February 23, 2022 • 13 mins
A cute and macabre tale about a Familiar who wants nothing more than to make his witch smile.
Concerned that he's fallen out of favor, he dedicates himself to performing the same tasks each day in an attempt to please her. But when the other Familiars portend a dark omen, he discovers the truth behind his ritual.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Alabaster Catz (00:01):
Good evening, I'm Alabaster Catz. And it's
time for another tale to tell inthe dark.
Welcome to the show. It's been awhile since my last visitation.
(00:23):
But like all things that hauntus, we always come back. It's a
ritual, something we do oftenand in a particular order. You
sit in your chair, turn down thelights, turn up your audio, and
invite the shadows to entertainyou. But how many times does a
(00:44):
ritual need to be performedbefore it becomes something
else?
A habit. A passion. Anobsession.
And that brings us to tonight'sstory. The idea that something
can be repeated so often, thatwe forget why we do it. And when
we remember, it's not for thereason we thought it was. So
(01:07):
join me as we cuddle with thecute and the macabre and explore
a Familiar's ritual, and hisdevotion to his witch. Once
again, it's time to grab adrink, dim the lights and let
your imagination be possessed.
The show's about to begin.
(01:47):
Forever Vellichor By AlabasterCatz
(02:11):
Deep in a forest that has noname, beyond the tallest trees
and the oldest ferns, lies acrumbling hut made of branches
and bones. And should you peekthrough the lens of a broken
window, you'd see a room filledwith books, and a little gray
mouse nestled on the sleeve of awoman in black. Now, unlike
(02:33):
other witches, the woman inblack didn't care for casting
spells or brewing potions. Herpassion was found elsewhere.
Somewhere between the strings ofher guitar and the pages of an
empty book. For when it came tomagic, hers took the form of
music before it was written onpaper. Needless to say she was
(02:54):
odd for a witch. So it came asno surprise that out of all the
creatures in the forest, shechose a mouse to be her
Familiar.
She named him Vellichor becauseshe liked the smell of books.
And while he wasn't a swift as abat, or clever, like a rat, he
was the master of all thingssmall. Whether it was a quill
(03:17):
that needed finding, or a pagethat needed turning, Vellichor
was always there. And althoughit was within her right to do so
his witchtress never asked himfor the world, only to fetch the
little things within it. Inexchange. All he asked was that
(03:37):
she reward him with a smile,something she was already quite
fond of doing. For many moonsVellichor served his witch. He
nibbled the threads that hung toher clothes, hunted the buttons
that fell into cracks and dustedthe cobwebs that covered her
books. And at the end of eachday because he cared for her so
(04:00):
he would brew her special cup oftea made from berries and pine.
Then one night while nestled onher sleeve, his witchtress woke
him with a list of things sheneeded him to do. So with a deep
breath, she parted her pale lipsand began to sing.
The Witch (04:22):
Kind and gentle Vellichor, there's many things
to do. They're tiny butimportant, so very much like
you. Go fetch some twigs andsticks of wood to weather out
(04:43):
the storm for when I leave ourcozy hut, I'd like it to be
warm. Next gather herbs likePearl Moss and scented sprigs of
Cypress, spread the first uponour step and hang the second
(05:08):
lifeless. Then light candlesnear my books that lie upon the
table for should I slumber whileI read, you'll find that I'm
unable. A final thing pleasekeep it clean the hat that I
(05:31):
adore, for just like it, withyou I'll sit, forever Vellichor.
Alabaster Catz (05:46):
The next morning Vellichor set off to accomplish
the tasks he was given. Thefirst of which was to fetch some
twigs and sticks of wood toweather out the storm, for when
his witchtress leaves her hut,she'd like it to be warm.
Venturing deep into the forest,he came upon a great tree that
(06:07):
was home to several crows. Hebowed to the crows as was
customary amongst Familiars, andasked if they would let him
collect the sticks around thebase of the tree. The crows
cackled at the thought of a tinymouse gathering sticks and
agreed, so long as they couldwatch. Bowing once again
(06:28):
Vellichor began to drag away theheavy sticks one at a time, as
the crows watched and laughedoverhead.
Second on his list was to gatherherbs like Pearl Moss and
scented sprigs of Cypress andspread the first upon their step
and hang the second lifeless.
