Speaker 1: Welcome to into the night. I'm Narri your guide on
Speaker 1: today's excursion down a twisted path. Be careful not to
Speaker 1: get lost. Be it dark or light, It's easy to
Speaker 1: lose your way. Are you ready, then let's begin? Full
Speaker 1: moon overcutthroat draw, dust sprang into the air with every
Speaker 1: footstep made by the large bay stallion. The fine sand
Speaker 1: filled its rider's nostrils as it mingled with creosote and
Speaker 1: bloomy Mesquite his destination lurked just beyond the horizon, near
Speaker 1: the Santa Rita Mountains and Birch. Hamlin knew his journey
Speaker 1: needed to be finished quickly. He'd suffered under the midsummer
Speaker 1: sun for more years than he cared to remember, and
Speaker 1: this year he didn't want to repeat the misery. But
Speaker 1: there he was raised in the high country, he never
Speaker 1: developed a fondness for the stark desert. In his mind,
Speaker 1: the worst the nature should throw at a person was
Speaker 1: a foot of snow, or maybe an avalanche or bear attack.
Speaker 1: Not this damn sand pit filled with vipers and stinging insects.
Speaker 1: Not to mention the cactus patches. I come from God's country,
Speaker 1: This place Satan's doing. He paused and reconsidered. No, it's not.
Speaker 1: This place means a lot to my best friend. I'm
Speaker 1: just hot and tired as spoones. I really shouldn't complain
Speaker 1: about this. Oscar needs my help, and I'm not going
Speaker 1: to let him down, not now, after we've spent a
Speaker 1: lifetime as friends. He adjusted his hat and squinted at
Speaker 1: the land. A lizard scampered in front of him to
Speaker 1: find shade in a thick shaala. Not much would go
Speaker 1: after you there. Those thorns would ruin the day of
Speaker 1: anything that tried. Damn, I'm lonely here I am talking
Speaker 1: to myself about a lizard. Come on, Comanche, let's put
Speaker 1: some distance between us and here. He clucked at his
Speaker 1: horse and gently nudged at sides with his knees. I
Speaker 1: wouldn't even be doing this if it wasn't for Oscar
Speaker 1: Forsyth being in such a bad way right now. I
Speaker 1: thought I'd be relaxing at my cabin north of Bayfield,
Speaker 1: maybe catching a nap. But I have more important things
Speaker 1: to do than sleep, and time is running out. His
Speaker 1: friendship with Oscar demanded he help him out. Not because
Speaker 1: Oscar pressured him either. The simple value of a lifelong
Speaker 1: friendship made it impossible for Birch to ignore his friend's request.
Speaker 1: I'm the only one he can trust to do this.
Speaker 1: Outsiders may have wondered how the two men became friends
Speaker 1: in the first place. Oscar had a quick wit and
Speaker 1: could make almost any situation more enjoyable with his sense
Speaker 1: of humor. Yes, he laughed a little too loudly, and
Speaker 1: he was known to give advice at times when it
Speaker 1: wasn't asked for, but he had as true a heart
Speaker 1: as anyone Birch had ever met. Birch Hamlin, on the
Speaker 1: other hand, was quiet but drawn and not a people person.
Speaker 1: Content to spend time on his own, he marveled at
Speaker 1: his best friend's garrulous nature. The two shared a strong
Speaker 1: bond since childhood, however, and Oscar trusted no one more
Speaker 1: than Birch. I need you to do this for me.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. I know that, Oscar.
Speaker 1: Don't you worry. I'll take care of this. This is
Speaker 1: something you shared with me when we were no more
Speaker 1: than nine or ten, and we knew this day would
Speaker 1: come sometime. I'll take care of it. So in the
Speaker 1: July heat here, Birch found himself on a trip he
Speaker 1: dreaded yet was committed to making. Heat waves shimmered over
Speaker 1: the land, and he stopped briefly to take a drink
Speaker 1: from his canteen. The water was warm and stale, but
Speaker 1: it quenched his dry throat. Don't worry, boy, we'll be
Speaker 1: there before too long. There's always water where we're going.
Speaker 1: I haven't forgotten about you. Comanche reared his head and
Speaker 1: neighed in what Birch hoped was understanding. Birch was true
Speaker 1: to his word. Within two miles they came to their destination,
Speaker 1: a cutthroat draw. Carefully making the descent down the slope
Speaker 1: to the small creek bed below, he chose a spot
Speaker 1: to set up camp. Birch unsaddled Comanche and led him
Speaker 1: to the clear water running through the sandy bottom of
Speaker 1: the arroyo. Green Grass grew along the creek bank, complements
Speaker 1: of an artesian well that kept water flowing continuously, and
Speaker 1: soon Comanche grazed in the shade cast by the sides
Speaker 1: of the draw. For all of his complaining along the way,
Speaker 1: Birch shook his head as he looked down along the
Speaker 1: water lined by green grass. Yes, I have to admit,
Speaker 1: this place is beautiful, and I see what Oscar loves
Speaker 1: about it. Comanche gave a whinny as he happily grazed
Speaker 1: his tail flicked back and forth. A slight breeze ruffled
Speaker 1: his mane. Comanche seemed content, and Birch busied himself by
Speaker 1: starting a fire and cooking a small meal. It's nothing fancy,
Speaker 1: but it's all I need. Shadows grew long in the
Speaker 1: draw as the sun hung in the western sky. Desert animals,
Speaker 1: the ones that preferred the night to day, stirred farther
Speaker 1: down the arroyo. Birch spotted a coyote, warily staring at
Speaker 1: him as he braved Birch's presence and took a drink
Speaker 1: of the cold water. Don't worry, I'm not here to
Speaker 1: pester you. This ain't no cattle drive. I'm on After dinner,
Speaker 1: he settled down on his bedroll and stared up at
Speaker 1: the sky. Light finally gave way to darkness and stars
Speaker 1: dotted the sky. Birch hummed a tune he learned long ago.
