Have you ever met a fox, Sleepy?

[00:00:00] Hi Sleepy, just a very quick note before we start today's episode. Do you want to listen to this podcast without the ads? Then you absolutely can. Just subscribe to Fall Asleep with Henrik plus and to do so you can just click the link in the podcast description and it'll be fixed. See you there.

[00:00:23] Hi and welcome to Fall Asleep with Henrik. I'm Henrik and you're Sleepy and it is what it is. What happens happens and right now there is nothing we can do. So let's go.

[00:00:48] Hi Sleepy. It's me. I'm the problem. It's me. I'm Henrik and you are here because you probably heard of this podcast from a variant of news sources, aka social media.

[00:01:09] And I want to emphasize that this is not content in any real way. It's sort of, I will just speak and you can do whatever you want with my voice. You can listen to it to fall asleep.

[00:01:31] You can listen to it to relax and be distracted or you can just avoid listening to it, you know, just use my voice as sort of a background noise. And as you can hear, I am not originally English speaking, which is why my accent is weird and off-putting to some.

[00:02:01] But it is what it is. This is what I got. I don't have anything else to use. I am not. Well, I am from Sweden and this is how I speak when I speak English.

[00:02:22] So this podcast is the English equivalent of a Swedish podcast that I've been running for, well, is it seven years now? I am called Somna med Henrik, which is a falling asleep podcast in Swedish. And that's my whole livelihood, really. I am sort of, yeah, exclusive in that sense that I have one podcast that I make a living out of.

[00:02:51] And I put hundreds of thousands of people in Sweden and Norway and Finland to sleep each week. And this is my tryout. And it's been almost a year now since I started. And initially I had this goal of reaching one million listeners within one year. And that date is soon here.

[00:03:19] And I think maybe when I reach that date, I'm going to make some sort of a presentation because it's gone better than I ever could have expected. But spoiler alert, I haven't reached one million listeners yet. So if you have it in you, share my nonsense to your friends and loved ones.

[00:03:43] So what I do here in this podcast is that I talk a lot of bullshit. I don't say much of use. Or maybe I am, maybe I will. And then, well, then you, then that's purely by accident.

[00:04:08] But it's nevertheless, just use whatever you find useful. And don't listen to whatever you find not useful. And today I thought I might tell you a story. Maybe like a fairy tale of sorts.

[00:04:35] As always, I will begin by saying once upon a time, in the far-flung kingdom of Aurelia, there lived a king whose castle walls gleamed with gold. While his villages languished in squalor. I don't know if you can say that.

[00:05:07] Squalor, is that a word? I heard that somewhere. Well, though the realm proudly proclaimed itself the free kingdom of Aurelia. Freedom in Aurelia was, how can I put this,

[00:05:34] sort of a fragile masquerade, masquerade, masquerade, masquerade within its borders. In every tavern and market stalls, whispers told of how King Ulrich,

[00:05:59] boasted that under his benevolent rule, the land was the freest and richest of all kingdoms. Under the sun. Why is it that every time someone tells you anything, that is something? Why is it that they always say under the sun,

[00:06:27] as if nothing, as if anything could exist under any other entity, you know? Everything exists under the sun. I think it's, whenever I hear bold, like self-describatory expressions like that, there's so much under the sun, you know?

[00:06:57] I think it's a nonsense expression because under the sun is like everything, so of course there's a lot, you know? But in this particular kingdom, beneath the sunlit proclamations, were long shadows of want and worry.

[00:07:25] The common folk, well, they toiled from dawn to dusk, but saw little for their labor, as it is. And then there was this handful of noble lords who grew fat and prosperous. And King Ulrich, he held a court in a grand palace

[00:07:52] of marble pillars and crystal windows, perched atop a hill. In a capital city of, that was called Oremford. Yeah, that's the proper way to express, no, that's not, God, my English people, please, why do you even bother

[00:08:21] listening to this? I mean, why, why do I try, you know? Okay, Oremford was the name of the city, and every day, courtiers in silken robes strutted through the king's gilded halls,

[00:08:48] their laughter echoing under ceilings painted with images of heroic kings of old. And King Ulrich surrounded himself with those who flattered him. You know, that was his modus operandi, as you say. So then there was this guy, he, he was this vice president kind of dude, and his name was Lord Severin.

[00:09:18] Yeah, I know that's from Harry Potter, Severin Snape. Yeah, but now, okay, so now that's his name. I'm sorry. I, I just say words, you know. So Lord Severin, he was this vice president type, he's, he was like this, if you could describe him in a word that is not too common, I would use the word silver tongued.