Following a path that onlywoodland creatures know, he
(06:52):
arrived at a pond where chorusof frogs croaked from their lily
pads. He bowed to his peers andasked if he could gather the
herbs by the water's edge. Thefrogs barked with anger at the
thought of a little mousedigging up their pond, but
agreed, so long as he didn'ttake more than he needed.
Nodding in thanks Vellichorbegan to dig up his herbs as the
(07:14):
frogs grumbled in protest aroundhim.
By late afternoon, Vellichorreturned home to find his
witchtress hunched over thepages of an open book. With dusk
fast approaching, he proceededto his third task, which was to
light the candles near her booksthat lie upon the table. For
(07:37):
should she slumber while shereads, he'd find that she's
unable. Climbing up to thetables surface, he weaved
through a maze of leather boundtomes until he reached a set of
melted candles. Then, taking thematch from his teeth, he lit the
wicks and the room began to glowwith a comfortable light.
(07:59):
For his last task, he was to doone final thing to keep it
clean, the hat that she adores,for just like it with him she'll
sit, forever Vellichor. Lookingaround the room, he found it
lying on the floor next to her.
Climbing down from the table, hebrushed off the dust and primped
its short cone before chasingthe spiders that made it their
(08:21):
home. After all of his taskswere completed, he ended the
evening the same way he had doneeach night before. He brewed her
a special cup of tea made fromberries and pine. However, when
he looked up at his witchtressto receive a smile, he instead
saw a frown. Wounded by thenotion that he had upset his
(08:45):
witch, he nestled onto hersleeve and fell sadly asleep.
Upon morning's arrival,Vellichor woke to find his
witchtress once again hunchedover the pages of an open book.
Determined to make her smile, heset out to redo the tasks she
(09:07):
had given him the day before. Heapproached the great tree and
bowed to the crows, but insteadof laughter, he was met with
whispers. Words like danger,beware, and death rustled
through the leaves. Unsure as tothe reason for their warning, he
quickly collected his sticks andleft them to their omens. Later
(09:32):
Vellichor arrived at the hiddenpond where he bowed to the frogs
as he had done many timesbefore. But instead of barks he
was met with silence. Theystared at him from afar,
motionless like graveyardstatues. Confused as to the
reason for their distance, hequickly gathered his herbs and
(09:53):
left them to their silent watch.
Upon returning to the hut, heclimbed onto the table where he
lit the candles near hiswitchtress's books before
hopping down onto the floor toclean her precious hat. And at
the end of the night, he brewedher a cup of his special tea and
looked for a smile that nevercame.
(10:17):
Many seasons had passed sincehe'd last seen his witchtress
smile, but for Vellichor eachday remained the same. The
collecting of sticks, thegathering of herbs, the lighting
of candles, and the cleaning ofa hat. Then one night, after
brewing his special tea, helooked up at her face and saw a
(10:38):
wide, toothy smile. Squeakingwith joy, Vellichor raced around
the table, darting in whateverdirection his excitement led
him. But when he finallystopped, he began to wonder
about a few curious things. Likewhy the need for twigs and
sticks to weather out the storm,despite the fact that inside
(11:00):
their hut his witch is neverwarm? And what's the point of
Pearl Moss and scented sprigs ofCypress, when never once did
they bring her luck, or ease hersoul in crisis? Why light the
candles near her books that lieupon the table, when all she
does is stare at them, and neveradd a label? And then he grins
(11:24):
as he recalls his witch's boneygaze, for he's the reason crows
whisper warnings and frogs watchall his days. And so he'll preen
and keep it clean. The hatthat's on the floor until he
finds another witch to drink hisdeadly tea once more.
The Witch (11:51):
Finally please keep it clean, the hat that I adore.
For just like it with you I'llsit forever Vellichor.
Alabaster Catz (12:24):
That concludes our show for the evening. Thank
you for joining us, and I hopeyou enjoyed my presence in the
room. Next time, we'll slip intothe sad and the strange as we
learn about a merchant who sellsthe items of your demise. If you
liked what you heard tonight, besure to follow the Alabaster
(12:45):
Catz podcast, or visit us atalabastercatz.com for some more
borrowed time. Once again, thankyou for joining us. I'm
alabaster Catz. And remember,the best stories are the ones we
tell in the dark. Special thingsto tonight's musical talent
(13:07):
Martha Goddard for herarrangement and performance of
"The Witch's Song"
Good evening, I'm Alabaster Catz. And it's
time for another tale to tell inthe dark.
