Don't Mind | Sealskin Rock | Ep. 2

Previously on Don't Mind Sealskin Rock.

Maxine and Melody Morris, along with their father Samson, arrived on Sealskin Rock and ascended to the Stone Chateau.

After settling into their stately rooms, Melody went out to explore the topmost level of the Groch Chateau and encountered a room with upsetting scrollings.

Now another day begins for the Morris sisters on Sealskin Rock.

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Don't mind.

Sealskin rock.

Now, close the door.

It's chilly out there in the mornings, and the heaters don't warm.

Right, sorry.

You didn't have to come inside.

I just meant that you shouldn't leave the door open since it lets the warmth out.

It's fine.

I just wanted to look at the water and rocks for a bit.

Did you have enough breakfast?

Yeah, but do you know if we can get more cereal soon?

I'm really sick of this rice square stuff.

I'll ask for something else when I put together the list.

The rice stuff isn't super nutritious anyway.

Pretty much just carbs.

How about something with nuts, like almonds or something crunchy?

I'll write it on the list.

How are you feeling this morning?

Pretty tired.

I really pushed it yesterday.

You did, but you did great.

I certainly got my workout in.

You were the crunk to my easma.

So, what do you want to do today?

Videos?

Games?

Schoolwork?

Practice?

Probably a bit of everything.

And if I feel better in the afternoon, can we go look at the creepy room from last night?

Sure.

Maybe.

Honestly, though, that room was super dusty.

It wouldn't be good for your allergies, really.

Even I don't want to go back in there.

Dusting!

That was it!

I might dust around their rooms if I have the energy.

Miss Julia did great, but there's still a lot of dust floating around.

What about you?

I know you have schoolwork.

Maybe later.

I have some chores to do, too.

I wanted to go down to see Dad's work, maybe talk to Julia, and I'll be putting together the list of things we need or want, including your preference of cereal.

And I would like something fresh.

The candies are starting to make me feel sick.

Oh, and we need toothpaste.

Only starting to?

I'm surprised your body is running better than mine on 100% squish fish and microwave mac and cheese.

Well, we'll fix that.

We don't have a microwave here anyway, so we'll need to start cooking real meals.

I'll have to figure something out.

Maybe this place is a working kitchen.

I'm sure Miss Julia knows.

Yeah, maybe some pots and pans too.

Right, I'm heading down.

You relax, and I'll be back later.

If you play anything, don't beat the monkey level without me.

Play the other game, the farming one.

No promises!

Oh, hey, Dad.

Great.

Melody, hey.

What are you doing down here so early?

I'm gonna start putting together a grocery list.

Uh, did you need anything specific to eat?

Want me to make something?

I'll need to add the ingredients.

Uh, who's this?

Oh, Melody, this is Ian Paulson.

Ian helped me get the contract for this job, and he'll be working with me here.

Ian, this is my older daughter, Melody.

Hey, Melody, nice to meet you.

Yeah, same.

How do you know my dad?

We worked on a construction site a couple years ago in Mississauga.

That was a new build, then.

Do you work on these kinds of older renovations a lot?

Yeah, now I do.

When I heard about the opportunity to work on the chateau, I had to reach out to your dad.

Really glad he had the time to take on the project.

Hope you're enjoying the chateau so far.

This is a really cool place.

Don't think I've ever seen anything like it.

Yeah,

it is.

So, did you want me to put anything on the list?

Oh, no.

No, thanks.

But could you bring down my pain medication?

Slept on that new bed wrong, and it's not a great way to start a workday.

I forgot to grab it this morning.

Sure, I'll bring them down next time.

Try not to exert yourself too much, though.

Well, that's why I'm here.

I'll be helping, and I'll do most of the heavy hauling.

That's what we'll be starting with this week.

Mostly validating and adding to the client's survey and scope of work.

There's a lot of demolition and site clearing that gets done before anything ever gets repaired or refurbished.

Hmm.

We'll need to designate a place outside to put all the materials we need hauled off island.

There's time.

I'll talk to Lucas about it tonight, but I think we might have a solution already.

It was nice to meet you, Melody.

I hope to meet your sister soon, too.

But we've got to get to work.

Right.

We're burning daylight.

Even in the basement.

Mel, I'll be down here if if you need anything.

And bring the meds down here, too.

And don't forget to do your schoolwork.

Max, too.

Yeah, be careful.

He's not staying on the rock, right?

Julia?

Miss Julia, are you here?

Over here!

Hello, Melody.

What can I do for you this morning?

I hope your first night in the shuttle went well.

The view from your rooms is one of the best.

The bed is really soft and we both slept really well, but then not so much.

It was really nice to sleep in, especially after all the traveling and the view from the balcony is amazing.

It feels like we're at a fancy hotel.

That's good to hear.

