Honorary Mermaids: Twilight Zone

<h1>Transcript</h1>00:00:00Foggy Oak Farm, Foggy Oak Farm, come on down to Foggy Oak Farm!00:00:14Hi friends, welcome to Foggy Oak Fairy tales, a stories podcast for all ages where we tell farm stories from real life happenings on Foggy Oak Farm, as well as fantasy tales to spark, both learning and imagination.00:00:32I'm so glad you're here.00:00:39This week we're back with Rowan and Rosalie as they work to complete the second of three tests to become honorary mermaids.00:00:50Last time they were in the sunlight zone of the ocean and helped to save a baby Otter that was in danger.00:00:57That earned them green and gold speckles all over their mermaid tails and the completion of one of their three tests.00:01:06This week they are moving into the middle layer, the twilight zone, for their second test.00:01:12When they encounter a ghost net, which is a fishing net that has been lost or abandoned at sea.00:01:19It's called a.00:01:20Ghost net because it keeps catching fish and other sea creatures forever.00:01:24Even though no one is in charge of it, it just haunts the water.00:01:30Rowan and Rosalie have to save themselves and 100 other animals were trapped in the net. A quick word of caution, everything comes out fine in the end and we talk about it in kid friendly ways.00:01:43But these Nets are a little sad and scary because of their impact on wildlife.00:01:49They really are a huge problem.00:01:51In the oceans, you can skip this episode if you'd rather not learn about them.00:01:56If you didn't have a chance to listen to part one of honorary mermaids yet, and would like to, you can go back and find the honorary mermaids.00:02:04Part One episode of Foggy Oak fairy tales to get caught up on the first part of their adventure with the baby Otter.00:02:12Let's join them as they head to meet their second test with hesper.00:02:17The Twilight zone mermaid.00:02:19Hello children, hesper called as Rowan and Rosalie swam towards him.00:02:25You did well on your first Test in the sunlight zone.00:02:29That is also the part of the ocean you are most familiar with.00:02:34Hesper paused and gave them a serious look.00:02:34As per.00:02:37His hair continued to shift constantly with his words, his deep blue skin setting off the shining silver tentacles of his hair.00:02:45One moment banded an orange black ones the next.00:02:50The sunlight zone is the part of the ocean.00:02:52You know, plants grow and the fish, mammals and other creatures familiar to you reside there.00:02:59The twilight zone.00:03:01And if you make it there, the midnight zone are very different places.00:03:06Humans rarely enter the twilight zone and can barely dive there.00:03:10With modern scuba technology.00:03:13Photosynthesis, that process by which plants can convert the sun into food and energy for themselves is not possible.00:03:22It is not wholly dark in the twilight zone, but neither is there much light.00:03:27And as you'll find, the amount of light decreases as we go lower.00:03:33You will know when we have begun to enter the twilight zone, because we will pass through the Ocean's thermocline while your mermaid body will protect you from the crushing pressure of the ocean, I am confident you will notice the temperature difference as we pass through this the sunlight zone into twilight.00:03:52That temperature difference is called the thermocline and you will feel it quite strongly before your body adjusts.00:04:01Rowan and Rosalie knew the rules from their first Test with Alba in the sunlight zone, and they didn't try to ask Casper any questions.00:04:09It was against the rules and there was no point.00:04:11They'd get no further information than Hesper chose to give them at this moment.00:04:17We understand we're ready, Rowan said instead.00:04:21One final word of warning.00:04:23Aspirin toned.00:04:25There are dangers here that will claim you just as surely as any other sea creature, and no sea talker may aid you.00:04:33Take great care.00:04:35Blow with that Hesper dove and was gone from the surface before the children had even had time to think about his warning.00:04:43Rowan and Rosalie quickly dove as well, struggling to keep pace with the much faster and more experienced sea talker.00:04:51They descended quickly and light from the surface began dimming as they slam down, down, down, following Hesper.00:05:00Although they were only vaguely aware of a sense of increased pressure, both children gasped in shock as they