WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>Hi, excursionists, it's me Gnari. For the next few episodes,

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<v Speaker 1>I've got something different for you, something a little dustier,

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<v Speaker 1>a little sharper, and just as full of shadows as

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<v Speaker 1>the paths we usually walk together. For the next four episodes,

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<v Speaker 1>we're stepping into a Western written by Caroline, a tale

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<v Speaker 1>about those who are left behind for one reason or another,

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<v Speaker 1>becoming orphans, or as they used to be known, the Abandons.

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<v Speaker 1>This will be a four episode series, and the first

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<v Speaker 1>episode is coming up next, So saddle up, excursionists, meet

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<v Speaker 1>me at the crossroads where the sun sets, and let's

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<v Speaker 1>see where this trail takes us. This episode may contain

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<v Speaker 1>content that is not suitable for all audiences. Listener discretion

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<v Speaker 1>is advised, especially for those under the age of thirteen.

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Endo the Night. I'm Narri, your guide on

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<v Speaker 1>today's excursion down a twisted path. Be careful not to

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<v Speaker 1>get lost. Be it dark or light, it's easy to

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<v Speaker 1>lose your way. Are you ready, then let's begin the Abandons.

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<v Speaker 1>Many of the children couldn't remember their families. Sometimes I

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<v Speaker 1>thought they were the lucky ones. I remembered better than most,

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<v Speaker 1>and my sister Rizzy remembered our folks nearly as well.

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<v Speaker 1>Both of us cried ourselves to sleep more times than

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<v Speaker 1>I could count, certainly more times than the people who

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<v Speaker 1>ran the Orphanage thought proper.

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<v Speaker 2>Missus. Stoltzman gave us some licks with a will of

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<v Speaker 2>switch she was so fond of when she caught us,

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<v Speaker 2>and she told us that we needed to remember just

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<v Speaker 2>how lucky we were. Lucky or not. Rizzy and I

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<v Speaker 2>survived when our parents and two neighboring pioneer families were

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<v Speaker 2>killed in the Indian attacks that left us orphans, or

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<v Speaker 2>as people here in the territories call us, the abandons.

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<v Speaker 2>We may have felt alone against the world, but we

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<v Speaker 2>weren't alone at the Orphanage. Whether it was cholera, bad luck,

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<v Speaker 2>Indian attacks, or just the misfortune of being little ones

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<v Speaker 2>left behind along the wagon trails, they brought us together,

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<v Speaker 2>and the collection of us formed our own community. It's

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<v Speaker 2>funny how even as children, we knew that we belonged together.

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<v Speaker 2>We weren't family by blood, but we were all we had.

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<v Speaker 2>The most unfortunate of us were the ones born as

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<v Speaker 2>a result of the brothels that every western town had.

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<v Speaker 2>None of us judged them, None of us were at

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<v Speaker 2>the Orphanage through any of our own doing, and neither

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<v Speaker 2>were they. The religious leaders and those who owned the place, however,

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<v Speaker 2>never missed an opportunity to be noticeably harsher toward the

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<v Speaker 2>brothel children. Life wasn't easy at the High Lake Home

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<v Speaker 2>for orphaned Children, and most times the staff treated us

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<v Speaker 2>like we should have taken the easy way out and

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<v Speaker 2>died with our families. Don't think that thought didn't cross

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<v Speaker 2>our minds Rizzie and I missed our parents something terrible,

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<v Speaker 2>and we weren't sure why we were spared. We just

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<v Speaker 2>happened to be playing down by the ice house when

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<v Speaker 2>the raid took place. If we'd been with Paul gathering

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<v Speaker 2>firewood like we were supposed to be, we wouldn't have

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<v Speaker 2>made it out alive.

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<v Speaker 1>The guilt we carried.

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<v Speaker 2>Was fierce because of it. Unlike some of the other abandons,

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<v Speaker 2>we at least knew Mom Paul loved us. Tenderness was

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<v Speaker 2>in short supply, both in and out of the orphanage,

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<v Speaker 2>and for the ones adopted out, most were treated little

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<v Speaker 2>better than slaves. The faces of the men who searched

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<v Speaker 2>the orphanage for additional farm hands were hard and uncompromising.