[00:09:48] Because that's really how I would describe him. And then there was this guy called Sir Garrick, he was his general of the royal guard, and Duke Roderick, who were, who were like Lord Treasurer, whose coffers overflowed, even as the royal granaries emptied.

[00:10:18] Granaries. Is that the word? These three people, which names I might forget, I don't know, were King Ulrich's most loyal sycophants. They praised each decree he made, no matter how unjust, and devised clever

[00:10:48] justifications to disguise to disguise their greed as the kingdom's good. This is for the good of the kingdom, they said. In truth, of course, it was these lords and a few other wealthy barons who held true power in Aurelia. they owned the fertile farmlands and bustling workshops and they fixed the rules so coin

[00:11:17] flowed ever upward into their vaults and peasants and other low-standing people paid crushing taxes families supposedly for the defense of the realm against distant quote-unquote monsters and foreign threats that never seemed to

[00:11:47] materialize although no one ever mentioned that traveling bards were ordered to sing only the king's glory and any whisper of discontent was branded as the work of witches or traitors or the monsters from abroad it was said that beyond the city walls in the

[00:12:17] humble villages mothers lulled their children to sleep not with tales of dragons or trolls but with warnings to stay silent lest the king's spies hear them complaining of whatever reason people have a lot of reasons to complain I always think of

[00:12:47] complaint as some sort of very important human quality every living being can complain is that correct I'm not sure can plants complain well anyway animals can complain insects I don't know about those but

[00:13:17] people we as a species we have like this enormous talent for complaining and we tend to see it as something bad but really complaint is isn't isn't complaining sort of an outlet a way to relieve yourself or is it the opposite maybe I know

[00:13:47] people who complain a lot and they tend to build up pressure so maybe you should complain but you shouldn't lock the door on the complaint you know I'm not talking about my mouth as the door I'm talking about my emotional door like I can complain about stuff but never

[00:14:16] you know come to any closure I can never I can choose not to let go of whatever bothers me you know and that's the closed way of complaining but then you can complain as a way of looking at the world like oh the weather is so cold you know and then you can look at the cold weather

[00:14:46] and you can say yes to it you know so that type of complaining is good although I'm not sure about the people of Aurelia if they complain in that way despite all of this complaining the monarchy's motto engraved above the throne read in terms of like freedom and fortune for all in

[00:15:16] gold but the gold had been taken the gold for the actual letters had been taken from the very Aurelia alas belonged only to those in opulent mansions however as often happens in sagas sagas sagas

[00:15:45] as it often is in sagas of old where tyranny grows bold fate was weaving an unexpected thread through the tapestry of Aurelia's story in a small hamlet on the edge of the whispering elderwood forest lived oh my god that was such a that was a bad name

[00:16:14] for a fantasy forest elderwood I mean can you be more mainstream than that I'm sorry sleepy I just I guess the truth is I'm not that bright I mean that's probably the yeah well

[00:16:44] this isn't supposed to make you feel like oh my god this guy I mean he's so okay so okay I'm a mainstream storyteller so this wood is called elderwood and there young man called jack known to his neighbors as a good hearted

[00:17:14] trickster like Loki in the Scandinavian old Norse religion and jack was a simple miller's son clever as a fox and light on his feet as a cat and he also was light on his feet in terms of it was easy to get him to bed he was light footed but that's a totally different story but yeah I just

[00:17:44] so you know and from childhood he had had this spark in his eye and a talent for pranks well mostly harmless pranks that were you know people they he made people smile you know he wasn't a menace like Dennis the menace he would leave carved wooden mice

[00:18:14] in the baker's pantry or trade the blacksmith's heavy hammer with a wooden replica only to reveal the joke with a grin before any harm was done his mischief was always in good humor and often he used it to well help those

[00:18:44] around him while like the time he outwitted a greedy tax collector by secretly reweighting the man's scales so the grain tax that was demanded was far less so he was a good trickster you know and Jack had grown up hearing tales of great heroes and cunning rogues from

[00:19:14] traveling storytellers who sometimes passed through the hamlet in those over injustice as he grew he watched the taxes rise and the smiles of his neighbors fade and he saw old farmer Bram it wasn't Bram Stoker

[00:19:44] although it could have been very well but he saw his old neighbor Bram lose his well he couldn't he couldn't really pay a new land improvement fee that only enriched the Duke himself and he saw a kindly healer woman