But you are responsible for cleaning your own rooms now that you're here.

Of course.

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply we thought you'd be cleaning it, just that it's really nice.

There are wonderful rooms.

I used to go up to the top floors with a thermos of coffee and look out over the water.

Make sure you take time to enjoy it.

Your sister, too.

I will, and Maxine also loves it.

So,

who bought this place?

A large real estate developer called Anrock.

They own thousands of hospitality and residential properties across Canada.

Some are big hotels in cities like Vancouver and Quebec City, but they also have many smaller boutique properties.

The plan is to reinvent the chateau as a boutique vacation destination.

It will need a lot of work, though.

I'm sad to see the chateau changing, but it's nice to know it has a place in the future.

And at least now I'm not totally alone out here.

I hope we won't ruin your relaxing solitude too much.

Don't worry, this chateau is big enough for a few more people.

And while I do enjoy my time alone, I'm not a shut-in.

At least, that was never the intention.

Aside from Mr.

Lucas, does anyone else ever come out here?

Not really.

Cause it's so creepy?

I guess so.

Some people may think it's creepy, but others see it as an old gem.

But people must come out here.

I was exploring a bit yesterday, and I found a room with graffiti, scratches on the walls, and lots of damage to the old wallpaper.

It looked like, I don't know,

Vandalism?

I'm not here at night, and it's not like the old place has cameras.

I know what room you're talking about.

There are a few like that.

Maybe some of the local kids came out to explore the old place.

Wreck a little havoc.

Some people just don't appreciate the art of an old estate like this.

But didn't you just say...

Never mind.

Different question.

We have no microwave or anything, really.

Is there a kitchen or something we can use?

Yes.

Oh, one moment.

I have something for you.

The kitchen is certainly not in any shape to cook in.

But this is a camp stove.

It uses propane in the small tank.

We've used one before.

Our last one broke and I couldn't fix it.

Okay, then.

Thankfully, this one is not broken.

But you may want to add some fresh tanks to your shopping list.

You can use the pots and pans provided, and they are two burners.

It's an old model, and I'm not sure if it is supposed to function this way, but it works from just one switch.

Just put this lever at the halfway point to use only the right side, and push it all the way to the left to use both burners.

Thanks.

Oh, and don't cook with a kitchen oven or stove, but the refrigerator does work, so feel free to put anything you want to in there.

It's rather large, and I only ever bring a little lunch and dinner, so plenty of space.

So we can cook upstairs?

Of course.

But please cook out on the balcony.

And use the sink in the servants' prep room for dishes, not the bathroom sink.

Those pipes aren't made for scraps.

Got it.

Another question.

Sorry to keep bothering you, but does the chateau have a cat?

A cat?

Not that I know of.

I don't think a cat would have swum out to the rock.

And no one has ever brought one over.

Again, not to my knowledge.

Hmm.

Okay.

And why is it called that?

The rock?

Well, yeah.

Sealskin rock.

Ah, yes.

The name sealskin rock comes from an almost direct translation from a Mi'kmaq language name for the rock.

It's nothing violent, nothing to do with hunting.

It's because of the rock's peculiar colour.

When the rocks of this little island get wet, as you saw down by the docks, the blacks and greys in their stone look slick.

and have a slight shine like wet sealskin.

Not that there's never been seal hunting here, there certainly has been.

We have all kinds of seals in the area.

You'll probably see a few soon enough.

The pups are all a bit grown by now, but you'll still see young ones about.

I haven't seen any yet, but I'll keep my eye out.

Maxine would love to see some.

What kinds are there here?

Oh, a bunch.

Harbour, bearded, grey, and ringed seals.

Hooded seals too, sometimes, though I've not seen any in some time.

There are not a lot of flat hole out spots on the rock itself, so look for them a bit ways out in the water.

And I know they look cute, but they are wild animals, so please never get too close to one.

Mr.

Broadrock knows to avoid them with a boat.

I hope I'll see some, and I'll let Max know.

I have to go.

My dad wants his meds from upstairs.

Thanks again for the camping stove.

We'll get good use out of it.

You're welcome.

I'll be here if you need anything else.

Buck already just came back down to bring my dad his pills.

And I told Max about the seals.

She's excited to look for some from the balcony.

Where are the stairs to the basement?

Just around the corner through the dark wooden door with a switch next to it.

Watch your step.

The first stair is a little shorter than the others.

And don't spend too much time down there.

It's not very safe.

Thank you.

I won't be long.

Hello.

We're gonna need a boat of our own, even if just for the, you know, optics of it.

It's gotta look like we've been doing it right.

And our own boat will make it easier if we run into anything we need to get rid of without notice.

Yeah, I know a guy.

I can get us a kind of old boat, a 10-meter Saner.

And that's all shit, but the crane still works.

We can't afford that.

