Music Welcome to Snewscast, the podcast designed to help you fall asleep. Find us at snoozecast.com and if you enjoy our show, please share us with a friend. This episode is brought to you by Deep Dives. Tonight, we'll read the first half to the Otter Opal, a newscast original. The second half will air in the next episode. In this story, we shall meet two sea otters, named Toma and Nutsum, as they float above the kelp forest. The story is set along a coastline that feels quietly enchanted, where breaching whales appear like punctuation, and the sea's rhythm gently matches the internal tide of thought. We begin as tamadas suspended between waking and dreaming, wondering where the day might carry him. Let's get cozy. Close your eyes. Relax your body into the softness of your Bad.

Now, take a few deep breaths. Tama stirred awake from the dream world, an ancient magic he supposed. In this strange place, every night, he was able to perform in practical physical feats, as was the case last evening. When he found himself diving down deeper below the surface of the water, then he had ever dived before. He noticed, though, in this state that if it ever occurred to him the improbability of his present situation, the illusion of this ethereal sphere was broken, and he transitioned slowly into his present mindfulness, which was to be floating gently in the sea as the waters dark blue waves lapped around him. this ephemeral transition, he walked a very short path from his subconscious to his present awareness and was seemingly one with each small wave that gently lifted him him, and lowered him. He thought of the kelp he clutched in his little brown paw. He thought of the ocean at large. With a hipnopompic gaze he found himself asking, Who am I? And realized it was a question that could not be answered. Another ancient magic he chuckled, the world was full of them. The sea was wise, and it It had a sense of humor, too. Tomas furry eyelids opened.

The sun had yet to make formal introduction, but still managed to push a raspberry sherbert glow up above the tree line in the distance on the shore. Tamas smiled. loved this time of day, and relished watching the inky wash of shadows, fade, and take on the familiar shapes and colors of the coastline he was accustomed to. The carob-colored kelp forest drifted alongside him, and a handful of large leaf-like blades wrapped around his long, sleek body, which kept him in place while he slept. Tomah liked to sleep away from groups in the evening.

During the day though, he would mostly stay with the raft during their communal nap. Tama looked north and saw a larger otter surface with zeal several lengths away. He did a handful of back flips off of a nearby sea-stack and happily started swimming towards him. Not some, Tomacride. You were in my dream last night. I hope it was a good one. Not some chuckled broad and low. His deep laugh rang out across the water, almost certainly rousing anyone still slumbering. Above them a group of lazy seagulls silhouetted against the rosy sky, hung on some thermals, biting their time. Tama breathed a deep sigh and wondered how nutsome always seemed to be at ease, even when he was going through some physical or mental hardship. He was good-natured as well, but it was like comparing a cloud and calm skies to a thunder cloud waiting to crack open with rain. Tamah was energetic, and he longed for the peaceful resting state that seemed to encompass not some being. It was a good dream. Tamah had replied, I mean, I think it was. Tama paused. Well you have a captive audience. Not some grand and drifted closer. Grabbing onto the same piece of kelp that Tama was holding. Tama studied Nutsam's face. The cream-colored visage, even paler with age. The dark, diamond-shaped nose. And the friendly whiskers poking out in all directions like sunbeams. Tama indulged him. Well, I don't remember much," he said.

But you and I were floating on the surface of the water, and we had just eaten, and there was something I wanted to prove to you. I wanted you to know that I could dive deeper and hold my breath longer than anyone before or anyone after. But you didn't care. That bothered me, I guess. So I decided to prove it to you. Why would you need to prove it to me if I didn't care? I'm a ignored nutsome, so I closed my eyes and I dived down. And as I was diving, I realized I hadn't even asked you to count for me because I knew it would last so long you wouldn't have even needed to count. You would just know. And you would tell everyone that you had seen this, and I eventually opened my eyes underwater, and it was completely dark, and I realized I had dove deeper than the sunshine. But once I was excited by this fact, I felt myself waking up.

Not some waited this time to make sure he was finished.

Finally, he asked,

so what do you think it means?

