Timestorm Episode 13 Transcript

NARRATION
Previously, on Timestorm:

HORACIO
Big changes in the comic book store these past few months, huh?

ALEXA
Yeah. Josie’s there all the time now. / She just showed up one day in October and had that new office built.

***
HORACIO
You’ll say you live with you mother and that she’s Wolof. 

***
HORACIO
It’s a West African ethnicity.

ALEXA
We’re going to West Africa? Which part?

HORACIO
Ndar. Today it’s known as Saint-Louis—

ATABEY
Senegal.

***
IDRISSA
My name is Idrissa. / Welcome to my baobab tree. 

BENI
Your tree? / You’re an uncle?

IDRISSA
I’m here because of my nephew. My father is the griot and will announce his name for the village to hear.

***
ALEXA
The village griot.

BENI
He’s gonna say his name.

GRIOT
Youssou.

***
IDRISSA
And then we’ll have a celebration with rhythm and dancing! I came in search of a piece of fallen wood that will make a good drumstick.

VILLAGERS celebrate.

BENI
Wow! Idrissa’s such a good drummer!

ALEXA
I think they have to offer us a gift.

BENI
We have to make them give us a drum as a gift? / What’s with the huge cart?

ALEXA
What!

BENI
How will we get the artifact stuck inside here? 

MUSIC: THEME SONG - "IN THE TIMESTORM"

Witness. Find. Remember.
The hidden past seeks its dawn,
showing us that we all belong.
Horacio, Alexa, and Beni take back time,
find history in the timestorm.
Witness. Find. Remember.

1810. A VILLAGE NEAR NDAR/SAINT LOUIS, SENEGAL. 

MUSIC: TRANSITION RHYTHM.

MALIK and AMINATA are walking in the village with their son.

SFX: SHEEP BLEATING.
SFX: BABY COOS.

AMINATA
Yes, yes. We’re going home now, Youssou.

MALIK
And so the sun sets on this beautiful day.

AMINATA
New moon today. I can already see some stars.

MALIK
Won’t be clear too long. I see storm clouds in the distance.

ALEXA | BENI
(Several yards away) Aminata! | Malik!

ALEXA
We’re Idrissa’s friends.

AMINATA
Where are they?

BENI
Over here!

MALIK
There! In that storage hut. 

AMINATA
Is something wrong?

AMINATA and MALIK walk toward the hut.

BENI
(Through window) We were trying to go outside, but there’s a cart blocking the doorway.

MALIK
Oh, let me see if can—

MALIK struggles to move the cart.

ALEXA
Look! There's a stone wedged under the wheel. 

MALIK picks up the stone and movs the cart.

AMINATA
There it goes. All clear now.

MALIK
(Chuckles to himself) Wonder who put that there.

ALEXA
Thank goodness!

BENI
You’re the best, Malik!

SFX: BABY COOS.

ALEXA
Aw! Hi, Youssou!

BENI
We have to find Idrissa!

ALEXA
Yeah.

BENI
Excuse us, but we’ve got some unfinished business to take care of.

BENI | ALEXA
Bye! | Goodbye!

ALEXA and BENI run off.

AMINATA
They’re so lovely.

MALIK
I hope you say that to your mother.

AMINATA
Why?

MALIK
She’s convinced those two are thieves or spies.

SFX: BABY COOS.

AMINATA
Oh, Mother.

AMINATA and MALIK laugh.

SFX: BABY COOS.

1810. A VILLAGE NEAR NDAR/SAINT LOUIS, SENEGAL. 

ALEXA and BENI walk to the village center.

MUSIC: TRANSITION RHYTHM.
SFX: SHEEP BLEATS.

ALEXA | BENI
Idrissa? Idrissa?

ALEXA
He’s not here.

BENI
Ooh! I know! We can visit each hut, like, one by one, and talk really passionately about our love of rhythm and beats—

ALEXA
(Laughs) Like that would work.

BENI
So, you’re laughing at my ideas now?

ALEXA
Don’t tell me I can’t laugh.

BENI
Says the boss of the world.

ALEXA
Whoa. What?

BENI
You’re always telling me what to do.

ALEXA
Okay. That’s not even true.

BENI
Except when it is.

ALEXA
You’re so—

ALEXA/BENI
Ugh! 

ALEXA stomps away from BENI. 

SFX: SHEEP BLEATS.

BENI
Why are you standing like that?

ALEXA
Look up.

BENI
Whoa!

ALEXA
I’ve never seen so many stars.

SFX: SHEEP BLEATS.

IDRISSA walks up to ALEXA and BENI.

IDRISSA
Benjamin! Alexandra! 

ALEXA
Idrissa!

BENI
Hi!

IDRISSA
Did mother get you all settled in.

