SABRINA
Hello, everyone! Sabrina popping in real quick-like for a little notice. Slight spoiler alert, we are starting to get into very unhappy Rachel times- this is a podcast and you know the rules- bad things will happen. So I just wanted to be very clear and transparent about that and let everyone know there will be content warnings in the show notes as needed from here on out. Just look for a little capital CW flanked by asterisks right before the usual single-line synopsis which you should be able to see right under the episode title, and the actual content warnings will be listed right after that episode description. If it’s something you are concerned about, please pass on listening, and head on over to the script section on the website- which is also in the show notes- to read what’s going on, or skip it all together, I totally get it.
And also I would like to remind folks that Letters to Georgia is a one-person production that I do for fun alongside a 50-60 hour work week. Never said I was the sharpest tool in the shed. That being said if I ever do miss a warning, either out of ignorance or a simple human oversight please understand that it is 100% not intentional, and I urge you to please reach out on Insta or the website so I can remedy it as soon as possible.
Alright, I think that’s everything. Onward and downward.
RACHEL
Drinking hot chocolate. Oh no, mistakes were maaaade this is far too much cayenne in here what on earth was Cooper thinking? Audibly sad. Hot chocolate ruined. Oh well.
Cooper spent the weekend here, left yesterday. Snorts. Took him long enough to make it out here, and he actually almost didn’t make it even just to the Renton Ikea because of some freak rain incident, but he did! Even brought me a goody basket with some little things from everyone, including his questionable hot chocolate mix and - my favorite- a bunch of drawings by Liam. I might have gotten too invested in the squirrel he was telling me about, there’s a little Douglas at the park Jessica and Andy take him to just up the road and he took it as a sign I needed no less than a dozen, precise, rendings of it in rainbow marker.
I love all of them. So they’re all taped on my fridge now, with the exception of his post-it doodle and note- that lives in my wallet now. I can’t wait until summer for everyone to make it out here. There was a little on and off drizzle all weekend but Cooper and I made it to Ikea and I finally have a proper comfy couch and a bookshelf. And we stole some pallets outside another furniture store so my mattress is finally off the ground a little bit. And we picked up this god-awful tapestry from Goodwill, some vintage 70’s-style floral hook rug wallhanging… thing. Whatever it is, it didn’t smell like cigarette smoke so we cleaned it up and now it’s hanging over my bed. Because I am a classy lady and need more mustard and hot pink flowers in my life.
Jade appreciates the color scheme too. Sent them a picture and it turned the final vote 2 to 1 in favor of getting it. My kind of person!
We’ve, uh, been chatting quite a bit... which is… really nice. Even made some tentative plans to go hiking this on Friday once they get off work. They did get really concerned though when I sent them a picture of the blue mailbox in the burn pile. Oh yeah, almost forgot- Coop got some Real Bad Vibes from it the second he saw it so he took the rusty hand saw I found in Harold when I was tidying up and spent near forty minutes sawing it off at the base and we torched it, letters and all. It was really heavy.
But Jade freaked out, and actually called me. Confused. I don’t know what it accomplished though, they refused to talk to me about it over the phone, just asked me to be careful? It was... weird.
I hope we didn’t make things worse.
Long pause. A few audible sniffs, curious sounds.
Huh, is that… Windex? Anyways, I’m sure it’s nothing. Heavy handed on the brightness and forced cheeriness. What else what else… Have spoken to one of the new therapists Margot recommended- Hannah. She seems nice, the first few meetings are usually a little uncomfortable, for me at least, but I like her so far. Actually did her undergrad at the University of New Hampshire, I remember going there for some art thing as a little kid…
What on earth is that smell?
It’s like the love child of window cleaner and stale vanilla extract. Shoot, must have left a bottle open someplace when I was cleaning this morning. I’ll be right back. Recorder clicks off.
Not too long later, Rachel is sitting at her table in a daze, reading letters, she sounds like she is half asleep, and barely able to realize what is happening. Across from her is one of the BLUE ONES. The recorder is much closer to THE BLUE ONE than it is Rachel.