passed through the thermocline and entered the twilight zone.00:05:10Had been getting cooler in parallel with the decrease in light as they moved down.00:05:15But the dramatic temperature shift as they moved through the transition between zones was a jolt.00:05:20They could not have prepared for.00:05:22In their sea talker forms, they didn't feel the cold as unpleasant, exactly, but the chill was pervasive, like someone had rubbed them all over with ice.00:05:32Although it wasn't bright, light still penetrated at this depth, just like Casper had said.00:05:38It was certainly more wide open and vast than the sunlight zone had seemed.00:05:43Blue water stretched indefinitely all around them, and they could make out the scattered forms of fish.00:05:50The very occasional leatherback sea turtle, the shooting forms of seals diving deep and the vague form of whales and sharks making their way through the depths.00:06:00At some distance.00:06:02That was all fantastic enough, but even more marvelous was the abundance of bioluminescent life.00:06:10Glowing, shimmering fish, squid, jellyfish, and creatures they couldn't easily place into any category, darted and flashed everywhere.00:06:20Their light show was incredible.00:06:23Hypnotic, mesmerizing.00:06:27Overcome with awe, the children lost track of hesper.00:06:30Worse, they didn't see the faintly shimmering, ominous strands of the ghost net undulating directly in front of Rosalie.00:06:40Rosalie felt the net before she saw it, slamming into the fibers.00:06:44She felt the tangled.00:06:46Mines of the net, wrapping around her tail tight and tangled and tot and painfully cutting into her.00:06:53Panicked, she flailed and thrashed, which only.00:06:56Serve to further trap her.00:07:00What is this?00:07:01She cried.00:07:02I can't, Rowan.00:07:03I can't get out.00:07:04I'm stuck.00:07:07Rowan, who had narrowly avoided the net himself, swam closer to see if he could.00:07:11Free her.00:07:12Hold on, Rosalie.00:07:13I'll help you.00:07:14He said as he cut towards her.00:07:17Stay back.00:07:18See Toker, child of voice exclaimed.00:07:22Both children were shaken out of their panic by the cry and looked about for the son.00:07:27That was when they noticed their surroundings.00:07:30The giant net had caught hundreds of other sea creatures, some of whom were still struggling.00:07:36Some who had given up.00:07:37Rosalie had swum into a relatively creature free part of the net, but near her was an enormous leatherback sea turtle, similarly entangled.00:07:48See how the net shifts with the water.00:07:50If you get too close before learning the currents, it will have you as well, the turtle warned Rowan Turtle.00:07:58How long have you been trapped?00:08:00Don't you need to breathe, Rowan?00:08:03Fear forgotten and looking at the turtle.00:08:06Yes, long enough that I can't survive much longer.00:08:09I was caught just as you were.00:08:11I couldn't see or sense the strands of the net as I moved through the water and it caught me just as it caught the rest of us.00:08:19Get away.00:08:20See Tucker.00:08:21Child, get away while you still can fish up and down the net.00:08:27Rowan said firmly.00:08:28I won't leave.00:08:29Rosalie and I won't leave the rest of you either.00:08:33Rowan, we need to help the sea turtle first, Rosalie said.00:08:37I can at least breathe.00:08:39She won't make it if we don't get her out right now.00:08:43They both looked at the turtle, whose slippers and.00:08:45Neck were wrapped.00:08:46Tightly in the webs of netting, I can reach her, Rosalie said, extending her arms to the turtle.00:08:52Thankfully, those were still free.00:08:55What's the currents?00:08:56The turtle warned again as Rowan moved towards her.00:09:00He did, paying attention to the undulating sleigh of the net as the currents shifted it.00:09:05Hesper was forgotten.00:09:07Both children reached out and carefully began unwrapping and shifting and working the net off the turtle.00:09:14As they worked with furious concentration, Rowan mumbled almost to himself.00:09:19What is this anyway?00:09:21What is this net doing here in the twilight zone?00:09:24Unable to help them free her, the turtle answered him instead.00:09:29I've heard the seed talkers call them ghost Nets.00:09:32They can be found all over the ocean on the surface, in the twilight zone, even at the bottom.00:09:39Their eyes when fishermen lose or abandon their Nets to the sea, but the Nets don't stop fishing when they are lost, they continue