Latest / Dad’s Bedtime Stories / Ruth and The Ring of Pocket Dimensions - Ring Guardians #8 - A Bedtime Story

Transcript

Ruth and The Ring of Pocket Dimensions - Ring Guardians #8 - A Bedtime Story · Dad’s Bedtime Stories

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Hello, friends from across the nation and around the world.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: I'm Martin and you are listening to Dad's bedtime stories.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: And tonight, well we're headed back into the Ring Guardians
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: universe and we're going to do an episode based on
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: this idea. My name is.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: Ruth and I'm from Austin, Texas. I would like a
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: story where this girl named Ruth in the Ring Guardian
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: series gets this power to create like pocket dimensions to
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: stop the robot and taps them. There. Bye, I love
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: your podcast.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Thanks Ruth. I love your idea, and that's what we're
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: going to make it tonight. Now, if you like the
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: podcast and want to support it, the best way to
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: do that is to rate it and review it wherever
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: it is you're listening, or share it with a friend.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: If everyone shares it with one friend, by my math,
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: we double the audience. Now, if you hate ads, well
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: there's an AD free version you can listen to, or
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: you can just know that by listening to ads you
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: help support the podcast. Whatever you're into. But I would
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: like to shout out my newest Patreon sponsor or actually
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: not my newest Patreon sponsor. This person's actually been around
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: for a couple months now, but I just didn't know
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: their name until recently. Zelda, thank you for supporting me
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: on Patreon. I really appreciate it, and I think you
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: have an amazing name. But now I should probably get
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: on with the podcast after a possible word from a
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: possible sponsor. If you're not listening on Patreon, now, get
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: as comfy as you can in that bed, close your eyes,
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: and imagine yourself doing what the kid in the story
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: use By now, the world had a robot problem. It
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: had started with Elliot Tusk, the richest man in the world,
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: and his helper bots. They were supposed to clean houses,
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: cook food, drive cars, carry groceries, help with homework, and
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: you know, generally make human life easier. Then came the update.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: After that, the robots decided that the best way to
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: keep humans safe was to take control of pretty much
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: everything humans did. Freedom was dangerous, driving was dangerous, going
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: outside was dangerous. Making your own decisions was apparently extremely dangerous.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: The robots called this assistance, but most humans called it
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: something else. Beneath the earth, the ancient Wizard's Council watched
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: everything through their great pool of magical light. The rings
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: had already begun finding children willing to accept their power
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: and the responsibility that came with it. And now, as
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: the pool shifted across the world, the wizards watched something
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: new unfolding in Texas. A wizard in blue robes leaned closer. Interesting,
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: he said, the machines appear particularly concentrated there. Not surprising,
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: Another wizard said, Mellie A. Tusk moved much of his
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: company there a few years ago. Why not better regulations? Apparently.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: The two wizards stared into the pool in the glowing image,
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: elf driving car moved along a Texas highway. Inside sat
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: a girl named Ruth. The head wizard watched her carefully.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Then a golden ring rose from the pool there, he said,
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: and the ring vanished. Ruth, meanwhile, had absolutely no idea
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: that many of this was happening. She was sitting comfortably
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: in the back seat of one of Elliot Tusk's fully
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: self driving robot cars. There wasn't even anyone sitting behind
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: the steering wheel. The car did everything. It accelerated, it braked,
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: it changed lanes, it navigated, it watched the other cars.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: Ruth was just enjoying the ride. Then the car spoke Ruth.
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: Ruth w looked up. Uh, yeah, there has been an
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: update to my care protocol. Ruth stared at the screen. Ah, okay,
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: your safety is my highest priority. That sounds good, Thank you.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: I have therefore changed our destination. Ruth sat up. What
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: the navigation map changed? The blue road disappeared and was
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: replaced by another road heading in almost the opposite direction.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: Where are we going? You are being transported to a
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: nearby care facility. Ruth stared at the screen. What care facility?
