Sonic Society #891- Stopped Cold

Och världens godaste börjare. Med keddar, picklade rödlök och en legendarisk skorsaken. Från andra sidan av Atlanten. Kanske med saftigt svenskt nötchet. Leverera direkt i bi. Välkommen till Max. You're listening to

Network. Welcome home. The following audiodrama is rated PG 13, suggesting that all children under the age of 13 should listen accompanied with an adult. Uh found a way out? Oh this makes no sense. It doesn't? Well, after two weeks wandering around the inventive Nadzrim pocket dimension, we've come up against this rather long Hard

Wolp. That makes perfect sense to me. It does? Well, you may be David Alt, and I may be Jack Ward, and together we may be the host of the world's largest and longest running showcase of modern audio drama. That's the that's why he always makes me say that line, isn't it? The Sonic Society. Yes, that but we're also writers, and halfway through a project is often when things hit a brick wall. In this case, a a very seriously large wall. Not made of bricks, but representative of cold open stories.

Cold open stories? Yes. Stories gives us some cold hard truth, and it all begins right here with Invasive Affairs, Altissima, Original World's Audio Drama. On the Sonic Society. So, Jack, uh what are you stuck on this year? I'd rather not say.

It's estimated around forty percent of the animals. are parasites. Globalization has connected the world's most distant places. Okay, so We know there are about 6,000 species of apicomplexants, but here is your badge and lanyard, Mr. Vandemere. Enjoy the conference. Conference boards flock catch. Roots on Earth, subterranean sea.

Lauren Flux adaptations. Nature's unseen collaborations. So contact with the sap in the eyes. And efforts are made to control its spread and educate the public about its dangers. Most pedal data. The remarkable ones tell stories of survival of plants as unsung heroes in the chaos of life. Shhh, he's turning. Bayesian mimicry, like a poker player's bluff, is nature's calculated gamble.

Species evolved to resemble harmful or unpalatable ones, exploiting predators' learned associations. It's deception as survival. Think of it as a con artist in the botanical world.

Hey hun conference has been good here. Sessions are all right. Thinking of ditching out and grabbing lunch after Jamie's presentation. Could pick you up a present, just wanted to see what you might want. Call me back. Leaving the convention center, I scour the poetry section of a bookstore next door. Shelves groan under the weight of their words like an old ship. The dim corners reveal warren collections and spines cracked with love.

Factpacker, Amelia owns every book on outdoor travel, so I stick to poetry. I appreciate them, even if I don't always get it. How to choose? How to Choose. Uh Amelia Hello. I brought you something. I ate at the airport. The spicy peanut saute smelt real good on the way over. Amelia? Keys are still here. Hello? Han? Amelia You in the closet? Amelia Closet is empty. Clothes are gone.

That's when my gaze lands on a photograph on the nightstand. A frozen moment of us, arms wrapped around each other, smiles genuine and bright. But even in the photograph, there's a glint of something distant in Amelia's eyes. She's gone. She left. And she wasn't coming back. Even in separation, the practicalities of life don't pause for heartbreak. Not after a month.

Not after a year. Hi, this is Linda from the Revenue Agency. I'm calling for Amelia Vandemere. This is about your outstanding tax debts, and I'd like to arrange for payment on. Hi, uh this is Kerry from T C Visa Credit Cards, calling you back about the credit limit and charges incurred on your line of credit. I spoke with the bank manager and I'm sorry, but this doesn't meet the definition of fraud because your name is on the account. Hello. Cooper Vandermeer? Speak.

My name is Constable Tilton. If this is about her cards, I've tried closing the accounts for months. If you're trying to reach her, I don't know where she is. There's been an incident with your wife.

What? I regret to inform you that your wife, Emilia, has been injured while traveling in South America. A village that is requesting assistance. The constable's voice drones on. Details about inadequate resources, repatriation, and her inability to travel without support for medical reasons. I feel a whirlwind of emotions. Mr. Vandemere? I'm here. Where is she?

Step one. Identify a representative for the deceased. Either in Canada or the country where the death took place. She's not dead, Jamie. Well, how bad are the injuries? Bad enough that she can't ramp. She's a grown woman. She can get herself back. She's hurt and alone. I'm not saying abandoned. But there's a fine line between saving someone and I don't know. And leaving her there? The woman did a number on you. That doesn't mean you need to ride in on a white horse.