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<v Speaker 2>Our future looked bleak. One night, long after it was

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<v Speaker 2>safe for us to still be awake, Rizzie and I

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<v Speaker 2>sat quietly with our friends. That day, we watched Hiram

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<v Speaker 2>and Hilda bots handed over to a man who had

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<v Speaker 2>no business near a child. He gave us all the

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<v Speaker 2>feeling that Hilda was the prize he was after and

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<v Speaker 2>that Hiram would be discarded soon after they rode away.

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<v Speaker 2>We didn't believe the children would be safe, but we

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<v Speaker 2>were powerless to save them.

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<v Speaker 1>What can we do?

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<v Speaker 2>We're nothing but a bunch of abandons without a penny

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<v Speaker 2>between us. Tom Fouche, who was only a year older

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<v Speaker 2>than ike Lewis and me, shook his head in disgust.

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<v Speaker 2>What's going to stop that from happening to any of us?

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<v Speaker 2>We need a plan. I looked at my friends and

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<v Speaker 2>they sat waiting to hear what I had to say. Next.

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<v Speaker 1>What do you have in mind?

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<v Speaker 2>Oran? I had Tom's attention. Now, it's only an idea,

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<v Speaker 2>but it beats sitting here just hoping the next monster

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't choose us or sisters. Grizzy leaned in closer to me.

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<v Speaker 2>Delia Bean, who was only nine and who was almost

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<v Speaker 2>the one chosen instead of Hilda let out a whimper.

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<v Speaker 2>Her fate was determined that day by one small stroke

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<v Speaker 2>of luck. The man had simply said I prefer blondes.

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<v Speaker 2>With that, Delia was spare for now. Even if some

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<v Speaker 2>strange man doesn't choose us, or some couple doesn't pick

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<v Speaker 2>us to be their workhorse, we girls don't have much

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<v Speaker 2>of a future. We'll end up where some of us started,

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<v Speaker 2>in a brothel, just doing what we can to survive.

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<v Speaker 2>Shanny Nelson, who at fourteen was the oldest of the

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<v Speaker 2>girls in our group, gave us a doleful look.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, Shanny, that's.

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<v Speaker 3>Why we need a plan. I'm listening, Uren, God knows

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<v Speaker 3>we need some way out of this hell hole.

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<v Speaker 2>Ruby Lipscomb reached out and squeezed Shanny's hand. Tom looked

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<v Speaker 2>at Shanny with fierce determination. I'll do whatever it takes

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<v Speaker 2>to keep that from happening. Now. We'd all known that

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<v Speaker 2>Tom was sweet on Shannon, but this was as good

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<v Speaker 2>as a public declaration, and that's how we all took it.

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<v Speaker 2>Tom naturally Shy blushed so deeply we could have sworn

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<v Speaker 2>we saw his face redden in the moonlight streaming through

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<v Speaker 2>our curtainless window. Shanny ducked her head and leaned towards

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<v Speaker 2>Ruby in a pleased embarrassment. Rizzi had already assured me

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<v Speaker 2>that Shanny was equally fond of Tom. After an awkward moment,

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<v Speaker 2>Mike Lewis said, what's your plan?

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<v Speaker 3>Orin?

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<v Speaker 2>I heard that Brighton Ranch is needing hands? Doubtful Size

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<v Speaker 2>went around the darkened room. Now wait, I said, I

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<v Speaker 2>know we're just kids, but Miss Melva said that Brighton

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<v Speaker 2>is fearfully low on hands. Since most of the men

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<v Speaker 2>around here are taken off to look for gold up

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<v Speaker 2>north of Durango, they might be desperate enough to hire

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<v Speaker 2>us on.

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<v Speaker 1>How do we get there?

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<v Speaker 2>They don't even know.

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<v Speaker 1>Oh we exist.

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<v Speaker 2>Ike's voice, barely above a whisper, came out of the darkness.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes they do, Grizzie's quiet voice said how Ike's excitement

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<v Speaker 2>made him speak a little louder than he'd intended. And

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<v Speaker 2>for a tense moment we sat in silence, straining our

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<v Speaker 2>ears to listen for footsteps. We expected the adults to

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<v Speaker 2>be on their way to punish us for still being

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<v Speaker 2>awake past bedtime. When no footsteps made their way to

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<v Speaker 2>our sleeping bay, Rizzie spoke once more.