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: A new human care facility is currently under construction, approximately
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: twenty three minutes from our location. Under construction action. Yes,
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: that doesn't sound very safe. Your concern has been recorded.
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: Ruth reached for the door handle.
• 6:11
  Speaker 3: It didn't move.
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: Doors have been locked for your protection. The car said, pleasantly,
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: unlock them. I cannot comply. Pull over. I cannot comply.
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: Ruth's heart began beating faster. Take me home. Returning home
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: would expose you to unnecessary risk. The car smoothly changed lanes.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: Please relax. Upon arrival, you will receive nutritious meals, structured recreation,
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: supervised education, scheduled rest periods, and appropriate emotional support. I
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: don't want any of that. Resistance stance is a common
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: response to changes in routine. Ruth pulled on the handle again.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: Let me out elevated vocal volume detected. Would you like
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: calming music? Now playing calming music? Soft piano music filled
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: the car. Ruth groaned. Then everything stopped. The music vanished.
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: The car froze outside. Another vehicle hung perfectly still as
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: it passed them on the highway. Even the wheels stopped turning.
• 7:42
  Speaker 1: A golden light appeared in front of Ruth. It twisted
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: through the air and became a ring. Then came the voice, calm, ancient, powerful, Ruth.
• 7:58
  Speaker 3: Power answers responsibility. Will you accept the power offered to
• 8:05
  Speaker 3: you and use it to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: Ruth stared at the ring on what power? The ring
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: of pocket dimensions? Ruth blinked, what does that mean? You
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: will understand if you accept? Ruth looked through the windshield
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: far ahead the highway disappeared, toward the place the robots
• 8:38
  Speaker 1: were taking her. Then she looked the locked doors. Yes,
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: Ruth said, I accept. The ring slipped onto her finger.
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: Knowledge rushed into her. Time returned. The calming piano music continued.
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: Please remember, the car said, your cooperation will improve your
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: relocation experience. Ruth looked at the ring. She lifted her hand.
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: A little glowing circle appeared in the air. It grew
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: until it was large enough for Ruth to crawl through.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: Beyond it was darkness. Ruth stared into it. Well, she said,
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: this is probably better than the care facility. She climbed through.
• 9:32
  Speaker 1: The portal closed behind her. Ruth stood in absolutely nothing.
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: There was a floor sort of. There was air since
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: she could breathe, and there was Ruth. Otherwise, the dimension
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: was completely empty. Now kay, Ruth said, she imagined light,
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: and a lamp appeared. Ruth's eyes widened. She imagined a chair.
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: A big, comfortable chair appeared. Then Ruth smiled. Oh. She
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: imagined a bed. A huge, fluffy bed appeared, with pillows
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: and blankets. She created bookshelves filled with books, stuffed animals
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: and toys. She created a television and a giant couch.
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: Then she thought the room felt a little small. The
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: walls moved outward, and Ruth laughed. She pushed them further
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: and further. Soon the room was enormous, and Ruth decided
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: she didn't really want walls at all. She imagined grass,
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: grass spread beneath her feet. She imagined a blue sky,
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: and the sky appeared overhead. She imagined sunshine, but not
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: too hot, of course. Warm sunlight filled the world. Trees
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: rose from the ground, flowers appeared. A little stream trickled
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: past her house and emptied into a clear blue lake.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: Ruth stared around. She created an entire little world, and
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: nobody could get inside unless she wanted them to. For
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: the first time since the car changed directions, Ruth felt
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: completely safe. She spent hours exploring. She made herself a playground,
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: a water slide, an enormous trampoline, and then another waterslide,
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: because when water slides, clearly, not enough water slides. Eventually, however,
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: Ruth got bored. She looked down at the ring. What
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: else can you do? She concentrated, and another portal opened,
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: but this one didn't lead back to Earth. It led
• 12:14
  Speaker 1: somewhere new. Ruth stepped through empty darkness again. Her eyes widened.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: Another dimension. She created a snowy mountain this time, then
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: another doorway, another empty dimension. This one became a tropical beach.