ALEXA | BENI
Uh-huh. | Yep.

IDRISSA
I’m glad I found you.

IDRISSA pulls out a drumstick and taps it on a tree.

ALEXA
That’s the other drumstick you found today. 

IDRISSA
I do hope you’ll both accept it as a gift.

BENI
Oh, we accept it.

ALEXA
Thank you!

IDRISSA
My pleasure. I’m sure you’ll find occasions to use it. 

BENI
We’ll definitely use it in our travels.

SFX: DISTANT THUNDER.

IDRISSA
Those clouds are getting closer. You might want to head back to the dwelling so you don’t get caught in the storm. 

ALEXA
Good idea.

IDRISSA
See you in the morning?

BENI
In the morning!

1810. A VILLAGE NEAR NDAR/SAINT LOUIS, SENEGAL. 

SFX: RAIN HITTING THE ROOF OF THE HUT.

BENI
That entire time we were thinking the artifact was a drum. 

ALEXA 
A drumstick is easier to carry around anyway.

SFX: THUNDER.

ALEXA
The storm’s moving in so fast. 

BENI 
How do you think they'll react when they come in the morning and see that we're gone? 

ALEXA 
Probably think we left early.

BENI
Good thing we got the artifact in time.

ALEXA
Good thing you didn’t steal someone’s drum.

BENI
I wasn’t going to steal anything. 

ALEXA
Uh-huh. If you could’ve grabbed a drum, you would have.

BENI 
Not once I realized it probably would have altered history.

ALEXA
You know, I've been thinking about that. Remember, Atabey told us our quests are made so we don’t change anything. So even if you had stolen a drum.

BENI
I wasn’t going to steal a drum!

ALEXA
Let’s say you did. According to Atabey, our timeline stays the same.

BENI
But we create an alternate timeline where an alternate Beni and Alexa have to deal with the consequences of how we changed the world. If we even exist at all.

ALEXA
You’re starting to sound like one of your comic books. Like somehow we’d create a timeline where alternate Ma and Pa never meet...and we’re never born. Whoa.

BENI
But...it’s not just about us. We could create an alternate timeline where… I don’t know we—

ALEXA
No, no, no, no, Beni. It’s too much to think about - how all the different possibilities might affect...honestly who even knows how many people. I get it, okay? We just won’t create any new timelines. 

SFX: THUNDERCLAP INTO BAROMETER BUZZ.

BENI
Bye, Senegal!

ALEXA
Goodbye, Saint—

SFX: DRAMATIC THUNDERCLAP INTO PORTAL FX.

ALEXA and BENI yell as they travel through the portal.

1810. A VILLAGE NEAR NDAR/SAINT LOUIS, SENEGAL. 

MUSIC: TRANSITION RHYTHM.

IDRISSA visits AMINATA as she puts her baby to sleep.

IDRISSA
(Singing) Aayóo nenne. Aayóo nenne.

AMINATA
You hear that? Your uncle is singing to you. 

IDRISSA 
Sweet dreams, my dear nephew.

AMINA puts the baby to bed.

AMINATA
He looks like Malik when he sleeps.

IDRISSA
There’s plenty of you in him. Sweet dreams, my dear, Youssou.

AMINATA
Thank you for the drumstick.

IDRISSA
It was an honor to provide it. Look at all these gifts. Ah, there’s the basket from Alexandra and Benjamin.

AMINATA
They’re so kind.

IDRISSA
I wonder what Youssou will be like at their age. 

AMINATA
Strong like his father?

IDRISSA
Or kind like his mother?

AMINATA
A keeper of history and rhythm like his uncle, who will soon become a griot?

IDRISSA
I've got stories for you, little Youssou. About sacred trees, the river teeming with fish, falling water. And the day the village learned your name and shared it with the sky.

THE TIMESTORM. ANOTHER DIMENSION.

MUSIC: "TIMESTORM” TRANSITION.

The twins laugh as they land in the timestorm.

HORACIO
Nice work, you two!

BENI pulls out a drumstick from his clothes.

BENI
Here’s the beat of three motherlands.

ALEXA
Pretty dramatic name for a piece of wood.

ATABEY
Artifact cloud, emerge.

SFX: ARTIFACT CLOUD RHYTHM.

BENI
That was definitely the hardest quest, so far.

HORACIO
Bueno, technically—

ATABEY
Artifact, attained. 

SFX: ARTIFACT FLOATING INTO CLOUD.

HORACIO
—you’re not done.

ATABEY
Quest incomplete. 

ALEXA
Whoa, whoa.

ATABEY
Artifact cloud, retreat.

SFX: ARTIFACT CLOUD RETREATING.

ALEXA
Incomplete?