He owes me.

So, we do the demo, drag it out to the back through the garden, then get it down to the Saner.

We just gotta get it off the island.

It's part of the job.

You know, we gotta draw it out.

No one's telling us we gotta rush.

It's all in the name of historic conservation, right?

So we can take our time.

We can dump it in the Gulf.

Nah, wait on getting the signer for now.

We can create a pile first, then spend time transporting large amounts off-island over a few weeks.

Drag out the work.

Maybe use it as a buffer until we get approval for the other contractors.

Mel?

Mel, what are you doing here?

Guess...

Guess I was stupid to think this time you've gotten a real job, right?

Stupid to have thought you had any of the the talent needed for a job like this.

Mel.

Mel, stop it.

Come here.

Don't be so loud.

No.

Why do you have to do this?

You can't just dump trash into the water.

And you can't...

You can't keep doing this.

Tricking people.

I thought you said she didn't know about it.

I didn't think she did.

Seems like she knows more than you thought.

Well, apparently.

At least now she does.

Mel, Mel, listen.

Stop.

We won't hurt the place, all right?

We'll just do the work we can do, then we'll leave.

The company that bought this place has millions, and they still put out a call and took our bid.

And they don't need the money, but we do.

We'll think of something else to do with the trash.

No one gets hurt.

It's just money.

And we're still going to do some of the work the right way.

It's just that we can't do everything we promised.

If you can't do it, why even lie?

We could have stayed back at the motel.

No, we couldn't.

Those jobs...

They weren't jobs.

You were scamming people just like now.

Those jobs dried up.

We weren't going to have the money left for the motel after the week.

I need this job.

We do.

Maxine does.

Why can't you just get a real job?

Maxine and I don't need a lot.

I'm sure she just wants to be somewhere long enough to make friends.

To go to school.

She does need a lot.

Do you know how much her medicine costs?

Or mine?

Hell, even feeding you girls costs hundreds every month.

Normal jobs can buy those things.

Mel, this isn't...

Melody, if this plan works, if this job works, it'll be the last one.

Anrock is a massive company.

It's some big banking investment firm with hundreds of active projects.

They won't notice a little money going missing so long as the work gets done.

And we're going to do it.

Some of it.

It's not all bad.

Listen to your father, Melody.

I'm sure he's doing this for you and your sister.

If you just listen to...

I wasn't talking to you.

So,

what's next?

Well, uh, we'll present them with a budget for equipment and resources, and bring in proposals from subcontractors that we uh

make up.

yeah.

So we'll work on the demo, and that'll draw it all out for a month or so.

Even more if we take on some of the clear outs for I don't care.

I'm not asking about your con.

I'm not asking what's next for the work.

I'm asking what's next for us.

For me and Maxine, how long are we supposed to treat this place like our home?

When

well, at the end, we'll have enough money to find an apartment to rent.

We can go back down to Toronto or Hamilton or somewhere else if you girls have any ideas.

How long are we going to be here?

A few months.

We'll be somewhere else by Christmas.

Maybe when school starts back up in January, you girls can go.

Just

don't let Maxine know.

I'm done.

Well.

No.

I'm going back up.

Max is probably bored, and I don't want to talk about this anymore.

Wait.

Did you come down here for something?

You said you needed your back meds.

And I was going to remind you about Maxine's birthday in a few weeks.

Don't know how long it will take to get a new DS game out here, but I know which one Maxine wants.

We can talk about it later.

Hey, Melody, wait up.

Leave me alone.

Come on, please hear me out.

What do you want?

You're right.

This is hard on you and your sister.

You do a great job putting up with everything that Samson, that your dad drags you through.

You're in a difficult position and have a lot of responsibilities, so if you need help with anything or want something,

I can help you out.

We're good.

Thanks.

What about Maxine's birthday?

I can help with that.

I'll be heading back to shore later tonight, and I can take a look for the game she wants.

You can tell me.

I won't give away the surprise.

It'll be our little secret.

I said we're good.

We're going to be seeing each other a lot on this rock, so I want you to know you can come talk to me if you need to, and you can ask for help.

Got it.

So, can you introduce me to Maxine?

It would be nice to get to know her, too.

I won't.

Maybe later.

Talking to my dad was a lot.

I need time to calm down.

Ian,

were you here yesterday walking on the third floor over there?

No, I got here this morning.

Why?

Never mind.

Thanks.

Please just go help my dad.

I'm sure he needs it with his back problems.

Thank you.

Okay.

I'll see you around.

You practicing?

Nope, not yet.

I had a couple of violin videos already downloaded.

This lady is so talented.

Her swan is fire.

How's the work going down there?

Hasn't really start yet.

They have a lot to go through before anything can be done, so...

Sounds like the first thing will be some demolition.

Hey, no, no, no, no.

