Small Fires, Little Pools
“Small Fires, Little Pools” is episode #324 of the Adventures in Odyssey audio series. It was written and directed by Phil Lollar, and originally aired on July 22, 1995.
Summary
When an outbreak of vandalism hits Odyssey, the gang at Whit's End tries to find out who's responsible.
Plot
Jack Allen wakes up early one morning in the middle of a nightmare and is startled by a call from Officer Phelps, who suggests Jack visit Whit's End immediately. Once he arrives, Jack is shocked to find Whit's End vandalized. Tom Riley meets Jack at the scene and notices Jack is a bit more upset than he should be. Jack explains to Tom that the vandalism of Whit's End was in his dream that morning: in the dream, a place where Jack feels safe and secure was being destroyed. Small fires continued to pop up in the dream but were doused by little pools of water which sprang up in response. Tom suggests that Jack speak with Pastor Barclay about his dreams, to which Jack agrees. Officer Phelps informs the two of them that the cleanup crew will be late, since Finneman's Market was also hit last night.
While biking to Trickle Lake later that day, Sam Johnson and Lucy Cunningham-Schultz find Connie cleaning up at Whit's End and learn about the vandalism. Sam suggests that what Odyssey needs is a superhero. Connie relays this idea to Jack inside a few minutes later, and Jack suggests that instead of a superhero, what they need is "a lot of little pools of water." Jack then asks Connie to close the door while he makes a call to a person in Connellsville.
Tom makes a public statement to the press later that day at city hall and is challenged by Bryan Dern about Tom's connection to Whit's End, and why Tom acted strongly only after Whit's End was hit; Tom flatly ignores the question. Later on his radio show, Dern and special guest Bart Rathbone ridicule Tom and suggest that new leadership for the town is needed.
Meanwhile, after a failed fishing trip, Sam and Lucy discover that their bikes have been stolen. The two walk back to Whit's End and bemoan their bad fortune; oddly, there Sam receives a strange phone call suggesting that he visit the Wonderworld Treehouse. At the treehouse, a mysterious figure wearing a ski mask leads Sam to a cave where the bikes are being kept. Sam jumps the figure, pulls off the mask and finds that it is none other than his former friend and recent Bones of Rath member Butch! Sam pumps Butch for information, guessing the Bones must be behind all this, and urges Butch to leave the Bones and be his friend again. Butch is clearly tempted but simply bids Sam goodbye and walks away. Suddenly, Sam is grabbed from behind by an unseen figure!
Discussion Questions
- Why did Jack think his dream was significant?
- Why did Butch give back the bicycles?
- Why wouldn’t he go with Sam?
- What is the best way to fight evil?
Cast
Heard in episode
Mentioned in episode
| Character | Mentioned By |
|---|---|
| Captain Richard Quinn | Tom Riley |
| Jason Whittaker | Tom Riley |
| Billy McPherson | Chris |
Notes
Parents: This series, known as “Darkness Before Dawn,” gets extremely intense in places and is therefore not recommended for younger listeners.
- Trivia
- Bart Rathbone told Bryan Dern in this episode that "I think Riley needs glasses..." However, Tom Riley apparently already owns glasses, as he has always been depicted wearing them. It's just another example of Bart swallowing his foot whenever he speaks.
- When Sam and Lucy tell Connie on the grounds of Whit's End that they are riding their bikes to Trickle Lake, she expresses surprise that they are riding their bikes "all the way up there". It is later established in #513: “Do or Diet” when Bernard Walton and Wooton Bassett run from Whit's End to Trickle Lake that the distance is around 2 miles.
Quotes
Sam Johnson: You know it’s times like this when I wish I was a superhero. Then I could catch these guys before they do stuff like this.
Connie Kendall: <laughing> Yeah, that's just what we need—Super Sam!
Sam Johnson: Dum da daaa!
Sam Johnson: Nice mask. Last time I saw that kind of get-up was at Halloween.
Bart Rathbone: The very idea of him usin' city funds to help people!
Resources
- Episodes aired 15 times
- Episodes in Album 25: Darkness Before Dawn
- 1995 Season Episodes
- Episodes sorted alphabetically
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- Episodes with music by Library
- Episodes recorded at Unknown
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- Episodes executive produced by Chuck Bolte
- Episodes in The Blackgaard Chronicles: The Battle Between Good and Evil Comes Home
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- Episodes that mention Captain Richard Quinn
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