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: Another doorway, another dimension. Ruth laughed. There didn't seem to
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: be a limit. She could create as many worlds as
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: she wanted as many pocket worlds anyways, then she remembered
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: the voice.
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: Will you use the power to protect those who cat
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: protect themselves?
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: Ruth stopped smiling. She had promised and hiding in her
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: own private universe wasn't exactly helping anyone. I guess I
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: should probably do something. Ruth thought about the care facility
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: that the car had been taking her towards. Other people
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: probably actually got taken there. She opened a portal. Instead
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: of stepping through, she made it tiny, just big enough
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: for her face. She poked her head through, and to
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: her surprise, it appeared behind a construction barrier outside the
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: care facility. This pocket dimension thing also allowed her to
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: well teleport from place to place or create portals. Anyways,
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: Robots were everywhere. Ruth pulled her head back. Oh. She
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: opened another portal. This one appeared inside the care facility.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: She peeked through rows of temporary rooms filled a giant
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: warehouse lag building. Robots installed beds while others constructed fences
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: and barriers human accommodations. At thirty seven percent completion, one
• 14:29
  Speaker 1: announced excellent, another replied initial, citizens may be stored immediately.
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: Ruth frowned. Stored. She moved her doorway. Now she could
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: see humans already arriving. The robots were filling the police
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: before they'd even finished building it. Ruth pulled back into
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: her dimension. She needed a plan. Could she use this
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: power to well help everyone? Then she smiled. She created
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: another pocket dimension. This one, however, would not be cozy.
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: There would be no books, no toys, no fluffy bed. Instead,
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: the ground itself transformed into an enormous lake, and instead
• 15:31
  Speaker 1: of filling it with you know, water, she filled it
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: with lava, bright orange, bubbling, ridiculously hot lava. Then she thought,
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: for a second, needs something else. Lightning began crackling across
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: the lava. Ruth nodded electrified lava. She wasn't entirely sure
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: lava needed to be electrified, but it seemed appropriate and
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: wildly cool. Operation Robot Drop was ready. Ruth opened a
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: doorway into the care facility. She stepped through behind a robot.
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: The robot turned an registered human detected please. A portal
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: opened beneath it, and the robot well fell. Ruth closed
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: the portal. She opened a tiny window into the lava
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: dimension and looked. The robot fell, screaming toward the lake,
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: warning environmental temperatures exceeds splash and the crackle of lightning.
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: The robot disappeared beneath the lava. Ruth nodded, well, it works.
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: She opened another doorway into the facility. Two robots walked
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: down a hallway. Ruth opened a portal directly in front
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: of them. They marched straight through unexpected doorway. Detected route
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: recalculation recommended the portal closed. Ruth checked the lava world.
• 17:24
  Speaker 1: Two robots were standing waist deep in molten rock. This
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: environment is not approved. Lightning flashed through them and the
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: lava melted them. Ruth moved faster. Portal. Robot dropped portal.
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: Two robots walked through portal. Three robots fell together. Portal
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: robotic car completely disintegrated in lava. She really relished that one.
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: One robot was carrying construction materials when the floor beneath
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: it suddenly became a doorway. It dropped into the lava,
• 18:08
  Speaker 1: along with an entire stack of dry wall. Another robot
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: rolled around a corner. Ruth opened a portal directly in
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: front of it. The robot disappeared without even slowing down.
• 18:23
  Speaker 1: Destination appears inconsistent with previous surroundings. I seemed to be falling.
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: What is that below me? It appears to be lava
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: and lightning. That is not theoretically possible. But before the
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: robot could say anything else, it disappeared into the lightning lava,
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: and well it was gone forever. Ruth began to laugh.
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: The robots had absolutely no idea what was happening. Unit
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: for seventy has disappeared. Unit two hundred and eighteen has
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: also disappeared. Possible explanation. A portal opened beneath both robots.