HORACIO
Yeah, about this quest...es complicada.

ALEXA
Um, complicated how?

HORACIO
It’s a multi-stage quest.

BENI
What’s that mean?

ATABEY
Next time you travel, you’ll take the artifact with you to continue the quest.

HORACIO
Clothing!

SFX: WHIR OF CLOTHING CHANGE.

ALEXA
But we did what we were asked. We accepted the artifact as a gift. 

BENI
Yeah. What else do we have to do?

ATABEY
You’ll find out when you return.

HORACIO
I’m proud of you—

SFX: DRAMATIC THUNDERCLAP INTO PORTAL FX.

ALEXA and BENI yell as they travel through the portal.

2018. THE VENTURA MINIVAN. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

MUSIC: “MINIVAN” TRAMSITION.

The twins laugh as they land in the minivan. CLARA opens the passenger-side door. She climbs inside and shuts the door.

CLARA
Ay! Thank goodness your father brought in that umbrella. How are you two?

ALEXA | BENI
Good. | Hi, Ma.

RAMIRO opens the driver-side door. He climbs inside and shuts the door.

RAMIRO
Wanna get out and dance in the rain?

ALEXA/BENI/CLARA
No.

RAMIRO
(Laughing) All right. I guess, home it is.

2018. THE VENTURA HOME. THE KITCHEN. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

MUSIC: "HOME" TRANSITION.

ALEXA and BENI are loading dishes into the dishwasher. BENI uses a spoon to play the rhythm from the ceremony on the counter.

ALEXA
Beni. You’ve been playing that beat since we got back yesterday.

BENI
It’s catchy.

ALEXA
It is. But I kind of want to run this dishwasher, so...

BENI plops the spoon into the dishwasher. ALEXA closes the dishwasher and turns it on.

SFX: TEXT ALERTS.

BENI
Janelly says she’s downstairs.

ALEXA
So’s Sonia.

ALEXA swings open the apartment door. SONIA and JANELLY climb the steps to the Ventura apartment.

SONIA
We just have to make sure we leave in time to get to rehearsal.

JANELLY
We will, Sonia.

BENI | ALEXA
Hey! | What’s up?

SONIA and JANELLY enter the apartment.

JANELLY/SONIA
Hi.

BENI closes the door.

BENI
Let’s talk in my room.

2018. THE VENTURA HOME - BENI’S ROOM. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

BENI closes the door.

JANELLY
Did you get my voice mail, Beni?

BENI
I didn’t check it. Sorry.

SONIA
So? What was the message about?

JANELLY
Datu’s hiding something. 

BENI
He was acting weird yesterday.

JANELLY
Josie, too. 

SONIA
Maybe they’re working together?

BENI
On what?

SONIA
I don’t know. This is your guy’s mystery.

JANELLY
We have to see how they act when no one’s looking. 

ALEXA
What do you mean? Like spying? 

JANELLY
No. More like...being around them without them knowing we’re there.

ALEXA
Kinda sounds like spying.

BENI
We’ll just be more observant when we’re at the store. And since we have spring break this week, we’ll have plenty of chances.

SONIA
Great! Sounds like a plan. Now can I talk about my big discovery? It’s about that comic book you showed me the other day — Taking Back the Time?

ALEXA/BENI/JANELLY
Take Back Time.

SONIA
Oh. Anyway, check out what I found. I saved it on my phone.

SFX: AUDIO IS STATIC-Y AND WOBBLY.

MYSTERIOUS VOICE 1
—mo— —unos—

MYSTERIOUS VOICE 2
—-jo—

MYSTERIOUS VOICE 3
—ho— —so—

MYSTERIOUS VOICE 1
—no— —ro— —ay, no —ra—

MYSTERIOUS VOICE 3
—ou—

MYSTERIOUS VOICE 1
—pa—

SFX: A SCREAM (YOUNG FEMALE).

ALEXA
It’s kind of old news for us, Sonia.

SONIA
Oh.

JANELLY
Wait. What do mean old news?

ALEXA
Uh...

JANELLY
You and Beni have heard this before?

BENI
Well...yeah.

SONIA
Sounds like you’re the only one who hasn’t, Janelly?

JANELLY
Yeah. Guess so. 

BENI
Some anonymous person on the ComicKidsOrbit.com message board claimed it's secret audio of LJ Ortega. But that doesn't mean it's true.

JANELLY
Honestly? It sounds like nonsense to me. 

SONIA
Alexa? Beni? What do think?

ALEXA
Probably a hoax.

SONIA
Oh. Okay. Well, we should get going, Janelly. Don’t want to be late for rehearsal. And it looks like it’s raining again.

JANELLY
I’ll be right down, Sonia. 

SONIA
Later, my lovelies.