[00:20:13] old Marjorie accused of witchcraft for speaking against the king's taxmen and dragged off in chains one moonless night all right all right and each time he saw any of that Jack's blood burned with quiet anger the injustice he once only heard of in

[00:20:43] stories was now before his eyes begging for a champion if not a knight in shining armor then perhaps a clever fool with a few tricks up his sleeve and one autumn evening as the leaves turned golden like much like the coins in the king's vault

[00:21:11] king what was his name Ulrich then one evening Jack came upon a strange sight at the edge of elderwood in what do you call it a swamp a glade in a glade in a moonlit glade he found

[00:21:42] he he didn't he didn't found he found an old beggar woman with an old corky walking stick surrounded by three of the king's soldiers they mocked her tattered cloak and demanded she surrender a charm she wore on a chain

[00:22:11] a tiny vial of glowing green liquid and they were of course accusing her of witchery and to be stirring dissent with the cursed potions and the woman the old torn woman insisted that this was merely a herbal draught for cleansing water

[00:22:39] but the soldiers they seized her and they seized it the bottle and they bound their hands no they didn't bound their own hands that would be counterproductive they bound her hands together and Jack saw this he had hid behind a broad trunk of an oak

[00:23:08] and immediately he knew that he had to act and he wasn't a warrior I don't want this to be a story about this macho warrior guy I often tend to tell hero stories about women I don't know really why or though I know why because I have always felt more drawn to

[00:23:39] it's easier to tell interesting stories with female heroes because when you're telling stories about male heroes you fall into so many traps about what a man a hero man I should say should be you know anyway he had his he had his wits and he crept into the bush

[00:24:08] and let out this fearsome weird dream like howl like a prowling wolf a startling sound that echoed through the glade and the soldiers of course were greatly superstitious so they stopped in in the middle of what they were doing and they hesitated and before they could

[00:24:38] gather their wits Jack threw his voice in a high crackle imitating a forest spirit and he he said well of course let me just put it out there that there are no forest spirits in this saga or maybe there are I don't know yet but it's yeah

[00:25:11] this was purely fiction from Jack's point of view from Jack's side and he as this forest spirit with this crackled voice he said you shouldn't harm this wise woman because whomever harms her shall feel the forest's fury and he was shaking a branch to rustle the leaves and the soldiers that were already nervous about witchcraft

[00:25:41] turned pale and they panicked and in their panic they stumbled over each other and bolted away dropping the vial and Jack stepped out laughing as the bullies fled towards their cozy barracks in autumn ford and he picked up the woman's vial and returned it to her

[00:26:13] under the moonlight the bent old beggar from which they had took on the vial so nasty the vial shimmered strangely and also the old woman started to shimmer strangely and to Jack's amazement she suddenly stood taller and her rags transformed

[00:26:42] into a cloak embroidered with symbols of the ancient forest of elderwood and her face though lined with age held well I should call them kind eyes that gleamed with magic have you ever seen eyes gleaming with magic sleepy I

[00:27:12] think I have I just can't remember on which person those eyes were attached is it a proper way to talk about eyes that they are actually attached to someone I don't know anyway this old woman was not merely a beggar but one of the elderwood's wise folk

[00:27:42] like one of those who the king's men feared and persecuted it was the magical eyed woman let's call her that and she said to Jack that wow man that was awesome man

[00:28:12] wow man you should you should be in television man that was epic and the voice was both gentle and strong have you ever heard a voice sleepy that is both gentle and strong you named an old healer tonight she said not with swords but with trick simplicity

[00:28:42] that's not a word I know and wit and such courage and And such, you know, backbone are rare these days in Aurelia. And Jack felt a swell of both pride and sorrow. I did only what was right.

[00:29:14] You can't just go around threatening old ladies and taking their possessions for whatever reason. What has become of a kingdom when this is normal? What has become of a place on earth where this happens on a regular basis?

[00:29:43] What has become of a kingdom where the king would rather blame quote-unquote wishes for the kingdom's ills than see the truth of his own deeds? Isn't that weird?

[00:29:59] Who would want to be in power so badly that, you know, the wise woman smiled? A sad, knowing smile.

[00:30:23] And she said that those in King Ulrich's court fear truth like a thief fears light. This so-called free kingdom is bound in invisible chains of greed and fear.

[00:30:42] But the thing with chains is that they can be broken, she said. And she peered at Jack as if seeing something beyond the surface. So there's a destiny about you, Jack, she said. The winds of change whisper at your back.

