few days and I don't have any really
important sightings to tell you about, although I do actually
want to tell you about the big foot situation at
some point, but that's not why call. I'm calling because, um,
a woman named Peyton Blake showed up up here. She's
a gathering leader from Virginia, and I basically just wanted
(12:11):
to know if you think she's someone I can trust
or not, if you have any infot on her. Uh sorry,
I know that's a bit weird, but um, yeah, anything
that you could tell me would be helpful or or
anything any of the other legend trippers might know anything
anyone knows, uh would would be helpful. Um, so you
(12:35):
can just you know, text me back or call me
back or whatever, any any mode of communication, and uh,
that's it. Okay, thank you. I talked about whatever to
later dork. Hey who was that? Oh? That was that
(12:58):
legend tripper that I met. I was just curious if
she had any information about that about Peyton. Yeah, well
that was an interesting text to get yesterday. Yeah. Well,
you know, I just thought that I should loop you
and Olivia in on the newest, weirdest developments. But you're okay,
you know, after nearly getting ripped apart by a sasquat,
(13:18):
I think so. Yeah. But I've decided to call it
a hawk a mock howler because it sounds more academic.
I am really not looking forward to lecturing today, but
I'm not sure what to do, because apparently life doesn't
stop just because evil fairies are trying to kill your dad.
(13:38):
It feels like a reason to take a sick day, though, unfortunately,
I think if I take any more of those, I'm
going to lose the health insurance that helps me. After
these monster attacks. I don't know, what do you want
to do? You want to help me go over the
topics for today? This is so fucked Eli Quinn has
(14:21):
always live. Well, I don't know what else I'm supposed
to say. I mean, if even half of what Peyton
told you was real, then well, first of all, I'm
moving the moment I graduate. Okay, don't joke about that.
I'm not joking. It's one thing to grow up hearing
stories about pug wedges and window goes. But now there's
a whole other dimension that's one badly executed ritual away
(14:42):
from collapsing into our world and unleashing all sorts of hell, no,
thank you. That is not going to happen. Okay, we
are going to figure out how to stop all of
this for good. How new, Grandpa. We're talking about some
seriously ancient forces here, and we can't be the only
people who wanted to fight back against them before. I mean,
what if the deal that's been made is the best
(15:03):
possible version of a win. We're not gonna think like that. Okay.
We're going to figure out what the pay room wants,
what they can do, and how they can be beat.
Oh sure, yes, super ezy stuff. Well I didn't say
it was going to be easy, but we don't have
any other choice. All right, what do you need me
to do? You still want to help with all this?
(15:24):
Do I want to prevent the evil fairy apocalypse? Yeah? Yeah,
that'd be nice, all right. I prefer he stayed inside
as much as possible, because I don't like how close
that dog got to you. Yeah, you and me both? Yeah?
What needs doing? Ah? Well, let's see. Jeremy's chasing down
(15:45):
some information on the pay room. Vivian's working on some
kind of map. I have no idea. He's using all
the different reported sidings to try and track creatures movements. Fantastic,
And I'm gonna go and see if Doc Edwards got
any think from his lab examination of the cow, so
I could use a hand. Okay, I think we need
(16:05):
to find out more about what happened to Olden. Oh yeah, sure,
I can help you with that. All right, all right, Well,
i'll be back in a bit. Call me if the
house starts to shake again. Ha ha, Wait, what do
you mean again? What happened? Now? I'll explain later. I'm
sure you'll be fine, Anna, We'll be fine Olivia. You know,
(16:27):
the more you both say that, the less I think
you believe it. I don't know what else to say.
I have to believe it will all be okay, right, right,
of course, I'm sure it will be. And I'm surprised
you didn't want to help Jeremy with his research. I'm
sure he'd love to spend more time with you. It
wasn't really something I could help with. He had to
go to work anyway, and he's calling up an old
(16:48):
friend from Oxford. Did did you know? Did he studied
there for a semester? I didn't. I mean I didn't
really know him all that well, we only met, like
just got a few weeks ago. Of course, you two
didn't even know each other existed. How do you feel?
And did you forget mom? Shelley? I'd take it. Anna's out, Yes, yes,
(17:11):
you just Mr. But I'm sure she'd be right back.
We could call her on her cellular phone. Yeah, yeah,
probably better. She's not here. Okay, hey live, would you
mind giving us a minute? Oh yeah, sure, I'll just
take my laptop to the guest room and start doing
(17:32):
that research. Okay, Well, I would say that I'm sorry
for just dropping by unexpectedly. But yeah, I guess I
take the price for that. Huh. Olivia told me she
explained everything to you, or tried to at least, that
(17:54):
you needed some time. I would have come to see
you if I know. It's fine to be honest, I
still need time. But I was driving to work and
was about to pass the turn to my mom's house,
and before I knew it, I was driving over here.
And I wasn't even planning on coming in until I
saw my mom's cart pull away. I know she really
(18:15):
wants to talk to you. Um, do you want to
sit or I can make you some coffee? I barely
understand and machine it's got these weird plastic pods, but
I'm sure I can. I don't know how long I
can stay, right, You've really just been gone for forty
(18:36):
years and just blinked out of and back into existence.
Not exactly, I was somewhere all this time, right right, Yes,
it was some magical in between boys. It sounds crazy.
I know, Well I don't think that you do. I'm
(19:00):
you don't even look old enough to be the father
to a teenager, let alone, you know. Yeah, I know
freaked me out to that you're really. Yeah, I'm really
your dad, And you have to know, Shelley, I never
wanted to leave you or Jeremy and and I. We
(19:23):
had a plan. We were going to be a family,
but then you got sucked into some other dimension. I
know it sounds about as believable as I'm going out
for cigarettes. I'll be right back. But yeah, at least
it's not cliche. At least there's that Shelley, why are
(19:46):
you here? Who I was Olivia researching? By the way,
when she left this morning, she said, something happened. We
met someone who knows a lot more than we do.
And well, the situation is, it's that's complicated. There was
a boy with me in that other place. It was
(20:06):
also trapped in Olivia. She's helping me to try to
find out more about him so that maybe we can
help him. Is another a boy from from a long
time ago. So so this thing, whatever it is, it
does take children. Yes, I don't know if that's the
(20:28):
preferred sacrifice. What sacrifice? And there's some sort of balance sheet.
That other place needs two people at all times. I
ended up there by mistake. I think I think maybe
it wanted Jeremy back then. Yeah, my Mom did mention
(20:50):
something about him going missing. One we got him back,
just like you got your boy back. He's not in
danger anymore. Don't forgive me if I don't take you
at your word on that. I'm keeping him out as
grandparents for the foreseeable future, his other grandparents. I I'd
like to meet him someday, if that's okay. I don't
(21:13):
think so, I mean, at least not. You know, I
honestly have no idea. What's okay? You know I don't
know you. I know no, I mean, I don't even
have stories about you. Mom did not tell me anything.
