In your benevolence, hear the Fledgling's plea for fair winds at Precipice.
Starring Robyn Holdaway as Kelwinn, the Fledgling (they/them)
With additional voices from the season 1 cast
Fair winds for the wing-trial
I Need A Miracle, season 1, episode 4 of 12
Written and created by Matt Boothman
Directed by Robert Valentine
Music by Katharine Seaton
Sound design by Sarah Buchynski
Casting by Fiona Thraille
Recorded at Jukebox Studios
Broadcast assistance from Teresa Milewski
Cover art by Dionysis Livanis
Produced by Sarah Golding of Wireless Theatre for Foggy Outline
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Transcript
Delicate synth and violin music plays; mysterious, calm but slightly haunting.
ANNOUNCER 1:
Foggy Outline presents: I Need A Miracle. Produced by Wireless Theatre.
Fair winds for the wing-trial. Written by Matt Boothman. Performed by Robyn Holdaway.
The music ends.
A murmur of many pleading voices, overlapping indistinguishably.
Out of the murmur, a single voice breaks through.
THE FLEDGLING:
In your benevolence, hear our plea. We need a miracle here today. On behalf of all this hopeful flight gathered here at Precipice…
The murmurs die away.
THE FLEDGLING:
…I implore you to hear and intervene.
A crowd starts cheering uproariously.
THE FLEDGLING:
Hey – I did it!
(into a microphone – amplified and distorted) O thank you for your confidence, for your support! All we ask of you, in your benevolence, all we humbly ask, on this day, is that you bless us with fair winds and calm skies. All we want is a fair chance for our flight here in today’s wing-trial. Believe me, we’re ready! We feel it! And we’re here to prove it!
The crowd whoops and cheers.
THE FLEDGLING:
(on the microphone) We came here to Precipice today to show our elders and our mentors, our families and each other, to show everyone here that we’ve listened, we’ve learned, we’ve fallen, we’ve got back up, and we’re – probably – the greatest flight that ever flew.
A momentary squeal of feedback from the amp.
THE FLEDGLING:
(still to the crowd, but no longer distorted – like we’ve tuned out the static) Because – I mean hey, I don’t need to tell you, we’ve had it tough. Maybe tougher than any other flight before us.
We were this close to our wing-trial and then wham! What’s that? It’s the Skyward Upheaval!
The crowd boos.
THE FLEDGLING:
Here we all are, we’ve been putting everything into getting ourselves off the ground, and then suddenly … it’s like the ground can’t wait to get rid of us! We’re running into our launching leaps just like we’ve been practising, and – pinging off two or three times as far as we’re used to. Everyone’s balance is trashed and half of us can’t stop throwing up. I mean, that last part’s everyone, not just our flight, but it still didn’t make that wing-trial any easier, right?
And, hey – we’re begging you here, in your benevolence – don’t take this the wrong way. The Skyward Upheaval was a hundred percent a miracle.
(a bit forced) Whoever asked you for it, I bet it made them just … so … happy.
You wouldn’t have done something like that if not, right? And in the end it’s gonna do the same for us here. ‘Cause us here, we’re the first flight to face the wing-trial at Precipice since that Upheaval. We’re the first flight who had to learn to wing twice, back to back, in two different gravities. And that makes us the best flight there’s ever been.
The crowd goes wild.
THE FLEDGLING:
So, we’re out here asking you, just let us show it! If your plan was to set us back to make us better fliers, let us finish that work right now. Please, in your benevolence, grant us all fair winds, here at Precipice today. Please let no gust, no current, no updraft or thermal, advantage any flight or flier against any other in this wing-trial.
In fact…
THE FLEDGLING takes a deep breath.
THE FLEDGLING:
Seeing as how there’s never been a flight like ours. And seeing as how there’s never been a wing-trial in this new gravity before today. What do you say we update the traditional prayer, too? Just a little.
All I want to ask for is fair winds, same as always. Fair winds for a fair trial, where everyone in this flight can have a fair and equal chance to show exactly how much they’ve learned. Fair winds to lift up all the hard-working and honourable fledglings who’ve really earned their wings since the Upheaval. Fair winds to really test those few, lucky fledglings blessed with fine, master-crafted wingsets. Winds that’ll really put those auto-calibrated Upheaval countermeasures through their paces. Because I know we’re all dying to see those incredible wingsets pushed all the way to their limits.
The crowd mutters uncertainly.
THE FLEDGLING:
I think I’m speaking for everyone here when I say all we want, in your benevolence, is for today to make it clear to the trial judges, clear as votive crystal, who in our flight is truly ready to fly solo. All we’re asking is all anyone wants from any wing-trial: for the worthy fliers to earn their wings. For anyone who still needs to work on their fundamentals to go around again, ‘til they learn what they need to learn. And for anyone with thoughts in their head about juking the trial to have their plans blown way off course.
Someone in the crowd laughs.
THE FLEDGLING:
Not that anyone in our flight would dare. But when I ask you for a fair wind? A fair wind is one that would hit cheaters like a wall. A fair wind would spin slackers ‘til they’re dizzy, show ‘em up, hit ‘em with currents they could deal with – if only they’d listened and learned.
The crowd cheers and applauds.
THE FLEDGLING:
And um, if, anyone was thinking about coming after me in the air for saying any of this, a fair wind would get between them and me. But I don’t see that happening. You come after someone who’s just asking for a fair trial, you’re really showing everyone a side of yourself, right? And I think that’s me.
After everything, I know we’re all about to do ourselves proud. Now, you’ve heard me, I’m asking you one last time, in your benevolence, to intervene here today.
A murmur of indistinguishable voices begins to swell up over THE FLEDGLING’s voice.
THE FLEDGLING:
Send us a miracle. We earned it.
All the voices fade away.
ANNOUNCER 2:
I Need A Miracle is a Foggy Outline podcast produced by Wireless Theatre. Directed by Robert Valentine. Produced by Sarah Golding. Casting by Fiona Thraille. Broadcast assistance by Teresa Milewski. Music by Katharine Seaton. Sound design by Sarah Buchynski. Recorded by Stephen H. at Jukebox Studios. Find more audio gold at wirelesstheatrecompany.co.uk and foggyoutline.com.
Thank you for listening.