Speaker 1: Knowing his reason for making the trip was close at hand,
Speaker 1: he wouldn't fall asleep. He simply laid on his bed
Speaker 1: and watched as constellations came into sharp view. While the
Speaker 1: next few hours passed, the night sky moved ever so slowly,
Speaker 1: slightly changing the positions of the stars he viewed. Comanche
Speaker 1: snorted and paced nervously where he was tied to a
Speaker 1: cottonwood tree. I know, boy, it's ok. You don't have
Speaker 1: to be afraid. Oscar would have come himself if he could.
Speaker 1: But that's why I'm here. He needs us, and I'm
Speaker 1: not going to let my best friend down. Soon Burch
Speaker 1: saw what most would consider a falling star. He made
Speaker 1: the journey in time, standing. He watched as the soft
Speaker 1: glow slowed down and hovered, before silently landing on the
Speaker 1: grass next to his camp. He reached in his saddle
Speaker 1: bag and removed a pouch containing precious cargo. Birch, still
Speaker 1: in awe, walked slowly toward the glowing vehicle. A door
Speaker 1: opened and a woman slowly emerged from the light. She
Speaker 1: grasped Birch's hands. Thank you, thank you for coming so
Speaker 1: far to save my son. You've always been such a
Speaker 1: good boy, Birch. The man blushed under her praise. Don't
Speaker 1: be embarrassed, be proud. Not everyone has a friend as
Speaker 1: true as you. When Lona died, Oscar almost gave up
Speaker 1: on living. You are the reason we didn't lose him.
Speaker 1: That's what friends do, and you are a true friend.
Speaker 1: We must hurry, however, She held out a glowing bluestone
Speaker 1: in her right hand. As Birch opened his pouch and
Speaker 1: removed a dim bluestone, he handed it to her and
Speaker 1: she placed the pulsating bluestone into the pouch. This new
Speaker 1: life for will ast him for many years to come.
Speaker 1: I'll leave right away. Oscar wanted to come here himself,
Speaker 1: but he's just so weak. I know, Birch. Time is
Speaker 1: running out. Birch turned to go. She reached out and
Speaker 1: gently grabbed his arm. Wait, ma'am, She extended her left hand.
Speaker 1: In it, she held a glowing greenstone and placed it
Speaker 1: in Birch's hand. The green light flashed and glowed even
Speaker 1: more brightly once he held it, and he felt a
Speaker 1: surge of well being. This is for you, Birch. We
Speaker 1: love you, and this is our way of thanking you
Speaker 1: for saving Oscar. It wouldn't be right for him to
Speaker 1: lose his best friend, and now he won't. Now I
Speaker 1: must go, and so must you. She entered the craft,
Speaker 1: which shot into the sky. Birch saddled, come in, Come
Speaker 1: on boy, Oscar needs to be restored. I promise I'll
Speaker 1: share my good fortune with you too. You and Oscar
Speaker 1: are all I have and I'm not losing either one
Speaker 1: of you. With that, Birch and Comanche made their way
Speaker 1: by moonlight, and a piece settled into both of their hearts.
Speaker 1: Thank you for joining me for this episode of the
Speaker 1: Into the Night Anthology podcast. Written by Caroline Giamanco, narrated
Speaker 1: by Nari Quack. Theme music by Nico Rodriguez. All other
Speaker 1: original music, sound design and editing by Omenhawk Studios. You
Speaker 1: can find our links in the show notes. Into the
Speaker 1: Night is on your favorite podcatcher, so make sure to like,
Speaker 1: subscribe and leave a five star review to help other
Speaker 1: excursionists to join us. I'll see you next time, and remember,
Speaker 1: whether in the shadows or in the daylight, all twisted
Speaker 1: paths lead you into the night. Into the Night Anthology
Speaker 1: is a creative typo entertainment production high Excursionists. It's me Narri.
Speaker 1: I wanted to take a minute to let you know
Speaker 1: that I'm going to be launching my own website. This
Speaker 1: will be a place for all of my excursionists to
Speaker 1: keep up with my current and future projects. The site
Speaker 1: is going live and there is a place to sign
Speaker 1: up to become a story in my library. Library members
Speaker 1: will receive special perks that will be announced later. I
Speaker 1: look forward to seeing each and every one of you
Speaker 1: over at Nary narrates dot com so that you can
Speaker 1: join me on all of my upcoming adventures.