She never talked about you. I never would have told
(21:36):
her to do that. Wow, Anne Becker does whatever it
is she wants, and for some reason, she didn't want
me to know that you were my dad. I still am. No.
You don't just get to claim that you've been gone
(21:58):
forty years and we never I mean, we never met,
and you've never been a father to me. You're right,
but I thought about you every single day. I understand
that you're angry, I do, and confused and frustrated. I
(22:21):
am too. I was just figuring out how to be
a dad, and then I was ripped away from it,
from the chance to watch Jeremy grow up, the chance
to meet you. But that doesn't mean being a father
was ripped out of me because there was Alden, that
other kid. He needed me, and I did figure it
(22:45):
out for him. So in the times when I let
myself imagine what it would be like to come back,
I actually felt prepared. I mean proud of who I'd become,
the kind of father I was turning into. So to
come back and find that my son has well past
the point of meeting a parent and my daughter doesn't
want any kind of father at all, I feel untethered. Wow.
(23:12):
I'm sure Jeremy is thrilled to have you back, and
he remembers you growing up. You could tell he lost you.
He was carrying that hole with him everywhere, and it
seems like he turned into a good man in spite
of it. I don't know. I'm still getting to know him,
but he seems smart, protective of the people in his life.
(23:34):
Like me. I'm feeling a bit like a fifth wheel,
like he doesn't need anything returned to him. Then there's you.
I really don't know you, but I can tell you're
strong and you've raised an amazing daughter. I'm glad you
didn't grow up like Jeremy, feeling like a part of
you was missing. But I still want to belong to you,
(23:59):
if you'd ever have me. Of course, I felt like
something was missing. I just I didn't know what exactly
to miss. Well, whatever it is, you don't have to
miss it anymore. I'm here now, and you're I mean,
you're Are you real? You know you're not a ghost
(24:24):
or a I don't even know what to ask you.
I'm real, and I'm I don't know how any of
this works. But if I live another fifty years, or
if my body just looks young and really I'm in
my seventies, I have no idea what my life would
even look like here in a year. That still sounds
(24:47):
made up in my ears. But I know that all
these questions aren't really important. The only question that matters
to me is if you'll allow me to get to
know you. I don't, I don't know, I'm and this
is all still so I understand. I mean, I'm not
saying no, I just I wanted to come over here
(25:13):
today to try and make it make sense, you know,
as much sense as it could. How's that going. H
m hmm, not great, Mt. I've always had a really
hard time with the paranormal stuff. You know, my teenage
(25:35):
rebellion was becoming as pragmatic and straight edged as possible
a model teenager, were you. Well, no, I would not
say that. I was still pretty awful with the moodiness
and shouting matches and awful boyfriend you and Jeremy never,
oh god, no, no, no, Jesus Christ, I would have been. Um, look,
(26:00):
I'm barely registering that I have my father who is alive.
I think the question of a half brother is just
going to have to sit on the backburn for a minute. Okay, understandable,
but no, no, Jeremy and I didn't overlap in school much.
I have no idea what kind of teenager he was
at home. I'm sorry I missed it all. I really
(26:26):
should get going to work. Wait, yeah, thank you, you know,
for coming by. Maybe maybe we could continue the conversation
at some point. Mhmm yeah, maybe, Oh god, what is it,
(26:52):
I have your nose? Jeremy doesn't, but I do. Yeah,
you do. Tell Olivia's here at all, So now that go.
I have no idea, but thank you for talking to her. Yeah, trying.
(27:17):
I didn't mean to overhear well. Actually, I was totally
eavesdropping when she asked if you were real you were
talking around something not a lot gets past you. Huh,
you're not sure you're going to stay. If I have
anything to say about it, I will. I'll get all
then out, I'll shut down the fay realm. I'll live
(27:39):
my life right. But Jeremy's worried something's happening to me,
or that the limital might take me back? Is that
something you're worried about? Peyton sent that beast back to
the other side with a simple carving. What's to say
that same thing couldn't happen to me or to to anyone.
(28:00):
That it was as easy as drawing a symbol somewhere.
But you don't belong there. That sasquatch was from the
other side, so that room sent it back. You're not
from the Liminals. I've spent more years there than I
did here. Maybe it sees me as part of it,
and I keep I keep feeling sick or tired, dizzy.
(28:28):
That's what makes me wonder if I'm not actually as
young as I appear. Do you feel like you're in
a seventy year old body. But that doesn't change the
fact that I'm sitting here with my twenty two year
old granddaughter. Oh, I just realized I'm dumping all of
my problems, and I'm sorry. You're a kid. You shouldn't
have to listen to the adults in your life worry
like this. Okay, first of all, I'm not a kid,
(28:50):
and second of all, I know we're genetically a few
generations apart, but I mean the reality of it just
feels like we're cousins or something. You don't feel weird
about listening to all your grandpa's fears. Oh, I feel
weird about literally everything that's happening in my life right now.
But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Besides,
(29:11):
who else are you gonna talk to? You know, like
four people, and one of them is your long lost
love and the other is your son. You might be right.
I just don't want to worry them. I know, not
that I want to worry you. No, I know, it's okay, Like,
you don't have to explain. And after all, we don't
(29:33):
really know each other, do we. With Nana, you have
this whole complicated history, and you knew my mom existed,
you didn't know to expect me. And with Jeremy, I
don't know how to talk to Jeremy. He's still a
(29:53):
little boy in my mind. So sometimes when I look
at him now, I have to remind myself that he's
the same person, not just some man i've met. But
there's other times or I feel like I'm arguing with
him like I would have if I'd been around when
he was growing up. Well, for what it's worth, I
(30:14):
think Jeremy does need you. You're not a fifth wheel.
It's kind of you to say. I mean it. Look,
I may not know Jeremy well, but I've gotten no
Hippen a bit, and I think he might be the
person who knows Jeremy best, isn't he Jeremy's t a
yeah exactly. They've been working together for a few years,
and Vippin called him Professor Bradshaw until like, I don't
(30:36):
know a week ago, but I think Hippin is the
closest thing that Jeremy has to a best friend. Really,
that's what I mean. He's not. I just don't know
how full his life is, or how full it was
before all of this happened. Vippin said that Jeremy gave
him a whole speech about not turning out like him,
(30:57):
telling Hippen to make sure he had a life outside
of work and all that. I'm not sure that this
makes me feel better or worse. Yeah. Sorry, I'm not
exactly the best at tep talks. You know what, I
think you're doing just fine. Hello, Sophie, it's Jeremy Bradshaw.
(31:25):
I know it's been forever Jeremy. Good lord. I didn't
think i'd ever hear from you again. Oh come on, well,
I'm sorry. I know I'm I'm terrible at keeping in touch.