Tama considered this for a moment, but he didn't know. Let's eat," Tama finally said. Nutsum agreed, and they swam off in the direction of their shared favorite breakfast spot. They took the shoreline north for some distance and traveled in silence. After arriving in their favorite cove to Forage, Taman Nutsum spent some time diving down and coming back up with various edible treasures. They floated on their backs and embraced the morning sun. Nutsum took out his favorite rock from the pocket under his right forearm, a rather unassuming piece of granite. Smoother with age, Tama had not known not some to use any other rock since becoming acquainted with him many years ago. Nutsum went about the ritual of opening the sea urchin using his furry chest with the rock, which he called Old Top, in the center as an anvil. Tama followed suit for his own breakfast. Nutsum noticed Tama was yet again using a new rock for this purpose. Nutsum had not known Tama to be satisfied with any rock for a significant amount of time, and was generally always on the lookout for the perfect rock." Nutsum commented, "'What happened to that nice piece of gob-ro you were using last week?' my answer. It was sort of poking me in one spot in my pocket. I could never really get comfortable with it. So what's this new one here? Just a piece of basalt I found last night. It's temporary, you know, until something better comes along. I see, still using that moldy old piece of granite, ain't it, Tama gently ripped Nutsum knowing he could take it. Old, yes, moldy, certainly not. Nutsum smiled wide, causing his eyes to shrink. It served me well for well over. Nutsum looked up and tried to remember how long he had had old top four. Well, at any rate, a long time. Tama nodded. The surf rolled against the shore. The goal's cold. In the distance, a humpback breached and splashed back down. The ocean is a mighty harmonist. Notutsum said after some time, staring up at the serulean sky. Tama rolled his eyes. Nutsum had a new quote about the sea every day. He was certain they were not his own, but he had no way to prove it. Quotes never helped finding more urchins or clams for that matter, so Tama took his friend's daily observations in stride. Last week when Tama got into an argument with Shnath about something trivial, not some pulled them both outside of the group float and said, we are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface, but connected in the deep. Tama felt embarrassed, and Shnant just shook his head, but the matter was dropped. The week before, when Thomas had once again lost the weakly cove race, second to last place, and was upset at another defeat, Nutsome attempted to console him. The cure for anything is salt water, sweat, tears, or the sea. Not some pushed off towards the open water and playfully splashed away. Once he was out of air-shot, Tom will call out, you know we live in the sea, right? Back at breakfast, Tama resolved himself to confront his friend on his frequent maxims. Nuddy, what does that have to do with anything? Nutsome had accidentally fallen into a little nap. Nuddy? Hmm? Oh, yes, well. What do you think it means? I don't know. That's why I'm asking you. Hmm, well, to be quite honest with you, sometimes these things come to me and I feel compelled to say them, but I'm not sure if I understand fully either. Tama was a little surprised, and not sure if his friend was joking. Really? Tama said. Nutsum just shrugged. The ocean works in mysterious ways, I guess. Emmaama was about to ask him something else, but Nutsum had already departed further up the shoreline still. Come on, Nutsum called back. We're going to miss the mid-morning group float. Tama rolled over and let the food debris sink to the bottom of the cove as he followed his friend still with questions in tow. They headed out past the cove to a little inlet where many otters like to come for their afternoon nap. The raft of otters was just up ahead, depending on the conditions of the day and the availability of food, sometimes a thousand or more would gather in this particular inlet to wrap themselves in seaweed and float together. On this particular day, there were about a hundred or so. Most of the orders nut some new on a first-name basis. Everyone settled into a comfortable wrap and they digested breakfast. The ocean waves cradled them as an anchor of kelp secured them strongly to the seafloor. In general practice, it was considered rude to talk during the beginning of the mid-morning float, but after most otters had got in a bit of shudder, some lively conversations tended to pick up before they broke off again to feed in the afternoon. Tama was just coming too when he overheard Kahook, a rather sprightly juvenile, bragging about a fantastic rock, he had seen beyond the shoreline closer to the tree line, where the land-wellers would gather and point out at the ocean. This is where most land-wellers congregated, right by the giant metal tower with the landweller symbols in red at the top. Kahooak was describing the rock to a group of pups. I'm telling you, it was amazing. You ever watched the landwellers stack rocks before? What's that? What's that? The pups cried in unison. It's that funny thing they do by the ocean sometimes. They take a big rock and then a not-so-big rock and so on until they have a stack of rocks just sitting there. I've never seen that!" one exclaimed. What are you talking about? They do it all the time. Anyways, the ones I see too. So I'm watching this one landweller towards the end one night, and he's by a big bright, that him and some other landwellers made earlier,

and the other ones leave to go back into the forest, and he starts stacking. Ho-Hum, right? Well, his last rock that he puts up on the top of the stack, you know? Well, Well, this last rock, well I'm not even sure what to say. It was indescribable. Describe it. They cried out. Okay, well, as Kahuaq attempted to describe the rock he saw to the pups, Tama quickly pulled Natsum aside, awakening him in the process. Nadi, we gotta go. There's this rock. No time to explain. Will you come with me? Natsum just gently muttered to himself. Thomas started splashing him in the face. Nuddy, we've got to go! Okay, okay. Nutsum said. Waving him off. Let me just say goodbye to. There's no time. And with that, Toma grabbed not some spa and swam beneath the surface, navigating the two out of the raft. Finding the location was easy enough. They simply needed to orient themselves toward the metal tower that rose high above the tree line. The tower, which once seemed far away, ever increasingly became larger as the two paddled quickly. This was easy work with their bellies full of urchins from the large breakfast they enjoyed together. What do you suppose those symbols mean? Hama asked, referring to the marks on the metal tower. Land wellers meet here, not some ventured gas. Seems sort of obvious, no. Toma remarked.

Not some shrugged. Well, what do you suppose? Meet here, land-wellers. Toma said. Not some chuckled. Look, Tomacride, there it is, and there it was indeed. Unmistakable, uncartic Oracle, unquestionable, a piece of the sun, the unknowable deep and immovable mountain. Sitting on top of a stack of flat, unassuming grey slabs was the perfect rock. Not some was about to ask Tama what his plan was, but Tama had already begun racing to the shore. Some otters fell into a camp that vowed to never grace land. Tama was not one of those otters and be lined it just as fast as he could. Dichang, the basalt stone from his pocket along the way? He would have no need for it soon. Intrigued, not some watched as his friend dove headfirst into this endeavour, He admired Thomas boldness, but frankly did not understand his obsession with finding the perfect rock. The perfect rock was one that worked, and as far as he could They both enjoyed breakfast this morning.

Something curious. and as far as he could tell, they both enjoyed breakfast this morning.

Something curious happened once Tama reached the shoreline. A male landweller appeared at the tree line. Almost as if he had been watching the two previously before deciding to let his presence be known. Hazel, come look. One of the otters is coming ashore. He was a pleasant looking fellow as far as land wellers go. Tall and lanky. The clothes he wore were white and loose fitting. He had a long brown beard and calm eyes. What is it, John? So, came running out behind the tree line onto the beach and stood next to John. Oh, my goodness! Well, he's a tenacious little one, isn't he? She said. that some could see Toma paused briefly as?" she said.

Natsum could see Tama paused briefly as he assessed the situation. There was about an even length between where Tama held still at the high water mark to the rock stack as there was from the rock stack to the two land wellers standing at the edge of the tree line. Even though this was not his domain and he was ill-suited for running along the land. Tama decided this was his best and perhaps his only option to nab the rock. From Nutsum's vantage, it appeared that John seemed to realize in a split second what Thomas was after.

The galaxy opal, John cried and started toward the rock stack.

What? Hazel called after, but John was already running at top speed to the center of the beach and landwellers, although bad at many things otters are great at, can run rather fast. The problem was, Tama had had the head start, and although scuttling around the sand was not his specialty, he was of course feeling particularly motivated. Before John could close in, Tama hopped up on his hind legs right in front of the stack, swiped the rock and quickly tucked it into his pocket in one smooth motion. Without looking back, he hurried back into the safety of the sea. While Thomas whammed back towards Nutsom, Nutsom noticed the dejected John one, throw his hands up into the air. He didn't look excessively angry, though.

Not some had the sense that John almost expected this to happen, but wasn't sure where that thought

came from. Hazel came over and comforted him but was laughing a bit as well. I got the whole thing on video. Was the last thing not some heard before Thomas' labored breathing drowned out any sound from the shore. I did it, I did it, tumma-panted. What now? Not some said. Let's get out of here. They swam back south towards the inland. Naturally, there was much to discuss, but due to the effort involved upon arriving, they quickly fell asleep to regain their strength. Yn yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n yw'n y