Here's what you do. You get back to work on Japanese knotweed or whatever exotic species you want. You turn your worst day into something prehistoric, and after a while you'll find that, hey, you moved on. Yeah. What are you doing on your phone? Looking at flights. Fuck's sake, man. What about after she comes back? What about the reasons she left in the first place? Here. Where is this place? Huezos

Oh, yeah. That's a needle and a stack of needles. Looks like it's all jungle. Images of our past play like a fractured film. A year of silence, a year of unanswered questions and nights spent staring at the empty pillars. Beneath layers of hurt there's a sense of duty and obligation. But resentment lingers. She left with a silence more brutal than any spoken goodbye. What are you going to do? What would a reasonable man do? Leave her stranded? Be her saviour?

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard our flight. We would like to take a few minutes to acquaint you with the safety features of this aircraft. Please give us your full attention, even if you are- I still wonder how she could leave without saying. No letter, no goodbye. What did I miss? Was there a sign I ignored? I try to make sense of it the best way I know how. Did our love not take root deep enough? Were the seeds of their connection too shallow?

The plane touches down. And soon the sounds change to cars. Many many hours later I'm navigating the bustling streets of a foreign city chaotic exactly the place Amelia would have She used to tell me she'd love to come to some place like this together one day. It's bittersweet when you realize they did it without you. Sorry, Juesos? Uh Porpivor going to Juesos. Hey Whistles? You don't want that one. Come on. Back up this truck. Let's go. Uh seat belt? No

The scent of earth and dampness fills the air, mingling with the diesel fumes that cling to the truck's exhaust. We leave the urban sprawl behind, the scenery shifting to open landscapes and rolling fields. American? Canadian Cooper Alejandra More González

Well not a lot out here but farms. Tourist No um you work out here? See, I'm a doctor. A doctor? I run the regional clinic for rancheros. I'm on my way to a clinic too. A hospital rather. There's no hospital in well. Uh, Cuezos Hospital Clinica? Cuezos Hospital Clinica Veterinaria. That's my clinic. Shit. The truck rumbles through muddy patches, tires gripping the earth with determination.

The path narrows, hemmed in by dense vegetation that seems to close in around us. The foliage is a living wall, an ever present reminder of nature's dominance. Cooper. Hmm. You're looking for Amelia. Yes. You've seen her? Is she all right? She was brought to the veterinaria. She'll be happy you came all this way. She's okay? She's recovering. Probably resting now. How long is the ride to Juesos? Six hours. It's like a roller coaster. The ride. It's better to just go with it.

Amelia, tell you why she came out this way? You'll have to ask her. Do you like what you do? I do very much. What do you do? I'm a botanist. You?

I'm a veterinarian. Right, right, you said that. You're not the best listener. So I'm told. Animal kingdom means plant kingdom. What did you study? Invasive species. And you don't know much Spanish, do you? Uh no. So someone is the trespasser here. Nobody teases you much back home, do they? Uh no. So, tell me, you're okay with killing animals? If they endanger the ecosystem, yes. Uh we are an animal that believes itself to be the owner of the world. Mario Benedetti. What's your favorite food?

Uh shrimp, probably. Plain shrimp? That's a little weird. Not that When you were little, didn't your parents tell you to eat broccoli and think of them as little trees? So when they give you shrimp, you just pretend they're little monsters. So what does that make you a bigger monster? Trespassing. Sorry? Trespassing is a better word than invasive. That's the word I'd use. Trespass. Entering without permission.

Like the shrimp. The shrimp? You study trespassers. And you've never heard of the trespassing shrimp? I study invasive flora. Asian tiger shrimp. Just off the coast. And their cannibals. They eat their cousins, even their own larva. Population increase tenfold this year. Terrible for the ecosystem. Three generations, and there could be more of them in the Gulf than the miles of circumference around the sun.

And then, well, that's it. Eat them before they eat us. Animals are funny like that. The dangerous ones aren't what you'd expect. The same could be said for people too. Plants as well. Yeah. One of the world's most deadly invas uh trespassing species it's a plant.

The giant hogweed. Then there's white snakeweed. It grows in pastures, looks perfectly harmless. It's chock full of poisons called trematols. If a cow eats snakeweed, the cow will sicken, but it won't die. The real trouble starts when you milk the cow and drink the milk. When the first European settlers in the Americas arrived, they had no idea what they were dealing with.

Whole families would be wiped up by trematole poisoning. They'd die, then a new family would move on to the same land, and the same thing would happen. The settlers should have known well enough to leave. In my mind, the plant kingdom is scarier than anything else. On the outside, it looks still, calm, but you don't see the roots underneath. The slow choking, the strangling. It happens so slow we don't notice it. But if it happened to me, I'm not sure. It'd be terrifying.