[00:31:10] Perhaps you might be, you know, as they say in the stories, the chosen one to teach our rulers a lesson. As you taught those soldiers tonight a lesson. And Jack blinked in surprise. He was just a miller's clever son, a villager prankster. Could he really stand up to a king and his mighty lords?

[00:31:39] I'm just one person, he said. The king has an army and the lords have all the gold. What can one tricks to do against their might? And the old lady's eyes twinkled. She pressed the tiny glowing vial into Jack's hand.

[00:32:06] Sometimes one small firefly can light up the darkest forest, my boy. And sometimes a single fool can topple a tyrant where an army could not. You could fight forever with all the gold and all the men in the world. And you still couldn't do what you just did.

[00:32:36] Take this potion. It's distilled from forest herbs and a pinch of saliva and also magic. And it can change the drinker's appearance for an hour or two. Just use it wisely for enchantments like this are, yeah, known to be not to be trifled with lightly.

[00:33:07] So Jack closed his fingers around the warm vial because it was warm actually, feeling hope bundling up in his chest. And the idea that he might spark change with hope and cunning instead of force and money stirred him, you know. Have you ever been stirred?

[00:33:38] Okay, so this is interesting. In Sweden, stirred means bothered. You know? It's spelled differently. But stirred is bothered. Disturbed. And stirred is like something you do when you stir something.

[00:34:07] Whenever you're chosen, the question must come up. Don't you agree? Why me? Why would you trust me with this gift? And Jack asked this magically eyed woman the same. And she, of course, just laughed and said that I can see it in your eyes. I feel it in my fingers.

[00:34:37] I feel it in my toes. Magic is all around me. And so the feeling grows. And Aurelia needs more souls like you. The balance has been tipped toward the cruel and cunning in high places for too long. A little mischief might help set it right, don't you think?

[00:35:04] And the wind sighed through the trees as if agreeing. And Jack realized that this moment, this chance meeting under the autumn moon was a call to adventure. And he thought of all the injustices he had witnessed.

[00:35:34] Farmer Bram's loss. And like the old woman taken away. And the hungry children, all the hungry children in the village. And his playful nature had always brought small sparks of joy to those around him. And perhaps it was time to use his wits on a grander stage for the good of all Aurelia.

[00:36:02] So Jack straightened and bowed respectfully to the wise woman. Thank you, he said. I will do my best, man. It was so weird. Like many years ago when Presidents Trump and Biden had a debate. And President Biden said, Shut up, man.

[00:36:32] That sounded so unprecedentedly. I'm not saying that Trump is more president-like. I'm not saying that at all. Maybe this story is about what's happening in the U.S. I don't know. I wouldn't go so far as to say that that's my meaning and my purpose with this episode. But, well, you can read into it whatever you want. From whatever world you're coming from.

[00:37:03] So anyway, Jack, he promised he would use his own abilities to loosen the grip of those who call themselves the masters of Aurelia. And the woman reached out and gently stroke his cheek like a grandmother. And she said,

[00:37:32] Remember one thing about those men. Pride and greed are what drives them and also their weakness. Play on them. Play on those. And even the mighty can stumble over their own feet. And it is done. It's been done constantly in our world.

[00:38:01] Smarter evil men are manipulating dumber evil men. Playing on their greed and their pride. And then her voice turns stern for a moment. Take care you do not become like those you seek to foil. A true trickster serves truth and balance.

[00:38:30] Not his own glory. Keep your heart light. Remember that you too will perish. Remember that you too will leave this world behind with nothing as you came into it. And you are truly naked in every sense of the word. Remember this always.

[00:39:02] And Jack said, Yeah, sure, man. And then the old woman melted back into the shadows of Elderwood as if the forest swallowed her whole. And Jack was left standing in the moonlight. Dancing in the moonlight. Ooh, what a feeling. Dancing on the ceiling, he said.

[00:39:28] And the vial of the potion with the shape-shifting qualities laid clutched in his hand. And above him the full moon shone. And it seemed to illuminate a path through the dark trees leading towards the distant lights of Aurumford.

[00:39:56] The capital, in the far distance, on the hill, the king's palace glimmered faintly. A crown of lights on the horizon. And Jack drew a deep breath. The crisp night air tingled in his lungs.

[00:40:22] When was the last time you felt crisp night air tingle in your lungs, sleepy? I don't really remember when I had that feeling. But it's like dancing in the ceiling, on the ceiling.

