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One Dark Window—First Reaction: Dark Fantasy With Old Folklore Feel
18 Plays11 days ago
Time for a Book Chat! Explore One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig with Mary and Carolina. This dark fantasy has the folkloric tone of Uprooted and the familiar feel of an old favorite. Have any theories, reactions or deep and wondrous thoughts? Share them in the comments! Watch the video for werewolf and kitty cat sightings!
To read along with us you can buy the book at bookshop.org/shop/mary-c-kehoe
For info on Mary's writing got to maryckehoe.com
Be a part of something exciting coming up! Join Mary's Book Launch!
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Transcript
Introduction to the Mythic Mirror Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
What do you do when the monster is already in your own head? Look through this one dark window with us.
00:00:19
Speaker
Welcome to Mythic Mirror, the podcast for lovers of myth and fantasy who want to live magical and fulfilling lives. I'm your host, Mary C. Kehoe. And I'm your co-host, Carolina
Exploring 'One Dark Window'
00:00:29
Speaker
Carter. And today we are talking about one dark window.
00:00:34
Speaker
The dark window? so One dark window. Okay, great. One. One. There's just one? We will be talking about the first half. Oh, there it is. The first half-ish. Okay.
00:00:45
Speaker
I think we should set the stage without any spoilers that people can still read if they want. And then we'll really get it with the spoilers in the next one. Now we will have guesses.
00:00:58
Speaker
So they're they're not spoilers. Yeah, well we can we yeah we have I have a guess. i I think you have the same guess. Probably. i think the same. Probably. i don't know why. i say it on the count of three.
00:01:10
Speaker
No.
00:01:16
Speaker
First, I want to go broad. What do you love so far about this book?
00:01:23
Speaker
Okay, so we were talking about, speaking of unfinished series and you not finishing them, finished series and you not unfinishing them, speaking of series that you don't finish, I feel it's because you've been hurt and we've been hurt because both of us loved the book The Hermit Thresh Sings. And even to this day, every couple of months, I look it up to see if she ever published another book.
00:01:52
Speaker
Because I wanted to finish that series with my whole heart and soul. And I still to this day want to know what happens. the And this book actually reminds me of that book. It has a similar sort of atmospherically dark, intriguing, isolated heroine with a Something going on so think she has to hide.
00:02:22
Speaker
Yeah, something she has to hide. And I'm really, i was drawn in by the atmosphere.
Themes and Comparisons in Dark Fantasy
00:02:28
Speaker
I was drawn in by the heroine. I was drawn in there's something about it. I'm not here to criticize anyone.
00:02:35
Speaker
there's This is not a spicy book. And I'm in really enjoying that. he now Now you go. What do you like broadly? What are you like, broadly?
00:02:49
Speaker
Don't call me broadly. i would agree. i would agree with everything you just said. It's interesting because it is a considered a dark fantasy, but it feels to me more like atmospheric, but almost in a comforting way, the way an old fairy tale is.
00:03:12
Speaker
Which, granted, fairy tales were grim and dark. ah But nothing so far, nothing too terrible or dark has actually happened to any of the main characters. So the world has dark things happening to people in the world.
00:03:35
Speaker
But we don't know. Who cares? it Yeah, it's the backdrop. It's the setting rather than, you know, dragging you through. the threat, the constant threat that something bad could happen.
00:03:48
Speaker
That at any moment her cover could be blown. So, this is not a spoiler. We find this out in the first chapter. Our dear heroine, whose name is...
00:04:01
Speaker
Elzbeth. Whose name is? Elzbeth. Elzbeth. Elzbeth. What? sort of Elzbeth. That's what I said. Elzbeth. Her cousin, for some reason, calls her Bess. We don't know why.
00:04:12
Speaker
How do you say her cousin's name? Iona. See, I have been saying Iona. Yvonne? What? Iona? but There's no uh at the end. i know there's an e it would so it could be it's an interesting I like what she does with the spelling to make it feel more fantastical but I would like a pronunciation guide because I also don't know how to pronounce the main guy's name.
