Don't Mind | Cruxmont | Ep. 1

Hello everyone, I'm K.A.

Stats, the writer and creator of Don't Mind Cruxmont.

And I'm Travis Vengroff, the producer and director.

Thank you for joining us for our premiere episode.

We have a few important notes before beginning the story.

Don't Mind Cruxmont is a limited-run series that will consist of 14 episodes, with a new episode releasing every two weeks.

Content warnings for all of our episodes are written at the bottom of the show notes, so if you'd like to see content warnings before listening to any episode of Don't Mind, please scroll down before continuing.

Content warnings can contain spoilers, but they can also be important as the show does venture into some darker themes.

All Fool and Scholar productions are primarily supported by our listeners through Patreon.

Simply put, our Patreon supporters make our productions possible.

Please check out all of the benefits of becoming a patron over at patreon.com slash foolandscholar.

Perks are numerous, including behind-the-scenes videos and posts, as well as ad-free episodes.

Thank you for tuning in, and we hope you enjoy our newest tale.

Don't mind Cruxmont.

Morning.

Ah,

good morning.

Tea's in the pot, and the charts are on your desk.

I need coffee.

Sure, but it's cold, and about four hours old now.

The perfect gift from the last shift.

Um, anything else I need to know?

Mm-hmm.

Jacob left all the paperwork waiting for your signature on your desk, on top of the charts, so do those first.

Mr.

Goddard's lab results came back and everything looks fine, but please take a look.

Also, he's already scheduled for a follow-up next week.

Uh Mr.

Cross rescheduled, well, Mr.

Cross's wife rescheduled his upcoming cognitive assessment.

Uh it won't be until the beginning of next month now, I'm afraid.

Hmm.

Uh can you call them back and try to get him in earlier than that?

Dangerous him to wait so long.

Uh talk to Richard, see if he has any availabilities in his schedule.

Uh Jacob as well, as long as Mr.

Cross sees someone in the next week.

I'm not fuzzy about who.

I can do that.

Oh, Adelaide's wrist is still in a splint since her stumble yesterday, but it's otherwise fine.

And she had a visitor yesterday evening.

A visitor?

She'd never had a visitor before.

Did they come to see many of the elderly patients or

just her?

Based on the log, it looks like it was just Adelaide.

Hmm.

Let me see the login sheet.

Uh, there, there.

Quarter to seven, sign in, and seven seventeen sign out.

Edith.

1845.

Edith?

We're just Edith.

Adelaide is well into her 80s, if not her nineties, has no memories, advanced language impairment, and we've no information on her family.

We should have collected far more than just sign-in times and a single name.

Um, so uh, who was on the desk last night?

Martin from the temp agency.

He wouldn't have known to ask for more.

Well,

no point in getting our hopes up just yet.

Edith might have been a volunteer visitor from the local parish.

Right, I'll uh check on Adelaide first, then you can find me in my office.

Adelaide,

it's Dr.

Kingston.

I'm coming in.

All right.

Good morning, Dr.

Kingston.

It's so nice to hear your voice, Adelaide, and to see you out of bed.

It's certainly nice to be out of bed.

The view of the garden is so much nicer from here.

The whole flower bed is filled out.

Hmm.

And

how are you feeling today?

Very well.

Though my wrist is still sore.

Hmm.

Do you mind if I ask you a few questions this morning?

Why, of course not, dear.

But do you think there is any way of getting a cup of tea first?

I'll bring the nurse.

We'll just have to wait a bit.

That's fine.

I've very little else to do but watch and wait.

So many bees out and about.

We've been told for so long that the bees were disappearing.

And now, when I see them, well, each time is like a little gift.

And do you remember the last time you saw bees?

In the orchards, I think.

Or at least the last time I took a moment to appreciate them.

So many bees all over our heads.

The buzzing, well, it was everywhere.

An orchard.

Do you remember where you were, or what kind of orchard?

Come in.

Did you need something?

Good morning.

Oh, good morning, Adelaide.

Adelaide and I are going to have a short chat.

Could you bring us some tea?

Chat with Adelaide?

Of course, Dr.

Kingston.

I'll be back in a moment.

So, where were we?

Um,

could you tell me your name?

Adelaide Birch.

Birch?

Well, that's, um.

Well, thank you, Adelaide.

Now, um, when I walked in, I introduced myself.

Do you recall my name?

Dr.

Kingston.