It goes both ways. I imagine you've been quite busy.
You're back in the bridgual To triangle, right, Yeah, I've
been back for a while. Must have your hands full
(31:46):
with all sorts of speaks, no less than I'm sure
you have in Plucky you're still there. I'm actually back
at Oxford, if you believe it. What are you going
for another degree? Handing them out? In fact, I'm a
professor like you. Oh wow, an Oxford professor. Wow. Okay, well,
(32:08):
I guess you've reached the apex for anyone in our discipline. Congrats.
I don't get me wrong. I'm still hoping to someday
find fame and fortune as the first person to provide
definitive proof of the paranormal. But twelve years in the
most haunted village in Britain and I didn't see a
single ghost. Sorry, no, you're not. You always knew none
(32:30):
of it was real. What am I hearing? Has Sophie
Burton become a skeptic? I'm just getting dangerously close. Well,
I guess time does funny things to all of us.
Don't tell me that you're no. No, but I would
say that I am. I am working on keeping an
open mind. I am impressed. Is that why you're calling
(32:52):
me up out of thee You need me to give
you my old ghosts? A real shpille? Not exactly. I've
actually been trying to expand my expertise, hence the open mind,
and I'm working on something that's a bit outside of
my comfort zone. I'm trying to write a lecture that
covers the Fay realm. And I realized that I don't
actually really know much beyond the basics because it's never
(33:17):
really been much of a thing and in Bridgewater, so
I haven't even bothered before you want to now just curiosity? Well,
you certainly called the right person. Were choker block for
the famous? Yeah, that's what I was hoping. What exactly
do you want to know? It's fairly expensive. Well, that's
(33:37):
why I wanted to talk to an expert directly instead
of just diving into my books. Is there a particular
region or myth origin you're looking at? I guess the
biggest question is friend or foe. Yeah. So I feel
like the popular cultural representation is fairly positive overall, or
Tinkerbell and the like. But I know there's a lot
(34:00):
of darker versions of fay Realm. More so, I'd love
to know which side to come down on. Well, there's
really not one definitive answer to that question. For as
long as there have been fay Realm legends, there's been
good and bad. But there is a distinction. I mean,
there are different there are different groups, right, they can be.
(34:22):
In Scottish law, there's the Seely Court and Unseely Court.
Both are fai courts, so therefore dangerous. But the Seely
won't go out of their way to hurt humans, but
the Unselly Court will. They are related to a whole
manner of evil creatures over here, which is boggets, happy lovers,
(34:43):
creatures of the devil. Essentially, what do the Fay want, Well,
just general mischief, not the cute fun kind mind, more
of the beating and possessing variety you mentioned. The courts
are those physical courts. Some times there's a lot of
law around fairy lands. Sometimes they're called other worlds or underworld's,
(35:07):
even had fairy kingdom. And sometimes they are a physical place,
sometimes just a ritual or the very act of doing magic. Okay,
So if they are physical places, presumably human beings could
enter into one of these lands, and there aren't many
legends that explore that idea. Plenty of fiction and films,
but original myth there's mostly the fake courts coming over
(35:28):
to the human realle. How about making deals with humans? Oh? Yes,
Fay contracts very tricky things. The story is you should
never accept a gift from a theory, especially food, never
get into debt with them, never make any promises, and
I don't even give them your name in the case
of creatures, so basically avoid them at our costs exactly. Okay.
(35:50):
So hypothetically, what if there is an existing contract, can
you break it? Um? I have absolutely no idea. Are
you in law school? Now? Is your class on faery
contract law? I'm just trying to create a full picture. Well,
(36:12):
I mean, I've given a few lectures on the famous
and there's so much to cover. It's honestly best to
keep things surface level. If I were you, okay, sure,
But let's say I was doing very contract law. What
would I teach my students to never enter a contract
with a fairy no matter what. But if they had,
(36:32):
they are going to let a contract be broken. The
only way I could see out of it would be
if you had something on the fake court that could
neutralize it. In a lot of law, they hate being
in debt. If there was a mutual debt that could
be exploited, maybe the slate would be wiped clean. But
more likely, you just have a very angry and violent
spirit after you. Okay, is there a way to kill them? Jeremy?
(36:55):
What is this really about? If I figure it out,
I promise I will tell you. Jeremy, just please, whatever
you can tell me about ways to stop them or
even just ward them off. I really appreciate it. Just
just humor me here. It really depends on the type
you're dealing with. There's all sorts of things, turning your
clothes inside out. Avoiding fairy circles, of course, but circles
(37:19):
of all kinds can be problematic. A rooster's crow or
church bells have been said to scare them away. I
can send you a list of all the methods I'm
aware of, if you like, That would be amazing. Sophie,
Thank you. Thanks, You've already been a huge home. Sure
you're bring me back if you find yourself in over
your head. That's why I called you in the first place.
(37:41):
Are you It sounds ridiculous? Are you okay? I don't know.
I am. I think I've got it all under control.
Of course, you've got it under control. I always do. Wow, fuck,
(38:05):
I know. Are you okay? My whole body is sore,
but I am alive. I cannot believe I turned down
your offer to join you. Next time I go monster hunting,
I'll insist. I appreciate that. Hey, thanks for meeting me here.
By the way, I was going to suggest hawk amoks
(38:26):
But yeah. Well, weirdly, Freetown Forest feels safer at the moment,
even if Peyton is hiding around here somewhere I'm sorry
again for not being able to help with her. No, No,
it was fine. It was a long shot. I just
wish I could know if I could trust her. Thanks
are really fucked up. Things are certainly fucked up here.
(38:48):
There's just a lot at stake for me. I don't
even know how to I don't know how to protect
myself from a sasquatch. Jeremy, it sounds like it was
pretty terrifying. Yeah, and if Peyton hadn't shown up, I
probably would be dead. My dad was right. I'm an academic.
(39:09):
I'm not the person who fights monsters. Here. Let me
show you something. I'm not poisonous. I promise it'll be
easier if I just guide your hand. Trust me. Okay,
so move your hand in a V like this and
then moved to center and bring it all the way down. Okay,
(39:32):
now you do it. M M okay, I know it
feels goofy. Let's try it all right, center down. And
that's supposed to do what exactly? Um? Yeah, well it's
supposed to banish monsters or trap them or something. Honestly,
(39:55):
I haven't had the opportunity to try, but seeings and
keep running into them for real, all that will be
an experiment for next time. Report back to me. I'm
dying to know if it works. There was this other
legend trip or a while back. I met her at
some conference or other their legend trip or conferences. You're
(40:18):
telling me you haven't been to anything like that. No, no, no,
of course I've been paranormal conventions in academic conferences. I
just haven't met a whole lot of monster hunters in
one place. Well maybe conference was putting a bit strongly,
But these communities are all tied in together, and there
are meet ups from time to time. As she picked
(40:41):
it up from some guy in Norway. So it's some
kind of old Norse room. Yea, so she said, it
translates to protection. I think, now maybe you know how
to fight monsters. Well, here's hoping that I never have
to use it. Come on, you're telling me there's not
even a little part of you that's die to see
something else. It was genuinely, really frightening. I would not, oh, ship, yeah, okay,
(41:11):
maybe you're right, of course I am. I mean, after
all this time studying and teaching all of this stuff
for years, you actually get to witness it. I'd be
fucking jealous if it wasn't so cool. Yeah, well, you
keep hanging out in these forests and swamps and you
might see something yourself soon. Maybe I just need to
hang out with you more. Well, Ah, I guess it's
(41:35):
worth a shop. There's the spirit, you know. I was
expecting to see you, but not so soon. I don't
(41:58):
think we really got to finish our conversation Asian earlier.