00:04:38
Speaker
Is it Raven or is it like Raven? Of course it's Raven. No it's Raven Mary please. But it's Well, okay, but she's changed quite a few letters to the Y, and then I don't know, does the Y, is it always the I-N, or is it an E-N, you know? Because I kind of like... No glossary in the back.
00:05:02
Speaker
No. I kind of like the idea of it being raven or something. I'm sure it's raven. Oh, i'm probably. I mean, they say that a raven is the namesake, but then why is it spelled differently?
00:05:15
Speaker
Because it's fantasy. It's cool. Yeah. So a couple of V's and a couple Y's and a couple N's. I mean, I like the way all the names look.
00:05:26
Speaker
I would just like to know for sure how to pronounce them. Ione. <unk> Ione? Ione? It's like an E instead of an A. Ione.
00:05:38
Speaker
I think it's Ione.
00:05:43
Speaker
That's what think. All right. That's how I say it in my head every time when I'm reading it. you know <unk>
00:05:53
Speaker
I want to read this book in your head. yo All right. ah So, yeah, get serious, Mary. I'll try. Okay. So we've got this gothic-y feeling, atmospheric, dark, isolation, mist,
00:06:12
Speaker
This feeling of both like the kingdom's under attack and the kingdom's attacking itself. Okay, so let's talk about the infection. Kind of dubious. Nobody really knows where it comes from, but there's this fever. You get it.
00:06:25
Speaker
Your blood turns black. Squeamish readers. I made it. I think you will be okay. Okay. Literally the the hardest one was the card on the first page that I was like, oh boy.
00:06:40
Speaker
e But it's okay. Yeah, just skip that first card. You'll be pretty much all right. You can kind of come back to it later once you're less nervous. But yeah, skip it at first.
00:06:51
Speaker
um Okay, focus Carolina.
00:06:57
Speaker
We're getting ahead of ourselves. Let's lay the scene again. Dark fantasy. There's a land surrounded by
Magic and Mysteries in the Book's Setting
00:07:05
Speaker
mist. The mist seems to be cutting it off. there' seemed There's definitely a magical being in the mist.
00:07:11
Speaker
It's unclear what else is in the mist. We just know that if you go into it, you don't come back. We also know that there's an infection. We're not sure how you get it, but if you get it, the physicians and the destriers, that's how do you say that, here come and kill you.
00:07:28
Speaker
Now, our heroine was hidden by her father and her aunt as a child, so she was not killed. And the reason they kill you is because you develop magic, and the magic will eventually kill you anyway. Why? Because magic always has a cost. Right, Mary?
00:07:42
Speaker
Correct. And I want you to think about that next time it's the first of the month and you're blowing cinnamon in your door. Hmm? What is the price? Do about Do you think about that before you just went ahead used magic?
00:07:56
Speaker
Mm-mm. Eating grapes under the table on New Year's. Did you think about that? Did you think about that?
00:08:06
Speaker
so he didn't No, surprise. So magic always has a price. Major takeaway. So it seems so far that the reason, well, magic has a price anyway, but it seems like it has a little bit more of a sinister,
00:08:27
Speaker
feel to it because something happened in the past. Throughout this book, we are learning about the shepherd king who has traded parts of himself, his being to the spirit of the woods to create these magical providence cards. And the holder of the card has magic. There's always a price. Now the mist appeared after that point.
00:08:51
Speaker
And there's something that happened that we don't know yet. And I would like to know your guesses as to what that is. Okay, but first, can we talk about the magic system? Because um I love... Yes. I think they're really hard to set up.
00:09:08
Speaker
And I think this did it really well, and I think they rolled it out really well. I mean, sorry, the author, Rachel, rolled it out very well. by giving us like kind of a little tidbit at the beginning of each chapter.
00:09:20
Speaker
there are 12 cards. You tap the card three times to ignite it, to use it, and then you tap it three times to stop using it. Magic always has a cost. If you use it too much for too long, um bad things happen.
00:09:36
Speaker
For each card, it's different. It's sort of like the inverse of what you get. So for the maiden card, you become very beautiful, but your heart turns cold, not literally figuratively. Well, we don't know. Emotionally. Should I get into any of these other ones? I did look them up just in case.