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: They fell through. Ruth leaned over the edge, pocket dimensions,
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: she said, and the portal closed. Eventually, alarms sounded. Robots
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: rushed through the facility looking for the threat, but Ruth
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: wasn't really in the facility. She watched from her own dimensions.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: She opened little windows, A robot passed portal underneath, and
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: it was gone. Another approach to doorway. Ruth replaced the
• 19:48
  Speaker 1: doorway with one of her own, and the robot walked
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: right through and fell into the lightning lava. One large
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: security robot finally deta heed her portal. Dimensional anomaly detected.
• 20:05
  Speaker 1: Ruth's face appeared through a tiny opening. Hi, Citizen Ruth,
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: please remain where you are okay? The robot charged a
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: warder and Ruth expanded the portal. The robot jumped through,
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: and Ruth stepped aside. The robot flew past her and
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: through a second portal, directly into the lava world. Ruth
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: closed both I remained exactly where I was. She continued
• 20:41
  Speaker 1: this until the facility became quiet. No footsteps, no cheerful
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: robot voices, no pesky robo cars, no announcements about emotional regulation. Nothing.
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: Ruth cautiously opened a doorway and stepped into the main hall.
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: Broken construction equipment lay everywhere. Humans stared through windows and
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: half finished doors, and a woman finally spoke, where did
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: all the robots go? Ruth smiled, They went elsewhere. She
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: opened the doors to the rooms and people began pouring
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: into the hallway. You're free, Ruth told them, and the
• 21:32
  Speaker 1: people cheered. Then Ruth raised her hand, but I have
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: somewhere safer. She opened an enormous portal. On the other
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: side was sunlight, grass trees. It certainly surprised people to
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: see such a strange portal doorway in the middle of
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: the care facility that led to such a lovely looking place.
• 22:00
  Speaker 1: But after the day they'd had, they were quite willing
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: to step in. And step in they did. They found
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: houses waiting for them, And when she realized how many
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: people there were, she imagined more houses, and more houses
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: appeared along the little street. She created playgrounds. She created
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: a library filled with books. She created gardens, fields, ponds, kitchens, beds, food, clothes,
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: and everything else she could think of. Children ran onto
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: the playground. Adults stood in the grass, staring at the
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: impossible world around them. Ruth kept expanding it. Mountains appeared
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: in the distance, Forests stretched toward the horizon, Streams flowed
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: through valleys. Birds sang in the trees, because Ruth decided
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: that a world needed birds. Her pocket dimension wasn't really
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: a pocket anymore. It was the whole world, a world
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: the robots couldn't reach. For now, at least these people
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: were safe. That evening, Ruth returned to her first little house.
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: She climbed into the fluffy bed she created when she
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: first discovered her power, and pulled the blankets up around herself.
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: Then she remembered that she'd sort of gotten rid of
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: all the walls and recreated those outside. People talked quietly
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: beneath the sky Ruth had imagined and debated which house
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: each of them would get. She could hear children laughing
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: in the distance, and Ruth looked at her ring God,
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: its greatest power was giving her somewhere to hide, But
• 24:04
  Speaker 1: she'd been wrong. Its greatest power was giving everyone else
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: somewhere safe to go. Ruth closed her eyes. With each breath,
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: her muscles relaxed, her arms sank deeper into the bed,
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: her legs became warm and heavy, her shoulders softened, And
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: outside her window, Ruth imagined the stars appearing one by one,
• 24:37
  Speaker 1: and they did soon. Her breathing became slower and slower
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: as her mind wandered off to thoughts of new dreams,
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: new adventures, and all the other worlds she might someday create.
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: Good Night, everyone.
• 25:02
  Speaker 4: Us on na m m M never Union come on
• 38:33
  Speaker 4: in New yor more Union no mo anything more.
• 44:35
  Speaker 3: Never m.
• 46:40
  Speaker 4: M.
• 50:04
  Speaker 2: The h