I just cleaned this place.

No shoes.

Take them off at the door.

Yeah.

Okay, sorry.

Where did the box with the camp stove go?

I took everything out and washed the pieces one by one.

It was gross, but now we can cook with it.

You didn't have to do that.

I would have done it.

I had a little bit of energy, so it was nice to have something to do besides homework.

Not so true for now.

Well, good, because I'm tired and I just want to lay in bed.

I have a few more videos.

What do you feel like?

I don't care.

You choose.

Hmm.

What do you want to do once you're done with your schoolwork?

I'll do it later this afternoon.

So after that, I'll probably cook dinner.

Sure, but I was asking about all your schoolwork.

What about once you graduate?

No?

It doesn't matter right now.

I'm not even technically in school, so I won't actually graduate from anything.

Yeah, but come on, tell me.

What do you want to do?

I don't really think about it much.

How about you?

Do you want to play violin?

Maybe.

There's so many people out there way more talented than me.

And I don't think I'll be able to get far without a professional tutor.

Not at this point.

We can try and find you a tutor once we get back to a town.

You're avoiding the question.

What do you want to do?

I really don't.

Nope.

Come on.

I think it would be cool to be an esthetician.

Oh, like the ones on TikTok.

You would be so good at it.

You do my hair and face all the time, and you're really picky about your products.

Why?

I just think

it would be nice to only ever have to worry about those kinds of problems, right?

Like normal, simple problems.

Wrinkles and pimples and sunspots.

That would be a pretty chill life.

At least I think so.

I never thought of it like that.

And you're always so happy after I do your hair and face, and it's nice.

It's a nice feeling to make someone happy like that.

Didn't you used to do our neighbors' makeup like two motels ago?

The other one in Hamilton.

Yeah, a few times.

That's how I got the cash for your new hair straightener.

Really?

No, I didn't know that.

Thanks.

That's super sweet.

Well, I get to use it too.

But yeah, I could learn how to do those nice facials, and there's always some new technique or technology coming out.

And

yes, before you ask, I'd always give you a discount on my services.

Oh, well, thank you for your generosity.

Hey, you could be like one of those famous dermatologists on Skin Talk.

They make good money too, and some even develop their own brands after a while.

Max, there's no way I will ever get into medical school or in any way be able to pay for medical school.

That and it's like years of classes and practicing.

You could do it.

You're really good at stuff when it's something you're interested in.

I don't even go to a real high school.

I think...

I really like the idea of an esthetician.

Dermatologists have to go through a school and it sounds like a lot of work and stress.

I just want something simple.

Something relaxing, low-key.

Maybe work for a nice company or a salon or something.

Yeah, okay.

I can see that.

Were you talking to someone in the hallway earlier?

Yeah, there's a new guy that dad's working with.

If you can, try to avoid him.

He's...

Just let me know if you run into him, okay?

He seems really nice, but I'm getting some bad vibes.

Really?

Is this like when you had a bad vibe about Chelsea's brother or Darcy's dog?

No, I...

I mean, yes, it's.

Just don't talk to him too much.

But he's one of the only people that's going to be on this rock with us.

There's Julia.

Well, good, so I get one person to talk to who isn't family.

Lucky me.

Max, I'm sorry.

If there were others here, it would be better.

Maybe.

Can we just chill?

You said you were tired, and

my brain feels like mush.

I just want to zone out and not have to think.

I'm sorry, Max.

Whatever.

How about that farming game?

Please, I just want to relax.

What about the school work?

After.

I'll do it after.

Fine.

Just don't snore so loud when you fall asleep.

You always fall asleep.

New promises.

So what's going on?

It's about to be autumn, so we're going to harvest everything that's grown, and I already bought some seeds for autumn crops.

We have pumpkin, yams, and we decided earlier to grow a bunch of chili seeds.

No,

yeah,

just me.

Go back to sleep.

If it's a seal, waking me up,

it's not.

Go to sleep.

Dad

didn't even come back for dinner

What

It's just one, it's just a string.

What is that?

Ted

Who's there?

Don't Mind Sealskin Rock.

Written and created by K.A.

Stats.

Produced, directed, and with sound design by Travis Vengroff.

Co-edited and directed with dialogue editing, editing, sound design, mixing, and mastering by Finner Nielsen.

Music by Brandon Boone, and executive producers Dennis Greenhill, A.J.

Punkin, Carol Van Groff, and Michael Viegas.

Starring Marcy Edwards, Lily Pichu, Ewan Shum, Stefan Konikart, Russ Moore, and Carolin St.

Pei.

For bonus content, early releases, and ad-free episodes, please support the creators at patreon.com/slash foolandscholar.

You can also get a limited edition sealskin rock coin made of metal if you sign up today.

This is a Fool and Scholar production.

Thank you for listening.

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