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<v Speaker 3>Because Orn and I have been talking about this idea

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<v Speaker 3>for a while. Miss Melva likes to visit with me,

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<v Speaker 3>so I've been seeing if she could help. Turns out

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<v Speaker 3>her big brother is one of the hands that stayed on,

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<v Speaker 3>and that's how we found out they're hurting for help.

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<v Speaker 3>He's not just a hand either, He's a foreman.

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<v Speaker 2>I was pretty sure everyone but me was surprised by

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<v Speaker 2>Rizzy's good work. A wisp of a girl at eleven,

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<v Speaker 2>not many people paid her much mind. Same was true

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<v Speaker 2>for Miss Melva. She looked sort of mousey and usually

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<v Speaker 2>was just as quiet as well. That's why she and

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<v Speaker 2>Rizzie talked so easy with one another. Miss Melva had

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<v Speaker 2>a heart and wasn't like the rest of them who

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<v Speaker 2>ran the orphanage. We could tell she hated working there

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<v Speaker 2>as much as we hated living there. Miss Melva likes

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<v Speaker 2>Rizzi and trusts us. That's why she was willing to

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<v Speaker 2>find out what she could to help. Tom spoke once more, so,

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<v Speaker 2>if we boys do get jobs, there are you saying

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<v Speaker 2>that we just leave the girls behind. Ruby couldn't contain

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<v Speaker 2>herself any longer.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, is that what you're saying?

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<v Speaker 1>Because I cut her off.

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<v Speaker 2>No Ruby calmed down. This plan is to help all

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<v Speaker 2>of us. Just hear me out. That satisfied her long

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<v Speaker 2>enough for me to go on. I have in mind,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think the rest of us boys will go

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<v Speaker 2>along with it, is that once we've earned enough money,

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<v Speaker 2>we'll come back and get all of you. I stared

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<v Speaker 2>at Rizzy and saw Tom stare at Shanny. We aren't

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<v Speaker 2>gonna leave anyone behind. This is all ticket out of here.

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<v Speaker 2>What do you say? I'd barely finish speaking when Ike

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<v Speaker 2>and Tom both said when can we start? I looked

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<v Speaker 2>at my sister Rizzie. When does miss Melville think she

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<v Speaker 2>can get word to her brother? She's just waiting for

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<v Speaker 2>us to tell her to ask. She could tell him

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<v Speaker 2>as soon as tomorrow night if I talk with her

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<v Speaker 2>about it.

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<v Speaker 3>In the morning.

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<v Speaker 2>It was all we could do not to jump up

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<v Speaker 2>and down and shriek with joy. The girls cried, and

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<v Speaker 2>to be honest, us boys were grateful for the darkness

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<v Speaker 2>so no one could see our eyes well up with

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<v Speaker 2>tears too. We all needed this glimmer of hope. Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>now let's get on to bed before anyone becomes suspicious.

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<v Speaker 2>We don't need to be put on restrictions or anything

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<v Speaker 2>for being up past curfew. You're right, but I'm not

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<v Speaker 2>sure I'll sleep a wink, I whispered me neither, But

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<v Speaker 2>we can't let them know we have any plans to escape.

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<v Speaker 1>That's exactly what it was.

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<v Speaker 2>We were planning two in escape. We were too young

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<v Speaker 2>to consider that this was a huge risk, but we

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<v Speaker 2>were also too desperate to care. Thank you for joining

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<v Speaker 2>me for this episode of the Into the Night Anthology podcast.

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<v Speaker 2>Written by Caroline Giamanco, narrated by Nari Quak, Theme music

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<v Speaker 2>by Nico Rodriguez, all other original music, sound design and

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<v Speaker 2>editing by Omenhawk Studios. You can find our links in

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<v Speaker 2>the show notes. Into the Night is on your favorite podcatcher,

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<v Speaker 2>so make sure to like, subscribe and leave a five

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<v Speaker 2>star review to help other excursionists to join us. I'll

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<v Speaker 2>see you next time, and remember, whether in the shadows

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<v Speaker 2>or in the daylight, all twist to paths lead you

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<v Speaker 2>into the night. Into the Night Anthology is a creative

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<v Speaker 2>typo entertainment production.