Welcome to the show. It's been awhile since my last visitation.
(00:23):
But like all things that hauntus, we always come back. It's a
ritual, something we do oftenand in a particular order. You
sit in your chair, turn down thelights, turn up your audio, and
invite the shadows to entertainyou. But how many times does a
(00:44):
ritual need to be performedbefore it becomes something
else?
A habit. A passion. Anobsession.
And that brings us to tonight'sstory. The idea that something
can be repeated so often, thatwe forget why we do it. And when
we remember, it's not for thereason we thought it was. So
(01:07):
join me as we cuddle with thecute and the macabre and explore
a Familiar's ritual, and hisdevotion to his witch. Once
again, it's time to grab adrink, dim the lights and let
your imagination be possessed.
The show's about to begin.
(01:47):
Forever Vellichor By AlabasterCatz
(02:11):
Deep in a forest that has noname, beyond the tallest trees
and the oldest ferns, lies acrumbling hut made of branches
and bones. And should you peekthrough the lens of a broken
window, you'd see a room filledwith books, and a little gray
mouse nestled on the sleeve of awoman in black. Now, unlike
(02:33):
other witches, the woman inblack didn't care for casting
spells or brewing potions. Herpassion was found elsewhere.
Somewhere between the strings ofher guitar and the pages of an
empty book. For when it came tomagic, hers took the form of
music before it was written onpaper. Needless to say she was
(02:54):
odd for a witch. So it came asno surprise that out of all the
creatures in the forest, shechose a mouse to be her
Familiar.
She named him Vellichor becauseshe liked the smell of books.
And while he wasn't a swift as abat, or clever, like a rat, he
was the master of all thingssmall. Whether it was a quill
(03:17):
that needed finding, or a pagethat needed turning, Vellichor
was always there. And althoughit was within her right to do so
his witchtress never asked himfor the world, only to fetch the
little things within it. Inexchange. All he asked was that
(03:37):
she reward him with a smile,something she was already quite
fond of doing. For many moonsVellichor served his witch. He
nibbled the threads that hung toher clothes, hunted the buttons
that fell into cracks and dustedthe cobwebs that covered her
books. And at the end of eachday because he cared for her so
(04:00):
he would brew her special cup oftea made from berries and pine.
Then one night while nestled onher sleeve, his witchtress woke
him with a list of things sheneeded him to do. So with a deep
breath, she parted her pale lipsand began to sing.
The Witch (04:22):
Kind and gentle Vellichor, there's many things
to do. They're tiny butimportant, so very much like
you. Go fetch some twigs andsticks of wood to weather out
(04:43):
the storm for when I leave ourcozy hut, I'd like it to be
warm. Next gather herbs likePearl Moss and scented sprigs of
Cypress, spread the first uponour step and hang the second
(05:08):
lifeless. Then light candlesnear my books that lie upon the
table for should I slumber whileI read, you'll find that I'm
unable. A final thing pleasekeep it clean the hat that I
(05:31):
adore, for just like it, withyou I'll sit, forever Vellichor.
Alabaster Catz (05:46):
The next morning Vellichor set off to accomplish
the tasks he was given. Thefirst of which was to fetch some
twigs and sticks of wood toweather out the storm, for when
his witchtress leaves her hut,she'd like it to be warm.
Venturing deep into the forest,he came upon a great tree that
(06:07):
was home to several crows. Hebowed to the crows as was
customary amongst Familiars, andasked if they would let him
collect the sticks around thebase of the tree. The crows
cackled at the thought of a tinymouse gathering sticks and
agreed, so long as they couldwatch. Bowing once again
(06:28):
Vellichor began to drag away theheavy sticks one at a time, as
the crows watched and laughedoverhead.
Second on his list was to gatherherbs like Pearl Moss and
scented sprigs of Cypress andspread the first upon their step
and hang the second lifeless.