And what conversation was that? The one about how I
broke everything. I seem to remember your son having quite
a lot to say about that subject. It's going to
get much worse very quickly, isn't it. Yes? I believe so.
(42:18):
And you think I'm the only one who can fix him,
not the only one, just the right one. What would
I have to do? This episode of Bridgewater was written
(42:44):
by Lauren Shippin and directed by Brendan Patrick Hughes Assistant
director Sarah Klein, Sound designed by Vincent the Johnny Rema, Okay, Ali,
Josh Thane, and Trevor Young, with music by Chad Lawson.
Starring Misha Collins as Jeremy Bradshaw, Melissa Ponzio as Anne Becker,
Alan Tutick as Thomas Bradshaw, Karen Sony as Vipen Corona,
(43:09):
Sabra May as Olivia Hoskins, Cheryl Umania as Officer Bautista,
Will Wheaton as Captain Haddock, Tricia Helfer as the Legend Tripper,
Stephen Guarino as Dr Edwards Nandamisu Demba as Peyton Blake,
Hilary Burton Morgan as Shelley Hoskins, Nicki McCauley as Celeste
(43:31):
then Victoria Grace as Katie Franks, with additional voice acting
by Greta Gould, Shelby Young, Adam oh Byrne, Monty Markham,
Charlie Bergman and Tern Westbrook. Executive producers Aaron Manky, Misha Collins,
Lauren Shippin, Matt Frederick and Alexander Williams. Supervising producers Josh
(43:52):
Thane and Trevor Young. Bridgewater was created by me Aaron
Mankey and is a production of Grim and Mild and
I Heart three D Audio. You learn more about the
show over at Grimm and Mild dot com, slash Bridgewater
and find more podcasts from I Heart Radio on the
I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows and As always, thanks for listening,
Bridgewater is a production of I Heart Radio three D
audio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey for full exposure.
Listen with headphones. Listener discretion advised. How did you? I'll
explain everything, but you need to come with me. This
part of the swamp isn't protected. Why don't you put
(00:23):
down that knife first? Well, y, Thomas, you're looking surprisingly
well and this wasn't for you? Was for that? Are
we going to a gathering meeting? Why would you think that?
I don't know the symbol you carved those in the
trees when you want to meet, don't you? That's one
purpose for them, But that's not the primary one. So
what is the primary one? Come on, like, we'll talk
(00:45):
as we go. Okay, Hey, how did you know Thomas's name?
I know who all of you are, Thomas, especially White,
the Houdini active pooled there. I'm not sure if you
are impressed or annoyed? Can't I be both? Aren't you
(01:06):
going to ask me who I am? We know who
you are. You're gathering leader from Virginia, right, I guess
we all have reputations preceding us. Then I assume you
know why I'm here? Well, why don't you tell us?
All right, here we go? Ah, where are you taking us?
(01:26):
That's not so much about the destination as it is
about getting on a bus. What I haven't had a
chance to cover the whole swamp yet, and the bus
stop was closer than the areas I have secured. The
bus will be safe. Iron rank the favor of how
by iron busses are steel, which is an iron alloy.
(01:48):
The next bus should be here in three minutes. We
can talk freely on it. What do you mean you
haven't covered the whole swamp yet. The room I carved
it wasn't for community cation. It was for protection. That's
why that the bigfoot creature vanished. Can't come past the
boundaries of the rooms. Now. I can keep it out
(02:11):
of areas, but I can't keep it in, So be
careful if you choose to come back. So you're saying
it's not gone for good, No, just banished to the
other side for now. That's why I'm here. A lot
of things are not where they should be. Yeah, we've
we've figured that out on our own. Does that also
(02:32):
mean you figured out what's causing it? Well? Yeah, we
know we know that something is off balance. Do you
think things are not just off balance, Jeremy, they are
broken because of you. Me. What did I do? I
was trapped for forty years exactly. You should never have
(02:55):
come back out. What do you mean he shouldn't have
(03:36):
come back. Thomas was in there for a reason and
he should have stayed there. How dare you say that? Hey, hey, listen,
don't be mad at me. I'm just a messenger. And
who exactly is the source of this message the other side?
Oh cool, so you've got like a buddy over there
or something. I'm not trying to come here and mess
(03:58):
up your life, Jeremy, know you're just coming to murder
my father. Again. That wasn't me, That wasn't any member
of the gathering, or even a member back then. Oh sure,
it was an offshoot. Yeah where we've heard that all before. Then.
You know I'm right. You have no reason to take
your anger out on me, given that I'm the only
(04:19):
one here who was actually the victim of an attempted murder.
I think I could be angry at whoever I want.
That's fair, And I know this doesn't mean anything to you.
I wasn't even alive when you were pushed into the liminal,
But I am sorry for what happened to you. It
wasn't right not to mention it didn't even work. The
(04:41):
liminal that's what we call it. Where Thomas was and
your solution is just a thrown back again. Do you
know exactly what you're dealing with here? We have some idea,
then you know who's on the other side, what that
place is. Or you have a bunch of half baked
(05:05):
theories but not enough solid proof to connect all the dots. Well,
we've been thinking maybe it's the fae realm okay, and
considering the way you reacted to my iron assumption, Yeah, okay,
so you're not totally clueless. So that is what's doing this.
The fake Court, the hidden people, the Secret Commonwealth, whatever
(05:25):
you want to call it. Non human beings who reign
over a kingdom that lays just beyond a liminal space,
who could destroy all of us with ease if they
so chose. If that were true, wouldn't they have done
it by now? I mean, it certainly feels like they've
been trying at least here. They made a deal centuries ago.
What do you We don't bother them, They don't bother us.
(05:48):
Everybody stays happy and ignorant, and we have to give
them something like a human life. It's different for each
doorway here, Virginia, Muda Matlock, the Dragon's triangle places where
the veil between world is thinnest, where the other side
is accessible. There has to be something between here and there,
(06:11):
hence the liminal where you were trapped with someone else.