[00:40:45] And Jack carefully hung the potion vial around his neck on his leather cord. And set off on the road toward the capital.

[00:41:12] As he walked, a fox darted across his path and paused to look at him with bright, intelligent eyes. Jack gave a little bow to the fox. As one trickster acknowledging another. And then continued, determined on his way.

[00:41:41] Have you ever met a fox, sleepy? I have actually, several times. We had a fox outside of the house where I used to live. Both when I was a child and also as a grown-up. These are two different foxes, mind you. And they were very friendly.

[00:42:09] The first fox, when I was a kid, were friendly but shy and scared and very careful. And my parents fed him. I can't remember what they fed him though. Milk and cookies. And then, many years later, we moved to a house. Me and my family.

[00:42:36] And there was this fox in the forest outside of our little community. And the fox was blind on one eye. But other than that, it was a healthy fox. I don't know if it was a wealthy fox. I don't know. But it was healthy nevertheless. Nevertheless.

[00:43:01] And two times it has approached me. Rubbing its fur against me. And it's a very xenomorphic feeling. Because foxes are normally not part of my everyday life.

[00:43:26] And thus, under the quiet gaze of the moon and the stars and the wind whispering in the branches of the trees, the trees began the journey of Jack, the trickster, an unlikely hero on a quest to outwit a king and his council of oligarchs. And the wind of change were indeed blowing.

[00:43:55] And a saga of cunning and courage was about to unfold. Whether or not we have time to tell it in this episode, we don't know. Jack arrived, the free nation of Aurelia, the capital, the Aurumford.

[00:44:21] And he arrived there just as the morning sun gilded the high stone walls of the capital. The city bustled with activity. Merchants were opening their stalls, calling out about spices from distant lands. And fabrics dyed in every color and nobles in fine velvet road. Road?

[00:44:51] Roaded? What is it called when you ride a horse? When people do it in plural and in past tense? The road, right? Nobles rode past. Beggars in rags without so much as a glance.

[00:45:15] And Jack pulled his simple cloak tight around himself, observing everything with keen eyes. This was very far from his quiet hamlet back home. Here, wealth and poverty stood in stark contrast on every street corner. And in his old hamlet, poverty was all around. But here he could see both sides.

[00:45:44] And the fact that none of them, none of the sides really cooperated. It was like the poor side and the rich side were on opposite sides of an unbreakable glass window. And there was this grand event approaching.

[00:46:09] King Ulrik was preparing to celebrate the 10th year of his reign with a lavish royal festival. For three days and nights, there would be feasts, tournaments and entertainments in the palace courtyards.

[00:46:29] And the common folk were allowed to partake in outer courtyard festivities after paying a fee, of course, which went to the king's treasury. While the inner court would host the high lords and ladies. And poor people weren't allowed in there.

[00:46:53] And rumor had it that the king was in great spirits. Because Duke Roderick, the treasurer, had presented record tax connections that year. Though those taxes had drained the countryside dry.

[00:47:17] To flaunt his prosperous rule, Ulrik intended to showcase unprecedented goods. Tables overflowing with roasted peacocks and whatnot.

[00:47:47] And spiced wine. Minstrels and acrobats from every corner of the land. And even a menagerie of exotic animals caged for his high-born guests' amusement. And what truly caught Jack's attention was talk that he heard that the king's previous jester,

[00:48:17] Farlow, had been thrown into the dungeons a week prior for a joke that too pointantly suggested the king was as blind as a bat. In the context of him missing a target in an archery contest. And King Ulrik did not appreciate being laughed at unless he was in on the joke.

[00:48:45] And this particular joke implied that he was less of a man. Nevertheless, it seemed thus a vacancy had opened for a new royal fool to entertain during the festival.

[00:49:07] And everyone was abuzz with potential replacement people performing in front of the king. Like, jokers and troops and people from far lands were gathering for sort of an audition in the throne room. And this audition were going to take place the very next day.

[00:49:40] A fool for a king, Jack said, whispered under his breath. Now, that's the role I was born to play. And he grinned. And he realized that this was actually the perfect opportunity to get close to Ulrik and his advisors.

[00:50:04] If he could win the position of court jester, he would have licensed to move freely in the palace and speak words disguised as nonsense that might carry truth, as is with every jester. You can say whatever you want, because it's just for fun, right?

[00:50:34] That evening, Jack used a few coins to purchase something like a motley garb from a rag seller. A patchwork of bright fabrics suitable for a jester costume. And he spent the whole night in a noisy inn, slipping away without paying at dawn,

[00:51:04] after performing a quick card trick for the innkeeper that left the man happily distracted and so he didn't have to pay. And then he joined this long line of performers heading to the palace.