00:09:51
Speaker
How about you pick your favorite or most interesting ones? Well, the thing about all of these is there's not a single one that I was like, that seems worthwhile to use. Right.
00:10:03
Speaker
That's what I was thinking about too. and And there's a scene where two people have the, which one is the one for bravery?
00:10:13
Speaker
The white ones. The white eagle. Yeah. So two people have the white eagle card and they're using it at the big equinox festival.
00:10:26
Speaker
So the white eagle grants courage, but apparently no fighting skills because they get their butts to them. You can be very brave as you get beat up. Yeah. Like what, honestly, what does bravery really do for you?
00:10:42
Speaker
Yeah, that's a hill I'm going to die on. What does bravery really do for anyone? Has it ever been useful? I don't think so. What is bravery without a little bit of skill? Right. So the other card I will bring up because it is pertinent is the nightmare.
00:10:55
Speaker
The nightmare allows the user to speak directly into others' minds. It doesn't have on here the inverse. Oh, yeah. he he like He knows all your fears and like who speaks your fears to you. The nightmare card.
00:11:12
Speaker
Oh, okay. yeah Remember when when when um the main character, Guy, uses it? When Raven uses it too long? right. He can contact his people.
00:11:24
Speaker
Got it. Well, yeah, he can speak into the mind of other people using the nightmare card. But if he uses it too long, then his own fears are brought up in his in his own mind and used against him.
00:11:40
Speaker
So the reason this is important is because our dear heroine thought she got away without getting any magic from her infection fever that she survived. But her uncle brings home her nightmare card. She touches it. Boom. She's got the nightmare in her head. Talks her all the time. She's kept that a secret for 11 years.
00:11:57
Speaker
He's in her head. Yeah. That seems to be quite companionable. In a dark and twisted sort of way.
00:12:08
Speaker
But not that bad. I mean, so far. No, and that's the thing. it's not He's not that bad. He can be cruel. he can He definitely is holding a lot of secrets. He's angry. He's hopeless, vengeful.
00:12:26
Speaker
He does not like the royal family. No, not at to on at all. All right, I'm ready for my theory. are you ready for my theory? I am so ready. The nightmare is the shepherd king.
00:12:39
Speaker
That is my theory as well. Or at least part. I'm wondering if each of the cards holds a part of the shepherd king. Because he had to give up different things of himself to create each card. So they are trying to reunite this deck to get rid of the mist.
00:12:57
Speaker
Do you think that they will unite it and he will up appear? I don't know. But I do think we're going to find out more about the Rowan Kings and what happened later. Because in the beginning, you think that it's been like a continuous line. Like there's the shepherd king and then next came the next king and the next and the next.
00:13:18
Speaker
But then you start to think like, I don't know, this this part might be, you might not have gotten to this part yet. But there's a line of you you discover that they no longer have any written records from the shepherd king except for the book about the cards.
00:13:40
Speaker
Everything else was destroyed. spish.
00:13:48
Speaker
Here's my other theory. They're trying to assemble the cards because they have to sacrifice an infected person in order to unite the deck. Raven's younger brother is going to be used by the king who's trying to do this. Raven's own family is trying to beat him to it so that they can save his little brother. Raven says that their sacrificial person is going to be someone close to the king who deserves it.
00:14:10
Speaker
You think it's himself? Doesn't seem annoying, self-sacrifice-y type thing for this guy to do. I did think of that. I did wonder about that. But now that they have her, are they going kill her instead? Is that the family plan?
00:14:23
Speaker
is another question. Is that why he didn't want to drag her into it? don't think so. he pissy about having to pretend that he's courting her? See, I think he's because he doesn't want it to be for pretend.
00:14:35
Speaker
I think that's the simple answer. I know. now speaking of people being crabby, What? This may be because i am not YA age anymore.
00:14:51
Speaker
But some of the things that our dear heroine, who I do really like, a some of the things she reacts so strongly about, I was a little like, hmm, okay, but let's have some co-measurement here.
00:15:05
Speaker
You too are lying. You too are keeping secrets. Why are you so angry? Because she's really mad at herself, Mary. and Why does anyone get angry?
