S3 E27 Talking Flowers and Running Queens: Through the Looking Glass Chapter 2

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Good evening and welcome to the Comforting Voice podcast. I'm your host, Shasta Ray, and I'm joined in the studio by Emmy the Minimicaw. She's sitting here having a snack, so you're gonna get Bertie ASMR tonight. Oh my gosh, guess what? We had a milestone. Emmy just had a first, just minutes before we hit the record button. Oh my gosh, you're the first to hear it. You're the first. So I have had Emmy for about a year and a half, and she had been through two homes before me and had plucked a lot because probably boredom. Her species is very prone to plucking if they get bored. They're very smart. And they had just hacked her wings, and they'd done wing trims on her that were just extreme. So at any rate, it's taken a while for her feathers to truly grow out and come in and for her confidence to come back. And she'll flap around every now and then. She'll get spooked and you know, kind of go off in a direction and make it a few feet. So it's not like she's never flown before, but today, just now, she was on the play stand down here in the studio. She took a solo flight, landed perfectly on my hand. She has never flown to me and landed on my hand before. She is getting a lot more confidence on her flap control. And yeah, it was amazing to see her fly to me and land on my hand. She was so proud of herself. She's so cute. Oh my gosh. So she's sitting here, she got a special snack, and she's ready to go. How about you? Are you guys ready to go? Have you had any spectacular breakthroughs this week? What did you do that you need a pat on the back for? Because I am here to recognize your efforts if nobody else did. You did a great job, you're awesome, and you deserve a really good night's sleep so you can take on the weekend. So let's go through your sleep prep. Kick back and settle in, get cozy, get comfortable, make sure you've got everything you need at your fingertips, get your listening device set at that perfect volume, mush your pillow into that perfect shape. If you're here to just kind of hang out for a while and you like the story time, but you got something to do after the show, just put your feet up, get in your easy chair, make sure you've got your favorite beverage and your earphones on, whatever you need. And when you're ready, engage in an amazing, productive stretch. Reach into your arms, your legs, through your arms, through your legs, into your hands and fingers, your feet and your toes, and then wiggle your fingers and toes really good while you're still in that stretch. Your muscles are engaged. Tighten up your tummy muscles in there somewhere, and then release that stretch. And the really awesome part is when that relaxation just takes over all of your body. Wow! Alright, follow that up by a productive deep inhale to about the count of four. Hold it for a few seconds and then top off that inhale with another quick inhale. Just hold it for another second or two, and then exhale to about the count of six. Do that twice. Or cycle through another stretch and inhale. Don't forget the baby inhale. Do whatever works for you. Make it comfortable, make it productive, and make it something that preps you for sleep. That's why we call it sleep prep. Now if you're just kind of hanging out with me tonight, if you've got your phone in your hand or right next to you while you're listening, head over to comfortingvoice.com, check it out. Now I did not get the feature upgraded that I wanted to get upgraded. I had some excitement in my life this week. Not all of it was fun, some of it was very stressful excitement, but I think it has led to some really positive excitement, so I might be able to present that to you in one of our ramble chat Tuesdays. That would be cool, and it would actually follow up on some content from season one. So that could be a lot of fun. I'm gonna consider that. Stay tuned, it might be something that you're very interested in. I'll see how it pans out. I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch. Speaking of chickens, the pickle chicken has got snacks all over the place. I'm gonna have to bring a vacuum cleaner down here. Oh my gosh, you are messy. She's also been very, very happy she went to her new groomer and got her toenails trimmed, and she loved, loved, loved her first groomer. Her first groomer is her best friend in the whole world. Oh my gosh. But unfortunately, that is a very long drive and it's beyond my budget, so I haven't been able to get her up there. And amazingly, there is someone right in my neighborhood who looks very similar to the first groomer. And Emmy has just taken to this gal, just loves her, was talking up a storm to her, and that was a beautiful sign. So what that means for me is that when I need to take her somewhere for her toenails, I don't have to be the one stressing her out and damaging her trust with me. And when I do need to take her somewhere, she's okay with it. She's she doesn't like it, trust me, but she's very good and she showed signs of being accepting towards that person. She is an amazing little bird, I tell you what. And if you would like to see Emmy in action, she has her own YouTube channel. It's called Voice of the Parrot, so you can look that up. I'll try to remember to put the link down in the show notes. And I might be changing the name of the