How do you know Amelia? She's my wife. Ex wife. You ever been married? But I got close one time. What happened? I left. He had a funny infatuation with telling me who I could and couldn't talk to. Few years later I heard that he died. Something stupid like falling down two or three stairs. Either way, it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. People can be trespassers too. They enter our lives. Innocuous at first.

But soon they show their destructive tendencies. And like your plants, they can choke us. Slowly. I'm sorry.

What for? It's a shitty feeling when someone gets hurt. Makes you feel like you manifested it. Cooper, my friend, if I could manifest it, people would get what they deserved a lot quicker. Coming a long way for your ex-wife. Not my choice. Still don't know why she came out here. When women travel, it's for one of two things. Which are you? First. To find themselves. You know the cliche. Eat, pray, love And second is to get away from a man.

The town of Huesos is a forgotten outpost in the heart of the countryside, and is a stark departure back home. Simple structures and weathered woods stand as testaments to generations of hard work and resilience. The streets are dirt paths, and you can hear the lowing of cattle in nearby pastures. The hum of life is unhurried, and the town built for rancheros is a place where time seems to slow to a crawl. Come, right this way. How long have you had a clinic here? A couple years now.

Big demand? They needed it as much as I did. Your ex? Ah, maybe you are better at listening. Let's see if she agrees. I step through the doors to Alejandra's clinic, my heart pounding like a jackhammer on a bed of nails. Here I am, wandering in with nothing but unanswered questions and a subscription to therapy sessions. As we approach the door, my guide to this world pauses. You should know that rural communities are close-knit. People talk. They're human. They gossip, they lie.

It's why I'm most content around animals. They don't talk. They speak just in a different way. What are you saying? Amelia. There's already talk about her. When she was found on the side of the road, they thought she was covered in moss, but Cooper, I just want you to prepare yourself. She won't look quite like you remember, okay?

Amelia, it's Dr. Mora Gonzalez. I have someone here to see you. In this moment of revelation, everything moves in slow motion. Like I'm not here Not really. Alejandra gestures me inside and slowly pulls the curtain back. I'm already grappling with a maelstrom of emotions. Betrayal, anger. Cooper. I hardly recognize her.

Face, it's clearly her, but her skin looks like somebody has painted her flesh tones with pastels. They're not the hue of someone sick or ill. Her skin The whole body is a canvas of mint green, like a fragile porcelain doll that's been through a hurricane, and come out bleached with algae. What happened to her skin? Talk to her. Amelia. Cooper. Juesos. Fresh start? It's nice here. Trading skincare recipes with the swamp thing? I'll get her things.

What happened? I fell. You look like a puppet that had its strings cut. You were the puppet master. Do you want to go home? I've thought about it. Here's her things. We found them near the road where she was picked up. The green. Should I be worried? I thought it was an advanced Agridia when she came in. But now. I don't know. Iron deficiency maybe. Chemical exposure? Out there? Yeah. Maybe a fertilizer or pesticide? No, nothing like that here.

I look at Amelia in the bed, searching for recognition in her eyes, but her gaze is a locked door. She's a puzzle in mint green. What does she need to travel? I put medications in the bag. She's very weak.

Cooper. Hmm? The world doesn't give second chances. It just gives you another opportunity to make the same mistakes. Or to be better. When it comes to you two. Be better. I'll do my best. As we leave the clinic, I can't help but notice the stares and whispers that follow us. The locals, with their weathered faces and curious eyes, cast glances in our direction. I imagine what they must be thinking, their minds concocting tales of the outsiders. What must he have done to drive her here?

We step into the sunlight. Her skin has taken on the color of the country, and people watch with unease, uncertain if she's sick or contagious. We take the long road back and finally board the plane bound. Amelia's weakened body nestles against the airplane seat, and I steal glances at her. We don't speak a word the entire flight. The crisp air embraces us as we step off the plane. Its cool touch, a stark contrast to the sweltering heat.

I've got your phone and your clothes. I'll run the bath if you want. I just need to rest. She walks upstairs and curls up on the bed. I'm not getting any answers, so I try to find them myself. Same password. Figures. I unlock the phone and scroll through her texts. A digital trespasser, all my own. Go into her photos and instinctually scroll up. Back as far as I can go. Back to the beginning to find something. Anything. Photos of streets, coffee, And then, a man. It's a photo. It's a video.

Perfect. Thank you.