00:15:18
Speaker
Anger is a secondary emotion. It actually is only ever used to cover a primary emotion. o And what are our primary emotions? but Red, yellow, and blue. And anger orange.
00:15:35
Speaker
and anger is orange So what primary emotion is she covering up with angry at Raven? Shame?
00:15:46
Speaker
Maybe she's ashamed of herself. Maybe she's afraid. Guilt? Guilt. I don't know if that's a primary emotion. think so. What would it cover up?
00:15:57
Speaker
Well, I don't know. I need to look at the color wheel of emotions.
00:16:03
Speaker
I think guilt... Love, fear, sadness, guilt and shame. I'm making this up in my head.
00:16:14
Speaker
I like it.
00:16:19
Speaker
And then in the outer ring around all of them is anger. oh is joy an emotion? No, that's the question. Is joy an emotion or an absolute? let's get back to the book moving on yes back to the book i had so many thoughts last night and i don't have any that's probably because my dear listeners we went to a concert last night which was very very fun very very inspiring very very lovely we're old and we're tired today you stayed up till midnight yes i don't do that anymore except sometimes when i'm reading
00:16:56
Speaker
Then that's a different kind of stay up. We were on our heads. Although I will say this book I have been having to read on my phone because of the stupid Kindle update where they are getting rid of all the old Kindles.
00:17:11
Speaker
Yes. I'm so sad. But I did notice. you new Kindle every year? Yeah, I didn't. I'm moving over to Kobo. I'm breaking ties. I'll tell you what I'm moving. i am done with digital books. I know that they're so much cheaper, but it's like when I buy something, i want to actually own it. I don't want it to be something that can just be like sucked off my device whenever somebody decides or like, oh, we decided this just isn't going to work anymore. So now everything I've bought on my Kindle is just like on borrowed time.
00:17:44
Speaker
don't think so. yeah have them on my shelves. I have to break into my house and take them.
00:17:51
Speaker
And they might do that. They might. Fahrenheit for something.
00:18:01
Speaker
Fahrenheit over 400 degrees. Fahrenheit real hot because they're burning all the books. I was really confused because it is supposed to be the degree that books burn, but I'm like, can't they burn at any temperature of hot?
00:18:17
Speaker
Is it just a degree of flame? I don't know. Because I feel like any flame will. I guess I thought it meant that if you put them in the oven and turned it to 451 degrees, they would spontaneously go.
00:18:33
Speaker
but
00:18:37
Speaker
I'm betting that the title has nothing to do with that. So it can't. it Well, no. it They said it's the degree at which books burn. But I'm like, again.
00:18:49
Speaker
what What is the lowest degree of a flame? Because wouldn't that be what books burn? I didn't know. i And their flames uniform? And are we talking about just like total Because maybe that's what it takes.
00:19:02
Speaker
maybe that's what it takes We're getting off topic. Like, you know, there's nothing left of the book.
00:19:13
Speaker
Total ash. Yeah. Got it.
00:19:17
Speaker
Should we do our Discworld Delight? Yeah, let's. Might as well.
00:19:25
Speaker
Okay. No. Not all right. Don't all write me. It's my turn to all write you. Okay, you all write. I'll just sit here and write. All right.
Personal Anecdotes from the Hosts
00:19:38
Speaker
I think it's interesting times. It's two flower top tapping in the cell wall. Thank you, Tilly Mint. Interesting times or last continent. I think our boys spent some time behind bars in both of them.
00:19:51
Speaker
That's RMA 1979. Um...
00:19:55
Speaker
um Retro Phrenologist says, i want to know for people that have finished the series, how many copies of any of the books they have bought? I lend slash give copies of my books sometimes and never get them back or leave them somewhere or some disappear in a move or you buy an older version or a special version. I think I've bought good omens four or five times, feet of clay three or four times.
00:20:19
Speaker
I think I have bought Good Omens more than once. If we're counting the audiobook, then I have bought it twice. Well, no, I've bought physical, e-book, and audiobook.
00:20:29
Speaker
Yeah, I'm trying to think. And the rest I think I've just stolen from you.
00:20:35
Speaker
So I'm the friend that lends them and never gets them back. You're the sister who should keep a better eye on her stuff. I do come once in a while and look at your shelves.
