MOTHER LINE - Part 1 of 4

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[00:01:38] MOTHER LINE Time is nigh. MOTHER LINE Fortnight passed already, Magistrate. Claim I mercy. Confess thy conference with demons. No earthly pains compel confession to thine falsehoods. MOTHER LINE

[00:02:06] You endure what have broken men thrice your size. MOTHER LINE And how dost thou know of this? For no men are held here, nor made to suffer as I. MOTHER LINE Cleverness betrays your demon. I am a woman. MOTHER LINE No woman of God commands such a child of thought and tongue. Sibyl is my name. Are thee too much the coward to speak it still? MOTHER LINE Silence, witch! MOTHER LINE

[00:02:35] MOTHER LINE Judgment no woman here escapes. Every woman claiming chastity in monastic pursuit be spared their demon's clutch. But thee, thee have sought an holy power. A sin we then share. Aye? MOTHER LINE Men, fear thee. MOTHER LINE Madness consumes the hearts of men. They fear all they cannot control. MOTHER LINE Such is not the will of God. MOTHER LINE

[00:03:03] Which God thus conjured so many? Each crowning thy greed for dominance with divine decree. You cannot twist his almighty word. MOTHER LINE Dastardly plagiarisms penned not by gods but men. MOTHER LINE Silence, thy king. MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE Reveal the place of thy demon spawn, and ye shall be granted the eternal light of his forgiveness. MOTHER LINE With corrupted breath thy promise. MOTHER LINE

[00:03:33] Leave this promise, witch. On this night, you will burn. Have known, hence you pointed crooked finger, and spouted the madness drawn from pamphlets. MOTHER LINE By the eternal flame of our lord, I return thee to the brimstone. MOTHER LINE

[00:04:01] Fletcher! Make haste! MOTHER LINE They assemble to bear witness, and rejoice in thy wretched cries. MOTHER LINE Your corrupted flesh will boil in the heat of his righteous flame. MOTHER LINE And they will know, as God knows, all the wickedness is but little to the wickedness of a woman.

[00:04:28] MOTHER LINE Song shall spare thee not. MOTHER LINE Legend is this.

[00:05:10] MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE

[00:07:31] MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE That means a lot. But you don't need to walk alone. MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE Someday you'll embrace who you are, where you come from. MOTHER LINE I respect all of that, I do. MOTHER LINE That I have never questioned. MOTHER LINE So what more do you want? MOTHER LINE Walk with us, as us. MOTHER LINE

[00:07:59] I do, in my own way. It's different now. MOTHER LINE No, dear. Not since ancient volcano-worshipping clans conquered our mothers. MOTHER LINE We've come a long way since then. And each win awakens more madness. We don't have to fight it alone. MOTHER LINE Maybe I don't want to fight. MOTHER LINE

[00:08:24] Then your peace will be at the mercy of those who believe you don't deserve it. MOTHER LINE And I will have wasted a perfectly suited middle name on you. You had to know I'd rebel against that name. MOTHER LINE I did. MOTHER LINE Here. Have some water. I'll let you rest.

[00:08:45] MOTHER LINE Stop to listen. MOTHER LINE Yeah. MOTHER LINE

[00:09:14] These lands are reborn by cleansing fire. MOTHER LINE Every generation. MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE It's yours.

[00:10:00] MOTHER LINE One second, Zane. MOTHER LINE Oh, sorry. MOTHER LINE Chelsea. What's the news? MOTHER LINE Right. Yeah. She died on the 30th. MOTHER LINE Oh. MOTHER LINE No, it's ready. As is. MOTHER LINE Yeah. I know. MOTHER LINE Okay. Thanks. Didn't mean to interrupt. All good. Finally cleared to sell. MOTHER LINE

[00:10:30] MOTHER LINE She's... MOTHER LINE She's... gonna be pissed. Can you just send her more healing vibes or... MOTHER LINE Are you teasing me? MOTHER LINE I bet she's proud of you. MOTHER LINE Dunno. I promised her and... MOTHER LINE That's... MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE I'm glad you let me come out here to see it before you sell. MOTHER LINE It's... MOTHER LINE Adorable. MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE

[00:11:18] MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE MOTHER LINE It is... MOTHER LINE Isn't it? You gonna break the chain? MOTHER LINE Didn't have the heart to tell

[00:11:58] Yeah? Just promise me one thing. What's that? No matter what, you won't, like, hex me. Oh, fucker, you are teasing me. Seriously, though. So you believe in that stuff? No, but I believe in you. Uh-oh. You're really turning on the riz this morning. Besides...

[00:12:29] But you send healing vibes back through your, uh, mother... Mother line. That. It's just intention. Respect. So you don't believe? There's stories. Stories have power. I believe in that. That's nice. Oh, my God, Zane. This conversation is making you horny.

[00:12:59] So, this is all for me. No one else. Hmm. Tempting. I can be late if you can. Hmm. I, um... What? Have an interview. Blow it off. You already have, like, what? Two offers? Three. But I can't. Why? Who's it with? Kenny. Kenny in Cali?

[00:13:27] A recruiter put my name in and they want to talk. Shit. You'd actually, like, move? Across the country? Oh, you look hurt. That's cute. I don't want you to leave. I'd come back to visit. For this. Oh. Hmm. Seems your enthusiasm for me hasn't diminished. I guess not. Hmm.

[00:13:54] I want you to keep thinking about me. A fucking day long. Imagine all the things you want to do. Later. Jenna's party is later. Hmm. After the party, then. Don't know if I can wait that long. You will absolutely wait that long.

[00:14:23] No release. Save it for me. Got it? Shit. You are so fucking cruel. Ain't seen nothing. Just wait for my texts. Every hour. All day.

[00:15:50] Zane's company. Choose user engagement on socials so hard. Alpha just straight up acquired them. That's you? Shit. Great to meet you, man. Thanks. So, Brooklyn. See her? Just track her location, bro. Right. Thanks, Scott. Have you seen Brooklyn? Oh. I need to... No cutting. Sorry, is Brooklyn in there?

[00:16:19] The fuck should I know? Can't. It's important. Zane, what are you... Hey, we need to talk. What? Uh, here. Back in here. What are you doing? Here. Back into the bathroom.

[00:16:51] Ever since we got here... Okay. Like, every second. Shit. Zane, what? All day, actually. All I've been thinking about... Uh-huh. ...is going down on you. And you need to tell me this, like, now. Yeah. You've been edging me all day. Well, it's gonna burst. Yeah.

[00:17:22] What about you? I can get off with all that going on. Remember the bathroom at Dank? You lasted, what, two minutes? It was a few more than that. Yeah. And that was, like, what, third hookup energy? It wasn't that long ago. You gotta let me try. Zane, hold on.

[00:18:12] It's time to make you wait. You need to finish this. I wanna show you something. Like what you had for me this morning? Do you wanna see? Brooklyn, rage, summers. What the fuck? Will you marry me?

[00:18:34] She really had to pee.

[00:19:45] Yeah. She was pissed. I did not. Sorry. So, what do you think? What are you doing? Brooklyn, I'm crazy about you. Zane. I got the final amount. Your shares in Alpha? Brooke, it's enough. Life-changing. Shit. That's incredible. It is. For us. What? I don't have to grind anymore. Well, in two years when I've asked, but I wanna live that life.

[00:20:14] With you. Zane. I'm really happy for you. So celebrate with me. Say yes. Put the ring away. Not here, okay? Why not? It's a party. My idiot friends are here. Your crazy friends are here. What? Why aren't you, like, excited? Zane. You're fun. This is fun. So let's make it permanent. But this is not that. We had a deal. We're so much more than that now.