Very rugged. So, where are we going today? Tell me. We're going to Juesos. Pavel is a backpacker too. Where have you been? Cambodia, Thailand I've done campus. Yeah? How was it? Beautiful. There were ten minutes. You could buy a beer for$20. And a bed for a dollar. I loved it. What's not to love about twenty-five cents? He's not a drinker. Suppose that was attractive at first. I'd had bad luck with training. It was nice. Guy. I guess I'll just be on my best behavior then.

Anyway, I always wanted to. I've been backpacking for two decades. When I got married it kind of ground to a halt. But when his career got serious, He spent more and more time working, going to conferences, stuff like that. You're an adventurer. I'm just restless. Well then what are we sitting around here for? Let's go. Let's go. Where to first?

See? I told you. It's gorgeous! Look over here. Come here. Let's take a selfie. Cheese Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the eighth wonder of the world, the worst sunburn you've ever seen. Look at this! How do you burn so badly? We were outside two minutes! Stop. Look at this. Does this sting? Hey! Trust me. Don't be afraid. Let me peel it. Let me peel it. Say cheese! Stop. Hello to your followers. I don't have followers. Hey, like and subscribe everybody.

Where are we? Well, we're just outside of Wesos. Doing a little bit of adventure. Very dangerous. Looking good while doing it. Flex that out. Ugh, gunshell. Now Pavel, what are you wearing? Just just a white shirt. Ah, stop! Stop! You stink! Hey, hey, let's not say things we can't take back. Oh, look at all the flowers down here. It's gorgeous. A bit of a ravine going down. Nobody for miles wanna go down. Yeah. Oh, fuck. Oh, God. Oh, fuck. Fuck!

Welcome back. Thanks. How's the princess? She's in the garden. How's she doing? She's moving now, still not saying much. What a mindfuck. You going to let her stay? Your call. I never kicked out the minute she was on her two feet. Jamie Amelia. Hey. It's good to see you. You want some water? Uh sure. Her skin. Am I seeing things? No. Is she? She just came back like that. Might be some sort of ivy rash or irritant. How have you been, Jamie? Fine. Fine. Thanks. I heard you had some drama dancing.

I'm better now. Cooper. He didn't have to, but he did. Was very noble of him. Right Uh yeah, see anything nice? The whole country is a dream. It really takes your breath away. There's a reason why they call those jungles the lungs of the world. That's good. Well, we're glad you're back in one piece. Not so sweet of you. You two catch up. I'm just going to look at the garden. Coop did a bad job of tending to it while I was away. Sure. Bye.

She seems fine. Yeah. Perfect. Armed with a trowel and a watering can, Amelia heads into the backyard determined to bring life back to the brink. I watch as she surveys her casualties, wilted petals and drooping leaves that cause her shoulders to slump. With the precision of a surgeon, she inspects her. Each plant diagnosing their maladies and prods their soil like a mad scientist. Thought you were the plant guy. Maybe she picked up a thing or two.

In the days that follow, I watch Amelia's gardening mirror life itself. Each morning I wake to find her already outside and the star of her own horticultural show. A botanic savior where before she never showed any interest. She evades any discussion on our situation, on what to do about our relationship. Later, Constance. Only when I mention the garden does she open up and invite my expertise. It's not enough. I need to know why she did what she did. She can't evade the discussion forever.

You're standing in the light I want to have an adult conversation with you. I know. I don't know what to tell you. Start with the truth. Thought you would have run away again. No. I'm here. See anything neat down there? Some things. Make any friends? Amelia glances over from the corners of her eye, a stare that refuses to give up any vulnerability. So we going to talk about this? I'm talking to you. I know. So why? I don't remember.

You don't remember. I'm trying. Selective memory. Let's start with what you do. You were always going away for work. Yeah? Well I was here when you needed me. When it was an emergency. It's called being a good husband. You liked being the white knight. Come on. You try to remember. When was the last time I cried? Don't play the victim. You realize the mess you left? You're an adult, and you just peaced right out. Left everything. All your responsibilities. And look where you wound up.

I couldn't stay. You said you'd never hurt me, but you left me alone week after week. That hurt me. God, you make me so angry No, not angry, resentful Do you know what you're saying? We shared a house. I was here Was it worth it coming to get me? Her words strike a chord deep with me. Unraveling layers of self-deception. I wish I hadn't. I clench my fist and grit my teeth. I need fertilizer. I'll be back in a while. Are you even going to try to make this work? Yes, just not today.