I'm assuming how did you know that it's similar in Virginia. Well,
the need for two souls is at least two souls,
one that has to be new every forty years. That's
my understanding of how Bridgewater works. And he wasn't willing,
(06:34):
so things have been hinky here for a while. Yes,
it's not a deal breaker for the fay realm, the
willingness bit, but having to residents of the liminal, that's
non negotiable. It keeps things nice and closed. So without me,
the gates are wide open for anyone to waltz into
(06:55):
the kingdom or out of it. Okay, so how do
we close it? We follow the terms of the deal.
Even if I went back in Alden wouldn't be able
to come out, or we'd be stuck with the same problem.
I take it Alden as the other person in there. No,
they wouldn't be able to come out either. Okay, well
that's a moot point. Because you are not going back
(07:18):
in there. Someone has to or people are going to die.
Oh whoa, We do not know that. You think you
would have been able to defend yourselves against that beast?
That's not your storybook, sasquash Jeremy. We've got similar creatures
in the South, bear like things that can stand on
two legs, take down trees. There's the Focky monster, the
(07:40):
Ozak Howler and wait wait the monster that's that's that's
that's Arkansas, right, and it kills livestock. Right then, maybe
what we just saw is the thing that killed the cows.
That's exactly my point. These monsters are not going to
stop at a viscerated and cows, which is why we
(08:02):
need to fix this. Doesn't have to be me, though, right,
Whatever deal exists doesn't stipulate a specific person. It doesn't
have to be you. But to be really honest, I
don't know who else would willingly go in there. Why
why would we trust her on this? Why would we
trust you on this? We don't even know you. And
(08:22):
the gathering hasn't exactly been good to I have no
reason to lie to you. Even if you are telling
the truth, that doesn't mean that there's not something else
we can do. Okay, you got rid of that beast,
the howler thing, whatever, just very easily. You just teach
us how to do that, and we can take care
of this area. It doesn't work like that. I told
(08:45):
you I can keep things out by creating a protective boundary,
but I can't keep anything in. They'd be free to
roam elsewhere. Can we kill them? They are flesh and blood,
presumably right, so we figure out how we can take
them down. The monsters coming from the other side are
not your biggest problem. Let's say they are a pretty
(09:05):
urgent concern. If the terms of the deal aren't honored,
the phay realm won't stick to its side of the
veil anyone. You're gonna send more monsters through. What does
that mean they won't have to The boundary will collapse,
the two worlds bleeding into one another, causing problems we
can't even imagine. The deal must be honored. It sounds
(09:29):
like we we need to renegotiate this deal. I don't
think you really comprehend what we're dealing with here, Jeremy.
This is old magic. It's not something that that can
be altered or undone. It's like gravity. We have to
bend to it. Humans have found plenty of ways to
(09:50):
defy gravit, but we always have to come back down always.
And do you want to chime in here? Yeah, Dad,
I think she's right. We may not have a choice.
What is happening here? We we we we met her
five minutes ago, and you're just taking everything she says
a face value. I'm not saying that we should just
give up, but thank you. No, Jeremy's right, we don't
(10:13):
have any reason to trust you. Your predecessor was slippery
at best, and manipulative and worst. I've known her a
lot longer. So until you have proof of what you're saying,
and I'm not even sure what that proof would look like,
we're going to keep doing what we've been doing and
figure things out the old fashioned way, grasping for straws
in the darkness. Investigate. You know what, Fine, I can't
(10:40):
force any of you to do anything. We all know
how disastrous that is, so go ahead, do your own investigating,
but do it quickly, and when you finally figure out
that I'm telling the truth, come and find me. All right, Okay,
(11:01):
so have you moved into Celeste house to huh, stepped
into her whole life. I'm not her permanent replacement. Besides,
I wanted to keep an eye on things, so I'm
staying in Freetown Forest. That's safe, I'm protected, all right. Listen,
follow the ruins from the East Hiking Path and you
(11:22):
will find that. I don't think we're gonna need to,
but thanks, Remember, don't take too long. Hey, it's Jeremy,
(11:46):
Jeremy Bradshaw, the cool Professor. Hi. I know it's only
been a few days and I don't have any really
important sightings to tell you about, although I do actually
want to tell you about the big foot situation at
some point, but that's not why call. I'm calling because, um,
a woman named Peyton Blake showed up up here. She's
a gathering leader from Virginia, and I basically just wanted
(12:11):
to know if you think she's someone I can trust
or not, if you have any infot on her. Uh sorry,
I know that's a bit weird, but um, yeah, anything
that you could tell me would be helpful or or
anything any of the other legend trippers might know anything
anyone knows, uh would would be helpful. Um, so you
(12:35):
can just you know, text me back or call me
back or whatever, any any mode of communication, and uh,
that's it. Okay, thank you. I talked about whatever to
later dork. Hey who was that? Oh? That was that
(12:58):
legend tripper that I met. I was just curious if
she had any information about that about Peyton. Yeah, well
that was an interesting text to get yesterday. Yeah. Well,
you know, I just thought that I should loop you
and Olivia in on the newest, weirdest developments. But you're okay,
you know, after nearly getting ripped apart by a sasquat,
(13:18):
I think so. Yeah. But I've decided to call it
a hawk a mock howler because it sounds more academic.
I am really not looking forward to lecturing today, but
I'm not sure what to do, because apparently life doesn't
stop just because evil fairies are trying to kill your dad.
(13:38):
It feels like a reason to take a sick day, though, unfortunately,
I think if I take any more of those, I'm
going to lose the health insurance that helps me. After
these monster attacks. I don't know, what do you want
to do? You want to help me go over the
topics for today? This is so fucked Eli Quinn has
(14:21):
always live. Well, I don't know what else I'm supposed
to say. I mean, if even half of what Peyton
told you was real, then well, first of all, I'm
moving the moment I graduate. Okay, don't joke about that.
I'm not joking. It's one thing to grow up hearing
stories about pug wedges and window goes. But now there's
a whole other dimension that's one badly executed ritual away
(14:42):
from collapsing into our world and unleashing all sorts of hell, no,
thank you. That is not going to happen. Okay, we
are going to figure out how to stop all of
this for good. How new, Grandpa. We're talking about some
seriously ancient forces here, and we can't be the only
people who wanted to fight back against them before. I mean,
what if the deal that's been made is the best
(15:03):
possible version of a win. We're not gonna think like that. Okay.
We're going to figure out what the pay room wants,
what they can do, and how they can be beat.
Oh sure, yes, super ezy stuff. Well I didn't say
it was going to be easy, but we don't have
any other choice. All right, what do you need me
to do? You still want to help with all this?
(15:24):
Do I want to prevent the evil fairy apocalypse? Yeah? Yeah,
that'd be nice, all right. I prefer he stayed inside
as much as possible, because I don't like how close
that dog got to you. Yeah, you and me both? Yeah?