their work with or without a mask.00:09:51Eventually, so many fish, birds, turtles, shells and other creatures that come trapped that the floats on the net are not strong enough to keep it at the surface and it drifts down to the bottom.00:10:03And when the creatures at the bottom eat everything in the net, it floats back to the surface once more to repeat the cycle.00:10:10I became caught on this one's way down.00:10:14That's horrible.00:10:16Rosalie exploded.00:10:17How can this be?00:10:18How is it possible that this is happening?00:10:22Oh child, there are 10s of thousands of these ghosts Nets.00:10:26Perhaps more, the turtle said in resignation.00:10:30This is not my first time getting tangled in one, but it is the first time I haven't been able to free myself.00:10:37Several fish around the Knap murmured in agreement.00:10:40Yes, yes, yes.00:10:43No, Rowan grounded out as he worked at the.00:10:46Fibers that won't happen this time, and Rosalie and I will do everything we can to stop it from happening next time too.00:10:55Suddenly the turtle was free.00:10:58Ohh children, thank you.00:11:01She sobbed in relief.00:11:02I have to get to the surface right now.00:11:04I'm almost out of air.00:11:06Thank you.00:11:07And with that, she was gone swimming as quickly as she could back to the sunlight zone and the surface to breathe.00:11:14This left Rowan and Rosalie with a quandary.00:11:18Could reach some of the other fish and creatures caught in the net.00:11:21But not all.00:11:23There didn't appear to be any other animals that needed to breathe air to rescue, so they decided to try and free Rosalie next so that she could be more helpful in getting the rest of the creatures free.00:11:34Together, they began carefully working her tail out of the painful lines of the net, unwinding and untangling bit by bit, until they freed her.00:11:45Angry Red Welps covered the parts of her tail where the net had been wrap.00:11:49And both children felt a cold fury that had nothing to do with the temperature of the water.00:11:55With grim determination, they both set to work carefully, unwinding and untangling the fish and crabs and squid who had become trapped while watching the dangerous shifting of the net with the currents.00:12:07The whole time to avoid becoming re ensnared.00:12:10As they freed them, each creature gave a grave thank you.00:12:15Some disappeared, desperate to find food after so long trapped in the net.00:12:21The stronger ones who hadn't been stuck for as long, formed a fierce patrol around the net, warning other creatures away.00:12:29Even the Sharks were cooperative and thankful when freed working next to their sharp teeth and fierce eyes was honestly rather terrifying at first.00:12:39But both children quickly lost their fear as they focused single mindedly on working off the tangles.00:12:45There just wasn't room for fear.00:12:48And though they wanted to help the children as they came free, even shark teeth were not strong enough to slice through the tough synthetic fibers of the net.00:12:57Instead, the Sharks joined the patrol, shouting warnings out into the deep blue depths.00:13:02Oy whale.00:13:03Stay back.00:13:04Now look here.00:13:05There's a ghost net.00:13:06A great white.00:13:07They had just freed, bellowed at an approaching couriers beaked whale as it swam towards them.00:13:13Don't you think I know that shark?00:13:16The whale said, sounding offended.00:13:18Everyone for leagues around heard your bellowing.00:13:22I'm here to help.00:13:24Rosalie and Rowan had paused after freeing a large tuna.00:13:28Their fingers were bloody and bruised from fighting the tangles of the net.00:13:33They hadn't seen a courier's beaked whale up close before.00:13:37It sort of looked like a dolphin, except with a goose like beak that turned up into a permanent smile where a dolphin would have more of a.00:13:44Snout, also known as a rostrum.00:13:48The whale's long Gray body was bigger than a dolphins and its fins and flippers were different, but the overall vibe was an overly large, friendly and curious dolphin.00:13:58Well, how can you help us?00:14:00Rowan asked.00:14:02Rosalie and I have hands and we can barely get these strands off.00:14:06You're right that I don't have hands and hands are needed for this work, but what I do have is magic and that I will offer you for the assistance you are given to my fellow sea creatures.00:14:19The well responded sweetly.00:14:20Come here, children and touch my beak the