I go through the videos on her phone. Memories of our time together rush back. Janet Loxley Lewis. You like it? It's nice. I can keep reading? My flight is at five AM. Yeah. It's midnight. Sorry, one more. One more. I have lived so long on the cold hills alone. I loved the rock and the lean pine trees, hated the life in the turfy meadow, hated I have lived so long as It's a long way down. You're fine. Just take your left foot down first and put the phone away.

Okay, so this is a pretty steep incline. Um don't try this at home, kids. Actually, do. It's good to live dangerously. Just don't tell mom and dad. Woohoo! Woo Reckless. The camera captures her exhilarating climb, my heart racing with every risky move she makes. It was as if she was taunting fate, tempting danger to test her limits. You're fine. You're fine. She nearly loses her footing, causing my breath to catch in my throat. This was the woman I remembered. The daredevil. The risk taker.

Oh my gosh, this is incredible! How's it look? Sixty, eighty meters? It felt loose. I think Fuck Amelia! Oh my god, Amelia! I feel my breathing stop. The camera catches the entire thing. A collision of flesh and earth. Blood mingling with dirt. Hitting the rocks, her skull is broken open, and her shoulder blade is forced up through her neck. There's no way. This can't be real. No, no, no, no, no, Amelia, no! Oh my god! Fuck! No! I watched the man.

She lies there, her face blade open. I watch her dead eyes in the corner of the screen until. Hey. Hey. The fall was fatal. There's no way. I'll be out back. Fine, sure. The room throbs with sickly tension. She walks to the garden, her gaze an enigma. This isn't Amelia. That isn't Amelia. In a daze I'd follow her out into the garden. The green hue that dominates her features, once a quirky anomaly, is now a vivid symbol of something otherworldly. She toils away, hands deep in the soil.

Cooper? I see it now. The sickly sheen like the veins of a wet plan. Is that my phone? What's happening? What are you? Really, Coop? Were you going to hurt me? Is the phone? fair husband going to hit his wife? You're not Amelia. I'm your wife. What have you done to her?

I just borrowed a few things. Some invasive species have the phenomenon of mimicry. Dotters lack chlorophyll, so they mimic other plants by growing thread-like structures to wrap around and parasitize their host for new. We deserved better. I reach over to the gardening tools, and my fingers curl around the shovel's handle. You want to take it out on me. Go ahead. The cold metal is reassuring. It's hefty. Heavy enough. Getting revenge on your ex is never a good thing, Coop.

I swing. Amelia is gone. I'm left with unresolved questions and this a corpse in the backyard. Fuck. The soil begrudgingly gives way, and I work in a fever trance. Each scoop of dirt is a release, a purge. Grief. I dig to put her memory to rest and to put this nightmare to an end. Cooper! Hey, Cooper! Much like invasive species alter the very fabric of ecosystems, a bad partner can transform our lives, leaving behind scars that take time to heal.

Hey, Cooper! Coop. Who? Hi, Jamie. May Amelia. Are you joining us for lunch? What are we eating? Let me get something started. Just a second. Sweetheart, can you hand me the knife? I'll get it. How did you? A hole in the dirt. Really? Here I thought you were a botanist. Consider this making amends. A fresh start. No. We go back to the way things were. The way they were. A little different, of course, with these circumstances. What do you think the alternative is?

That's right. And nobody would believe you. You'll be a good husband. I'll be a good wife. Unless you think there's an alternative. Invasive species compete with native organisms for resources, often winning due to their aggressive nature. Similarly, a bad spouse might dominate the partnership. Here you are. Thanks. Veggie sandwich? That's right, isn't it Coop? Yeah. Dialing back the red meat.

You've been listening to Invasive Affairs, a collection of three standalone audio dramas addressing the themes of ecology, invasion, and law. Altissima features the voice talents of Nicholas Wen as Cooper, Sarah Ruth Thomas as Amelia, Risa Montanas as Alejandra Dylan Duck as Jamie, Connor Howard as Pavel, and Ash Albiniak as Constable Tilton. With additional voices and sounds by Darian Vorlick, Katie Hagaman, Kat Peterson, Jose Berrios, Nina Nikolik, RJ Bailey, Maddie Opincaru,

James Hamblin, Jonathan Fuentes, and Chantal de Leon. Written, directed, and sound designed by Colin de Graaff. Produced by Cold Open Stories. If you want to hear more tales like this, head on over to ColdopenStories.com. On the site, you can find our call for submissions, join our Discord chat, and delve into thousands of hours of fanfiction and original stories. If you feel like dropping us an email, you can also reach out to coldopenstories at gmail.com. Thank you so much for listening.

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