[00:51:23] So there were jugglers tossing their knives, a pair of clowns on stilts, a lute-playing singer, a singing songwriter, a bard, and a trained monkey, and a lot of dancing bears.

[00:51:43] And inside the palace, like the outer court, dozens of hopefuls awaited their turn to amuse the king. And Jack watched through a side door as one by one they went into the throne room. He heard laughter at times and groans at others.

[00:52:16] And the trained monkey apparently tried to steal Duke Roderick's wig, judging by the commotion and the king's irritated shouts and the sound of the monkey's owner's head being shoved off live on stage.

[00:52:38] Which is, I realize that now, not suitable to talk about in a sleep podcast, but then again, here I am. It is what it is. What happens, happens. At least I don't have a monkey, Jack whispered to himself. And then his turn came. He stepped into the gleaming throne room,

[00:53:07] feeling the eyes of King Ulrich and all his assembled lords upon him. And the king lounged on his gilded throne, a bejeweled goblet in hand. Lord Severin, the chancellor, stood at the king's right, whispering something silver-tongued into Ulrich's ear,

[00:53:35] likely a commentary on each act. And Sir Garrick, the general, stood stiffly at attention near a column, still as a statue in his polished armor, clearly extremely uninterested in foolery and such.

[00:54:10] There was also a lot of other people there, like audience audience, but not audience in any real way. These were selected journalists that pleased the Lord to have in the room. So Jack began with a low bow to show him the king and the other guests in the room that

[00:54:39] he really, he was a humble subject and he exaggerated the bow so that he somersaulted forward and landed sitting cross-legged and there was actually a great chuckle from the lords and then he said, greetings great king and

[00:55:09] his voice was high and silly and he continued, I am but a humble fool come to spread joy and then he started he juggled three brightly painted balls with ease and as he did he began like very fast talk comedic patter

[00:55:40] such like oh noble lords and ladies what a fine court this is so fine that even the mice in the pantry wear silk and they laughed a bit some of the lesser people in the room laughed and Jack felt empowered and he continued weaving jokes that danced just on the edge

[00:56:10] of propriety and he said they say king Ulrich's kingdom is the richest of all watching the balls that he juggled why even the peasants eat bread with golden crusts and some of the actual peasants in the room laughed very silently though a few

[00:56:40] of the more dignified guests narrowed their eyes unsure if that was a gist at the poor king Ulrich raised an eyebrow but Jack instantly followed with a physical gag to distract him pulling an apple from his pocket balancing

[00:57:10] it on his head and then pretending to struggle to reach it as though his stomach itself were trying to eat like the apple and then the king laughed slapping his knee and then Jack saw an opportunity and he took a risk and

[00:57:40] he threw in a rhyme and the rhyme was our wise king's coffers overflow with treasure for he ensures all pay their due measure he takes from the rich and also the poor but worry not good folk

[00:58:10] he'll not ask for more unless he needs it then just one coin more for the sake of the monsters that never manifests and the room went absolutely electric with nervous nervousness and and

[00:58:40] everyone looked at the king and duke roderick nearly choked on his wine and chancellor Severin shot the king a quick glance to see his reaction and Ulrich was flushed either from drink or the audacity of the rhyme his expression teetered between a frown and a smile

[00:59:10] and Jack he realized that now he needed to be smart and fast so he immediately softened the moment by crossing his eyes and saying coin coin everywhere but not a crumb to eat oh dear coin coin

[00:59:39] everywhere but not a crumb to eat oh dear I've gotten my rhymes and reasons all mixed up someone must have put ale in my water in my cup this self deprecating silliness made the king roar with laughter

[01:00:09] and Ulrik enjoyed a fool's antics especially when the fool mocked himself after making a fool out of himself out of himself okay sleepy so I didn't this is what can I what

[01:00:39] oh my god there's been an hour already so maybe I will continue this saga another time but not right now because I've made a promise to well anyone really that the episodes should not be longer than one hour so here we are and I bid you good night and what

[01:01:09] do you think this story is all about and what do you think well maybe it's a good thing that I leave this story open here I mean maybe we're all jack right now wouldn't you say that there's a bit of jack in us right now that we have a bit of a jack opportunity wouldn't you say that with wit comes great responsibility

[01:01:41] so let's use our wit shall we good night sleepy happy