whale.00:14:25Trusting this serves some purpose.00:14:27Both kids did as they were instructed and placed their hands on the smooth beak of the.00:14:31Whale in doing so, they felt a ripple of energy shoot into their hands and course through their bodies.00:14:40Now use that to make this go faster, the whale commanded.00:14:44It turned to join the patrol around the net, covering the area below to warn any creatures coming up from deeper water.00:14:51I'm not sure what to do, Rosalie said quietly to Rowan as she slammed back to the net.00:14:58Rowan reached out his hand and touched his strand of the net experimentally with his finger.00:15:04Suddenly the net strand was sliced in too. Rowan's fingernail had grown and changed into something that strongly resembled a knife careful not to cut yourself. The whale called from below.00:15:20Rowan didn't need further instruction.00:15:22He set to work on the net, making rapid progress as he carefully cut and untangled his way around a bigger and bigger section of.00:15:31Rosalie observed him for a minute and then did the same, gasping happily in surprise as her finger changed as well.00:15:38It was hard work, but it was much easier with their new magical tools.00:15:42After several hours, they finally freed the last trapped creature and watched in satisfied exhaustion as the grateful Squid jetted off to hunt.00:15:53But what do we do with the net?00:15:55Rohan wondered.00:15:56To rosalie.00:15:57We can't leave it here.00:15:59It'll just start catching things again.00:16:02Rowan, did you notice we've been rising this whole time?00:16:05Rosalie asked as the net became lighter.00:16:09The float started dragging it to the surface again.00:16:12I wonder if we can use that to our advantage somehow.00:16:16We'll help you tow it to shore. The courier's beaked whale offered, appearing next to them with several friends who looked so similar. The kids assumed they must all be part of a family pod.00:16:28But we can't risk becoming trapped ourselves.00:16:32Use some of that magic I gave you to make us long towing ropes.00:16:36The whale seemed confident they would be able to, and both kids were determined to get the ghost net out of the ocean for good.00:16:45They moved back to the net and as both children reached out to grab the net and determine how to make ropes.00:16:51The whale's magic gift did it for them.00:16:55Their fingernail blades dissolved, and shining strands of golden light unspooled from their hands and fused with the net all along one side.00:17:07The other end of each strand shot towards the whales, who grabbed the magic rope with their beaks and immediately began to swim towards the surface and the shore.00:17:17Now you follow us and keep the other creatures away.00:17:20The lead whale called to them through the rope in her mouth.00:17:24Rowan and Rosalie nodded.00:17:26Rosalie took the bottom, and Rowan swam behind the net to observe the top and the back.00:17:32Together, they shoot away curious sharks, turtles, seals and other fish as the whales speed them up and along towards shore.00:17:41They quickly passed through the thermocline back into warmer waters and a ripple of that same shock swept over the children.00:17:48There wasn't time to do more than notice the feeling.00:17:51The whales weren't stopping.00:17:54They soon breached the surface and found that the whales had taken them almost to the shore of a Cove along the.00:17:59Coast as they swam towards shore, a huge herd of seals.00:18:04Cut across the water towards them.00:18:07We're here to.00:18:07Help one of the leaders of the Gray seals.00:18:10Announced the Sharps left off hunting and told us.00:18:13What was going on?00:18:15When the whales and seals met, the water was just deep enough for the whales to safely hand off the rope and move back into deeper water.00:18:24Now where the whales had managed by towing just one strand per whale, these smaller seals needed several to a rope.00:18:32But among them, they pulled and heaved and slogged the net to the rocky shore.00:18:37Rowan and Rosalie brought up the rear, helping to drag the heavy, tattered ghost net closer.00:18:43But they didn't know how to get rid of their.00:18:45Tails, so they couldn't help the seals finish dragging it out of the water.00:18:51Thank you, they yelled to the seals as the seals and the net moved further and further up the beach.00:18:57Thank you, young.00:18:58She talkers, the leader called Back.00:19:01None of us will forget your help.00:19:04There are too many of these evil things to count, but this is 1 less ghost net to haunt the ocean.00:19:11Rowan and Rosalie swam back to where the pod of whales waited for them.00:19:16Grab on to my dorsal Finn children, it offered.00:19:19We'll escort you back down to the twilight zone.00:19:22It's much faster for us than it is for you.00:19:25Thank you, Wale.00:19:26We really appreciate it, Rowan said, feeling the exhaustion of the rescue effort in every bone in his body and tail.00:19:36Wearily, each child grabbed on to the lead whales dorsal Fen and they were diving fast, faster than they could have imagined.00:19:44Being able to swim faster than they had time to process the thermocline felt like the merest blip as they passed through, and the whale took them to the darker, colder.00:19:56Deeper waters of the twilight zone.00:19:58Thank you again, Rosalie said as the whale stopped to let them drop off.00:20:03We need to get back to our test and.00:20:06Rosalie was interrupted by the appearance of Hesper, shimmering beautifully with bioluminescence.00:20:12They hadn't seen in the sunlight zone.00:20:16In the waters of the twilight zone, his hair continued its shifting colors and patterns.00:20:21But each changing style had the hypnotic shimmer of the bioluminescent creatures of the deep.00:20:27Hesper, we're sorry.00:20:28We didn't mean to leave the twilight zone, but there was a ghost net and Rowan gasped and a rush of anxiety desperate to explain what had happened.00:20:38Yes, child, I know, Hesper said with a gleaming smile, then sobered.00:20:45You saved 100 lives in that net today and thousands more besides. By taking it out of the sea.00:20:53These Nets pose a grave threat to us all, and there are too many of them adrift in the sea.00:21:00There are too few.00:21:01Sea talkers to find and eliminate them.00:21:06You've seen the horror of only one of these abandoned traps, and as wondrous as the ocean is, there are dark realities we have to contend with as well.00:21:18We understand Hesper, Rosalie said quietly.00:21:22We'll do whatever we can to deal with these Nets as we find them and we'll tell others too.00:21:28These ghost Nets have to be caught and removed.00:21:32Hesper nodded.00:21:33You've passed your second test child.00:21:37And as he said this, they felt power raced over their tails where their tails had been only gleaming silver with golden green speckles.00:21:46They now had an ombre transition of colors.00:21:51Shining silver and golden specks in the top third shifted into a gradient through a series of Blues.00:21:58The same as the transition from the sunlight layer to the deepening Blues of the twilight zone.00:22:04The base of their tail was almost black, while their tail fins still possessed the same green, gold, speckled silver present at the top of their tails.00:22:14You can rest for a time if you'd like, Hesper offered.00:22:19But you cannot leave the ocean until your third test is complete.00:22:25The kids looked at their newly decorated tails and at one another.00:22:29In unspoken agreement, they nodded.00:22:32We can do it hesper.00:22:33We are OK.00:22:35Rosalie said.00:22:36Please take us to our third test, Rowan added.00:22:40Hester regarded them for long moment as of making sure he thought they really could move on to the next.00:22:45Test very well, he agreed.00:22:49Follow me.00:22:51And the three of them began their descent down to the bottom of the twilight zone, passed an ever stranger and more curious panoply of luminescent creatures.00:23:01Down in search of the midnight zone.00:23:06That's it for this week, but stay tuned for how Rowan and Rosalie take on the third part of their journey to becoming honorary mermaids in the midnight zone of the ocean.00:23:19Remember, you're part of the story too.00:23:23What did you think of this story?00:23:26What did you imagine when you were listening?00:23:31We'd love to hear your part of the story.00:23:35If you and your grown up want, you can share your thoughts or a picture you drew with our Foggy Oak podcast family.00:23:44You might find it easiest to share with us on Facebook at Foggy Oak Farm, but we have lots of options on our website, foggyoakfairytales.com.00:23:56You can also check out pictures from the farm and learn more about us.00:24:01Thanks for being part of the story and I hope you'll join us next week.

Honorary Mermaids: The Twilight Zone 🧜‍♀️🧜‍♂️| Kids Fantasy Stories

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