Of course, your name tag tag says your first name is Gwen.

Well, now that's cheating.

And

how do you feel today?

Perfectly fine, I think.

But you've already asked.

So I have.

Do you know what day it is?

I haven't checked this morning.

I'm sorry.

Have you got today's papers?

I'd like to take a peek.

I'm sure we must have.

I can check for one later.

But what about the year?

Do you know what year it is?

2021.

August or September, I'd wager.

Ah, perfect.

Yes, you appear to be in good spirits.

So, Ms.

Birch,

we've been

taking care of you here for a few months now, but we've found out very little about you.

Do you have family we should contact?

Do you know how to reach them?

I do.

Thank you, sweetheart.

No problem at all.

I'm thrilled to see you out of bed, Adelaide.

Adelaide Birch.

Birch?

Well, that's wonderful.

Okay, right on that.

Have a nice chat.

Thank you.

So, uh, you said you had family?

Did I?

Oh, well, I I guess I must.

Do you remember last night?

Parts.

I had a guest from my village.

She sat beside my bed, but I can't recall what we spoke about.

She brought me some treats.

We finished a whole little jar of jam.

She wanted me to go home.

Dr.

Kingston, Gwen, dear, I'm feeling a bit tired.

I think I need some time.

Just me and a cupper.

Is that all right?

Adelaide, this is the first time you've told us anything about yourself.

Even your last name?

I'm sorry to tell you this, but for the past several months, you've remembered nothing.

Not your name, not a memory, certainly not my name when I came to see you.

You

speaking to me now

it's a marvel.

I can imagine.

Well, I guess I wouldn't know.

Permit me a bit more time to collect my thoughts, since they've been gone so long.

Yes, of course.

Take your time.

But it's important that we know if you have someone we can contact.

Someone who can help you?

Someone must miss you, Adelaide.

I'm sure they do.

Goodbye, Dr.

Kingston.

Apparently, Adelaide Birch is not an uncommon name.

But

it was an astonishing improvement.

I've never seen her like that.

Active, verbal.

Not since we brought her in months ago.

Did she seem a little upset?

Sad, even?

It would be understandable.

She's lonely and lost.

Munson here would do that to anyone.

Yes, I guess.

Maybe look for an Edith Birch as well.

Perhaps her visitor was a family member.

Have the rubbish bins from this floor already been done?

Just before you arrived.

Andrew's right around the corner.

Okay.

Andrew.

Did you collect the rubbish from Sweet 212 recently?

Good morning to you, too, Doctor.

Uh, yes, um, sorry, sorry.

Good morning, Andrew.

Uh, we are trying to gather some information on a patient with little to no known history and

Ms.

Adelaide, then

yep, took the bins just twenty minutes or so ago.

Right.

And this one is hers.

Gloves.

Lovely.

Thank you.

Uh,

okay.

Are we looking for anything particular?

Uh she had a little picnic basket in her room with a bottle of juice from a plum farm, a tin of home-dried snacks of some kind, and uh she said they finished a small jar of jam together.

That's great to hear.

Miss Adelaide never says much of anything.

Yeah,

it's actually quite miraculous.

She seems to have perfect mental clarity this morning.

Is this it?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Fresh plum preserves 2020 harvest all hills orchard.

Picked, pressed, and processed in Cruxmont.

Same as the bottles in the basket.

Great, thank you, Andrew.

No problem at all, Doctor.

Gwen,

Gwen,

Gwen,

oh, Dr.

Kingston, there you are.

What are you up to?

It's certainly not all the paperwork waiting on your desk.

No, see if you can find anything online about this.

All Hills Orchard in Cruxmont.

That's where all the gifts Adelaide received last night came from, but I can't seem to find anything about it online.

That's because you're terrible with the internet.

Hey.

Let me see the picture again.

This website is ancient.

Allhills Orchard is a premium boutique family farm growing plums for over five generations.

Artisan products sold locally, located in Cruxmont, County Cumbria.

Nothing else except an advertisement for a plum festival.

And pictures of the trees and such.

It's rather pushy, if a bit bleak.

All Hills orchard.

But uh, narrow the name search to that area if you can, or

at least start there.

Where are you going?

You have a lot to get through today.

Yeah, I just want to speak with um Adelaide again.

Who knows how long this period of clarity may last.

Adelaide, it's uh it's Doctor Kingston.

Come in then, Doctor.