What needs doing? Ah? Well, let's see. Jeremy's chasing down
(15:45):
some information on the pay room. Vivian's working on some
kind of map. I have no idea. He's using all
the different reported sidings to try and track creatures movements. Fantastic,
And I'm gonna go and see if Doc Edwards got
any think from his lab examination of the cow, so
I could use a hand. Okay, I think we need
(16:05):
to find out more about what happened to Olden. Oh yeah, sure,
I can help you with that. All right, all right, Well,
i'll be back in a bit. Call me if the
house starts to shake again. Ha ha, Wait, what do
you mean again? What happened? Now? I'll explain later. I'm
sure you'll be fine, Anna, We'll be fine Olivia. You know,
(16:27):
the more you both say that, the less I think
you believe it. I don't know what else to say.
I have to believe it will all be okay, right, right,
of course, I'm sure it will be. And I'm surprised
you didn't want to help Jeremy with his research. I'm
sure he'd love to spend more time with you. It
wasn't really something I could help with. He had to
go to work anyway, and he's calling up an old
(16:48):
friend from Oxford. Did did you know? Did he studied
there for a semester? I didn't. I mean I didn't
really know him all that well, we only met, like
just got a few weeks ago. Of course, you two
didn't even know each other existed. How do you feel?
And did you forget mom? Shelley? I'd take it. Anna's out, Yes, yes,
(17:11):
you just Mr. But I'm sure she'd be right back.
We could call her on her cellular phone. Yeah, yeah,
probably better. She's not here. Okay, hey live, would you
mind giving us a minute? Oh yeah, sure, I'll just
take my laptop to the guest room and start doing
(17:32):
that research. Okay, Well, I would say that I'm sorry
for just dropping by unexpectedly. But yeah, I guess I
take the price for that. Huh. Olivia told me she
explained everything to you, or tried to at least, that
(17:54):
you needed some time. I would have come to see
you if I know. It's fine to be honest, I
still need time. But I was driving to work and
was about to pass the turn to my mom's house,
and before I knew it, I was driving over here.
And I wasn't even planning on coming in until I
saw my mom's cart pull away. I know she really
(18:15):
wants to talk to you. Um, do you want to
sit or I can make you some coffee? I barely
understand and machine it's got these weird plastic pods, but
I'm sure I can. I don't know how long I
can stay, right, You've really just been gone for forty
(18:36):
years and just blinked out of and back into existence.
Not exactly, I was somewhere all this time, right right, Yes,
it was some magical in between boys. It sounds crazy.
I know, Well I don't think that you do. I'm
(19:00):
you don't even look old enough to be the father
to a teenager, let alone, you know. Yeah, I know
freaked me out to that you're really. Yeah, I'm really
your dad, And you have to know, Shelley, I never
wanted to leave you or Jeremy and and I. We
(19:23):
had a plan. We were going to be a family,
but then you got sucked into some other dimension. I
know it sounds about as believable as I'm going out
for cigarettes. I'll be right back. But yeah, at least
it's not cliche. At least there's that Shelley, why are
(19:46):
you here? Who I was Olivia researching? By the way,
when she left this morning, she said, something happened. We
met someone who knows a lot more than we do.
And well, the situation is, it's that's complicated. There was
a boy with me in that other place. It was
(20:06):
also trapped in Olivia. She's helping me to try to
find out more about him so that maybe we can
help him. Is another a boy from from a long
time ago. So so this thing, whatever it is, it
does take children. Yes, I don't know if that's the
(20:28):
preferred sacrifice. What sacrifice? And there's some sort of balance sheet.
That other place needs two people at all times. I
ended up there by mistake. I think I think maybe
it wanted Jeremy back then. Yeah, my Mom did mention
(20:50):
something about him going missing. One we got him back,
just like you got your boy back. He's not in
danger anymore. Don't forgive me if I don't take you
at your word on that. I'm keeping him out as
grandparents for the foreseeable future, his other grandparents. I I'd
like to meet him someday, if that's okay. I don't
(21:13):
think so, I mean, at least not. You know, I
honestly have no idea. What's okay? You know I don't
know you. I know no, I mean, I don't even
have stories about you. Mom did not tell me anything.
She never talked about you. I never would have told
(21:36):
her to do that. Wow, Anne Becker does whatever it
is she wants, and for some reason, she didn't want
me to know that you were my dad. I still am. No.
You don't just get to claim that you've been gone
(21:58):
forty years and we never I mean, we never met,
and you've never been a father to me. You're right,
but I thought about you every single day. I understand
that you're angry, I do, and confused and frustrated. I
(22:21):
am too. I was just figuring out how to be
a dad, and then I was ripped away from it,
from the chance to watch Jeremy grow up, the chance
to meet you. But that doesn't mean being a father
was ripped out of me because there was Alden, that
other kid. He needed me, and I did figure it
(22:45):
out for him. So in the times when I let
myself imagine what it would be like to come back,
I actually felt prepared. I mean proud of who I'd become,
the kind of father I was turning into. So to
come back and find that my son has well past
the point of meeting a parent and my daughter doesn't
want any kind of father at all, I feel untethered. Wow.
(23:12):
I'm sure Jeremy is thrilled to have you back, and
he remembers you growing up. You could tell he lost you.
He was carrying that hole with him everywhere, and it
seems like he turned into a good man in spite
of it. I don't know. I'm still getting to know him,
but he seems smart, protective of the people in his life.
(23:34):
Like me. I'm feeling a bit like a fifth wheel,
like he doesn't need anything returned to him. Then there's you.
I really don't know you, but I can tell you're
strong and you've raised an amazing daughter. I'm glad you
didn't grow up like Jeremy, feeling like a part of
you was missing. But I still want to belong to you,
(23:59):
if you'd ever have me. Of course, I felt like
something was missing. I just I didn't know what exactly
to miss. Well, whatever it is, you don't have to
miss it anymore. I'm here now, and you're I mean,
you're Are you real? You know you're not a ghost
(24:24):
or a I don't even know what to ask you.
I'm real, and I'm I don't know how any of
this works. But if I live another fifty years, or
if my body just looks young and really I'm in
my seventies, I have no idea what my life would
even look like here in a year. That still sounds
(24:47):
made up in my ears. But I know that all
these questions aren't really important. The only question that matters
to me is if you'll allow me to get to
know you. I don't, I don't know, I'm and this
is all still so I understand. I mean, I'm not
saying no, I just I wanted to come over here
(25:13):
today to try and make it make sense, you know,
as much sense as it could. How's that going. H
m hmm, not great, Mt. I've always had a really
hard time with the paranormal stuff. You know, my teenage
(25:35):
rebellion was becoming as pragmatic and straight edged as possible
a model teenager, were you. Well, no, I would not
say that. I was still pretty awful with the moodiness
and shouting matches and awful boyfriend you and Jeremy never,
oh god, no, no, no, Jesus Christ, I would have been. Um, look,
(26:00):
I'm barely registering that I have my father who is alive.