Recorder clicks on…... this book, Mr. Ellison. The writing pace is fast and unsteady. My mom recommended this book because it feels like jazz to her. I hate jazz, but this was the shortest book I could find for this month’s report.
Ray drinks too much. Which means Jack drinks too much as I’ve read this is a semi-autobiographical novel. Jumping trains does sound like fun however, travelling the country by locomotive, sleeping out under the desert sky. My favorite quote from this whole thing is from his first night there, on the beach, “Just in my swim shorts, barefooted, wild-haired, in the red fire dark, singing, swigging wine, spitting, jumping, running- that’s the way to live.”
Ray’s relationships with his friends are complicated. They, especially Japhy seem to be moving on with their lives while Ray is just doing the same old thing- traveling coast to coast, meditation, and looking after his mother. I think he may be jealous of them,
What is… Rachel is audibly struggling to form her own words. The BLUE ONE adjusts in their seat.
which is why he doesn’t hesitate to sabotage their reading nights with wine and mischief. Japhy sounds interesting though, here he is getting ready to move to Japan to work on translating the poems of the wild zen masters who lived in the mountains. In real life this is Gary Snyder, and it was a true occurrence.
BLUE ONE
BLUE ONE’s voice is a bright, customer-service-rep-from-hell with a touch of otherworldly distortion, somewhere between Dr Frankenfurter and an overworked 34yo Claire’s cashier. Firstly, how’s my voice? Quite lovely isn’t it? Much appreciated, R-128. Can I call you R? Pause. Fabulous, thank you so much!
Rachel’s voice gets choppy, she is fighting it.
Oh, I wouldn’t do that too much if I were you, R. I’ll be forced to adjust the dose and that can have extreme… consequences. Would hate to see you fade like that. Laughs. Aww, are those what people call puppy dog eyes? Rachel is silent for a long moment, lost in sudden panic as she gets her first look at the BLUE ONE. Was it something I said? Get back to it.
RACHEL
There is a lot of talk of being “Dharma Bums'' and bodhisattvas. Ray refers to himself and his poet friends, and sometimes strangers in the street as their somewhat mystical beings. Rachel starts fighting, reading is choppy. He is trying too hard, or is touched with narcissism as it is unclear in the story how any of them (especially Ray) are doing to move others along on the path to enlightenment.
BLUE ONE
I warned you there would be trouble if you messed with the mailbox. These delightful letters can’t read themselves, you know! Such delightful bits of, what would you call it? Code? Hmm, close enough, my little, ooh, does that make you my guinea pig? My little piglet? How delightful! Grows fierce and stern. If only daddy dearest could see you now. Ooh, thi is still warm, mind if I have a sip?
RACHEL
[Pause] That’s it, well, along with a graphite pencil sketch of a hobo? I think it’s a hobo, the paper is pretty smudged-- but they are sitting in a box car, with a wine bottle and a speech bubble that reads “Too old for this shit, man.” In the background the television turns on, faintly playing a Laurel and Hardy film section on hellish repeat. BLUE ONE is delighted.
RACHEL takes out the postcard
It’s a postcard from Sydney, Australia. There’s a bikini-clad woman and some kangaroos on the front.
On the back.. There’s a stamp on this one. Well, part of a stamp, it looks like it was put on then torn off before it really had a chance to stick, one corner chunk is left though.
So it reads, in block, sharpie letters, all caps: SAMANTHA- SEND ME PUPPY PICTURES OR i AM GOING TO DISOWN YOU, YOU GOOSE! Exclamation point, exclamation point, explanation point, explanation point, exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point.
Below that, in regular writing with a pen it says- Anyways, I’m having a great time here! The water is warm and I am going to go back to Acadia NP tomorrow to break in my new camera! Give Grayson a kiss for me, I’ll see you in a few weeks! Love, Madi.
[Whisper] I want to see puppy pics… Let me go... Groans as she fights, BLUE ONE teehees.
BLUE ONE
No.