[00:20:46] I see how hard you work. All your interviews, and now with you, like, moving across the country. It's an interview. The first thing I thought when I got the amount was, what if you didn't have to? What? Work? Build my own career? Move away. I mean, how is this not an immediate yes for you? Zane, not here, okay? Because when I think about spending my life with you, it's like an immediate yes. Let's talk about it later. Please. Before or after you move to Cali.

[00:21:15] Don't be like that. This is... Want a drink? I need a drink. No. Yeah, I... Okay. I'm getting a drink. You need to call me back.

[00:21:44] Call me back. Yes. Olivia, where are you? I've been calling... Alex, it's Taryn. Why do you have Olivia's phone? Put her on. She doesn't want to talk to me. She doesn't get to not talk to me. Yeah, she does. No, she doesn't. Put her on now. This doesn't concern you. This is a courtesy call. Uh, a what? Against my advice, Olivia wanted you to know she's done. Shut up. Put her on.

[00:22:13] I'm not debating you, Alex. Put her on, or I'll have agents swarming your place in 20 minutes. Nice, Alex. You think I'm kidding? No. Don't bother. She's not there. Yeah, I was just there. Gonna send a few over anyway. You wonder why she wants to get the fuck away from you. That is you talking, not her. Put Olivia on right now. You'll only be hearing from her lawyer from now on. Bullshit. You think I can't find you? Have you been paying attention? I tap a few keys and find anyone.

[00:22:42] I'm recording this call, Alex. It doesn't matter. I have the full support of... Hey, hey! We are standing it out. We are... Fucking back! Yeah. Five minutes out.

[00:22:58] I stopped going on Alpha at all. It's too much, right? It's not like they're coming for us anyway. Scott's anti-woke now. Thinks he's invincible. Hey, can't be caught giving a shit. Never know who'll turn you in.

[00:23:28] Way to submit, Scott. All right. Bees knees for Jenna. Yes, please. Thank you, Zane. And golden snitch for Scott. Fire. So on brand, right? What's in that? Uh, whiskey, apple cider, elderflower, and a little Kit Kat. I hope. So, what'd I miss? So, the horrors of Jenna's feed. No, I told you to stay off Alpha. Especially after what you fuckers did, right? Hey, this is a party.

[00:23:57] We're all here to escape that shit. Seems like you've been escaping pretty hard there, Zane. Yeah. How many is that now? Uh, are we counting now, Mom? You did not just say that. You insisted on driving, so yes, we're counting. Hey, all good. Brooklyn is not drinking and loves driving my car. Not true. What? Which part? You call her Mom to shame her concern, and then you expect her to act like your actual mother and drive your drunk ass home.

[00:24:25] Um, accurate. No, hold on. I'm just saying... Shit. That can't be good. What the hell are they doing in this part of town? Uh, taco truck made a wrong turn? Definitely. Zane, maybe give the drinks a break. Nah, night's still young! For real! Not for me. Got an early start. Shit, that's right. Good luck. Good luck? With what? Final interview with Kenny, right? Kenny?

[00:24:56] Isn't that... California? Yeah. So you made the final. That's great. Why didn't you tell me? I just found out. So how does Jenna know? Uh, hello? We're besties. When were you gonna tell me? Um, after. After? Why? How many offers you playing with? Uh, three. Impressive. Right? For a chick. Charming, Scott. Fuck you, fool. Brooke is smart as fuck. Ah, it's a joke.

[00:25:25] I'm joking, obviously. Congrats, Brooke. You're killing it. Well, thanks, Scott. That almost sounds sincere. So you're using Kenny as leverage to bump the offers from here in town, right? Of course she is. You play them boys off each other, girl. I'm taking all offers seriously. Even Kenny? Yes, Zane. Even Kenny. Oh, I'm gonna miss you, girl. Stop. I probably won't even get an offer. Let's just... I know you will, Brooke. You're incredible.

[00:25:55] She so is, right? Sorry. Just threw up in my mouth. Get off, jerk. So you'd leave? For real? Hey, it's a party. Let's talk about something else. Jenna, when do you... This is why, right? Zane, this is a later conversation. So you keep saying? You two need a minute. Or another drink? No, we're good. No. Yeah, I'll take another. Okay, done. On it.