Following a path that onlywoodland creatures know, he
(06:52):
arrived at a pond where chorusof frogs croaked from their lily
pads. He bowed to his peers andasked if he could gather the
herbs by the water's edge. Thefrogs barked with anger at the
thought of a little mousedigging up their pond, but
agreed, so long as he didn'ttake more than he needed.
Nodding in thanks Vellichorbegan to dig up his herbs as the
(07:14):
frogs grumbled in protest aroundhim.
By late afternoon, Vellichorreturned home to find his
witchtress hunched over thepages of an open book. With dusk
fast approaching, he proceededto his third task, which was to
light the candles near her booksthat lie upon the table. For
(07:37):
should she slumber while shereads, he'd find that she's
unable. Climbing up to thetables surface, he weaved
through a maze of leather boundtomes until he reached a set of
melted candles. Then, taking thematch from his teeth, he lit the
wicks and the room began to glowwith a comfortable light.
(07:59):
For his last task, he was to doone final thing to keep it
clean, the hat that she adores,for just like it with him she'll
sit, forever Vellichor. Lookingaround the room, he found it
lying on the floor next to her.
Climbing down from the table, hebrushed off the dust and primped
its short cone before chasingthe spiders that made it their
(08:21):
home. After all of his taskswere completed, he ended the
evening the same way he had doneeach night before. He brewed her
a special cup of tea made fromberries and pine. However, when
he looked up at his witchtressto receive a smile, he instead
saw a frown. Wounded by thenotion that he had upset his
(08:45):
witch, he nestled onto hersleeve and fell sadly asleep.
Upon morning's arrival,Vellichor woke to find his
witchtress once again hunchedover the pages of an open book.
Determined to make her smile, heset out to redo the tasks she
(09:07):
had given him the day before. Heapproached the great tree and
bowed to the crows, but insteadof laughter, he was met with
whispers. Words like danger,beware, and death rustled
through the leaves. Unsure as tothe reason for their warning, he
quickly collected his sticks andleft them to their omens. Later
(09:32):
Vellichor arrived at the hiddenpond where he bowed to the frogs
as he had done many timesbefore. But instead of barks he
was met with silence. Theystared at him from afar,
motionless like graveyardstatues. Confused as to the
reason for their distance, hequickly gathered his herbs and
(09:53):
left them to their silent watch.
Upon returning to the hut, heclimbed onto the table where he
lit the candles near hiswitchtress's books before
hopping down onto the floor toclean her precious hat. And at
the end of the night, he brewedher a cup of his special tea and
looked for a smile that nevercame.
(10:17):
Many seasons had passed sincehe'd last seen his witchtress
smile, but for Vellichor eachday remained the same. The
collecting of sticks, thegathering of herbs, the lighting
of candles, and the cleaning ofa hat. Then one night, after
brewing his special tea, helooked up at her face and saw a
(10:38):
wide, toothy smile. Squeakingwith joy, Vellichor raced around
the table, darting in whateverdirection his excitement led
him. But when he finallystopped, he began to wonder
about a few curious things. Likewhy the need for twigs and
sticks to weather out the storm,despite the fact that inside
(11:00):
their hut his witch is neverwarm? And what's the point of
Pearl Moss and scented sprigs ofCypress, when never once did
they bring her luck, or ease hersoul in crisis? Why light the
candles near her books that lieupon the table, when all she
does is stare at them, and neveradd a label? And then he grins
(11:24):
as he recalls his witch's boneygaze, for he's the reason crows
whisper warnings and frogs watchall his days. And so he'll preen
and keep it clean. The hatthat's on the floor until he
finds another witch to drink hisdeadly tea once more.
The Witch (11:51):
Finally please keep it clean, the hat that I adore.
For just like it with you I'llsit forever Vellichor.
Alabaster Catz (12:24):
That concludes our show for the evening. Thank
you for joining us, and I hopeyou enjoyed my presence in the
room. Next time, we'll slip intothe sad and the strange as we
learn about a merchant who sellsthe items of your demise. If you
liked what you heard tonight, besure to follow the Alabaster
(12:45):
Catz podcast, or visit us atalabastercatz.com for some more
borrowed time. Once again, thankyou for joining us. I'm
alabaster Catz. And remember,the best stories are the ones we
tell in the dark. Special thingsto tonight's musical talent
(13:07):
Martha Goddard for herarrangement and performance of
"The Witch's Song"
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