RACHEL
[Paper tearing and being unfolded] There’s a lot of info here, and a ton of photos and diagrams on bowl throwing. Looks like even a gallery lineup in the back with the potters work, it’s really pretty. A lot of pastels and gold sprinkle looking bits.
Please.
Hello, welcome to the Tulsa Art Society wheel throwing class for beginners. Enclosed you will find course material and examples for throwing an assortment of bowls compiled by Susie and the rest of the studio staff.
Rachel gives up any fight after biting her tongue to try and stop. BLUE ONE is audibly happy with that.
We are excited to be beginning this journey with you in clay, and look forward to our first class next week. We ask that you familiarize yourself with the general processes involved in throwing bowls, we have found this leads to better questions and less time wasted on the first day.
BLUE ONE
Well, this has been lovely R, but I gotta run. Will be seeing you soon though, I look forward to our little… chats. And I’ll leave, what do you call it, Diane? Running, it’s much more fun to hear what you call into your world after all. Happy, deep sigh. See you later crocodile. There are footsteps away and then the faint sounds of the portal opening.
RACHEL
The first month of classes will be focused on making a set of nesting cereal bowls, all materials will be provided, but we ask that you bring the $25 for a block of clay to use for yourself if you wish to go above and beyond that course load, there is always some kiln space left every firing for additional, experimental projects. Rachel starts crying and erratically tapping on the table.
Class will start promptly at 5pm, Wednesday the 18th, we look forward to seeing you there.
[Paper rustles, Rachel is folding the letters up to put away with the others]
Dear Mr. Ellis, I have compiled a collection of regional words from Westcott county, and would like for you to include them in your new dictionary. For your consideration, please see the following:
Leafpelt: noun. From one Avery Henrickson- the layer of last year’s dead and dried leaves on the forest floor.
Befwittle: adjective. From Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Brown- the soft ruffling of creatures unknown outside your tent or cabin at night.
Rockurn: noun. From a trio of young boys I came across fishing at the Stockton covered bridge- A pile of rocks in a field, unorganized, just slightly more out of the way.
Skittern(s): noun. From entomologist Dr. Layla Harris- the little insect friend(s) who take(s) up residence under your tent fly when camping for extended periods of time.
Mieven: adjective. From Francis, a hitchhiker picked up on old highway marker 7- wandering in a body or water just far enough in that your ankles get wet.
And lastly, Fealving: noun. From “Old Farmer Ben”- the time before a storm rolls in when it suddenly gets very chilly before the rain hits.
Recording starts to get quieter. All of these words are in use in the towns and surrounding areas of Westcott county, and ignoring them in your regional dictionary would do this particularly ripe lexiconical hotspot a massive disservice. Not even the tip of the iceberg, Westcott, in particular the towns and surrounding hamlets of Algers and Hilton, are rich in rustic, county terms and deserve special attention. Yours, Dr. Marcus Billings. More paper rustlings.
SABRINA
Hello again, listeners and thank you for tuning in this week. I am Sabrina- duh, your writer and voice of Rachel and Dramatic music THE BLUE ONE, or SABRINA, your writer and social media… not exactly maverick. Social media master… amateur at arms. If you want to support this podcast and show some love feel free to go crazy sharing on social media or in elaborate crop circles, or hate mail via glitter bomb. I also have a ko-fi set up if you feel moved to support this lil hobby financially and lil VA caffieniately- I like to make up words, can you tell? Anywhos, that’s www dot ko dash fi dot com forward slash sabrinalucille and is linked in the episode description. Also linked in the description is to the website where you can find scripts and free downloadable coloring pages which I hope you use and share evenifI’mlikethreeepisodesbehindit’smarchpleasebekind- please feel free to tag us on Instagram @star.room.studio thats at star dot room dot studio and I’d love to see what you make. Also, repeating regarding the content warnings, if there’s something I’ve missed please let me know so I can fix it ASAP. Also-also, thank you guys again so so much for listening, Rachel will be back next-next week. Toodles.