It must be particularly interesting for you to come back so quickly,

or your other work is terribly boring.

So, you remember that I was here?

That's wonderful.

Do you remember what we were talking about?

Bees

and my memory.

Cruxmont?

No,

we did not talk about that.

Could we?

Is that where you're from?

Is that your village?

All right.

Instead, let's talk about your memory a little more, if that's okay.

You don't have to tell me where you're from or about your family if you don't want to, but

how much can you remember?

I remember my childhood.

My friends, and my favourite tree to climb when my mother wasn't looking.

Your mother didn't like you climbing trees.

I'm a fair bit older than you, Doctor, and my mother firmly believed that young ladies shouldn't climb in trees.

So, what else do you remember?

Everything,

at least that I can recall.

Adelaide, would you mind if I scheduled you for an MRI?

That should not be a problem.

I have very little else to do.

When would that be?

Well, let's find out.

How's your wrist feeling?

Oh, just a bit sore.

But I've said that before, too, Doctor.

These bones aren't what they used to be.

Min

How can I help you?

Could you tell me the next available slot for the MRI?

Richard just cancelled two sessions this morning, so there's both a quarter to ten and a quarter past eleven available.

Hmm.

I know it's soon, but um, how does quarter to ten sound, Adelaide?

Just fine.

But can I have another cup of tea first?

Of course, and I'll get you scheduled.

Hey, um, I just landed in London.

I don't have service here, just Wi-Fi, so I won't be easily reachable.

Could you please just put the mail on the counter?

Otherwise, the kid across the complex steals it.

Um,

and I'll see you when I get back.

Thanks again.

Would you like to repeat the message?

No.

Would you like to send the message?

Yes.

Hello, how can I help you?

Hi, uh, I'm looking for a bus route to this place, uh,

uh, Cruxmont.

Just a moment, please.

We don't have a bus service going out to anywhere called Cruxmont.

Huh?

Couldn't find a Cruxmont.

Though there's a Grossmont on the northern railway.

Is that what you meant?

No.

What what?

No.

Cruxmont, with a C and an X.

Um, uh, wait, uh, it's...

It's up near...

up north near Darlington.

So's Grossmont, but I've told you, I don't have a Cruxmont in the computer.

I can't look it up, and I can't get you there.

Can you get me to Darlington?

Is that possible?

Or here, a barred not...

I don't know.

Barnard...

Barnard Castle?

Yes.

You'll need to take the Piccadilly line to King's Cross St Pancras, then walk to King's Cross and take the London North Eastern Railway heading to Aberdeen, getting off at Darlington and transfer to a bus

and you look lost.

Should I write it all down for you then?

Get it booked?

Yes and yes.

Please, thank you.

For the trains leaving as soon as possible.

Right.

With the fixed ticket prices on those trains, with the soonest availability, your total for the trip comes out to

£174.17

for the Single Beverly Underground, the London North Eastern Railway Service, and

the

London Northeastern Railway Service.

What can I get for you?

American, I think.

Yes, uh, coffee black

coming right right up

Anything else?

Um what's the largest thing on the menu?

Potato and spinach curry over ice served in a bowl the size of my head Cook just made up a fresh pot hot that then please

and a water to go with it right you are then thank you very much

Is there a Wi-Fi network here?

No.

Yeah, I thought.

Jocelyn will bring it out in a moment once it's served up.

Enjoying town?

Been to see Bernard Castle yet?

Sure.

No.

I just got on the bus.

I'm actually here looking for someone.

Here.

Um

my brother Colin.

He was in town about a week ago.

Looks a lot like me, but with shorter hair and a bit thinner.

American.

Have you seen him?

I haven't.

Not that I can recall.

May I?

Yeah, here.

I'll show this to Jocelyn and get your curry.

Thanks.

She's never seen him.

That doesn't mean he wasn't in the area.

There are other pubs in town.

Here you are.

No, keep the fire.

I've made tongues.

Just uh keep an eye out for him.

Thanks for the food.

Looks good.

Anything else I can get for you?

Um,

do you know where Cruxmont is?

Cruxmont.

One moment.

Cruxmont is here.

It's just a dot.

Yeah, it is.

Not much to Cruxmont.

Unless you enjoy plums.

Mostly orchard in a small village.

And the festival.

Excuse me?

The Big Plum Festival?

It's this weekend.

I'm heading out to Crooksmont for it on Saturday morning.

Could you take me?

