Query 5: [Audio]
[The audio feed just opens with Bennett talking. His stammer is largely absent-- he's been freaking out a lot, and been working to counteract it, mostly with a LOT of sleep and a LOT of herbal teas. Really, though, that's not why he's stammering.
But, he has something to share with you all.
"Once upon a time, there was a little bird girl. She liked to run and fly and play. She liked to climb to the top of trees and soar back down, and gather fruits and... and, and stuff. "
[There's the sound of scribbling on the paper.]
"Now, this little girl had one best friend in the whole world. And that best friend, that little girl was a firefly. Now, they certainly got along well enough and delighted in one another's company.
Just one problem: birds were supposed to eat fireflies.
Well, it wasn't much of a problem for them-- they went about their lives, flying to the top of the trees in the starry summer nights and flying back down to earth for fun.
But, one night, the bird girl's father found them together. He told his daughter that you weren't supposed to play with your food, and demanded that the bird girl eat her best friend on the spot. Bird and Bug were horrified by the proposition.
Her father told her to smash the firefly and put her on a plate. Instead, she squashed a blueberry and presented it to him.
Next, he told her to drown the bug. Her firefly friend had learned not only the backstroke but could dive to the bottom of a pitcher of water and back to the surface, glowing all the while. That didn't rid of her, either.
Finally, he demanded the little girl eat her friend whole right before his eyes. The bird girl was more scared than her friend, who planned to hide amongst her molars until her father left. So, she opened her mouth wide and put the little firefly girl inside and pretended to swallow her whole. The father was also a good pretender-- he pretended to be impressed, until he turned out the lights.
There stood his daughter in the midst of the room, her cheeks glowing like a lamp in the darkness. She managed a half-hearted grin.
The man sighed, and decided to leave them be.
And so, they lived happily ever after."
[Bennett laughs a bit, though the chuckle is sort of wheezy and quiet and really, deep down, mostly just sad.]
So... uh, that was... that was something I had to write down from memory. My... uh, my, my, my kid sister used to tell me stories. And, and these two-- the bird and firefly girls-- used to get into so much trouble, and...
[And why should anyone care, Bennett?]
I, uh. Felt like sharing.
Even if it's completely anti-climatic.
[.....welp. Time to turn off the communicator.]
But, he has something to share with you all.
"Once upon a time, there was a little bird girl. She liked to run and fly and play. She liked to climb to the top of trees and soar back down, and gather fruits and... and, and stuff. "
[There's the sound of scribbling on the paper.]
"Now, this little girl had one best friend in the whole world. And that best friend, that little girl was a firefly. Now, they certainly got along well enough and delighted in one another's company.
Just one problem: birds were supposed to eat fireflies.
Well, it wasn't much of a problem for them-- they went about their lives, flying to the top of the trees in the starry summer nights and flying back down to earth for fun.
But, one night, the bird girl's father found them together. He told his daughter that you weren't supposed to play with your food, and demanded that the bird girl eat her best friend on the spot. Bird and Bug were horrified by the proposition.
Her father told her to smash the firefly and put her on a plate. Instead, she squashed a blueberry and presented it to him.
Next, he told her to drown the bug. Her firefly friend had learned not only the backstroke but could dive to the bottom of a pitcher of water and back to the surface, glowing all the while. That didn't rid of her, either.
Finally, he demanded the little girl eat her friend whole right before his eyes. The bird girl was more scared than her friend, who planned to hide amongst her molars until her father left. So, she opened her mouth wide and put the little firefly girl inside and pretended to swallow her whole. The father was also a good pretender-- he pretended to be impressed, until he turned out the lights.
There stood his daughter in the midst of the room, her cheeks glowing like a lamp in the darkness. She managed a half-hearted grin.
The man sighed, and decided to leave them be.
And so, they lived happily ever after."
[Bennett laughs a bit, though the chuckle is sort of wheezy and quiet and really, deep down, mostly just sad.]
So... uh, that was... that was something I had to write down from memory. My... uh, my, my, my kid sister used to tell me stories. And, and these two-- the bird and firefly girls-- used to get into so much trouble, and...
[And why should anyone care, Bennett?]
I, uh. Felt like sharing.
Even if it's completely anti-climatic.
[.....welp. Time to turn off the communicator.]