In this final episode of the Birdsong series, Jammy makes his formal exit from camp just as Uvi prepares to make her own. When the day finally arrives, she has one final moment with Counselor Fleeve to say goodbye. Uvi takes in a new perspective of camp, and almost boards the bus that awaits her outside to take her into town to begin her life as an adult.

Orev leads Uvi out the doors of camp into darkness and uncertainty, and misfortune finds them quickly, bringing harsh punishment onto Uvi and certain death onto Orev. Jammy finds a way to make his statement about the situation and receives a punishment of his own.

The intensity between Uvi and Orev heats up just as any teenage relationship can, but the closeness they share threatens to throw off the balance in concentric ways, and they are warned of dire consequences. Just as a new kind of freedom seems within reach, the frequency of the drills increase, and the sirens interrupt their lives in a way that Uvi has never experienced before. 

Uvi shares breakfast with the new camper and gives him the basics to begin his life at camp with his best foot forward, including a few tips about how best to handle the drills. His first drill arrives soon enough and threatens to overwhelm him very quickly, with Jammy right there, ready to make some trouble. 

A story begins about a girl who lives in an encampment for children, where there are frequent drills for terrible storms that seldom come, and always somewhere else, reportedly leaving complete destruction and widespread death in their wake. Many if not most children are without parents, forcing them to live communally in these encampments with the women who serve and oversee them under strict yet seemingly necessary protocols involving long periods of time in sealed underground bunkers,...

This is the final installment of the Dearest Benjamin series by Verna A. Ringlander.  Our letter writer finalizes her thoughts and lets Benjamin know exactly what she wants from him, and how she'd like it to happen, as well as where the letter is going.  Lyrics at the beginning and end are from the song "Here's Where the Story Ends" by The Sundays. Thank you for listening to this heartfelt tale. Stay tuned for our next series, "Birdsong," set in a dystopian environment that came to Ms....

Fate is very nearly thwarted by a terrible blizzard that threatens to destroy everyone's much-anticipated plans. Gratefully, they eventually all come together for a giant campout in the freezing cold and share an unforgettable night around a bonfire in the woods.  Oh... and she meets Benjamin. Lyrics at the beginning of the episode are from the song "Wonderwall" by Oasis. Our next episode is Chapter 12, in which the letter is closed and and our letter-writer realizes some big lessons in...

The letter writer tells Benjamin all about her friendship with two of girls she'd always hoped to befriend, Katrina and Angelica, and about the storm of drama over a boy that nearly ended all of their friendships as they planned to attend a music festival, leading her to seek shelter in an inhospitable environment, and some drastic consequences for Katrina.  Lyrics at the beginning of the episode are from the song "Connected" by Stereo MC's.  Stay tuned for Chapter 11, when she and Benjamin...

The ultimate road trip takes our letter writer and Conrad all the way to West Texas to visit Benjamin and meet up with Walter. Important late night decisions were made, which were of course either never kept.. or kept a little too well. Lyrics at the beginning of the episode are from the song "Where Do I Begin" by The Chemical Brothers.  Stay tuned for Chapter 10 in which the letter writer attends a music festival with dramatic consequences, leading her to seek shelter and solace wherever...

Our letter writer recounts the very last time she ever saw Benjamin. It was, to say the very least, not a friendly visit.   Lyrics at the beginning are from the song "How's it Going to Be" by Third Eye Blind.  Stay tuned for Chapter 9, when our letter writer remembers happier times during a life-changing road trip with Conrad, when they drove all the way to Texas from Wisconsin, just to see where Benjamin grew up.  (Severe content warning! This episode features descriptions of smoking...

The writer of the letter describes a little bit about her life in Dallas, during the time she was romantically involved with, and entirely absorbed by, Dirk. We hear a little bit about the tragic nature of her relationship with Benjamin, and how Dirk tried to help. Ultimately, we know she went back to Madison to start a new life with Leif, yet her actual reasons for doing so were not quite as simple as they earlier seemed. Lyrics at the beginning are from the song "Good Riddance (Time of...

Our letter writer details her struggles with a marriage she entered when she was still only a teenager, to Leif, a boy she grew up with who lived down the street from her when she was a young child. She describes dealing with unaffectionate but very wealthy in-laws, her husband's infidelity, and her own painful decision to leave the relationship entirely when it became too difficult to bear. Once again, we hear that Conrad was there to lovingly pick up the pieces and encourage the divorce...

Our letter writer expresses she couldn't to relate to Benjamin, even though both of them were no stranger to vicious splits, when he went through his most recent heartbreak, even if Walter very much wished that she would take some of the burden off his shoulders. She tells about how it all ended with Lief (badly) and how it almost happened to her with Ronin if not for his resolve. She explains why she hasn't been there for Benjamin through it all, even though she still cares.  Lyrics at the...

We hear the whole story about Geo's relationship with our letter-writer, from the beginning, having heard how it ended in Chapter 1. We get to know Conrad a little better, too, who is clearly a good and loyal friend who got her through the worst of times, just as she did for him in return. We hear all the details of the last few conversations she ever had with Benjamin, all on the phone, all very casual, and the mystery deepens further even as we hear about how things really fell apart...

Our narrator discloses in her letter that the blame for her own happiness lies with herself ultimately, but we learn here about a couple of tragic yet important relationships-- Boris, an ex who simply wasn't a good match, and Katrina, a very old and very troubled friend that Benjamin had also been acquainted with at some point. All this leads to meeting and marrying Ronin, only after years of giving life a try in Seattle, where she had lots of fun but experienced no sense of permanence, and...

We learn here that the writer of the letter is in unspeakable pain, and that it's old pain that feels useless to her. We also learn that Benjamin was most definitely someone close to her, someone who hurt her in a way that has left a long-festering wound, and the years of relationships and life events have not erased it enough for her to move on, even though at many times it felt that she had moved on. The move abroad has rendered our narrator incapable of escaping the grappling of her past...

A long, heartfelt letter is begun to Benjamin, and we find out that our narrator is living abroad in a lonely place far, far away from all of the memories she describes as she's writing to him. She speaks of dreaming strange dreams about Benjamin, and how little hope she has of reconciliation with him. It is unclear the nature of their relationship, but it seems warm and quite romantic, even if it did end badly. Our narrator describes how recording her dreams and doing free association...