Tonight, I mean.

I can't wait till the weekend.

No,

no, I'm sorry.

I don't have a car.

My friends will be picking me up.

I'm just staying here for a few days.

A little holiday.

Well, it doesn't seem that far.

Well, it's not a long drive, but it's a few hours' hike.

A few hours.

Can I have this map?

For £4.50.

That works, no problem.

Uh, add it to the food bill.

Eat up, then you'll need it for the walk.

You'll get there

just around midnight if you start soon.

I can do that.

Ugh, I've been sitting on buses and trains and planes for hours.

I could use the exercise.

Another coffee, please.

Thank you, Adelaide.

The nurse will help you back to your room now.

Are you sure you've got the right file?

Yes.

Uh

oh, um

the initial images were a bit dense, but um once adjusted it was a good study.

The previous images were only taken in July.

Huh.

It's impossible.

I've never seen it before.

The temporal and parietal lobes look to have made a significant, if not full, recovery.

Complete atrophy reversal.

Is she taking any medication?

And she appeared very cognizant during the exam.

She's been in perfect mental health since this morning.

Though yesterday she was barely speaking, could recall absolutely nothing, and suffered severe motor skills malfunctions.

All right, so

what happened yesterday?

Um,

excuse me, Rosa,

please finish up in here.

Yes, Dr.

Kingston.

Adelaide, it's it's me again.

Come in.

Adelaide, last night when you had your visitor, Edith, did she

give you something?

The little picnic basket.

Very kind.

Plums are good for your health, you know.

And

just this?

And that small jar of preserves?

Well, we ate the preserves on little crackers, and I had a scon.

There wasn't a a lot, but it was very nice.

Ooh,

you look concerned.

Did the MRI work?

Yes, it it did.

And um the results are very positive.

It appears the areas of your brain that had suffered varying levels of atrophy have,

in a sense, rebuilt themselves.

I've I've never seen anything like it.

You weren't making any progress.

And this happened very quickly overnight.

I'll count my lucky stars tonight, then, Doctor.

Adelaide, tell me more about Cruxmont.

Is that where you're from?

The orchards with the bees.

Were they the plum orchards?

Is that where Edith came from?

Gwendolyn, dear, there is nothing in Crooksmont that anyone has ever wanted to find except for plum wine and fruit pies.

Thank you, Adelaide.

I am very happy to see you recovering so well.

Have a wonderful day.

The first of many left, I hope.

Avoiding paperwork, Chasing an idea.

I will call you from the car.

The car?

Gwen!

Gwen!

Gwen, there's a lot to do!

Where are you going?

Damn it.

Where the hell did you go?

It's been hours, Gwen.

You had patients waiting for you.

I had to reschedule everything.

Why are you coming back?

Are you coming in tomorrow?

I'm driving up to Cruxmot to find Edith and see if she knows anything about how Adelaide recovered.

What?

Gwen, just get back here.

Adelaide is just one of your patients, and we're short as it is.

You cannot just disappear at the start of your shift.

This shouldn't take too long.

I'll be back after the weekend with any luck.

Or maybe none at all.

The weekend.

Gwen.

Taylor.

I have to do this.

I'll set up a backup care provider for your patients and reschedule what I can.

But it's late, okay, and you've been driving for hours, and you need to be careful.

Please, you're a lifesaver.

I know.

So, you know, bring this lifesaver some strong plumb line as payment.

I can do that.

Drive safely.

Thank you.

How's that stereotypical, picturesque British countryside look?

Phew.

Seriously ominous.

American werewolf in London vibes.

Where are you?

Slow down.

Slow down

Are you kidding me?

Hey, you nearly hit me!

What the hell were you doing?

Lady!

Oh, oh my god, I am.

I'm so sorry.

Are you okay?

Are you hurt?

Yeah,

no.

I think I'm fine.

Just my heart jumping out of my chest is all.

But you really obliterated that bush.

Are you okay?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm fine.

I'm terribly sorry.

It's no excuse, but I

didn't see you.

And by the time I came around the bend, then I.

Hey, well, there's no sidewalk and it's dark.

Yeah.

I should have expected something like this.

But maybe just slow down?

Mm-hmm.

Are you sure you're okay?

Mm-hmm.

Yep.

You don't look okay.

Uh I just uh I just need to catch my breath.

Uh uh

w what why are you out here,

tourists to the parks?

No.

I'm heading to Cruxmont, a little village northwest of here.