channel soon. I haven't decided, I might leave it the same. But I post some antics of her, and when she tries a new food or she's engaging in a snack, for some reason people just seem to love those little shorts of her. So she's a happy little internet star in and of herself. I don't post a lot on her. Every couple weeks I'll post something, so she is now busy chewing on my hand. I guess that's a good sign. Okay, so Emmy's happy. She's done making a mess all over the desk. Let's get started on our second chapter of Through the Looking Glass and see what Alice is up to this time. This is such a fun concept for Alice, and it amazes me that this was just written back in the 1800s. It was written so well, and it's very, very, very reminiscent of dreaming, both Wonderland as well as Through the Looking Glass. So much fun. So if you're new here, we just concluded Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and last Friday we started with chapter one of Through the Looking Glass, which kind of picks up where Wonderland left off, and tonight we are on chapter two. So of course the author is Lewis Carroll. This is Through the Looking Glass. We're on chapter two The Garden of Live Flowers I should see the garden far better, said Alice to herself, if I could get to the top of that hill, and there's a path that leads straight to it. At least no, it doesn't do that. And this was after going a few yards along the path and turning several sharp corners. But I suppose it will at last. But how curiously it twists, it's more like a corkscrew than a path. Well, this turn goes to the hill, I suppose no it doesn't. It goes straight back to the house. Well then I'll try another way. And so she did, wandering up and down and trying turn after turn, but always coming back to the house, no matter what she did. Indeed, once when she turned a corner rather more quickly than usual, she ran against it before she could stop herself. It's no use talking about it, Alice said, looking up at the house and pretending it was arguing with her. I'm not going in again yet. I know I should have to get through the looking glass again, back to the old room, and that would be the end of all my adventures. So, turning her back upon the house, she set out once more down the path, determined to keep straight on till she got to the hill. For a few minutes all went well, and she was just saying I'll really do it this time, when the path gave a sudden twist and shook itself, as she described it afterwards, and the next moment she found herself actually walking in at the door. She said Oh, I never saw a house getting in the way. Never However, there was the hill, in full sight, so there was nothing to be done but start again. This time she came upon a large flower bed with a border of daisies and a willow tree growing in the middle. Oh tiger lily, said Alice, addressing herself to one that was waving gracefully in the wind. I wish you could talk. We can talk, said the tiger lily, when there's anybody worth talking to. Alice was so astonished that she could not speak for a moment. It seemed to take her breath away. At length, as the tiger lily only went on waving about, she spoke again, in a timid voice, almost a whisper. And can all the flowers talk? As well as you can, said the Tiger Lily, and a great deal louder. It isn't manners for us to begin, you know, said the rose. And I was wondering when you'd speak. I said to myself her face has got some sense in it, although it's not a clever one. Still, you're the right color, and that goes a long way. I don't care about the color, Tiger Lily remarked. If only her petals curled up a little bit more, she'd be all right. Alice didn't like being criticized, so she began asking questions. Aren't you sometimes afraid of being planted out here with nobody to take care of you? Oh, but there's a tree in the middle, said the rose. What else is it good for? But what could it do if any danger came? Alice asked. It says bow wow, cried the daisy. That's why its branches are called bows. Didn't you know that? cried another daisy, and here they all began shouting together till the air seemed quite full of little shrill voices. Silence, every one of you, cried the tiger lily, waving itself passionately from side to side, and trembling with excitement. They know I can't get at them, it panted, bending its quivering head towards Alice, or they wouldn't dare do it. Oh never mind, Alice said in a soothing tone, and stooping down to the daisies who were just beginning again, and she whispered If you don't hold your tongues, I'll pick you. There was silence in an instant, and several of the pink daisies turned white. That's right, said the tiger lily. The daisies are the worst of all. When one speaks they all begin together, and it's enough to make one wither to hear the way they go on. How is it that you can all talk so nicely? Alice said, hoping to get it into a better temper by a compliment. I've been in many gardens before, but none of the flowers could talk. Put your hand down and feel the ground, said the tiger lily, then you'll know why. Alice did so. It's very hard, she said, but I don't see what that has to do with it. In most gardens, the tiger lily said, they make the bed so soft that the flowers are always asleep. This sounded like a very good reason, and Alice was quite pleased to know it. I never thought of that before, she said. It's my opinion that you never