[00:26:32] Numbers. Overwhelming force. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's just... Shit at home. Stop. Can't let that shit get in the way out here, bro. National fucking security. Priorities. Yep. Right. Get control of your shit, Alex. Yep. Can't keep you on like this. Got it. Copy. All right. Wrap it up. Head out.

[00:26:51] How about your alpha shares? Yeah. Just did. Okay. And? Right. Two years. Fully vested. Fuck yeah, bro. Thanks. Maybe the cash will help Maddie chill the fuck out. It's rotten what they did to her. Who's Maddie?

[00:27:21] Uh, founder of our company. She developed the moderation scheme that identified shitty content on Alpha and filtered it out. Yeah, bravo. It tanked engagement. So Alpha dumped it. That's when my man Zane here got the genius idea to flip it. From filtering to promoting. Uh. Engagement jumped like, what, 600%? That's some sinister shit, Zane. Uh. It was actually Miles who did that. Uh. Miles coded it, but it was all Zane's idea and he... Scott. No. No. Zane? Uh.

[00:27:51] Yeah. So anyway, now Zane is sitting on a pile, right? Uh. How much? Yeah. It'll be a lot. You said it was Miles. And the good news is, when I vest, Brooklyn and I are... Zane. What? Bro. No. No. We're not. We still have to flesh out the details, but yeah. We're getting out of the grind. Together. Real talk? Zane, what the fuck? Details coming soon. I'm losing you to a chick? Shit. I need another. I'll get it. Bro. Jenna, he's...

[00:28:21] Ignore him.

[00:28:55] Where the fuck are you? You need to hear me when I say... This is that Taryn shit, right? I told you she is crazy. You shouldn't... I'm done, Alex. It's over. No. You don't get to decide this. Yes, I do. No, you don't. Get back home. I'll be there in 30 minutes and we... No. No? No, I... I'll find Taryn. What I've become? I'm... You can't even...

[00:29:28] Think you can just leave? I'll never agree... I don't need your permission. How are you gonna support yourself? Really? I supported you for years. Getting fired from job after job. I found where I belong. I have responsibility. I am important. And it's gone right to your head. And who bailed you out, Olivia? Huh? All that debt you rang up on clothes and shoes for what? You trying to impress other men? What's his name? Huh?

[00:29:55] I'll have him neck deep in a hole in Venezuela by the end of the week. I know about the pictures, Alex. You don't know. I was... I was just seeing how it works. What about... I've tolerated so much of your shit, Alex. Your anger, your control issues. Hoping you'd grow up.

[00:30:25] But... But you'd do that. But it's not what... You... You shouldn't be looking into my things. It's sick, Alex. You don't... You can't help, Alex. What about you, huh? What about... Hey! Totally emasculated men! Hey! Hey! And we're suffering for this, and yet we have...

[00:30:43] You can enjoy Ominous Thrill stories early and ad-free by joining the Red Room. Details in the show notes. OMINOUS THRILL presents... Motherline. Episode 1 of 4.

[00:31:12] Created, written, directed, and sound designed by Jeff Schmidt. Starring... Evie Cecile Johnson as Brooklyn. Toby Miley as Zane. Mason Heidger as Alex. Anne Sonneville as Isadora. Allison Cossett as Sybil. Edmund Short as The Magistrate. Crystal Gonzalez as Jenna.

[00:31:42] Chris Elzenbroke as Scott. Maganda Marie as Grace. Owen McEwen as Elliot. Romy Evans as Taryn. Diane Hutton as Olivia. Regan Beatrix as Sid. Liam Gregory as Fletcher. And the entire cast of the Motherline Coven Choir is listed in the show notes.

[00:32:08] To find out more, including how you can support the making of Ominous Thrill, please visit ominousthrill.com. And until next time... Thrill you later. The Fable and Folly Network. Where fiction producers flourish.