I think the question of a half brother is just
going to have to sit on the backburn for a minute. Okay, understandable,
but no, no, Jeremy and I didn't overlap in school much.
I have no idea what kind of teenager he was
at home. I'm sorry I missed it all. I really
(26:26):
should get going to work. Wait, yeah, thank you, you know,
for coming by. Maybe maybe we could continue the conversation
at some point. Mhmm yeah, maybe, Oh god, what is it,
(26:52):
I have your nose? Jeremy doesn't, but I do. Yeah,
you do. Tell Olivia's here at all, So now that go.
I have no idea, but thank you for talking to her. Yeah, trying.
(27:17):
I didn't mean to overhear well. Actually, I was totally
eavesdropping when she asked if you were real you were
talking around something not a lot gets past you. Huh,
you're not sure you're going to stay. If I have
anything to say about it, I will. I'll get all
then out, I'll shut down the fay realm. I'll live
(27:39):
my life right. But Jeremy's worried something's happening to me,
or that the limital might take me back? Is that
something you're worried about? Peyton sent that beast back to
the other side with a simple carving. What's to say
that same thing couldn't happen to me or to to anyone.
(28:00):
That it was as easy as drawing a symbol somewhere.
But you don't belong there. That sasquatch was from the
other side, so that room sent it back. You're not
from the Liminals. I've spent more years there than I
did here. Maybe it sees me as part of it,
and I keep I keep feeling sick or tired, dizzy.
(28:28):
That's what makes me wonder if I'm not actually as
young as I appear. Do you feel like you're in
a seventy year old body. But that doesn't change the
fact that I'm sitting here with my twenty two year
old granddaughter. Oh, I just realized I'm dumping all of
my problems, and I'm sorry. You're a kid. You shouldn't
have to listen to the adults in your life worry
like this. Okay, first of all, I'm not a kid,
(28:50):
and second of all, I know we're genetically a few
generations apart, but I mean the reality of it just
feels like we're cousins or something. You don't feel weird
about listening to all your grandpa's fears. Oh, I feel
weird about literally everything that's happening in my life right now.
But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Besides,
(29:11):
who else are you gonna talk to? You know, like
four people, and one of them is your long lost
love and the other is your son. You might be right.
I just don't want to worry them. I know, not
that I want to worry you. No, I know, it's okay, Like,
you don't have to explain. And after all, we don't
(29:33):
really know each other, do we. With Nana, you have
this whole complicated history, and you knew my mom existed,
you didn't know to expect me. And with Jeremy, I
don't know how to talk to Jeremy. He's still a
(29:53):
little boy in my mind. So sometimes when I look
at him now, I have to remind myself that he's
the same person, not just some man i've met. But
there's other times or I feel like I'm arguing with
him like I would have if I'd been around when
he was growing up. Well, for what it's worth, I
(30:14):
think Jeremy does need you. You're not a fifth wheel.
It's kind of you to say. I mean it. Look,
I may not know Jeremy well, but I've gotten no
Hippen a bit, and I think he might be the
person who knows Jeremy best, isn't he Jeremy's t a
yeah exactly. They've been working together for a few years,
and Vippin called him Professor Bradshaw until like, I don't
(30:36):
know a week ago, but I think Hippin is the
closest thing that Jeremy has to a best friend. Really,
that's what I mean. He's not. I just don't know
how full his life is, or how full it was
before all of this happened. Vippin said that Jeremy gave
him a whole speech about not turning out like him,
(30:57):
telling Hippen to make sure he had a life outside
of work and all that. I'm not sure that this
makes me feel better or worse. Yeah. Sorry, I'm not
exactly the best at tep talks. You know what, I
think you're doing just fine. Hello, Sophie, it's Jeremy Bradshaw.
(31:25):
I know it's been forever Jeremy. Good lord. I didn't
think i'd ever hear from you again. Oh come on, well,
I'm sorry. I know I'm I'm terrible at keeping in touch.
It goes both ways. I imagine you've been quite busy.
You're back in the bridgual To triangle, right, Yeah, I've
been back for a while. Must have your hands full
(31:46):
with all sorts of speaks, no less than I'm sure
you have in Plucky you're still there. I'm actually back
at Oxford, if you believe it. What are you going
for another degree? Handing them out? In fact, I'm a
professor like you. Oh wow, an Oxford professor. Wow. Okay, well,
(32:08):
I guess you've reached the apex for anyone in our discipline. Congrats.
I don't get me wrong. I'm still hoping to someday
find fame and fortune as the first person to provide
definitive proof of the paranormal. But twelve years in the
most haunted village in Britain and I didn't see a
single ghost. Sorry, no, you're not. You always knew none
(32:30):
of it was real. What am I hearing? Has Sophie
Burton become a skeptic? I'm just getting dangerously close. Well,
I guess time does funny things to all of us.
Don't tell me that you're no. No, but I would
say that I am. I am working on keeping an
open mind. I am impressed. Is that why you're calling
(32:52):
me up out of thee You need me to give
you my old ghosts? A real shpille? Not exactly. I've
actually been trying to expand my expertise, hence the open mind,
and I'm working on something that's a bit outside of
my comfort zone. I'm trying to write a lecture that
covers the Fay realm. And I realized that I don't
actually really know much beyond the basics because it's never
(33:17):
really been much of a thing and in Bridgewater, so
I haven't even bothered before you want to now just curiosity? Well,
you certainly called the right person. Were choker block for
the famous? Yeah, that's what I was hoping. What exactly
do you want to know? It's fairly expensive. Well, that's
(33:37):
why I wanted to talk to an expert directly instead
of just diving into my books. Is there a particular
region or myth origin you're looking at? I guess the
biggest question is friend or foe. Yeah. So I feel
like the popular cultural representation is fairly positive overall, or
Tinkerbell and the like. But I know there's a lot
(34:00):
of darker versions of fay Realm. More so, I'd love
to know which side to come down on. Well, there's
really not one definitive answer to that question. For as
long as there have been fay Realm legends, there's been
good and bad. But there is a distinction. I mean,
there are different there are different groups, right, they can be.
(34:22):
In Scottish law, there's the Seely Court and Unseely Court.