think at all, the rose said in a rather severe tone. I never saw anyone that looked stupider, a violet said so suddenly that Alice quite jumped, for it hadn't spoken before. Hold your tongue, cried the tiger lily. As if you ever saw anybody, you keep your head down under the leaves and snore away under there till you know no more what's going on in the world than if you were a bud. Are there any more people in the garden besides me? Alice said, not choosing to notice the rose's last remark. There's another flower in the garden that can move about like you, said the rose. I wonder how you do it. You're always wondering, said the tiger lily. But she's more bushy than you are, said the rose. Is she like me? Alice asked eagerly, for the thought crossed her mind that there's another little girl in the garden somewhere. Well she has the same awkward shape as you, said the rose, but she's redder, and her petals are shorter, I think. Her petals are done up close, almost like a dahlia, the tiger lily interrupted, not tumbled about like yours. But that's not your fault, the rose added kindly. You're beginning to fade, you know, and then one can't help when one's petals start getting a little untidy. Alice didn't like this at all, so to change the subject she asked, Does she ever come out here? I dare say you'll see her soon, said the rose. She's one of the thorny kind. Where does she wear the thorns? Alice asked with some curiosity. Why, all around her head, of course, the rose replied. I was wondering why you hadn't got some too. I thought it was a regular rule. She's coming, said the larkspur. I hear her footsteps thump thump thump along the gravel walk. Alice looked around eagerly and found that it was the Red Queen. She's grown a good deal, was her first remark, and she had indeed. When Alice first found her in the ashes, she had only been three inches high, and here she was, half a head taller than Alice herself. It's the fresh air that does it, said the rose. Wonderfully fine air it is out here. I think I'll go and meet her, said Alice, because although the flowers were interesting enough, she felt that it would be far grander to have a talk with a real queen. You can't possibly do that, said the rose. I should advise you to walk the other way. This sounded like nonsense to Alice, so she said nothing, but set off at once toward the Red Queen. To her surprise, she lost sight of her in a moment, and found herself walking in the front door again. A little provoked, she drew back, and after looking everywhere for the queen, whom she spied at last a long way off, she thought she would try the plan this time of walking in the opposite direction. It succeeded beautifully. She had not been walking but a minute before she found herself face to face with the Red Queen, and in full sight of the hill she had been so long aiming at. Where do you come from? said the Red Queen, and where are you going? Look up, speak nicely, and don't twiddle your fingers all the time. Alice attended to all these directions and explained as well as she could that she had lost her way. I don't know what you mean by your way, said the Queen. All the ways about here belong to me. But why did you come out here at all? she added in a kinder tone. Curtsy while you're thinking of what to say, it saves time. Alice wondered a little at this, but she was too much in awe of the Queen to disbelieve it. I'll try it when I go home, she thought to herself, the next time I'm a little late for dinner. It's time for you to answer now, the Queen said, looking at her watch. Open your mouth a little wider when you speak and always say your Majesty. I only wanted to see what the garden was like, your Majesty. That's right, said the Queen, patting her on the head, which Alice didn't like at all. Though when you say garden, I've seen gardens compared with which this would be a wilderness. Alice didn't dare to argue the point, but went on And I thought I'd try and find my way to the top of that hill. When you say hill, the Queen interrupted, I could show you hills in some comparison with what you'd call that a valley. I know I shouldn't, said Alice, surprised to be contradicting her at last. A hill can't be a valley, you know. That would be nonsense. The Red Queen shook her head. You may call it nonsense if you like, she said, but I've heard nonsense, compared with which that would be sensible as a dictionary. Alice curtsied again, as she was afraid from the Queen's tone that she was a little offended, and they walked on in silence till they got to the top of the little hill. For some minutes Alice stood without speaking, looking out in all directions over the country, and a most curious country it was. There were a number of tiny little brooks running straight across it from side to side, and the ground between was divided into squares by a number of little green hedges that reached from brook to brook. It's marked out just like a chess board, Alice said at last. There ought to be some men moving about somewhere, and there are, she added in a tone of delight, and her heart began to beat quick with excitement as she went on. It's a great huge game of chess that's being played all over the world. If this is the world. Oh, this is fun. How I wish I was one of them. I wouldn't mind being a pawn, if only I might join, though of course I should like to be a queen at best. She glanced rather shyly at the real queen as she said this, but her companion only smiled pleasantly and said That's easily managed, you can be the white queen's pawn if you like, as Lily's too young to play, and you're in the second square to begin with, and when you get to the eighth square, you'll be a queen. And just at this moment, somehow or another, they began to run. Alice could never quite make out, in thinking it over afterwards, how it was that they began. All she remembers is they were running hand in hand, and the queen went so fast that it was all she could do to keep up with her. And still the queen kept crying faster, faster. But Alice felt she could not go faster, and she didn't have the breath to say so. The most curious part was that the trees and the other things around them never changed their places at all. However fast they went, they never seemed to pass anything. I wonder if all the things move along with us, thought poor puzzled Alice, and the Queen seemed to guess her thoughts for she cried Faster, don't try to talk. Not that Alice had any idea of doing that. She felt that she would never be able to talk again, as she was getting so out of breath, and still the queen cried Faster, faster and dragged her along. Are we nearly there? Alice managed to pant out at last. Nearly there, the Queen repeated. Why we passed it ten minutes ago. Faster And they ran on for some time in silence, with the wind whistling in Alice's ears, and almost blowing her hair off her head, she fancied. Now, now cried the Queen. Faster, faster. And they went on so fast that at last they seemed to skim through the air, hardly touching the ground at their feet, till suddenly, just as Alice was getting quite exhausted, they stopped, and she found herself sitting on the ground, breathless and giddy. The queen propped her up against a tree and said kindly, You can rest a little now. Alice looked around in great surprise. Why, I do believe we've been under this tree the whole time. Everything's just as it was. The Queen said. How else would you have it? Well, in our country, said Alice, still panting a little, you generally get to somewhere else if you ran very fast for a long time, as we've been doing. A slow sort of country, said the Queen. Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that. Oh, I'd rather not try, said Alice. I'm quite content to stay here, only I am so hot and thirsty. I know what you'd like, the queen said good naturedly, taking a little box out of her pocket. Have a biscuit. Alice thought it would not be civil to say no, though it wasn't at all what she wanted. So she took it and ate it as well as she could, and it was very dry, and she thought she had never so nearly choked in all her life. While you're refreshing yourself, said the Queen, I'll just take the measurements. And she took a ribbon out of her pocket, and marked in inches and began measuring the ground and sticking little pegs in here and there. At the end of two yards, she said, putting in a large peg to mark the distance, I shall give you your directions. Have another biscuit. Uh no, thank you, said Alice. One's quite enough. Thirst quenched, I hope, said the Queen. Alice did not know what to say at this, but luckily the queen did not wait for an answer and went on At the end of three yards I shall repeat them for fear of you forgetting them. At the end of four I shall say goodbye, and at the end of five I shall go. She had got all the pegs put in by this time, and Alice looked on with great interest as she returned to the tree, and then began slowly walking down the road. At the two yard peg, she turned around and said, A pawn goes two squares in its first move, you know, so you'll go very quickly through the third square. By railway, I should think. And you'll find yourself in the fourth square in no time. Well that square belongs to Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The fifth is mostly water. The sixth belongs to Humpty Dumpty. But you make no remark? I I didn't know I had to make one just then, Alice faltered out. You should have said, It's extremely kind of you to tell me all this. However, we'll suppose it said. The next square is all forest, however, one of the knights will show you the way. And in the eighth square, we'll be queens together, and it's all feasting and fun. Alice got up and curtsied and sat down again. At the next peg the queen turned again, and this time she said, Speak in French when you can't think of the English for a thing. Turn out your toes as you walk and remember who you are. She did not wait for Alice to curtsy this time, but walked on quickly to the next peg, where she turned for a moment to say, Goodbye, and then hurried on to the last. How it happened, Alice never knew, but exactly as she came to the last peg, she was gone. Whether she vanished into the air, or whether she ran very quickly into the woods, and she can run very fast, thought Alice, there was no way of guessing, but she was gone. And Alice began to remember that she was a pawn and that it would soon be time for her to move. And that's all we've got for tonight's vintage bedtime story. I'll see you on Tuesday for our regular mishmash ramble chat of goodness, and then we'll be back next Friday for chapter three of Through the Looking Glass. Oh my gosh, what's gonna happen? How does this chess game work? That's crazy. Alright, that's all I got for you tonight. Until next time, sleep tight, good night, and bye bye.