SONIA leaves.

JANELLY
When did you two hear that recording? 

BENI
Must have been October. 

JANELLY
Six months ago? Why didn’t you tell me, Beni? 

BENI
I really wanted to. But I thought I had to keep it a secret. 

JANELLY
From me? Why?

BENI
Because...I had this crazy idea that the comic book was about our cousin. 

JANELLY
What?

BENI
We have a cousin named Horacio Méndez and he was a soldier. 

ALEXA
Beni.

JANELLY
And you thought it was about him?

ALEXA
It’s all so silly, right?

JANELLY
Uh. Yeah. 

BENI
But back then we thought it could be real. And that’s why I didn’t tell you. 

JANELLY
Okay. 

BENI
See? You think we’re nuts.

JANELLY
No, I don’t. And I wouldn’t have thought so if you’d told me back in October. I have to go to rehearsal. 

2018. THE VENTURA HOME - BENI'S ROOM. NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SFX: DISTANT THUNDER.

ALEXA
What were you thinking, saying that to Janelly? 

BENI
I don’t like this. I want to tell her the truth. 

ALEXA
Oh, yeah? You want to tell her that Horacio Méndez in Take Back Time — which, by the way, is supposed to be a work of fiction — is actually our real-life cousin who died in a war, that he’s floating around in his helicopter in another dimension where he hangs out with a bossy incorporeal being who gives us time-traveling quests that we complete with the help of mystical outfits and magical barometer?

BENI
Yeah! I want to tell her the truth.

ALEXA
Well, you can’t.

BENI
Don’t tell me what to do!

SFX: THUNDERCLAP AND RAIN INTO BAROMETER BUZZ.

ALEXA
Seriously? Now?

SFX: DRAMATIC THUNDERCLAP.

MUSIC: THEME SONG: "IN THE TIMESTORM" (INSTRUMENTAL).

NARRATION
This episode was written and directed by me, by Dania Ramos, with audio engineering, sound design, and original music by Michael Aquino.

The role of Alexa Ventura was played by Leilany Figueroa. Beni Ventura was played by Claudio Venancio. Horacio Méndez was played by Orlando Segarra. Atabey was played by Alicia Rivas. Idrissa was played by Darin F. Earl II. Malik was played by Gary Kayi-Fletcher. Aminata was played by Daria Sullivan. Ramiro Ventura was played by Walter Rodriguez. Clara Ventura was played by Jennica Carmona. Janelly was played by Frances Ramos. Sonia was played by Jessica Bracken.  Featured guest musicians Lara Gonzalez and Christopher White.

Special thanks to culture and language consultants: Moutrarou Diallo, Aida Guisse and Arame Niang.

Timestorm is produced by Cocotazo Media and is a proud member of TRAX from PRX. To learn more about TRAX, visit TRAX dot fm: that’s t-r-a-x-dot fm.

It’s time for our Listener Share-out! 

ELIANA
Hello. My name is Eliana. I’m eight-years-old. I live in New York CIty. My time-travel share-out is about when I went to Six Flags a year ago. I really want to go back there because it was a great family time and really fun. When I was at Six Flags I went on crazy waterslides and water rides like mini waterparks. And then I ate foods like ice cream and candy. When I was there, it was like a dream. There were many kids and it was really a blast. Now, I really want to, like, remember it for my whole life.

NARAATION
Eliana’s sister, Amelia, one of our younger listeners, wanted to share her story too. Here it is.

AMELIA
Hello. My name is Amelia. I am six -years-old. I live in New York City. My adventure share-out is about how I went to Astoria and we get to go to different supermarkets and restaurants. And we pretend we’re on a big island. And we go to a restaurant and we eat the food there and it was really good food, so I wanted to share how I went to Astoria and al the details. Bye.

NARAATION
It sounds like you had fun on your trips to Six Flags and Astoria. Thanks for sharing, Eliana and Amelia!

Hey, listeners! We want to feature your voice in an upcoming episode. You can learn more about how to submit a share-out by visiting Timestorm Series dot com.

If you enjoy the show, ask your parents to subscribe to Timestorm on Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or the Kids Listen App. 

A quick message for our adult listeners, please be sure to check out our free resources, including episode guides and transcripts over at Timestorm Series dot com. And if you're interested in more bonus and behind-the-scenes content, we hope you’ll consider joining our Patreon community over at Patreon dot com slash Timestorm. You can also show your support for the series by sharing it with a friend or leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Podchaser. 

Timestorm is produced in Essex County, New Jersey, which is situated on the traditional territory of the Leni Lenape people.

As always, thanks for listening.

ATABEY
Witness. Find. Remember.

END OF TIMESTORM - EPISODE 13: UNFINISHED BUSINESS