Oh,

oh, or I hope I still am.

Oh, okay.

No damage.

Could you give me a ride into Cruxmont?

It's late and I'd hate to test my luck out on this road twice.

Uh

Yes, yes, I can give you a ride, but

sorry, first, you need to

show me your identification,

passport.

Oh,

sure.

I'm Neil Mitchell.

Right.

What are you doing?

I am

texting a photo of you, along with your name, a pin of my current location and the

time

to my

co-worker.

There you go.

Okay.

Cautious.

Yeah, okay.

I get it.

Yes, precisely.

Now, yeah, get in.

I don't want to be driving come midnight.

And again, I am so terribly sorry for the near miss.

Didn't see you around the bend.

No excuse for almost killing you, though.

Yeah, no harm done.

No

lasting harm.

Well, except for the shrub.

We're not very far from Cruxmont now.

I'm Gwen.

Your badge says Dr.

Kingston, so is that the kind of doctor that would be able to help me with a broken leg, or the kind of doctor that would select select a good poem for my eulogy.

The first kind.

Kind of good luck on my part, then.

I mean, if you're gonna get hit by a car, it's good to have a doctor nearby.

I can't imagine you intended to be hiking on these narrow roads at night without a light nail.

No, I didn't want to wait to get to Cruxmont, but I don't have a car, and I couldn't find a bus that was going out that way.

Uh-huh.

But uh, why is an American heading to such a tiny place?

There are hundreds of far more interesting things to see nearby, unless of course you're a plum connoisseur.

What?

No, I'm looking for someone.

Stop!

Do not move.

This is too, too many suspicious things in one night.

One wrong move, and I will hurt you.

Don't threaten me.

I haven't done anything.

I thought you were a doctor.

There's a body in the road, Gwen.

Don't Mind Cruxmont.

Written and created by K.A.

Stats.

Produced and directed with sound design by Travis Fengroff.

Edited with sound design mixing and mastering by Dane Leonardson.

and with script and casting consulting by Gemma Amore.

Starring Ajua Ando, Daniel Demerin, Erica Sanderson, and Heather McClellan, featuring additional voices by Sarah Golding, Robin Howell, Daniel Matthews, Penny Scott Andrews, Andy Crestwell, and Tanya Milojovich, with executive producers Dennis Greenhill, Michael Viegas, Carol Vengroff, and A.J.

Punkin, and music by Stephen Malin.

This episode would not be possible without the support of our listeners on Patreon, so please consider supporting us there at patreon.com slash foolandscholar, or by sharing this show with a friend.

This episode is copyrighted 2022 by Fool and Scholar Productions.

Thank you for listening.

You might think you know fairy tales, and you might think that they are cute and sweet and boring.

But the real grim fairy tales were not cute at all.

They were very dark, and they were often very grim.

On Grim, Grimmer, Grimmest, we tell a grim fairy tale to a bunch of kids.

Perfect for car rides or screen-free entertainment.

Grim, grimmer, grimmest activates kids' imaginations and instigates fun conversations.

Because fairy tales speak to all of us at a very deep, primal level, and they raise interesting topics and questions that are worth chewing over together as a family.

Every episode is rated Grimm, Grimmer, or Grimmest, so you, your kids, your whole family can choose what is the right level of Grimm for you.

Though, if you're listening with Grandma, she's just going to go for Grimmest.

Trust me on this one.

Tune in to Grim, Grimmer, Grimmest, and our new season.

Available now.

One of the players is not what they seem after a doppelganger, a creature that can assume the form and voice of whatever it kills, infiltrates the team.

As the players are picked off and replaced one at a time, can they figure out who the monster is before it's too late?

Can you?

Here's a quick example of what our show sounds like: the uh shambler with the jar of liquid inside of him.

Soren Arkwright let loose an arrow that cracked the glass, passing through the spine of the creature.

The shambler still managed to maintain its forward momentum, but stumbled as it eagerly tried to bite and swipe at Soren, landing near his feet.

As Jeff Goldbloom has now joined our cast, Dark Dice is available however you listen to podcasts.

DC high-volume Batman.

The Dark Knights definitive DC comic stories.

Adapted directly for audio for the very first time.

Fear.

I have to make them afraid.

He's got a motorcycle.

Get after him.

I'll have you shot.

He mean, blow up the building.

From this moment on,

none of you are safe.

New episodes every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts.