Festival

November 26, 2018·24 min·2 clips

Peri admits the world is a giant question mark for her, but searching for Ace gave her a way to navigate it.

The episode begins at a community festival with Perry, her parents, and Tomas, a younger sibling. On the drive over, Perry's father inadvertently reaches for the handle out of habit from riding with Ace, before catching himself. Perry notes she always thought Ace was a good driver, and her father acknowledges that Ace's death changed everything. During a quiet moment in the car, Perry's father shares what he calls things he and her mother decided not to tell her. He explains that Monica, Perry's mother, suffered from PTSD following a traumatic event involving a friend. The family isolated from their extended relatives and Monica threw herself into renovating their lighthouse. Perry's father describes how strangers who lent them tools became their new social circle, replacing a past they wanted to leave behind. He acknowledges that Perry's need for certainty in a chaotic world was something he and Monica noticed but could not address. When Ace died, the family fractured in a way her father says he did not think possible. At the festival, Perry interacts warmly with a younger child, chats with Tomas, and tries to enjoy the food trucks and games. She hints to Tomas that if she needs to leave suddenly, a walkie-talkie in her backpack will send a signal. While sitting with her mother, they talk about missing Ace and her mother's old habit of sewing clothes for her children. Perry suddenly hears or sees something and rushes to the ferris wheel for a higher vantage point. She spots what she is looking for. Perry runs back and tells her mother there is no time to explain — she believes she has found a way to reach Ace and has to leave immediately. Her father gives her the car without hesitation. Perry, her mother, and her father chase through a foggy town to find the lighthouse. They find Benny standing outside the lighthouse with a rope tied around her waist. Benny explains the lighthouse has been behaving strangely since Perry left — arriving slower and staying in the in-between space longer. Perry's parents meet Benny. Perry says her goodbyes, promising to write or call and to come back. Her mother gives her a hand-stitched coat. As the fog rolls in, Perry boards the lighthouse, which begins to disappear with her inside.

As heard by us

A relaxed family day where small jokes, rituals, and Ace's absence all land together.

Perry, his parents, and Tomas spend a day that moves from costumes and games to food and a walkie-talkie, and the loose talk gives the scene its shape.

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Why you'd press play

A tender family reunion that keeps grief close and goodbye even closer.

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