00:20:47
Speaker
They are on loan. I will give them back. I will. It is interesting times. Good work. Yeah. That was a good one. I didn't guess that one, just for the record.
00:20:59
Speaker
was not sure at all. Okay. Okay. Okay. Of course, to the unpracticed eye, all klatchians looked alike. But then, to a werewolf, all humans looked alike. They looked appetizing.
00:21:16
Speaker
That was hilarious.
00:21:22
Speaker
Speaking of werewolves.
00:21:25
Speaker
You got one? finger Mine has left his bed.
00:21:31
Speaker
Now back to the book at hand. I want to go back to the magic system for a moment because i think you were right when you were talking about it being magic systems are very hard and
00:21:45
Speaker
I think it's an interesting thing to make the price of magic so literal and definite for each of these cards and each of the and the infection itself. you know if If you're infected and you're not using magic of the cards, but it's actually in your blood, you deteriorate mentally and or physically.
00:22:06
Speaker
And then each card has its own twist to it. And most magic systems that are successful do have a price in some way because, or at least limitations because or else,
00:22:20
Speaker
You could just fix anything and everything with magic. ah So that's kind of with with each magic system, it has to have those boundaries. And this one is so interesting because those are so definite and the world is is dark, atmospheric, bad things happen.
00:22:42
Speaker
But they seem to use the cards lightly. Which is odd to me. And I guess that is human nature. You get used to, you know, that like they have in their minds all the time, the warning from the book of Alder about, you know, be wary, be wise, you know, be good.
00:22:59
Speaker
What is it? be Be wary, be clever, be good. We don't care if you're wise, look at it.
00:23:09
Speaker
Excuse me, sir. They're terrified of the infection. Neighbors will turn each other in. Family members will turn each other in. And yet, if you have a card, it's fine. You can just use it, even though you know for sure that it's going to twist and have a price. Well, it's like smoking, you know?
00:23:29
Speaker
You know it's going to give you cancer, but in the meantime, you're going look real cool. Yeah. And it gives you whatever, uh, a little boost. Yeah. Oh, which brings me to my next question of what do you think? Cause then her cousin receives the maiden card and is using it. She's distraught about it because it, a it's, it's, uh, included in a deal, which she thinks is terrible, but also because she's afraid it'll change her forever.
00:23:59
Speaker
Um, She won't be herself anymore. She won't have that love, warm, warm, loving heart. Now, there's the nightmare says something about the maiden card, not just being a vanity card and that it's not understood.
00:24:17
Speaker
here So I want to know what else is there something else that that card does that it's not being utilized? Like everyone just thinks it's about looking pretty. Okay. Okay.
00:24:28
Speaker
Be wary the pink, be wary the rose, be wary of beauty divine unopposed. Her thorns will grow sharp, she'll eat her own heart. Be wary of beauty divine unopposed. So I'm going to guess the word unopposed means something there that maybe it makes it difficult for people to go against you.
00:24:48
Speaker
Yeah. And then also with the maiden card, most people will like when Raven's using the nightmare card, he taps it, uses it, taps it again. So he's not using it so he can use it in short durations. But with the maiden card, you have to use it for like, if you use it once in public, then you have to use it every time in public. Like, is there, so is it just, you're going to become a heartless person if you use this card because of the ratio of time you have to use it for?
00:25:17
Speaker
Yeah, and I wonder with her if it will only be for public events and they'll just keep her tucked away most of the time. So Elspeth actually gave, like I was wondering if that's supposed to be a secret because she gave that away to um one of the young girls that she's trying to find out about cards from. So she uses it as a lead-in.
00:25:38
Speaker
But I'm wondering if that'll come back. Like now everyone, because I'm sure that gossip will will travel. So now everyone knows that she has a maiden card. And that's why she's so beautiful. So then what does it matter then? Like, why don't you just not use it? Who cares?
00:25:54
Speaker
Right. That's why I'm like, is there has to be something else to this card because yeah, who cares? And like, it's like that's one of the ones that like, has the least amount of positive for the negative.
00:26:07
Speaker
It's like, you'll be beautiful, but you'll no longer be yourself because you'll be absolutely heartless and you won't love anybody. Well, and it's like, so what? Like the uncle trades the nightmare card to the king for this betrothal to, of his kid to his kid, of the uncle's kid to the king's kid.
00:26:25
Speaker
And it's like, it seems like the maiden card was thrown in there to somehow sweeten the deal for the uncle. Maybe. I don't know. But I'm like, yeah who cares? He could have just got her betrothed. Why does she need to have the maiden card?
00:26:37
Speaker
Yeah. Is it sweetening the deal for the girl, the prince? Or is it like what Elspeth said is they're using it to control you?
00:26:51
Speaker
Or did the uncle have it and made her beautiful when he introduced her so that the dumb prince would be more amiable to being like, okay, yeah, I'll marry her for the nightmare card.
00:27:05
Speaker
I like that theory, but wouldn't Elspeth have seen the card on him? Because they rode together, right, in the carriage? Yep.
00:27:17
Speaker
So that wouldn't work. But I like that theory. It's a bad theory. It's stupid. No, it makes more sense than... Like, why? I mean, unless we find out, like, why did the king give it... Yeah, that part's confusing to me. I also... mean, like, I want to learn more about Ione because ah feel like I didn't even get to know her before she was taken from us.
00:27:42
Speaker
Right, and I'm very confused because...
00:27:47
Speaker
Yes, Elspeth doesn't like the princes or trust them because of the amount of antagonism and hatred that the nightmare has inside her head has, you know, has colored her outlook.
00:28:04
Speaker
However, she talks about things that they know the crown prince has done. That he, you know, publicly sends people into the mist to die when they're infected as like, and and enjoys it.
00:28:17
Speaker
Right, because he has the card where he can make people do things. Right. So, and they talk about the amount of fear and and how the land is ruled by fear.
00:28:33
Speaker
So,
00:28:37
Speaker
I found it odd and confusing that Iona was just like, oh, he might be good. He might be different. Like, do you know all the same horrifying stories Elspeth does? Mm-hmm. Well, and she gets very indignant and says, having hope is not the same as being delusional.
00:28:57
Speaker
It seems like a feeble stance. I think having hope is a good thing, but if you know someone has done atrocious things and enjoyed it ah thinking that they might be different without any reason to think that other than hope is is a bit delusional.
00:29:16
Speaker
Right. Non-delusional hope would could look like I don't know, hoping that the, maybe i can kill him. Yeah. Or, or, or maybe the, yeah, like the people themselves can do something like hope in good people, not hope in people who have so far proven themselves not to be any good at all.
00:29:38
Speaker
Exactly. Mm hmm. Now his younger brother, I think she does this. The author does a great job with the younger brother because he's good, but not necessarily nice or kind.
00:29:53
Speaker
You know, it's not like all of a sudden he is a totally different person in private. You know, he's he's the jerk prince in public and then private. He's nice. He's like, no, he's still he doesn't trust you. He doesn't like you. And he's kind of mean.
00:30:07
Speaker
Mm-hmm. But like um he's still on the good side. Yeah. There's just something about that guy I like. Mm-hmm. And I was wondering, did he just, like, why does he tell, I was wondering, why does he tell Elspeth that Raven is also infected? Like, he gives that totally away. Because kind of a jerk.
00:30:29
Speaker
Yeah. Because he's like, maybe it's a little like he thinks she should know anyway, but also it's like, just in case they had any chance of like being friends or friendly while trying to pretend to be courting. He's like, going to ruin this for you because it's fun for me. But if he doesn't trust her, why would he be giving her extra information? At this point, he doesn't know that she's going to get real angry and confront Raven about it. She could just keep it to herself and use it later.
00:30:59
Speaker
I mean, she does just get angry and confront him, but he doesn't know her at this point. He doesn't know that that's her most likely reaction. Is he just a bit of a stirring up trouble?
00:31:12
Speaker
Yeah, he seems like he likes to stir the pot. My final thing is about the nightmare because
00:31:21
Speaker
earlier in the podcast, I think I said he's not that bad and you were like, well, he's not that good. But I would like to point out that in the 11 years he's been in her head, he has only ever helped her.
00:31:34
Speaker
He hasn't harmed her in any way. And it is only when she asks. He hasn't done anything without her consent or for her asking. So I think that's very interesting for this supposed monster.
00:31:50
Speaker
Right. So concerned with consent. And I was wondering, is it him that is that won't or is it that the magic can't? now that she's asked for help a few times, there's less and less separation between how the nightmare is feeling and how she's feeling. Like she's starting to feel all of it and and and know his thoughts without just it being his words that she hears.
00:32:15
Speaker
And I agree. i think all of this magic is impersonal in terms of I mean, you know, personal vengeance to the Rowan kings, but it's kind of more like the old idea of the woods itself, where it's it's ah it's it's the impersonal price rather than something is evil.
00:32:38
Speaker
It's like the the spirit of the wood is neither good nor evil, but... Right now we get the feeling that she's upset. there's Something's gone wrong. So it's more antagonistic than it might usually be.
00:32:54
Speaker
It seems like even at the best of times it's wild magic that comes with the price. Like it's never super beneficial. Except for she hasn't paid any price yet.
00:33:08
Speaker
And is the price losing herself to the nightmare?
00:33:14
Speaker
Guess we'll have to keep reading and find out.
00:33:18
Speaker
Spark of the week. What was yours? i think you can guess. Seeing Sierra Farrell live in concert last night was mind-blowingly good. So fantastic. She is so ethereal.
00:33:34
Speaker
And getting to go with my family, we also we all saw Mumford and Sons. That was also really good. ah That was definitely my spark of the week. Yeah, that was mine too. I actually thought about this podcast during the kind the concert because we are in an open stadium under the sky with the sunset and it's just gorgeous. You're ringed by mountains and the songs just have this positive force to them. I don't know. it's she it felt like she was using the opportunity to create something.
00:34:12
Speaker
And I did feel like, oh, we're doing a ritual right now. Like this is magic. And it's it's like sending out goodness into the world. And I got that feeling again with Mumford and Sons during the song with the chorus that the words are, Awake My Soul. And I was just thinking about all these people and then they're going to be going across, you know, they're they're touring across the country and all these people are singing these words out.
00:34:38
Speaker
And it, I don't know, I definitely added something just being under the open sky and singing those words out with a crowd, with the sun setting, just felt very powerful.
00:34:51
Speaker
Yeah, it it was extremely powerful. Very beautiful. um Yeah, I cried. My friend we were with cried. ah and and I don't know if this is the right word, but like ephemerism. And it's just like like there was a couple of times where the whole crowd was singing together.
00:35:08
Speaker
that was just like you feel this incredible connection. And it's just it is very powerful. Yeah. I would say the peak moment. Well, I had a ah few in in the concert, but the moment when Marcus Mumford went off the stage, he ran around the stadium. And so we thought he was just going to do a lap, you know, around the the higher paying area. And then he didn't. He went up while singing, ran all the way up the stairs, up the stadium to the very top. So he ran a foot away from where I was standing and went to the top, had a huge smile on his face. In fact, I think we will put the picture in in here so you guys can see.
00:35:54
Speaker
Said something to the crowd, ran back down while singing. And it felt so... Such effort going to, you know, really showing in this physical, visceral way that each of us matter and that he's he's out here with us too. And then, you know, and then he went back. So impressed, very impressed of the running up those steps while singing. God.
00:36:21
Speaker
Yeah. And everyone speaking of feeling one with the crowd, looking around at everyone else's faces that are making the exact same expression as mine. Just the absolute surprise and like wonder and joy. Yeah. Everybody was so excited. Yeah. I think like the whole stadium rose to their feet and stayed standing for like 10 songs.
00:36:42
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. That energy just like he just infused the crowd with all this energy and then it just like stayed. was amazing. So please, if you are watching on YouTube or listening on any podcast app, please leave us a review.
00:36:57
Speaker
a comment would be awesome. We'd love to hear from you guys and it really helps other people find us as well. As always, we are so grateful to be spiraling through the universe with all of you. It's not always easy, but no good story ever is.
00:37:12
Speaker
Look who I had this whole time.
00:37:17
Speaker
you heard whole time he loves podcasting.