Both are fai courts, so therefore dangerous. But the Seely
won't go out of their way to hurt humans, but
the Unselly Court will. They are related to a whole
manner of evil creatures over here, which is boggets, happy lovers,
(34:43):
creatures of the devil. Essentially, what do the Fay want, Well,
just general mischief, not the cute fun kind mind, more
of the beating and possessing variety you mentioned. The courts
are those physical courts. Some times there's a lot of
law around fairy lands. Sometimes they're called other worlds or underworld's,
(35:07):
even had fairy kingdom. And sometimes they are a physical place,
sometimes just a ritual or the very act of doing magic. Okay,
So if they are physical places, presumably human beings could
enter into one of these lands, and there aren't many
legends that explore that idea. Plenty of fiction and films,
but original myth there's mostly the fake courts coming over
(35:28):
to the human realle. How about making deals with humans? Oh? Yes,
Fay contracts very tricky things. The story is you should
never accept a gift from a theory, especially food, never
get into debt with them, never make any promises, and
I don't even give them your name in the case
of creatures, so basically avoid them at our costs exactly. Okay.
(35:50):
So hypothetically, what if there is an existing contract, can
you break it? Um? I have absolutely no idea. Are
you in law school? Now? Is your class on faery
contract law? I'm just trying to create a full picture. Well,
(36:12):
I mean, I've given a few lectures on the famous
and there's so much to cover. It's honestly best to
keep things surface level. If I were you, okay, sure,
But let's say I was doing very contract law. What
would I teach my students to never enter a contract
with a fairy no matter what. But if they had,
(36:32):
they are going to let a contract be broken. The
only way I could see out of it would be
if you had something on the fake court that could
neutralize it. In a lot of law, they hate being
in debt. If there was a mutual debt that could
be exploited, maybe the slate would be wiped clean. But
more likely, you just have a very angry and violent
spirit after you. Okay, is there a way to kill them? Jeremy?
(36:55):
What is this really about? If I figure it out,
I promise I will tell you. Jeremy, just please, whatever
you can tell me about ways to stop them or
even just ward them off. I really appreciate it. Just
just humor me here. It really depends on the type
you're dealing with. There's all sorts of things, turning your
clothes inside out. Avoiding fairy circles, of course, but circles
(37:19):
of all kinds can be problematic. A rooster's crow or
church bells have been said to scare them away. I
can send you a list of all the methods I'm
aware of, if you like, That would be amazing. Sophie,
Thank you. Thanks, You've already been a huge home. Sure
you're bring me back if you find yourself in over
your head. That's why I called you in the first place.
(37:41):
Are you It sounds ridiculous? Are you okay? I don't know.
I am. I think I've got it all under control.
Of course, you've got it under control. I always do. Wow, fuck,
(38:05):
I know. Are you okay? My whole body is sore,
but I am alive. I cannot believe I turned down
your offer to join you. Next time I go monster hunting,
I'll insist. I appreciate that. Hey, thanks for meeting me here.
By the way, I was going to suggest hawk amoks
(38:26):
But yeah. Well, weirdly, Freetown Forest feels safer at the moment,
even if Peyton is hiding around here somewhere I'm sorry
again for not being able to help with her. No, No,
it was fine. It was a long shot. I just
wish I could know if I could trust her. Thanks
are really fucked up. Things are certainly fucked up here.
(38:48):
There's just a lot at stake for me. I don't
even know how to I don't know how to protect
myself from a sasquatch. Jeremy, it sounds like it was
pretty terrifying. Yeah, and if Peyton hadn't shown up, I
probably would be dead. My dad was right. I'm an academic.
(39:09):
I'm not the person who fights monsters. Here. Let me
show you something. I'm not poisonous. I promise it'll be
easier if I just guide your hand. Trust me. Okay,
so move your hand in a V like this and
then moved to center and bring it all the way down. Okay,
(39:32):
now you do it. M M okay, I know it
feels goofy. Let's try it all right, center down. And
that's supposed to do what exactly? Um? Yeah, well it's
supposed to banish monsters or trap them or something. Honestly,
(39:55):
I haven't had the opportunity to try, but seeings and
keep running into them for real, all that will be
an experiment for next time. Report back to me. I'm
dying to know if it works. There was this other
legend trip or a while back. I met her at
some conference or other their legend trip or conferences. You're
(40:18):
telling me you haven't been to anything like that. No, no, no,
of course I've been paranormal conventions in academic conferences. I
just haven't met a whole lot of monster hunters in
one place. Well maybe conference was putting a bit strongly,
But these communities are all tied in together, and there
are meet ups from time to time. As she picked
(40:41):
it up from some guy in Norway. So it's some
kind of old Norse room. Yea, so she said, it
translates to protection. I think, now maybe you know how
to fight monsters. Well, here's hoping that I never have
to use it. Come on, you're telling me there's not
even a little part of you that's die to see
something else. It was genuinely, really frightening. I would not, oh, ship, yeah, okay,
(41:11):
maybe you're right, of course I am. I mean, after
all this time studying and teaching all of this stuff
for years, you actually get to witness it. I'd be
fucking jealous if it wasn't so cool. Yeah, well, you
keep hanging out in these forests and swamps and you
might see something yourself soon. Maybe I just need to
hang out with you more. Well, Ah, I guess it's
(41:35):
worth a shop. There's the spirit, you know. I was
expecting to see you, but not so soon. I don't
(41:58):
think we really got to finish our conversation Asian earlier.
And what conversation was that? The one about how I
broke everything. I seem to remember your son having quite
a lot to say about that subject. It's going to
get much worse very quickly, isn't it. Yes? I believe so.
(42:18):
And you think I'm the only one who can fix him,
not the only one, just the right one. What would
I have to do? This episode of Bridgewater was written
(42:44):
by Lauren Shippin and directed by Brendan Patrick Hughes Assistant
director Sarah Klein, Sound designed by Vincent the Johnny Rema, Okay, Ali,
Josh Thane, and Trevor Young, with music by Chad Lawson.
Starring Misha Collins as Jeremy Bradshaw, Melissa Ponzio as Anne Becker,
Alan Tutick as Thomas Bradshaw, Karen Sony as Vipen Corona,
(43:09):
Sabra May as Olivia Hoskins, Cheryl Umania as Officer Bautista,
Will Wheaton as Captain Haddock, Tricia Helfer as the Legend Tripper,
Stephen Guarino as Dr Edwards Nandamisu Demba as Peyton Blake,
Hilary Burton Morgan as Shelley Hoskins, Nicki McCauley as Celeste
(43:31):
then Victoria Grace as Katie Franks, with additional voice acting
by Greta Gould, Shelby Young, Adam oh Byrne, Monty Markham,
Charlie Bergman and Tern Westbrook. Executive producers Aaron Manky, Misha Collins,
Lauren Shippin, Matt Frederick and Alexander Williams. Supervising producers Josh
(43:52):
Thane and Trevor Young. Bridgewater was created by me Aaron
Mankey and is a production of Grim and Mild and
I Heart three D Audio. You learn more about the
show over at Grimm and Mild dot com, slash Bridgewater
and find more podcasts from I Heart Radio on the
I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
to your favorite shows and As always, thanks for listening,
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